newty25

We did it two years ago. Wasn't packed at all. Could have walked up and got a better deal.

Food and service were good.

1 hour ago, chloe173 said:

Omg, not sure I'd be brave enough for that move in a full elevator, lol. We got enough dirty  looks for being escorted ahead of folks trying to get off in ports! 

One more thing I meant to say... we did Cozumel and you didn't miss much. I hired a driver for the day to take us around and I absolutely hated it. There was gringo-pricing everywhere. Crappy burger on the beach... $15. Bud light can... $9. Water bottle... $5. It was insane. It may be different when the cruise ships aren't in port, but it's on my no-go list from now on. 

We're on the Bliss for a Mexican Riviera cruise in a few weeks and I hope the concierge has figured it out by then. You should never be going to customer service desk on the ship, that's what the concierge desk is for. And, if you needed to go there for any reason, the concierge should be walking you down there personally to see that you get taken care of immediately. And, you should never be waiting in lines as a Haven guest... it's the one thing I love taking advantage of by staying in the Haven. Bring your room phone with you everywhere and call the concierge if you have any problems.

Seems you've figured out that staying in the Courtyard is best place for the Haven. And, I've heard you can bypass other floors in the elevator using your keycard, but I've never tried it. Would be funny to have a full elevator and keycard directly up to 17/18 though!

As a veteran, I'll take one of those sweet challenge coins!

On 10/21/2021 at 5:00 PM, GeezerCouple said:

 

We've done this with the kids and a grand (3 total back then).  The two of us had a DOS, and we got an OV for them.  They spent most of the time on sea days with us anyway.  We decided that an OV didn't cost that much more than an inside, so why not let them see, etc.  In fact, they had some adorable photos of the toddler sitting on that very large "windowsill" (this wasn't a porthole), and apparently that became his "perch" when in their cabin. But they were mostly there for sleeping or his naps or... during *our* naps 🙂 

 

It worked very well.

 

GC

That may well work for the Garden Villa, but not really good for a regular room or a two bedroom in the Haven. They won't be able to use the Haven amenities and they'll be stuck sitting in the room. 

Sure they can sneak in every once in a while, but hanging out for an extended period of time is probably not going to fly.

No change or your lose the upgrade and the money. It's part of their terms and conditions:

8. If you make a change to your itinerary after your Bid has been accepted, your Bid will be cancelled, will not be transferred to your new itinerary and the upgrade amount paid is non-refundable.

53 minutes ago, timeless9704 said:

Hello!  Today I received notice that my bid for a Haven Owner's Suite was accepted for the Epic Oct. 31st sailing. My bid was at the low end of fair. 

Question--  the total price includes my previous fare for a balcony room. Example, if my cost for balcony room was $1000 and my bid was $2000 to upgrade to a Haven my total cruise fare is $3000 times 2. I did not realize the bid was on top of your original fare. 

 

Is this correct?

 

I am not complaining since the total price was still a bargain, but I was surprised. 

 

Thanks and so happy for what I know will be a great trip.  Happy cruising everyone!!

That's awesome! I've never seen an Owner's Suite not sold out on the website.

The Joy has 50% more Haven rooms. So, rather than 80 rooms (most other ships with a Haven including Encore), there are 120 rooms in the Haven.

Less crowded in the Encore Haven.

56 minutes ago, davencl said:

Is there an advantage to getting a Vibe pass if you're in the Haven?  It seems the Haven sundeck area is about the same as the Vibe area.

Perhaps if you were cruising with friends that weren't in the Haven. That could be your meet-spot.

Otherwise, there's not much use.

5 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

Children have no way of getting vaccinated, others have a choice. You can call an ace a spade, but either way, NCL chose to not accommodate families and children. Point is, shouldn’t stop someone from considering a luxury cruise line since NCL chooses not to value children or families.

Children 3 and over can get jabbed in China. Chile is 6 and older. The US and most other countries are 12 and up. So, if your child happens to be vaccinated, they can sail.

Upgrade to the Haven and tell the pre-sail concierge to have two passes waiting for you in your stateroom when you arrive. 

Outside of that... just getting there early and making a bee-line to get them. It's really hit or miss.

But, at 60% capacity... you may not need a pass.

26 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

NCL doesn’t work for us family people with children either, they are currently banned (or whatever we want to call it to make people feel better).

Children aren't banned. Unvaccinated people are banned. Families that are fully vaccinated are welcome to cruise!

18 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

We are all so funny on this thread.  I want to thank everyone for having a sense of humor and being transparent.  We all need a little fun in our lives.  I am going to buck the thread a bit.  The reason is some folks have also given some pretty good reasons for not cruising in the Haven.  I think we all have to respect their opinions also.

 

Here is another take on "Not" going in the Haven.  With the money you save, you can get the specialty meal package for all seven nights.  I love the Haven Restaurant but some of those specialty restaurants are very good. You could spend some more money on the Vibe Beach Club and the Thermal Spa (Not on the Joy).  You could even do the Premium Plus Drink Package and all the most expensive excursions.  Heck, you might go on two or three cruises for the cost of one Haven suite. With all that, you still will not be at the cost of the Haven in most cases. One has to consider that.

 

We all have to admit that is also an option for a NCL cruise. All of this is a choice and regardless of what you choose, it will be right for you.  That is the most important thing. 

