1st Time on NCL, Questions re: Suites/Haven

[mckfrazier1]

My family has cruised with Royal Caribbean four times in the past, always suites, but we want to venture out and try Norwegian. I put a deposit on a 4 day Bahamas cruise on Pearl in November, staying in a Haven Owner's Suite with Large Balcony (H3 - specifically 10504) but I'm wondering if a Penthouse with Large Balcony (SE) would be better. My goal is a large deck that will hold two lounge chairs - but I'm expecting/hoping the Haven perks (and extra room space) will be worth the extra $1,000. This will be just my husband and I so the room space isn't critical, but always a plus. :D

 

Just wondering if anyone has any tips or words of advice. Since I'm not 100% familiar with NCL suite perks I'm not sure what the extra Haven benefits are - over and above the private courtyard area. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

~ Cindy

Edited April 6, 2015 by mckfrazier1

[GeezerCouple]

My family has cruised with Royal Caribbean four times in the past, always suites, but we want to venture out and try Norwegian. I put a deposit on a 4 day Bahamas cruise on Pearl in November, staying in a Haven Owner's Suite with Large Balcony (H3 - specifically 10504) but I'm wondering if a Penthouse with Large Balcony (SE) would be better. My goal is a large deck that will hold two lounge chairs - but I'm expecting/hoping the Haven perks (and extra room space) will be worth the extra $1,000. This will be just my husband and I so the room space isn't critical, but always a plus. :D

 

Just wondering if anyone has any tips or words of advice. Since I'm not 100% familiar with NCL suite perks I'm not sure what the extra Haven benefits are - over and above the private courtyard area. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

~ Cindy

 

We were on the Pearl over the holidays, in a 2-BR Haven suite.

We were also on the Dawn, in a Deluxe Owner's Suite. (The Dawn does not have a Haven, so that choice was out.)

 

We are booked in the future on other Jewel-class ships (similar size and layout) and we are going to get an Owner's Suite.

 

The Owner's Suites have MUCH larger balconies than most of the Haven suites, so if that is important to you, you are making a good choice.

 

One downside is that the OS's are not physically "in" the Haven. You'll need to walk halfway back, and go up a few decks to get to the Haven.

This eliminates something we found very nice, the peaceful area of the small Haven "deck", which has keycard access only.

With the 2-BR Haven suite, we stepped out the door of our suite, and across the hall to the glass-enclosed Haven itself.

 

NOTE: The Pearl does NOT have a Haven restaurant, so be careful if that is something you are expecting.

 

You'll get the suite perks with the Penthouse Suite, but not access to the Haven. Also, the Penthouse Suite is "one big room", and only one bathroom. But you won't have access to the Haven.

 

We probably won't use the Haven much when we are in an OS, because of the distance and also because of the huge and private deck we'd already have :)

 

We really liked the extra space and privacy for napping, to have a separate bedroom.

And it was nice to wake up (in the morning or from naps) and find the goodies that the Butler had left in the living room. Nice.

(We made clear which goodies we preferred, and there was an abundance of them throughout the cruise.)

 

GeezerCouple

[mckfrazier1]

Thank you geezer couple! I'm not expecting to use the Haven area much because I'm not overly social and will most likely hang out on my own deck if/when I DO want to have some "quiet time." But as you're saying, the extra room/space is maybe the bigger perk in question. And the Haven access is just an "extra."

 

When you say the Pearl doesn't have a separate Haven restaurant do you mean the option of having a "special" spot to have breakfast and lunch? I noticed other posts comment that those are sometimes held in Cagney's (?). Or maybe you're referring to something entirely different?

 

THANK YOU for the note. :D;):)

[triptolemus]

The newer ships have a dedicated dining venue for Haven guests. The suite breakfast and lunch you hear so much about is severed there. On the Pearl (and many other ships), another venue is used for this purpose. Breakfast and lunch are still exclusive for suite guests, but for diner service, the venue is opened as a specialty restaurant. It is either Cagney's or Moderno, depending on the ship.

