Sthrngary

I agree completely. I think what happened is when Covid-19 shut down the cruise companies, they had to find new ways to make back the profits that they lost. So everything went up. I have purchased the Thermal Spa and only used it a couple of times. I also have purchased the Vibe Beach Club and used it every day. Everyone has something that helps them enjoy their cruise. We all have to make decisions on what is affordable to our respective budgets. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@CruiseAFI get you however sometimes it is not what you say, it is how you say it. The issue here is the ship is to new to rate. The other is the premium one pays for the Haven Suite in question. In most cases, the Cruise Brand lets the guest know if there is an obstruction. Like when you go to a Broadway show, an obstructed view seat would be discounted. In this case it is a Haven Suite which is supposed to be the best on the ship. I always remember how many times I was cancelled before I finally could use my FCC. It was close to two years. During those two years I visualized my cruise from start to finish. To think my balcony has any sort of obstruction would have put a "Debbie Downer" on my cruise for sure. Not a First World Issue, but would have been very disappointing. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My pleasure. I used to approach my answers differently. I would say things like, "Search your subject" instead of simply answering the posters question. I realized, as familiar I was at how to navigate CruiseCritic.com, many others simply want their question answered. My response to you was detailed because I am doing the same thing right now for my upcoming cruise on the NCL Breakaway December 4, 2022. With everything I know and learned, I know my odds of getting an upgrade is slim and none. The most important think I want to share on this site is to always have realistic expectations. On my cruise, because it is a special event cruise, only a handful of Haven Suites are left. I know that which makes knowing I most likely will not be successful, easier to take. You can ask me anything and if I don't know, I will be transparent. CruiseCritic.com is a very nice source and most everyone is helpful. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Well done, great information. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The bookings on any cruise are usually almost compete at about 90 days out. That is also the time when full payment is due from those that book the cruise early. From a trend standpoint, NCL starts to slowly decrease the cost of a Haven (and other) suites the closer it gets to the cruise date. A few cabins get sold but not that many. Then sometimes the unforeseeable happens. I was hoping for an upgrade to the Haven for my last cruise. I was a solo. Then a few week prior, one of NCL ships hit a sand bar. The next few weeks were cancelled on that ship and they offered moving to the ship I was on. Quickly all the Haven Suites were gone. Understandable of course. Do I think lots will be sold, no. As the price goes down, some folks upgrade at retail vs. upgrade bid. Happens all the time. I also notice that the folks in the lowest cost Haven Suites, upgrade to the better Haven Suites putting their old room in inventory. So you might not see it now but it will show up the last week or two prior to your cruise. I also notices there sometimes was two waves of "Bid Upgrades". The first wave take the really high bids and the second wave happens about three days prior to sailing. I would much prefer that NCL simple sends out a specific amount they want for an upgrade at the last minute. That is what some other brands do and it is for me, much less stressful. I know I over answered your question. I have a tendency to do that. I hope I helped. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The way to do that is to act like you are booking a stateroom online. Choose the stateroom you want to bid on and when the screen says, would you like to choose a different stateroom, click it. You will now see the number of available cabins. This gives you and indication of suites that could be bid on for a lower bid amount. The other way I get inventory is to go to cruise (dot) com. I put my cruise in and look at each of the categories of staterooms I want. Same notion on bidding. I hope that strategy makes sense and assist you in some way. It has worked for me. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

OK, drop the notion of Free At Sea. Highlight the notion of checking inventory. The way to do that is to act like you are booking a stateroom online. Choose the stateroom you want to bid on and when the screen says, would you like to choose a different stateroom, click it. You will now see the number of available cabins. This gives you and indication of suites that could be bid on for a lower bid amount. The other way I get inventory is to go to cruise (dot) com. I put my cruise in and look at each of the categories of staterooms I want. Same notion on bidding. I hope that strategy makes sense and assist you in some way. It has worked for me. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I want to approach your question differently. When using the "Upgrade Bid" program, the offer to you is usually a few categories above what you booked. From a strategic standpoint, which is what I think you are asking for. I would book the cheapest stateroom with all the "Free At Sea" perks. This will give you the "Free at Sea" perks for any upgrade you receive. Second, understand what happens and when it happens on upgrade bids. The company that awards the bids is a third party vender whom specialize in this kind of program. They rarely award a bid until just a few days prior to your cruise. Look at the inventory for the stateroom you want online. If low availability, make a bid a bit higher. If high availability, make bid a little lower. Next, realized the third party company upgrades the Haven first, those that got upgraded now have inventory open. They pull everyone up and you will be last. I am sharing this will you because if inventory is not available now, it will be once the upgrades start to be given. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My cruise on the NCL Breakaway is 82 days away. I went to the spa, "Thermal Spa", and the investment for a 7-Day Cruise was $299.00 per guest for the week. Go online, go to spa, then "Thermal Spa" and it should be in the same place. Yours will be more because of the number of days you are traveling. I usually choose the Vibe Beach Club or the Thermal Spa. It depends on the weather when I am cruising. The Vibe is usually a little less then the spa. Both can be purchased ahead of time on your Online Access. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@latebloomer56You are more than welcome. I can not answer your question however I will make a comment. I had the Pearl booked for New England and Canada a few years ago with a Two Bedroom Family villa in the Haven. It was a family vacation. Prior, my wife and I went on the NCL Getaway, in a Haven Spa Suite. I immediately realized I like the full Haven Experience only available on the larger NCL ships. We cancelled the Pearl and booked the Encore. Due to many cancelations due to Covid, we ended up on the NCL Joy. My opinion and only my opinion is the smaller ships with the smaller Haven are a great if the itinerary need those smaller ship to get into the ports with no tenders. If not, the bigger ships with the full Haven Experience suite my family and I better. I know I went off your topic however I wanted to share my experience. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@cruiserbear55Thank you for the response. My question on the drink card was just out of curiosity. it was the first I had ever hear of it and I love to learn new information. My wife and I are completely spoiled so we did the "Free at Sea PLUS" package. So that includes the Premium PLUS Beverage Package. I have a habit of finding and drinking as much Tequila 1942 as I can find on the ship, LOL. The Casino Goodies sound lovely. Nice touch. I failed to state, this upcoming trip on the NCL Breakaway is because my wife won the slot tournament on the NCL Joy last December. She has an entry in to the finals for $100,000.00 winner take all. That will be a really fun event I am sure. Thank you again for responding and it was must helpful. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Can you elaborate on the Casino Drink Card and the goodies? I will be at Port of New Orleans, does that qualify. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@dbdbI am currently booked on a CAS cruise on the Breakaway in December 2022. The 20% off is off the current cruise far with the 40% discount. Remember, the additional 20% is limited to Club Suite or below not Haven Usually. It only applies to the actual fare, not the port or tax charges. If you use an American Express Platinum Card, you will not get your perks because you have to book through CAS. It is an excellent deal and you can always call prior to final payment for a lower price if on comes available. One more thing, always get the "Free at Sea" promotion not "Cruise Only". Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you for the kind words. I am the Author. Remember, you can order from the Haven Restaurant for your room service (served by the butler) if they are open. Depending on the ship, the Haven Horizon Observation Lounge has coffee (Starbucks machine complementary) and lite breakfast. Please try the Almond Danish. It is ONLY in the Haven and it is to die for. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@weltekFunny I was hopping for the same thing, low attendance. I don't think that is going to happen because three months out, the Haven is almost completely sold out. This is the week after thanksgiving so all I can think is those that won, booked the Haven. I hope sincerely I am wrong. The ship is about the same as other. The 20% off I got from Casinos at Sea was very welcomed. Thank you for the good luck. I asked my wife what would she purchase first. She said, I have NO IDEA. I have some idea's for her though. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Hello everyone, I thought it would be fun to do a count down to the $100,000.00 Winner Takes All NCL “Casinos at Sea” Tournament. The cruise is 85 days away. Here is the story. My family and I was cruising on the NCL Joy, November 27 – December 4, 2021. I got each family member a buy-in ($30.00) in the ships slot tournament. Prior to my wife playing for the first round, she said, “I hate doing this slot tournament. It makes me so nervous.” When you do a slot tournament you can see who is leading on your screen until the last 15 seconds. There was my wife ahead of the pack with me in dead last. Bingo, she wins round one. This got her in the finals for the ship. In the finals which pays $500.00, I am watching her play, with a minute to go she was second. With 15 seconds to go she was first. Bingo, she wins the ship tournament. This is so odd. My wife does not gamble at all. I filmed her getting the hundred-dollar bills in her hand like they do on YouTube. She stashed the money as her MAD money, enjoy it for a few months. She was giddy. The next thing I know, they hand her a piece of paper which gave her an entry into the “Casinos at Sea” slot tournament finals on the NCL Breakaway, out of New Orleans, on