david_sobe

Really looking forward to this review. I wish you would have come here to get better expectations before boarding. Priority boarding with the Haven does not mean: boarding all Haven guests first or getting you past the security line first. It only means that once your passport and credit card is registered they will escort you through all the lines to get to the ship. You discovered that yes, many will ease on to the ship faster than many Haven guests. It all depends how busy the Haven lounge is. The priority luggage tags is more about making people "feel special" more than anything. I have never discovered being in the Haven means you get your luggage any faster. I am perplexed at some of your choices. The biggest perk of the Haven on embarkation day is sitting down to lunch in the Haven restaurant. What made you go to the MDR? Scrambled eggs in the MDR or buffet is many times not real eggs and some sort of egg beaters. They always have real eggs in the Haven restaurant. They have the best breakfasts there so I am shocked you went to the local for breakfast. I have not been on Prima but I agree with your feelings about the 70s casual dark green colors in the Haven. NCL made the Haven very casual while making other parts of the ship more elegant. I have seen videos of Owners suites on the Prima and the wall colors are so dark and depressing green. The other ships have the opposite. Anyway, looking forward to the rest of the review!

I did not even realize the Prima had 2 Starbucks on board. Yes that was a foolish waste of space. One is enough.

The Star never got great reviews. An Antartica cruise is not a fair judgment of a cruise line. The ships are smaller and its expensive. I am still jealous because I can only dream about sailing to Antartica.

I am not arguing with anyone. I am only stating what factually is in existence. On smaller Jewel class ships there are only a few Haven suites but there are two bedroom suites and Owners suites with additional sleeping arrangements for children or others. When NCL really expanded the Haven with Epic and post Epic they flooded the ships with lots of second bedroom, pull down bunk beds for children. That has been in existence ever since. NCL like all other cruise lines markets to families thus go cart tracks, laser tag, water slides, etc. That is their key target market. The 2 bedroom suites are ideal for families. This is all why there are more kids than ever in the Haven. I have not seen any marketing from NCL that states " come stay in the Haven for peace and quiet and no children." Virgin targets the market for people not wanting to cruise with children not allowing anyone under 18 to board. I am not trying to troll you or argue with you just explaining reality of what the Haven is.

January and February are the best months for the Caribbean. The rates are the cheapest and the kids are in school. However stay clear of President's day week, Valentines Day week, and MLK day week.

Funny but true. Once on Epic we were on an excursion and was looking forward to this diet Pepsi can in the min-fridge. I never take things from the mini-fridge but had made my decision when we got back to the ship I was going to crack it open. When I got to the cabin I was in shock. The diet Pepsi can was gone. I was concerned I was going to be charged for something I did not take. I brought it up to my butler and she told me she removed it because it was past the expiration date. She brought me a can of diet Pepsi with the promise to never tell anyone about it. We did a pinky swear and I kept my mouth shut. I felt so guilty drinking a can of diet Pepsi that I did not pay for or authorized to drink. Its been 13 years and the statute of limitations has expired so I am not free to tell that story. But you are right. What we paid for that suite a can of diet Pepsi was the least they could do. 😬

That is a false premise. NCL built the Haven for families with lots of 2 bedrooms suites with bunk beds for the kids. Its a false assumption that its a kids free zone. The kid's parents paid the same price as the other Haven suites and they have a right to use the pool. I often refer to the Haven pool as the kiddie pool with all the little ones diving for their pool toys. I took one Xmas cruise on Epic and there were 10 kids and teenagers in the Haven hot tub few over 16. NCL cannot stop this since they are paying guests like everyone else. Yes there are other parts of the ship for them to swim but why would they go there when there is a pool outside their cabin? There is a video on youtube that I wont post here because the video is of children but the kids are screaming so loud with the solarium roof closed on the NCL Encore. One reviewer here posted the Horizon Lounge was used for hide and seek. The Haven is like a private resort. Kids do not have separate areas unfortunately. I wish NCL would create areas for children in the Haven so they can keep many other areas kids-free. NCL only restricts one sundeck in the Haven 16+. I think its a myth that NCL ever promoted a "fortress of solitude" as so many claim. I see it the other way........the Haven is a private area for you and your family to enjoy. They don't exclude children at all. They don't and never have promoted it as kids free or a quiet zone. Its just the reality. I watched a Viva review from the Haven with kids being kids running in and out of the sauna and snow room and then jumping in the pool. This is what kids do and the more joy those families and their kids have makes NCL happy. I only sail when kids are in school if I stay in the Haven.

