Access to Haven on the NCL Epic

Hi all, I'm new here and I just had a question about the Haven Suites on deck 16 & 17 on the Epic. We've been in the family villas on the Gem and the Jewel before where you had to use your room key in the elevator every time to get to deck 14.

After looking at some videos of the haven on the Epic I was wondering if it is the same on the Epic, where you need to put your room key in the elevator to get to deck 16 and 17 or if you don't need to use your room key in the elevator and only have to use it on the door to the cabins on deck 16. Also I noticed that next to the elevator call buttons on deck 16 there is a key card slot. Does anyone know what this is for? Is it simply for staff to call the elevator to the floor or is it for suite guests also?

I ask mostly because on the Gem and the Jewel I always hated getting into a crowded elevator and having to swipe the card sometimes repeatedly to get deck 14 to "stick"

Sorry for all those questions, just thinking about the Epic for our next cruise and was curious about how that all worked. :rolleyes:

Thanks in advance,

~Lesley

Yes you need your key card to access decks 16, 17 and 18 (posh).

Nope. Anybody can jump in any one of the forward starboard elevators and get off on 16 or 17. There is nothing to stop them. However, to get into the actual Haven area you need to go through another door which requires a key card to open. (Actually, there are two entrance doors into the Haven. 1 door goes directly into the Concierge office and the other door goes directly to the starboard cabin hallway. BOTH require a Haven cabin card to gain access.)

Also, even though the Epic Lounge is Haven guests only, anybody can go in and sit down. Just go up those same elevators, get off on 16 and turn to the left. The door to the lounge is always open and during the day there is typically nobody in there, not even a bartender. But I'm sure that if you're not known to any of the staff and you're not a Haven guest they'd quickly ask you to leave.

The card slot on the elevators do absolutely nothing for the guests. They are for staff use only. Somehow on our Epic cruise the rumour spread that Haven guests can turn any of the elevators in the forward starbaord bank into a priority elevator simply by inserting their card. So every Haven guest seemed to be trying it. I quickly discovered it made no difference whatsoever. After watching everybody doing it for a day or two and seeing no change in the elevator routine, I asked Adrian, the concierge. He laughed and confirmed a guests' card does nothing.

EDIT

vvvvvvvvv - Card readers are both inside and outside the elevators

/EDIT

Yes you need your key card to access decks 16, 17 and 18 (posh).

But the card readers are not in the elevator but rather in the hallway when to try and enter the haven areas.

Hi, all thanks for the replies. Well I have to say I'm glad that you don't need your card in the elevator. But now you have me thinking if the Epic Club is open all the time and you don't need a key to get in there couldn't you cut through the club and the restaurant to get to the haven without a key card at all?:confused:

~Les

No, the open doors will lead into the Epic bar/lounge but if you wanted to get into the pool area you would have to go though the restaurant into the Epic Grill and then into the pool area. Not saying it can't be done but there is usually staff at the entrance to the restaurant or they would greet you the minute you were in the restaurant. A few of our days were fairly windy so they had the doors between the restaurant and grill area locked so then you would have to access through the concierge lounge or cabin hallway.

Our first Epic sailing we needed to use our key to access the bar and reataurant but in November it was always open during the day.

Enjoy!!

But the card readers are not in the elevator but rather in the hallway when to try and enter the haven areas.

LOL

I had to re-check my post. I never use the word elevator anywhere in my post. I do remember one main elevator having a key swipe for decks 16 and 17. I last sailed in 2010 so maybe things changed. Or if you did not need to swipe, to answer the OP's question, there definately is a key swipe for decks 16 and 17 (if we got off on the 17th deck, I just assumed it worked).

I will gladly check the key swipes and report back in 3 weeks :) :) :)

This will be my first time in a Haven suite and I was wondering if each person has to bring their card when they goto the Haven?

This will be my first time in a Haven suite and I was wondering if each person has to bring their card when they goto the Haven?

No you are not asked to see your card. They corrected me the second day when I came to breakfast and showed my card to get in. They know who belongs.

Thanks!

There are two elevators that go up to 16-18 from the pool deck. The starboard side requires that a key be inserted to get up to Posh. The port side will get you up to to the top deck without a card, but there is a door that keeps you from going over to posh without using your card.

I'm not sure about the inside forward elevators, but at least one of them from the pool deck requires a key