efuzz

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. 

12 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

There is a VIP car on the train ride.  Much nice than the regular ride.  Rotating arm chairs.  In car refreshments including alcohol, sandwiches, etc.  Best thing is the in-car tour guide.  In the other cars, there is one guide for the whole train.   You can't ask him questions.  We think it's worth the extra.

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!

6 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

You will have a wonderful time. If you can splurge I highly recommend the helicopter to the glacier to do the dog sledding. And if you are on the Yukon railroad sit on the left side. The train does reverse for the scenery but on the way down everyone is asleep!

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!

3 hours ago, amygutman said:

@efuzz to let you know that @justhappy is doing a lifestream for the Encore in Alaska as we speak. She is not in the Haven, but is giving a wonderful review.

 

Have a fantastic time and get the ship ready for us… Our family and friends are boarding on September 24th!!!! 
 

Warmest Amy

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.

6 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@efuzz I am afraid you will have to wait until the morning for the Almond Croissant.  Have a wonderful cruise.  The Encore has one of the nicest Haven's in the fleet.  I did a similar thing for my wife on our next cruise.  Our partners need to know how much we appreciated them for all they did for our families and us.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

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

6 hours ago, Grimix said:

I hope so. But temper your expectations! I don't remember if they are only available for breakfast. I also don't remember if they serve breakfast on embarkation day... But unless supply issues have taken them out they should be available the next morning!

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. 

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

LOL.  I used to shun Uber/Lyft because they were new and I don't readily embrace new things.  Anyhow, I finally decided to "force" myself to try them and, just like Mikey and the cereal, I liked it!!!

 

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

On 6/1/2023 at 1:04 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

What kind of transfer does NCL provide to a hotel the day before a cruise?  I've never heard of this.

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! 

16 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

It was a towel animal attack on the MG Lido Deck today! I'm thinking there must be a Georgia fan in the Fun Squad! 😂

 

 

 

 

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!

2 hours ago, bookbabe said:

^^^ this

 

We were on the Encore out of Seattle in May, and we went to scope out the terminal the day before.  One of the staffers corralling the line for the Bliss told us the secret is NOT to get in the really long line at the door if you get there before they’ve started letting people in, that when they open up they will open the second set of doors (think it was the ones on the right?) for Haven guests and pull everyone out of the long regular line to enter there.  We were traveling with my mom, who has mobility issues and can’t stand for long, so we followed that advice and just sat on the benches by the closed doors until the person with the Haven sign came out, then we got in that much shorter line and almost immediately went in.

 

That's an excellent tip. Thank you!

7 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Hi! We sailed on the Encore in the Haven on a sold-out cruise in July 2022.  Our experience at the Seattle terminal was excellent.  From the time we entered the terminal to the time we were at the Haven waiting area was less than 10 minutes.  Every single port staff member we encountered was kind and efficient.  We were so impressed.  We arrived at the port before the 11:00am boarding time and the Haven waiting area had the best snacks and food I’ve ever seen.  The concierge escorted us on the ship right at 11:00am and lead everyone to the Haven Horizon lounge for his speech about what he would do and what the butlers would do.

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

59 minutes ago, mantadiver said:

We boarded in Seattle on the Bliss last September booked in the Haven.  When we arrived at the port we were a little dismayed at the line, but after about five minutes a NCL rep. came out with a Haven sign and asked if anyone is in the Haven.  They escorted us to the Haven waiting area and the rest was Bliss...

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.

On 3/8/2023 at 8:49 AM, Sthrngary said:

@gojigirl I am the Author of the "Butler Letter" concept.  I am also the CruiseCritic.com author of the op-ed "The secrets of the Haven VIP Experience".  As you can see from the responses, the "Butler Letter" can be controversial.  Some use it and love it, other don't.  It is like all aspects of a cruise.  To each his own.  

 

The origins of the letter was lackluster butler performance in my past.  The letter evolved over time to be an outline of my families likes and dislikes.  It all started after a very frank conversation with two butlers.  The shared confidentially that many of their guest simply do not provide them a gratuity.  The reason they felt was they were not part of the "Pre-Paid" gratuity program.  After this happened over and over again, it effected their attitude because their income dropped.  

 

I thought to myself, what if we broke tradition and gave the butler their entire gratuity on day one with a letter.  The moment I started this, I never had an issue with a butler being attentive.  That is my experience and how the "Butler Letter" came to be.  I was always very careful how I introduced the gratuities within the letter.  A sample letter is attached in an earlier post on this thread.  I am an old timer and cruise all my life.  To provide a gratuity upfront was against every thing I had ever done on a cruise.  I did not want to offend anyone, just wanted an attentive butler. 

 

I dislike even talking about this subject because so many people are critical of approach without even using it as intended.  Every post I do I have only one goal in mind.  Improve in someway the cruising experience.  Today, with all the cut backs, and brand cost savings; an attentive butler can and usually does make all the difference.  Those that disagree with me approach, please share what you do that has worked.  All that matters is our individual enjoyment. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

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. 

Thanks all! It appears the restaurant is there, but the ring is gone. I like the golf cart idea and I'm sure he will too.

My nephew really wants to have lunch at the restaurant in port that had a wrestling ring in the middle of the restaurant. We were in CM in November and the ring had been removed for social distancing. Does anyone know if the ring has been replaced and shows are back?

We used it back in November. We had someone with us who had recent knee surgery, so it was great to have this option. Getting into and out of the shuttle took a little twisting, but they said it wasn't bad at all and it got them to the shops where they could stop and rest as they needed. It was a free shuttle with a tip jar that I noticed most of the passengers ignored. 🙄

Thank you @keels81 We were on the Magic in 2018 and had a great time. I don't mind Gary being a little less in-your-face. We might really like that. How were lines on the lido?

Anybody here recently returned from the restart of the Magic? Anything new to report (other than the new paint job)? I don't believe they made any major updates, but curious how things went and how Gary was as the CD?

15 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

She is getting them in dry dock next month

Ok. That makes sense. I checked on the Carnival site and Guys and Blue Iguana were listed as available options, but if they are coming next month I assume the OP would have those choices.