Ciref

Josie,

    I don't know specific rules regarding advance booking of specialty restaurants. If you are not able to make reservations on the NCL website then no one is able to book.  Just keep checking.   

    Regardless, I would not worry about it too much.    My experience with the Haven is that your concierge can get you reservations in the specialty restaurants when you are on the ship even when the restaurant is fully booked.  

    The whole point of getting a Haven cabin is to relax.  Enjoy the perks you get.  They will take care of you.  

Eric

I took this tour a week ago.  The tour does not go to the top of the rock.  The highest point it went to was the entrance to St. Michael's Cave where the apes are.  

Eric

I have sailed in regular balconies and the Haven. I see nothing wrong with offering guests more luxury and perks for a price in special areas.

If you don’t like it, I think Norovirus got it right, don’t sail on ships that offer an exclusive area to higher paying guests.

I also wonder if people have problems with NCL making Spa Access and the Vibe Beach Club extra cost? Isn’t that the same thing as the Haven?

Thanks all for your answers. I am probably blowing this all out of proportion. I have never had a problem with hallway traffic on any of my cruises.

Roddy, you are going to love the aft suite with that huge balcony! We really debated between the aft balcony and the H5. Have a great cruise and thanks for your help.

Eric

I really appreciate your answers. So it appears that there is a main entrance with a glass door on the left (port) side of the stairs on 17 and a secondary entrance on the right (starboard) of the stairs on 17 as well as one entrance on 18. I am interested in the amount of foot traffic coming through the right (starboard) side on 17 since my cabin is there.

It appears that with it being a secondary entrance and another entrance on Deck 18, it shouldn't cause a noise issue for the cabin.

Thanks.

Eric

Thanks for the answers posted. Erdoran says he remembers only one entrance. My understanding so far is that there is not an entrance to the Haven on Deck 18. Roddy says Escape has a second entrance on 17 which is also a Super Breakaway class ship.

It seems logical that there would be only one entrance so as to maintain control of who enters the Haven. I was on The Getaway and there was only one entrance there.

Eric

How many entrances are there to the Haven on the Bliss and where are they?

Is the entrance on Deck 17 only on the side with the Concierge Desk?

Thank you,

Eric

The last time we were in Belize, we took a local boat over to Caye Caulker and had a wonderful time on the small caye exploring, on the beach and renting jet skis.

Thanks for the quick answers. I will keep this in mind when I bid.

Eric

I am the sole guest in an inside cabin for two and paying for the full cabin. If I make a bid of X dollars to upgrade to a balcony will my bid be treated as a total offer of X dollars or will it be doubled as though there were two people in the cabin?

Eric

I would not blame SPB for the information they gave you. I did the Baltic cruise on the Getaway in May 2017. The problem is Russian border control. They create a logjam and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

They carefully review your passport and documentation. It takes a long time to get through their security. We toured with Alla and we did have to wait for some members of our tour.

St. Petersburg is in Russia and they are not going to let you enter their country like it is a Caribbean Island or even a Western democracy.

Whoever you tour with, you must grin and bear it.

On the positive side, you get through security very quickly on the second day since they have cleared you already.

I am looking forward to the Haven experience. If it is what it's cracked up to be, I will feel vindicated. If not, it was a once in a lifetime experiment, and I can say we tried it. I think I'm glad that we are giving it a go, because I fear I would regret it/question it if we didn't, knowing that it is "out there." I will be sure to report back after our cruise next month!

Thank you for the very thoughtful and intelligent review of your decision making process. My DW and I were confirmed balcony cruisers until we upgraded through bidding to the Haven on our Baltic cruise last year and it was worth every penny. Unfortunately current Haven prices exceed our vacation budget so we will be trying to upgrade on our next cruise.

Regardless, the Haven is a uniquely different experience and truly is a haven from the bustle and lines experienced by the rest of the passengers. It is certainly nice to be pampered. I am sure you will be very glad you upgraded at the end of your cruise.

I hope this thread dissuades people from booking Aft Haven Suites. I would LOVE to upgrade to one with a low ball bid!

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Eric

We are sailing on the Dawn in December. We just received our upgrade email and I was wondering what perks come with Suites on the Dawn since there is no Haven. In particular, does anyone know the dining options that come with the suites? We recently enjoyed the breakfast and lunch menus in the Haven on a prior cruise and want to know if they are available on the Dawn to suite guests in a specialty restaurant? Also do you get priority boarding and disembarking as well?

Thank you

Eric

What amenities are provided to Suite guests on the Dawn and how do they compare to Haven amenities? I saw on CC a post showing a breakfast menu on the Dawn that was the same as the Haven breakfast menu and it may have been served in one of the specialty restaurants. So now I am curious about what NCL provides to its suite guests on the Dawn. Do they also provide the afternoon snacks in the cabin, etc? Thanks.

Eric

I took this cruise on May 16th and here is what I found out:

1. How far is the port from the airport; best mode of transportation from airport to port? Copenhagen airport is pretty far from the city and port. We took a cab to our hotel and then a cab to the dock which was expensive. I am not sure about public transportation. I did see people with Norwegian transfers from the airport on our way home. You could look into that. Going back to the airport after the cruise we took the NCL provided bus transfers which was reasonable. We were told that cabs were scarce by NCL but that was not true.

2. On disembarkation day, the ship arrives in Copenhagen at 7am, wondering if a 10am flight is possible to make? You might just make it if you do self disembarking, keep your luggage and go but why would you stress yourself worrying if you are going to make your flight? its not worth it. It takes at least 30 minutes to get to the airport from the ship not waiting for the bus to be loaded. Take a later flight.

