PatJim

On 3/19/2024 at 3:54 PM, The Traveling Man said:

Thank you for refreshing my memory and correcting my mistake.  Yes, it is called the Garden Villa, not the Owner's Suite.  Poh-tay-toe, Pah-tah-tah ?  A rose by any other name would still be an amazing three-bedroom suite with more amenities than you can shake a stick at.  Dining table for eight, grand piano, giant big screen TV, living room with enough sofa seating for eight adults, etc., etc., etc.  Simply amazing !  Oh yeah, and wrap around one-way mirror windows from one end of the living room to the other that overlook the pool which is one deck below.

I forgot about the giant tv in the living room and the 1-way wraparound mirrored windows overlooking the pool deck!  One of us actually went down a deck one night to see if people could see in😆 

We had a fantastic concierge, Roseanne, who seemed to be everywhere we were, and insisted on escorting us to dinners.  Or have the butler escort us.  

Battlement, we’ve sailed NCL out of New York’s Passenger Terminal numerous times (40+) and always arrive early, usually @8:30-9 am.  NY terminal staff never check arrival time on your check-in, so come whenever you wish.

For those arriving by cab or private car hire, direct the driver to stop directly in front of the build entrance once up the ramp.  Porters will take your checked bags; we always tip them.   Have never parked at the terminal, but believe there is an elevator taking you down to Departures and porters to take your bags.  Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

 
However you arrive, be sure to have your check-in paperwork available.  They do check that you’re a legit passenger, before you can get in a security line.  As mentioned above, look for a prominent Haven sign towards the left.  
 

The downside of early arrival is having to stand in the Haven check-in line waiting for officials to open it to check your passport.  We spend the time chatting with other passengers.  Once through security, you’ll be directed to the Haven lounge.  It used to be on the left after security, but recently we’ve been directed all the way down the terminal to the Haven lounge on the right.  
 

Early arrival is a personal decision.  Jim 💕 being early.  For him, vacation can’t start too early, and it starts for him when he’s in the Haven lounge.  (For me, it starts when I’m in the car, heading across town!). We usually have a small bite in the lounge—smoked salmon sandwiches are a favorite—knowing we’ll be sitting down to lunch in the Haven restaurant shortly after 11:30.

Once on board, we can either drop off our bags in our cabin (if staying in the Haven proper), leave them with the Haven restaurant hostess, or bring them with us to the restaurant.  Pre-lunch, Haven staff offer non-alcoholic drinks and hors d’oeuvres.  If you want an alcoholic drink from the bar, there is a NY alcohol tax while the ship is in port and in NY State waters.

You’re going to have a wonderful cruise, taken care of by the Haven staff.  We board the Joy in May for a short cruise to Bermuda, and can’t wait!

Patricia

Jim and I call it Value Spending.  All of us here on CC have a limited amount of income vs. expenses.  After deducting necessary expenses (taxes, insurance, housing….) what’s left is discretionary.  There are a million things we could use this $ for—recovering the living room couch comes to mind—but we prefer spending it on cruises, booking 2-bedroom Haven cabins and sharing the cost with my widowed sister or inviting friends to come with us.  It’s about the experiences we have onboard, sharing with family and friends, and also seeing crew members we are close to, or meeting new ones who will become friends.  For us, there’s nothing like it.  Our visitors will just have to put up with the couch as it is🥰

I wouldn’t do it.  The two in the non-Haven balcony won’t be able to experience any of the Haven perks, especially the Haven restaurant, bar, lounge, sun deck….  If you want to spend time together with them, you would be giving up a lot of what you’re paying for.  Why not just book 2 adjoining non-Haven concierge cabins, and get Vibe passes?

We’re also interested in this.  We board the Joy May 19th, so some officers might be changed out by then.

On 3/13/2024 at 11:57 AM, The Traveling Man said:

The most amazing stateroom I have ever seen on any NCL ship is the Owner's Suite on the Dawn class ships.  There are similar staterooms on Jewel class ships, and possibly on others.  From my perspective, though, there really is no comparison.  Is it the least expensive?  Not by a long shot.  But it is an utterly amazing suite.

The only cabin that got us booking a Haven suite on a ship without the Haven restaurant & bar, was the 3-bedroom Garden Villa on the Dawn.  If not the largest, it has to be one of the largest cabin and balcony at sea:

If three couples book it, it could be a very reasonable price per couple, for an unforgettable experience.  Two of the 3 bedrooms are master suites; the 3rd is mini-suite size.

There are two GVs on the Dawn.  We had the starboard one, that comes with an industrial kitchen (port side GV didn’t, but had a bar area in the living/dining room), complete with microwave.  I used it each morning to heat milk for my latte.
 