OMG those photos of the smoker's box brought back memories of the Encore. On embarkation day there was an old woman with an oxygen tank in there smoking. I know I know, you are not supposed to smoke near oxygen. I did not stop and investigate but the woman had the plastic nose feed you have for oxygen and a tank next to her. What else could it be? BTW, cigarette smoking is not allowed in the cigar lounge. There was a giant sign prohibiting cigarettes unless they changed it.

Next time while you are on board do a social experiment and ask the concierge how often this happens. When we stay in the Haven we don't know anyone else on the cruise and that is usually the case with others. But then again no one would notice or really care they are paying for something lower quality than a specialty restaurant.

Not really. It still assumes of all the people in the restaurant the one or two non-Haven guests eating with their family are the ones going to be unruly. Its a horrible context and implies non-Haven passengers are savages who cant sit down and eat a quiet dinner. I have stayed in the Haven quite a bit and the loud and entitled ones are usually the ones in the Haven 😲

Wow, that is a crazy assumption that non-Haven guests would be loud and disturb your meal 😉 Its a rarely used procedure that lets a few friends or family visit their Haven friends or family and eat together. They are not allowed to use any of the Haven facilities. If it happens on a cruise I doubt anyone notices and they pay for the experience. While the Haven food is good its not quite up to specialty restaurant quality. So you can laugh at them over paying for the experience.

Really enjoying this cruise. You guys are active excursionists. I never wanted to go to Tortola but a few years ago at Long Bay Beach was my favorite beach excursion I have ever been to. Not a cruise line excursion, just grabbed a cab. Wi-fi, a beach bar, chairs and it was cheap. I cant wait to go back there. You are a more experienced cruiser than me so chances are you have been there before. BTW, the lazy river excursion in the DR is not connected to hike, correct? Or was it connected somehow and I missed it.

Some are confusing the short lived program of letting non-Haven passenger make a reservation for $50 (or whatever it was) and eat at the Haven. That was discontinued. Most times Haven guests can invite non-Haven guests WITH THEM to dine in the Haven restaurant for a fee. Most times its allowed but it depends on the concierge. The concierge on Encore spelled this out to everyone without anyone asking. We were allowed to invite guests to the Haven restaurant TWICE during the week for an additional fee. The guest MUST have a family or friend sailing in the Haven to invite them. The only exception to this was that blogger team several years ago that invited themselves to the Haven and insisted on staying because they had a cruise vlog. Adrian kicked them out but they created such a stink and fuss that NCL gave them dinner at the Haven. So maybe if you become a KAREN and scream and rant can get you access to a Haven 😂

I think NCL may not be thrilled about doing this anymore. First lets rewind time. Remember 15 years ago and it was almost standard with people getting specialty restaurant appetizers for free in the Haven restaurant. They stopped that around 2013. Back in 2010 when I was on the Epic and NCL still had lobster night in the MDR the Haven staff would tell people they could still order lobster from the MDR and have it delivered to the Haven restaurant. Fast forward to more current time. When I was on the Encore in 2020, Onda was sold out and even the concierge could not score a reservation (yet). I asked the concierge if we could have Onda delivered to the Haven restaurant. There were 4 of us and it would be too cramped in the cabin. The concierge looked at me like I had 2 heads and reluctantly said it would have to be ok with the Haven restaurant manager. I could tell this was going to be a problem so I dropped it. A reservation came up at Onda so it became a moot point anyway. My hunch is they really do not like bringing outside food into the Haven restaurant. Its not a great look for them plus its a staffing issue. Once people see one table do it...."Oh look, where did they get those sliders?" Then more tables will start and its a slippery slope. IMHO those were the old days of NCL where they catered to people more. Could this still happen? Yes but they may not be thrilled about it.