December 4, 2022. At first, I thought we also won a free cruise. “Not in my lifetime”, we had to pay for the cruise which was just fine. Casinos at Sea did give us a 20% discount the fare, so I felt fortunate. For those of you that read my “Secrets to the NCL Haven VIP Experience” posting here on CruiseCritic.com, I immediately ask for the discount on a Haven Suite. That as a “NO GO”. You can’t blame me for trying folks. We did get a Club Balcony Suite (MA) which we are very happy about. I also, as you might expect, already put in my “Upgrade Bid” for a Haven Suite. The reality is there is only a handful of Haven Suites left so I have NO real chance of an upgrade. I would rather it be this way then waiting and getting disappointed at the last minute. Time for Haven Lite: With a Club Balcony Suite, my lovely bride and I will be doing the now famous “Haven Lite” approach. The first thing I did was book the “Free at Sea PLUS” program. This just became available just a few months ago. It includes the Premium Plus Beverage Program, Unlimited Internet (Not Streaming), another $50.00 off excursion (that gives us $100.00 off) and two more Specialty Restaurants (Giving us a total of four). From there I booked a Cabana in the Vibe Beach Club. This is again, a new thing that you can book the Vibe pre-cruise instead of running for the Vibe desk when you get on the ship. That used to make me so nervous, so I was thrilled. One of the things I aways do is attempt to create an all-inclusive feeling on an NCL Cruise. I pre-paid my gratuities, purchased my cruise insurance (We usually cost the insurance company money) and book/paid for a few excursions. As most of you know, when you are in a Haven Suite you can pre-reserve a specialty restaurant 130 days in advance. Since I am in a Club Balcony Suite it is 125 day in advance so check that box. There you have it, Haven Lite nailed. As the time comes closer, I will post again on this thread. As Casinos at Sea send us information, I will post it. When I am on the cruise, I will do “Live Postings”. Wish my lovely bride some luck. She said we could go on another cruise if she wins, LOL. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Have a GREAT cruise. Allow all of us to live through your experiences. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The milk shake is awesome. The food is not to my taste however I did enjoy the "Blue Plate Special" which was Roast Beef, Mashed Potato's, Green Beans and bread. Since it is complementary to Haven Guest, worth a try. In the future, I will simply go to the Haven Restaurant for lunch instead. Remember food and opinions on food are all very subjective to the specific person. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@shepherdThat makes complete sense. I get what you were saying about the Olife. My second question is can I do the upgrade from online pre-cruise or wait until I am on board? Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I have a question. Both my wife and I will want to have the Prestige Drink Program. Our cruise is a 10 Day Mediterranean Cruise out of Athens, Greece. It is on the Riviera, November 2023. As all you regular Oceania Guest know, I can choose One of Three Perks. I normally would choose the $600.00 OBC. Since we will both be purchasing the Prestige Drink Program which is $600.00 per person, $1200 for the couple. My understanding is if we change to the Drink Program instead of the OBC and upgrade to the Prestige Drink Program for $200.00. That seems to be the best approach. Please tell me if my logic is correct? Can you upgrade pre-cruise or do you have to do it when you get on the ship? Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@dhjson Diane, I got it and I sent you a reply. I hope it assists you. You can communicate with me by doing a reply to my email sent. Best of luck, I know you will have your issue resolved quickly. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You are more than welcome. Cruise well and enjoy Every moment.

When you cruise opens up for On-Line Registration, which is 21 days prior if I am not mistaken. Get on right away and choose the earliest boarding time available. It is usually 09:00 AM. Show up at the port at 08:15 AM to 08:30 AM. There will already be a line and get on it. When you get in, you will move extremely fast. Have your information and covid cards (if they still ask for them) ready to go. Move directly to where they register you. It will be pretty seamless. The Taxi that took my to the port had some issues getting there because of the construction that is always by the port. So take that into consideration. That is the approach I will be using also. I hope that helps. BTW, I get to the port early because as soon as I get onboard, I head to the Vibe Beach Club which I already have a pass for my cruise. I end up being the first one in the Vibe and nobody at the bar. Remember, they will charge you tax while in port because that is how it works on Embarkment. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Will do. I have cruised through New Orleans before. It was not very smooth. The good news is, anything less than awful will seem like an improvement. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The by the glass wines are very nice. The more you know about wines and what you like, they better you can enjoy this upgraded drink package. The bottle selected wines are not always the nicest. You can do much better by the glass. Not having a corkage charge is something I did not know about. So thank you for sharing. Bringing what you like onboard is a great idea now that it seems they will let you. Reminds me of decades past when this was an option. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.