The balcony was on 2 levels.  We had a sauna beside the private hot tub on the lower level, and an outside table in the shade with a lazy susan center.  The upper level had 6 loungers (crew changed the towel liners each morning, whether they were used or not), and a bar table with 6 stools.  It overlooked the ship’s pool deck.

There was also a setup that piped music to the lower balcony.

We shared with my 2 sisters and their husbands.  One sister’s husband was diagnosed with early dementia, so it was a safe environment for him.  And four days after the cruise ended, that sister lost her beloved husband when a car drove up onto the sidewalk and hit them.  That cruise was the last time all of us were together.  Beautiful memories.  
 

That’s easy to resolve. Just book with a TA that does!

Why book with NCL when you can get so much more from the right TA?

For years, we booked directly with NCL.  Then we met a fellow passenger on the Gem who was also a TA.  He said he gives back part of his commission to clients booking through him.  First we heard of this practice and didn’t believe/thought there was a catch somewhere, so continued to book through NCL.  Our last NCL cruise consultant was so bad, in desperation we switched to the TA from the Gem.

Now we’re kicking ourselves we didn’t switch sooner.   He works for a large agency that specializes in cruising.  Not only do we get back $$$ from him after final payment, he’s also been able to give us other perks like extending specialty dining to guests 3 and 4 in our 2-bedroom suite, resolves issues that may arise with NCL, and is always available - even on weekends. We ❤️♥️💕 him.  

Yes!  It’s great.  

22 minutes ago, BEACHBARB said:

We've only been in the Haven proper this past January on the Encore.  Loved it.  Usually get aft penthouse for the large balcony but I enjoyed being in the proper area.  Will miss the Horizon Lounge from the Encore.  I'll be looking for you!!!

We had an aft large balcony on the Bliss, and we really ♥️💕❤️ it, too.  The 220 steps from cabin to forward stairs/elevator, was a nice way to walk off meals.  But I’ve come to agree with Jim that it’s more convenient to be in the Haven proper, even if the balconies in 2-bedrooms & Penthouses are tiny.  A big Haven perk is being escorted off the ship at ports via private staff elevator.  If we forgot something in our cabin, it was a trade off to leave without it, or be late disembarking.  (Of course, I especially ❤️💕♥️ being close to our private bathroom!)

4 minutes ago, PatJim said:

On 3/4/2024 at 3:06 PM, BEACHBARB said:

Just booked last Friday.  Cabin 17704 - there were only 2 cabins left on 17.  Wish I had the go ahead from family a bit earlier - could have saved over $2,000 on a 2 bedroom.  A year from today, we'll be in Tortola - we'll go to Cane Garden Bay.  

On 3/4/2024 at 3:06 PM, BEACHBARB said:

Just booked last Friday.  Cabin 17704 - there were only 2 cabins left on 17.  Wish I had the go ahead from family a bit earlier - could have saved over $2,000 on a 2 bedroom.  A year from today, we'll be in Tortola - we'll go to Cane Garden Bay.  

We usually book as soon as cruises are listed, for best price and  cabin choices (Jim is very particular about cabin selection!).  Guess we initially missed this listing, so our choices were also limited.  This will be our first Penthouse Haven suite on ships with Haven bars & restaurants, as we usually book 2-bedrooms, so we got the last one near the exit door.  Jim and I will be sailing ALONE for first time in years.  Look forward to meeting you😎

On 3/4/2024 at 1:43 PM, Red-Sol said:

OK all you NYC Winter cruise enthusiasts.... time to step up and book the February 23rd, 2025 12 day Caribbean cruise (I know it's not 14 days but it may be the best we can hope for.) Officially booked it this morning and found out that it is selling very well. Posting another Pic of the Itinerary and after you look at it you will know for sure that you want to! 🤣

@JIMESOPUS MSC will need to be another time but I am sure sooner or later that will happen.

So who else wants to go? Many familiar people are already booked! 🙂

 

Edited to add...it doesn't hurt that the Escape is my favorite ship either

Congrats!  Please make note of our cabin #17728 if you want to get together with Jim and me for drinks or the climbing wall 😱 or something else, if we miss each other at the Meet & Greet.  I haven’t yet signed up on the Roll Call, but will.  

Vancouver has luggage storage facilities outside the cruise terminal.  Think the cost is @ US$11-12 per bag (C$15).  Just drop off your bags at disembarkation, then explore the city.  Great seafood restaurants along the harbor, and so much more to see. 
When heading to the airport, take the Canadian Line subway.  It’s cheap and fast (half hour), and is near the cruise terminal.  
Enjoy your time in this beautiful city.  

