easycruiser77

I agree the Haven is a quiet place to retreat to

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I know they don't cater to families. They have to cater to everyone. It just the people who feel since they paid X amount of dollars for the haven and feel kids shouldn't be there, that bothers me a little. I'm curious how these people feel with the Breakaway and that class of ships. Where the only rooms that cater to larger families is in the haven area. I would never think to take my kids to the scavenger hunt. It does amaze when how many parents take their kids to it knowing exactly what it is.

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I completely agree with this. Banning kids from the Haven makes sense in the same way that banning alcohol from the cruise will prevent obnoxious drunks. It's an extreme reaction to a situation that should be otherwise controllable. I hope that concierges and Haven butlers can be of assistance the same way that bartenders can help control (prevent) the drunks.

 

We love NCL because of the opportunities for families (flexibility, dining choices, entertainment, choices of rooms, etc) but also realize that for what we're paying for a suite, we could be getting a basic level room (with tons of amenities) on a luxury line once we enter the time in our lives when we DON'T want to be around kids. The nice thing about cruising is that there are tons of options.... I propose expanding yours rather than limiting others'.

I agree that the bulters and concierges can be of assistance, but they need to know this is going on. They can't help if they aren't made away of it.

We too love NCL, we are going in a few weeks and this will be our 4th time on there. For us, having 3 kids, NCL makes the best sense. They one of the few lines that have rooms that'll fit us, and the good prices they offer do help a lot.

I was debating whether or not I wanted to respond to this post as ones like this tend to get me fired up, but I'll keep it sane.

I agree with the OP on some aspects, but disagree quite a bit. Granted what those kids were doing were totally unacceptable and their parents should have put an end to it. Kids are kids and they'll do stuff like that. I think the parents are the ones to blame for this. They obviously weren't handling the situation.

As one of the posters stated....with the new ships the only rooms on board that'll fit a family with more than 2 kids are the 2-bedroom suites, and those happen to be in the Haven area. As a parent of 3 kids, I take offense to the OP stating that kids shouldn't be allowed in the Haven. Now granted if my kids were doing that, I'd usher them right out of the Haven. Basically you're almost saying that if you have more than 2 kids, sail on an older ship or one that doesn't have access to the Haven area.

You're are sailing on Norwegian Cruise Line....as line that's practically 100% geared towards families. Of course there are going to be kids on there. Maybe you should look at sailing on one of the more upscale cruise lines that's not completely geared/dedicated towards children.

How do you know who your PCC is? We have 125 days and no one ever contacts us. We had a call after our first cruise with NCL in 2009 and that was it.

I'm not sure. For me....I received his business card in the mail with a note stating he was my PCC. You might be able to call NCL and ask them. I'm sure they'd be able to tell you who you are assigned to. You could also not be assigned to one.

Mine was a complete waste of time.

I'm sure there are good ones out there, as reported.

How do you get a good one?

I stumbled upon mine. He sent me his business card in the mail and I went from there.

I'm not allowed to post his info here, but if you're interested...you can mail me at my screen name at gmail . com and I'll send you his info

I too have been lucky to have an awesome PCC. Always answers my emails and phone calls in a timely manner. If he needs to put me on hold for an extended period, he'll ask for a number to call me back at, rather than leave me on hold. I've booked 2 cruises with him and will continue to do so, as long as we sail NCL. He was unfortunately unable to combine the DASH sale and Suite OBC for the cruise I just booked. But all in all he's an awesome PCC

So....I finally broke down and book a cruise aboard the Gem. Took advantage of the 1/2 priced deposit Dash Sale. Only thing is that I couldn't get the $300 onboard credit for booking a suite 9 months in advance. Got $150 instead. No biggie.

Here's to hoping they offer a kids sail free promotion at some point.

376 Days till our cruise on the Gem.

an incredibly reasonable assessment.

 

 

easycruiser77: my kids are 3 and 2.

Definitely. We cruised when our daughter was 13 months. And kept her schedule the same as when we were home. It worked out well except for the boarding day, but that's always hectic. My wife and I always make sure our kids are behaving.

Hi....I don't want to highjack this thread, but felt there wasn't a need to start another one. I have one quick question...

I'm looking at possibly booking a haven suite for next year. My wife and I will be going with our 3 kids (3,2,2). I'm curious if we should be ok with them there. Most of everyone who has responded has had kids older.