 

What I think is important is that when ever any of us give our opinion, it is important it is based on a person's actual experience.  An opinion to do or not do Haven from a person that has never done it, is "hear say" and does not give the accurate information on the experience. I personally agree that the Haven is not quite worth it an "Huge dollar amounts", or the smaller ships, or when the weather does not allow you to use the Haven Courtyard.  We all have to weigh the pro/cons and make a decision based on our own needs.

 

Cruise well everyone. 

If I could be assured of having a Vibe pass... I might consider a non-Haven trip.

But, I think I'd be miserable on a cruise not being able to escape the masses somewhere.

19 minutes ago, hallux said:

You can't change the flights when you use the promo.

Does that mean the airline will stop you from making a change?

I've only used it once and didn't change the flight, but we definitely upgraded our seats... which is a change.

2 hours ago, Oxo said:

Just tried to cancel my NCL Air, one way from MIAMI to Michigan for 12/4.

They said that if we take the airfare off in any way the money spent on it would be lost as it's already in penalty as it's 51 days before sailing date.

Another example of NCL!

They can really urinate people off. 

JMO!

Why cancel? Why not just pay the change fee and change it if you don't like the flight?

We used NCL Air once and it was great. I even upgraded the both of us.

53 minutes ago, Oxo said:

I use to think that.  Had a 300SD and a 380SL back in the 80s.

Them went to an Infinite J30, Buick 2010 LaCrosse.

The Buick was one of the most comfortable of all.  

Now drive Hyundai Santa Fe. This is the most economical car.

MB was most expensive!

Would not go back to MB. It has lost it style,  overpriced.  JMO!

Stay Safe! 

 

 

 

Well, I've owned several BMWs and I'm in a Ford F150 now.

I guess it just depends on your stage of life and need. 🙂

8 hours ago, Old & Retired said:

On the Encore right now in the Haven.  It is worth every penny.  The feeling is like driving a brand new Mercedes.  If a 10 year old Toyota suits you, get an inside and save some money.

Except once you drive the Mercedes, it's hard to go back to the Toyota!

I hear this a lot of from people:

"Why do you care what room you're in... you're never in the room?"

I always respond:

"When you have a nice room, you tend to spend a lot more time in it."

Here's the math: Break down the cost delta between the room in the Haven and the room you'd normally book to a per day, per person cost. Then decide if spending the extra $/day on privacy, luxury, and pampering is worth it to you.

8 minutes ago, Oxo said:

K, I promise to b good later on. When does later on begin? 

Stay Safe! 

1 don't know.

28 minutes ago, Oxo said:

OMG! Send me to the naughty room. LOL

I guess I'm human since I made a mistake.

So,  what would you do and why? 

No need to fret. H1 is a higher class of room than the H5 and the prices would reflect that accordingly.

But, if I were required to do something, I would send you into Oxo timeout. 🙂

14 minutes ago, Oxo said:

To add to this thread. I priced out the Joy for 11/20/2021 and here are the results.

Two passengers, Get Up To ALL Free at Sea Offers.

Haven H1   $7,213.78/2 passengers = $3,606.89/7 Days = $515.27/day/passenger

Haven H5 $17,587.78/2 passengers = $8,793.39/7 Days = $1,256.27/day/passenger

 

What would you do? Why?

Stay Safe!

 

That's not an H1. It's an HI. There's no H1 on the Joy. 

It's different on different ships and different seasons for different lengths of time.

Thanksgiving 2018, 7 day, we had a 2 bdrm on Getaway for $12.5k for four people.

Early November 2019, 7 day, we had 2 bdrm on Breakaway for $7k for four people (it was $5k for a 1 bdrm for two people).

Thanksgiving 2021, 7 day, we have a 1 bdrm on Joy for $7k for two people.

I wouldn't hesitate to book a room on a newer ship between $700-900/day. That would seem like a good value to me.

If you're in the courtyard, no.

But, people have reported hearing loungers sliding on the deck at night if you're staying under the Vibe area. Just don't book a room under Vibe and you should be okay.

We've never had a problem though.

On 10/2/2021 at 12:31 AM, complawyer said:

mentioned this before. we usually try to stay in a haven suite. at breakfast we tip the server $5.00, same at lunch.  at mdr, or specialty restaurants $10.

 

cabin steward $20 when we sail, $20 mid cruise and $20 at the end.  Butler $100, concierge $50

 

bartenders, $2.00 per order.

 

also $20 to the porter that takes our luggage at dock.

 

i sometimes tip more, if the service is extra good, but never, never less than the above amounts

We mainly follow this... but I give the butler less than the concierge. I use the concierge several times per day. I probably use the butler one or twice per trip.

I also give something to the maitre'd at the restaurant... but I'm a picky eater.

We like to tip at time of service for everything.

On 9/19/2020 at 8:19 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

Does anyone have an exact count for the number of staterooms that will have Haven access on Joy? Just eye-balling the deck-plans gives me 118 but I might have missed a few with the colors being so similar (and me counting in my head). 

I found this thread AFTER I booked my Thanksgiving cruise on the Joy.

I just did my own count and came up with 118 independently as well. I guess there will be 50% more people than I'm used to... but the Haven is so much larger on the Joy than it is on the Breakaway and Getaway, so maybe I won't notice?