On 3/1/2024 at 8:16 PM, Red-Sol said:

If you like Breakaway you will probably like Escape too. The Escape is similar but slightly bigger. If you like doing the spa it is in front of ship. There is also a very nice Spice H2O section in the back. Some of the newer builds after Escape no longer have that. Escape also has what is called the "Supper Club" where they have different types of entertainment along with dinner (Usually complimentary) While the food and entertainment may not be the greatest...still a fun way to spend an hour or two.

Thanks so much.
If you do book the Escape for February 23 next year, please get in touch.  Love to meet up for drinks or whatever.  We’re in cabin #17728.

BTW, just noticed from your signature that we were on the same sailing last November 4th😎 on the Getaway.

23 hours ago, DuckTollerFans said:

Yes! It was 2018 and our first cruise ever. (Gem/Bahamas) I still fondly remember Pat walking around the terminal looking for the roll call folks and giving us beads!  Talk about a great welcome to cruising.  

That whole week had a lot of great activities onboard, thanks to @PatJim organization!

 

On 3/2/2024 at 12:45 AM, mking8288 said:

 

@PatJim   Wasn't it the Gem that we cruised together on with the CC M&G and the cabin crawl, a good 5 or 6 years ago.  It's been a while and all is well with both of you ... with best regards & wishes.  One of these days, our path should cross again   /Henry 

Edited yesterday at 12:46 AM by mking8288

Those were such fun cruise days.  I hosted a number of Meet & Greets on the Gem sailing out of NYC (see expanded signature, which also lists future cruise dates—would be great to reconnect!), starting when Jenny Lim was hotel manager (2014?).  My favorite activity was planning cabin crawls.  
 

Jim and I were great fans of the smaller ships (Dawn preceded Gem), until we booked our 1st Haven cabin in a ship that had a Haven bar and restaurant.  Since then, it’s been Haven all the way.  And since restart after COVID shutdown, we feel a bit safer re getting the virus when staying in the Haven.  Nonsensical, I know, but smaller crowds.  However, I’ve just started going back to attend Meet & Greets, and really enjoyed the LCR game planned by Peg during last November’s cruise.

On 3/1/2024 at 7:21 AM, Sailing12Away said:

Still rolling with the punches, but more weirdness at Cagney's last night. We had spoken to the head sommelier the other day to preorder a bottle for dinner. Have done this on the joy and even prima without issue. Get to the restaurant and there's a note on our reservation and the already decanted wine is brought over with the empty bottle.

 

Last night we mentioned the wine when checking in and the hostess asked for our dining coupon. No, we're using a credit not the coupon. This wine isn't included, we're paying extra for it. She looked confused and brought us to the table.

 

Sit down and within 2 mins the restaurant somollier comes over and says he's been waiting for us. Great, at least someone knows what we're talking about.

 

Then he shows us the full unopened bottle to confirm it's the right one. Ugggg. It was supposed to already be open and airing out. It was just a $60 so we rolled with it and did we'd start drinking when the steaks came out. But if it was a fancier bottle I would have been pissed.

 

What was the point of telling you ahead of time? Not because we wanted an aerator at the table, we wanted it aerated ahead of time so it was drinkable when we sat.

 

Wedge salad has shrunk and barely had bacon which was sad, but still fine. Steaks were cooked well, mine was medium his was med rare. Shared just the one dessert because too much food overall.

 

But service was great (outside of the wine incident) and fixings for the baked potato cake faster than our wait in the Haven restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting a photo of your wine.  This is a new vineyard to me, but looks like a very good choice for the price.  We bring our own wine, but when sailing with friends, are always on lookout to buy a bottle or two from the ship.  I’m thinking it would also go well with lamb….

Sorry for the misunderstanding re decanting.  Jim has been known to request a decanter for the cabin, and do it himself.  But he’s also requested that service in advance from the sommelier, without any problems.  Seems like there are a lot of untrained/inexperienced crew on the Epic.

4 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

I totally missed this one...I believe you are referring to the Escape here. The Escape and Bliss are my 2 favorite ships so you have now really got my head spinning as to what to book. Truth be told I am now leaning towards this. 

We’re looking forward to first time on the Escape.

The Breakaway is one of our favorites; we’re on her out of NYC February 2026

Re Broadway shows, we were told last November by a senior entertainment crew member that NCL is ending them.  The current ones will end as soon as their contracts expire.  Instead, NCL will use in-house talent to produce entertainment.  It’s a cost-cutting measure.  Broadway contracts are expensive, as are having to buy and maintain authentic costumes, etc.  (As an example, she said the sequined jackets worn for the finale in Million Dollar Quartet cost over $5000 each.)