Depending on the ship and concierge you can be invited into the Haven restaurant by a guest of the Haven for a charge. When I was on Encore during the Haven introduction and tour the concierge stated we could invite a guest to the Haven for a charge and it could only happen twice during the week. It all depends on the concierge and how crowded the Haven is. Now you just have to find a friend sailing in the Haven to invite you 🤔

NCL charges for room service for coffee and continental breakfasts, correct? I was just watching a rant about it on youtube. Did they not remove coffee makers from inside and balcony cabins too? Things have changed so much that I cant keep up. You can get free coffee in restaurants and the buffet but having it delivered will be a charge, correct?

We love filling out the Hero Cards. We always go to the front desk and ask for a stack. There are so many people that perform vital roles that get over looked. What about the guys that have your luggage to your door as you come back from lunch. Grab their name. Someone that comes to your table and just fills your glass without asking. Grab their name. What about the Maitri D that gets you the table you want. Grab their name.

Just in case anyone missed it. I hope they all got booted off the ship.

Yes all of that makes sense. I am am sailing in a Haven cabin with 3 others which makes it a different scenario for just 2 people. The gratuities for 4 were $600. No way we could drink that much alcohol and soda retail price. When I last sailed in 2020, only me and my wife had it. I made out a little bit on it but the in laws never drank or maybe once so that worked out. With the change of everyone in the cabin having it is a waste of money this time. I am not complaining, just pointing out the differences from last time.

No. I was on the one before you. I thought your cruise was the last one but maybe there was one more. Encore arrived late to Miami for your embarkation. Rumor was there may have been Covid and they were cleaning the ship. Someone posted that fight on youtube. I still cant believe the guy who threw punches while never putting down his beer.

I am not ragging on the Sky. She's a great ship and I've sailed her twice. Smaller ships definitely have their perks.

Thanks for sharing. The Sky is a small ship for such a long cruise. My first cruise was meh. There were many things I did not like mostly the lack of chairs by the pool and crowds. It was not until my second cruise that I got the cruise bug. The first one you don't have expectations and you also miss out on some things. For example, my first cruise we went to the buffet during embarkation day. Big mistake. Go to the MDR instead. There were other silly stuff that I was dumb about that I did not learn until joining this board and taking my second cruise. I think you will be wowed if you cruise again on a modern ship.

Thanks about the internet. That makes sense. Its just a change I had not seen before charging over $100 per person for unlimited. I booked directly with NCL. I know that is unconventional since most use TAs. I have used the same NCL PCC since 2009. Can you believe that? Its a stereotype that most of them are young, dumb, inexperienced people booking your cruise. I like having my cruise on my NCL account for making payments, etc. There are perks for booking with a cruise line but price is not one of them. I realize I could have saved a few hundred booking with a TA. But I am superstitious and like to email my PCC about any changes, price drops, promos etc. I like working with them direct instead of going through a TA. But I realize I am in the minority. For Epic, Encore, and now Aqua its exciting to watch a new ship debut and learn all about her before you get on board. Lastly, I misspoke about a "room cleaning fee." I know the gratuities cover more than house keeping. But its something that the gratuities are almost as much as an entire cruise used to cost.

But when you are traveling with others who dont drink that much it's not very much worth it. I dont think the 4 of us could ever drink $600 worth of alcohol (retail value) on the ship. Without the drink package our soda and alcohol bill will be around $200 which would save $400. If it was just me, I would probably take the package but everyone weighs me down 🙂

Thats a fairly challenging excursion. I watched a video of someone doing this once. It looked very challenging. It looks like you guys handled it really well.