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Sailing on MG for the second time in 3 weeks! Following along to help with the excitement!

In 2021 we were on the Magic and I was able to watch the WS on the TV at the Casino bar.

Excellent. We looked at that earlier but it was full. I'm on the waitlist.

Thanks for the live review. We will be waiting to board when you disembark!

Thank you. I am booked on the railroad so I'll be sure to grab a seat on the good side and I will definitely look into the helicopter. That sounds fun!

Thank you. I will check the live review out now! I'll make sure to leave it as well or better than I found it for you.

Thank you, sir! I like to spoil my wife when I can, and it appears you do as well. Cheers!

Well, I guess I'll have to eat 2 the next day! Thanks for the warning. I'll try not to think about it on the way to the port.

My wife and I are flying to Seattle in 4 days and will board the Encore the next day for our first Alaskan cruise. I cannot tell you how excited we are for this trip. It is also our first NCL and so obviously, our first time in the Haven. @Sthrngary @CDR Benson and many others, your input on this thread has been invaluable to our planning. Thank you all so much. My butler letter and luggage tags are ready, and I am surprising my wife on our flight as I have upgraded to 1st class both ways because I want her to be pampered from the time we get to the Atlanta airport. (And bonus that I get pampered too!) If any of you are on the Encore with us, I would love to share a drink at the Haven bar. I am having an almond croissant as soon as I board and plan to report back when we return with my observation/experiences.

My son got me hooked on it, now I am all in. Love the convenience!

Apparently I've never heard of it either. Perhaps it was wishful thinking. 🤦‍♂️

Thank you all for the responses. Turns out I misunderstood what I was getting. Apparently I have the hotel shuttle to the ship on embarkation morning but nothing from the airport. Glad I asked now. I would have had some 'splaining to do had we landed at SEATAC expecting a shuttle with nobody waiting for us! I guess I'll be checking on hotel shuttles from the airport or good old Uber. Crisis averted!

Love it! Go Dawgs! And loving your review! We were on MG April 2022 for our nephew's Spring break and had a great time but are thinking of booking again next February to do our favorite themed cruise - Non-Spring Break Empty Nester's Adventure!

Long time cruiser but first time on NCL. My wife and I will be sailing the Encore from Seattle Labor Day weekend. We have transfers through NCL from the airport to our hotel the day before our cruise and then back to the airport on disembarkation day. I have no idea what to expect since we always drive to the port for Caribbean cruises. Can anybody offer a preview of what I can expect or what I should plan for to make it a better experience? Thanks!

That's an excellent tip. Thank you!

That is great to hear. Thank you for sharing your experience. I am now feeling less concerned about the embarkation experience.

That's good to know. Thank you for sharing.

I have been reading/following this thread for months now. My wife and I have cruised 10 times but last Fall we booked our first NCL cruise on the Encore to Alaska this September. We decided to splurge and book a Courtyard Penthouse in the Haven. I want to thank @Sthrngary for the wisdom shared in this thread and all the tips he and others, particularly @CDR Benson have shared. I enjoy your thoughts and style and think we would enjoy sharing a drink or three onboard some day. As a result of the collective experience of this thread I have created an initial draft of my butler letter, created a spreadsheet to list our travel days, including dining and activities for each day with notes gathered from many of you, and I have already scheduled our specialty dining after much discussion with my lovely wife to decide which restaurants we believe we will enjoy. We have primarily cruised Carnival in the past as suite guests, so we are looking forward to an exponentially better experience in the Haven. After all my reading and planning, the one outstanding issue I have now is the embarkation experience. It appears the Seattle port is not designed for a quick process prior to getting to the Haven boarding area, and honestly, if I have a bit of a wait in security before immersing ourselves in all things Haven, I don't count that as a problem, and it won't harm my cruise experience in any way. Do any of you have specific thoughts on the Seattle port experience and anything I can look for or do to make that part seamless? Thank you all for your help up to this point! I'll be sure to come back with a review after we return.

Thank you @Sthrngary We are taking our first NCL cruise this fall and will be in the Haven. I found your original "Secrets of the Haven" post after booking and found it really helpful. Like all things in life, it works for some and not for others. I'm of the mindset to "take what I like and leave the rest" when receiving advice or suggestions, so we will be following your thoughts for our Haven experience. I appreciate the time it took you to share your thoughts.