2. Any hotel recommendations close to the port? Nyhaven is closest to the dock. The dock is past the Opera House and the Little Mermaid statue if that helps. Btw if you are spending time in Copenhagen check out the free walking tour. It was wonderful.

3. Excursions booked through the ship are really expensive. Are the tour companies at each port that offer excursions? Yes there are. We used Alla and they were great for Russia and Stockholm and ok for Rossock and Schwerin and Helsinki. We chose not to take the 3 hour ride to Berlin and enjoyed a more leisurely day in Germany. I heard positive things about SPB as well. You have to take a tour to get the visa in St. Petersburg unless you applied directly to Russia for a visa. If you don't take a tour or have a visa before boarding, you cannot get off the ship. The Russians are very strict and their is line to get through their customs into Russia. They will examine your passport and tour reservation closely.

4. When we arrive in Berlin, I understand that there is a train station very close to port. Anyone ever take the train not booked with a tour/excursion, straight into Berlin and do your own tour or hop on/off bus? No and I would be very reluctant to do that. Three hours each way is a long time and you don't want to miss the ship if you have a travel hiccup. The train station is right at the port. Frankly, I don't know what is so great about Berlin that it is worth 6 hours of traveling. We loved St. Petersburg and Tallin.

5. I'll probably book a tour for St. Petersburg, any tour recommendations or book through cruise? Dont go through NCL. Alla and SPB are highly regarded. They are much cheaper and do a great job in St. Petersburg. Two days in St. Petersburg isn't enough. Decide if you want to see the Faberge Museum. There are also evening options too however we considered seeing Swan lake but when we realized we would not be back to the ship until midnight we reluctantly decided against it because we didnt want to exhausted on day 2.

I hope this is helpful..Other tips. I would recommend walking Helsinki yourself. There is a nice market area by the harbor and if you hit the Rock Church you will see the major sites. We also walked Tallin ourselves using the walking tour from the Stevens Guide book and had a great time. On the right side of the ship when you leave St. Petersburg you will pass the Russian naval base of Kronstadt that has an interesting history if you look it up. You will also sail pass the locks that can shut off the Baltic Sea from flooding St Petersburg. We really enjoyed the Cirque show. Not as good as Cirque De Soleil but very entertaining. Unfortunately the dinner is served before the show is only fair. We loved the cruise I hope you do as well.

Eric

Congratulations on scoring the Haven....you will love it; but it does make it almost impossible to go back to a regular stateroom! NCL does a great job with the Haven!

Heart,

I am worried, that thought had crossed our minds!

Eric

Thanks for the quick responses everyone. NCL accepted our bid and we were upgraded to the Haven for our May 16th cruise.

Eric

Are Haven cabins available when you board? If not, what time can you expect access? Thanks.

Eric

I am travelling to St. Petersburg in May and was just notified by Alla that they will no longer be accepting payment in dollars and that they will only accept rubles or charge rubles to your credit card. I have posted their message below.

Are the other Russian tour services implementing this policy as well?

"Starting this tourist season, we have to make some changes to our payment policy. Due to some changes in the foreign exchange control and regulation, we can no longer accept payment in foreign cash (USD, EUR, GBP etc.) here in St. Petersburg.

We understand this change in payment procedure may cause some inconvenience for you, however, this is beyond our control and we ask for your understanding.

To make payment easier for you, we are working on a new payment option, ONLINE PAYMENT, that will be available in our message system within few weeks.

Meanwhile, you are welcome to pay with a CREDIT CARD (Visa or Master Card) upon your arrival to St. Petersburg.

Please note that your total will be charged in RUSSIAN RUBLES. Alla Tours does not charge any fees for paying with credit card - these fees are imposed by Visa/MasterCard Europe and/or your bank.

We recommend you to call your bank and notify them that your card will be charged from Russia. This will help to guarantee a successful transaction with no delay.

Those of you, who will be arriving soon and who are planning on paying with cash, are welcome to pay in RUSSIAN RUBLES upon your arrival. Please note that the exact price in Rubles will depend on the exchange rate set by the Russian State Central Bank for the day of the payment.

Here are the ways to purchase Russian rubles:

1. You can order Russian rubles at your home bank. This way you will get a good exchange rate and, more importantly, you will not spend your time searching for ATM machines in order to get the local currency upon your arrival in St Petersburg. The last won’t be too complicated but will help to use your time for sightseeing only.

2. You will be able to exchange US Dollars to Rubles onboard your ship. However, they will have the least favorable exchange rate.

3. You can use ATM machines in the port and on your tour route. So you will definitely have a chance to get some rubles if needed.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused and hope on your understanding.

Please feel free to contact us if you have question or concerns. We will be happy to help. "

Justin 1111 is organizing a meet and greet under the Brilliance of the Sea roll call section for our cruise. Here is the info.

Cruise Critic Meet and Greet

Skybar - deck 12

Shortly after the Muster drill - (I will also be there before Muster if you want to catch an early drink.)

Wear mardigras beads to recognize CC members.(again...Dollar store if you don't have any)

Eric

Welcome aboard Bunco. I did NY Comic Con with my 22 year old daughter and it was crazy with 80,000 people on Saturday. We also did Derpycon in New Jersey that was very nice with about 3,000. Fan2sea will have 2,000 which should allow everyone to see and do everything they want to.

Eric

Only 60 days to go. I am writing this from Derpycon in Morristown, NJ, which I attended today with my daughter and her friend. The three of us will be on the cruise. I cosplayed Stein from Soul Eater which I will also be doing on the cruise.

Eric

It should be a great time. The first comic con cruise ever. I have been working on a cosplay outfit.

Eric