Anyone else remember the last time NCL decided to produce their own shows?  Results were…Meh.

With apologies to their many fans, I can’t believe they are now substituting Price is Right for quality show like Six!  

On 2/27/2024 at 4:46 PM, Red-Sol said:

OK I appreciate very much everyone's comments on this thread. It really seems like the longer Winter NYC cruises on NCL will not be coming back 😢 However it does seem like it is MSC to the rescue. 🙂 We are about 75% there to make a booking on the cruise @JIMESOPUS Jim is on and hopefully a few others here can join us on that one. Sounds like fun!

Any cruise with  @JIMESOPUS IS fun!  But how about a 12-day Caribbean in February with NCL?  We’re booked for 2025 and 2026, to get to some warmer weather mid winter here.

We checked out MSC cruises, but their perks still don’t measure up to NCL’s re YC vs Haven. Though if the itinerary included Ocean Cay, it would be nice to experience Ocean House Beach, available to YC members.  NCL doesn’t offer anything at their private islands to Haven guests, except early tendering.  

Am with those who have no interest in going from FL., annd agree with those who don’t mind cold sea days sailing out of NYC.  We ❤️ sea days! 

Patricia

We’re on the Joy in May, in a 2-bedroom (H?) with friends from Copenhagen.  Loved the Haven atrium and fantastic coffee machine there in the mornings.  Latte? Yep.  Cappuccino?  Yup.  Expresso?  Yup….

Since dry dock, NCL eliminated the library/game room upper level of the atrium, to make room for 2 enlarged owner’s suite dining rooms that look out over the atrium.  Wondering how, if at all, it affects the atrium atmosphere.

Anyway, thank you for starting this post.  Will be following along

PS You may want to check out Secrets of the Haven thread on these boards.  It’s loooong, but well worth reading.

9 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

 

I wanted to order the buratta, but it's no longer on the menu. Just "mozzarella" now. And they don't even drizzle balsamic on it. I picked two from the left side, the boys just wanted one and it was fine somehow but hubby would have got the calamari if he knew for sure he could have it as part of the package.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Am really enjoying your review.  Thank you for letting me join you vicariously, while waiting for our next cruise in May.
 

Re the burrata salad, sounds like NCL has returned to serving Caprese salad, which consists of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil.  In Amalfi, it’s traditionally dressed only with olive oil, not balsamic.  At least that’s how we had it in Italy.  That’s also how La Cucina served it several years ago, before they changed to burrata.  Looks like it’s come full circle.  Jim will be disappointed not to have the burrata, but I prefer mozzarella, so now I’m looking forward to that!

On 2/16/2024 at 7:44 PM, JGander said:

 

Oh, I agree, but as a fan of the Epic aft suites, the issue of poor quality butlers was brought up several times. And I mean poor quality on the very basics.

 

We honestly could completely skip the butler, especially on our next cruise since we are in port every day, and we tend to get off with the first group and back on as late as possible.

We’ve only had an aft Haven suite once, on the Joy.  Loved the gigantic balcony, and didn’t mind the 220 steps (yes, I counted them!) from cabin door to front elevators/stairs leading up to the Haven proper.  However, we didn’t see our butler once during the cruise.  He showed up next to last day, and apologized for being busy training a new butler.  We didn’t buy that excuse, but did tip him the usual amount we had set aside.  
 

If we had needed him, we wouldn’t have hesitated to ask the concierge to have a talk with him, and correct the situation.

FWIW, we’ve not booked an aft Haven since because Jim didn’t appreciate those 220 steps every time we needed to travel between our cabin and the Haven.  He much prefers cabins in the Haven proper.  I concede that we’ve enjoyed hanging out at the Haven lounge and bar so much more, now that our cabins are nearby.

9 minutes ago, reeinaz said:

Yes, that's the one! This will be my first NYC cruise that isn't to Bermuda or the Bahamas.

We’ve done E and S Caribbean cruises, so know most of these ports.  In fact, our November 2025 cruise on the Breakaway has the same itinerary.  We added the 2/26 cruise just to break up the Northeast winter 🥰

Jim and I usually book as soon as NCL posts new schedules.  It’s the safest way to get the cabins we want, and almost always for the cheapest rates.  Plus the happiness factor of anticipating the cruise!
 

Is your Breakaway cruise February 22, 2026?  We’re booked on that one!  Also looking at Oceana, which is just a bit more $ than NCL Haven, but their 2026 schedule for the Vista isn’t out, yet.  Might be worth it to fly to FL (air is included).