Thanks,

I just re read what I posted and realized I mis spoke. I'm most likely going to book a 2 bedroom suite. What I meant to say is that I'm also looking at book the 2 bedroom haven suite instead. This is going to be a 30th birthday gift for my wife and I thought maybe to just go all out and get a haven room instead

Hi.....I'm also looking at the possibility of booking a "Haven Suite"

Has anyone done this with young kids, and can you share your experiences?

bump....

Do anyone have any current photos or a video of these room. I've done a search on you tube and what I have found has been from a few years ago.

Also does anyone have photos of the dailies for the Gem Bahamas/Florida cruise?

Thanks

So I just read on another post that a 4 year old fell from one of those bunk beds and sustained a head injury. The child and mother had to be airlifted off the ship by the Coast Guard. Definitely not going to let me daughter sleep on one of those.

No noise at all - you are actually in front of the pool area so no noise at all. Very quiet at night also.

awesome. that's great to know

My PCC has been awesome. I've always been able to get a hold of him and when he's not available, he always calls back in a resonable amount of time. Same thing when I send him emails. I booked our last cruise with him and was thinking about switching to a 3rd party as they were a little cheaper. He gave me such good service that I decided to keep the booking with him. Like others have said some are good and others aren't.

I'd try to find another PCC to go with and you might have better luck.

I've stayed in 11012 (same cabin, other side of the ship) and agree that it's a great choice. If you look right above it on the deck plan, you see that the library is there, probably one of the quietest rooms on the ship. For 11512, the fitness center is overhead, but it's the "entrance" area so it's likely to be pretty quiet as well.

Thanks...That's definitely something I have to remember to check.

Chrisaf... Did you notice much noise from the pool deck above? Just curious how it is during the day as our kids will most likely still be taking naps during the day

If price is the same for either 2 minis or the 2-bedroom family suite, I suggest the 2-bedroom. We were in the non-Haven 2-bedroom (11th deck, near the bridge viewing room) with 2 adults in the 'children's' bedroom and 2 adults in the master bedroom.

You'll feel safer with the children sleeping in an inside bedroom, rather than a minisuite with balcony, even assuming one adult is sleeping with the children in the mini-suite.

You'll get the perks of being in a suite (butlers love to spoil children!), and get a master bathroom to die for! You can pre-order items ahead of time through the pre-cruise concierge desk (milk/drink preferences, etc.)

 

Only downsides to the children's bedroom in the family suite:

~if the couch is opened into a bed to sleep, there is NO floor space and precious little storage (but the master bedroom suite has more than enough storage for everyone). We've booked it again for 4 adults on a Canada/New England cruise this September, and will bring an over-the-door shoe storage for storing shoes and other incidentals;

~be sure to order 'egg crate' toppers for the beds in the children's bedroom. Otherwise the beds are super hard.

~Balcony in 2-bedroom is small but adequate. Think I remember it has one chaise lounge and a couple of upright chairs plus table.

The price difference right now between the two is minimal. My wife and I have sailed in a suite before and having the butler was really nice. We've sailed in a mini-suite with our daughter (She was 13 months at the time) and positoned her pack-n-play right near the balcony doors (as far away from it as possible) as the was the only place to put it. She'll be almost 4 when I want to go, so she'll probably be in a bed. It's the boys (they'll be almost 2) that I'm more concerned with.

Our first suite was a forward facing penthouse on the gem. It was at the very, very front. I felt some rocking but nothing crazy and it was more soothing than anything. I expect it would be a little less noticeable the further back you go.

 

I am on the Gem in March on a kids sail free. I'm not sure when you said you would go but if I am sailing before you, check in with me so I make sure to take pictures of the room and help answer any questions you have. Good luck!

I'm looking at going in September 2015

Another question.....Do you notice a lot of motion with the suites being towards the front? We've never had a room that far forward. We usually stick to the middle or aft.

Thanks for the info. I'm leaning more towards the suite as it'll be easier for us all to be in one room. Also hoping that they'll offer kids sail free at some point for that cruise.

I was in a two-BR on the Gem out of NYC...2 adults and 8 & 10 year old girls. The second bedroom can easily sleep three kids! We had one on the top bunk and one on the lower bunk...which is almost the size of a double. We actually all laid down on the lower bed to look a pictures on the camera together. I think they'll be fine!! ;)

Is there enough room in there for 2 pack-n-plays? Just in case our boys aren't in real beds at that point