Edited April 6, 2015 by triptolemus

[watchdiva]

If the large balcony is important to you (and it is VERY important to us), take a look at the Deck 10 AFT SF suites. They have very large balconies that hold 2 padded loungers and a small table with room to spare. The view from the AFT is awesome with minimal wind (if any). We love these suites and book them wherever possible - but they book out very quickly since there are only 4of them on Deck 10. Suite breakfast and lunch are served in a private venue - the same as if you were staying in a Haven suite. These Deck 10 SF's are a great value (when you can get them!).:)

[GeezerCouple]

Thank you geezer couple! I'm not expecting to use the Haven area much because I'm not overly social and will most likely hang out on my own deck if/when I DO want to have some "quiet time." But as you're saying, the extra room/space is maybe the bigger perk in question. And the Haven access is just an "extra."

 

When you say the Pearl doesn't have a separate Haven restaurant do you mean the option of having a "special" spot to have breakfast and lunch? I noticed other posts comment that those are sometimes held in Cagney's (?). Or maybe you're referring to something entirely different?

 

THANK YOU for the note. :D;):)

 

The newer mega-ships have a separate Haven Restaurant for *dinner*.

 

On ALL NCL ships, the suite passengers (all of them, not just Haven passengers, for those ships that have both or only one of the two - regular and/or Haven suites) do have private dining area for breakfast and lunch.

 

That was very nice ;-)

 

GeezerCouple

[mckfrazier1]

If the large balcony is important to you (and it is VERY important to us), take a look at the Deck 10 AFT SF suites. They have very large balconies that hold 2 padded loungers and a small table with room to spare. The view from the AFT is awesome with minimal wind (if any). We love these suites and book them wherever possible - but they book out very quickly since there are only 4of them on Deck 10. Suite breakfast and lunch are served in a private venue - the same as if you were staying in a Haven suite. These Deck 10 SF's are a great value (when you can get them!).:)

 

Watch Diva - it looks like they have rooms 10666 and 10166 which are aft facing. (Note they also have one of the corner units on deck 9 available and all four aft facing suites on deck 8 are available.) Those appear to be the ones you're referring to? So it looks like if we chose one of those we would lose the extra space in the room and the Haven benefits but would have all the other suite benefits? It's tempting to do to save the extra $1,000+. We would miss the extra space but I'm trying to justify the value of that - especially when it's just a four day cruise. :confused:

Edited April 6, 2015 by mckfrazier1

[GeezerCouple]

Watch Diva - it looks like they have rooms 10666 and 10166 which are aft facing. (Note they also have one of the corner units on deck 9 available and all four aft facing suites on deck 8 are available.) Those appear to be the ones you're referring to? So it looks like if we chose one of those we would lose the extra space in the room and the Haven benefits but would have all the other suite benefits? It's tempting to do to save the extra $1,000+. We would miss the extra space but I'm trying to justify the value of that - especially when it's just a four day cruise. :confused:

 

Be careful about the position of your suite or cabin.

 

Is there a nightclub below Deck 8, aft?

If so, then there could be late-night noise from loud music.

(We've heard this report for some ships, and don't know for sure about that with this one.)

 

We always check what is above and below, and next door, for such potential disturbances.

 

GeezerCouple

[Leavethekidswithmom]

You say a 4 day cruise on the Pearl. Is this a rock cruise? I know on the Kiss Kruise there isn't any access to the Haven. Read the fine print if it's a rock cruise.

[watchdiva]

Deck 10 SF have stayed in both 10166 and 10666 (for some weird reason I like 10166 and our cruising friends usually book 10666). Decks 8 and 9 have significantly smaller balconies. If this is for 2 peeps it should be large enough and with that AFT balcony we never missed Haven (stayed their in a few cruises).

[mckfrazier1]

Thanks for the responses everyone - they are all very helpful!!! I'll check out above and below the room we choose.

 

And DEAR LORD if it's a Kiss cruise I'll be looking at alternatives. I like rock music but not if I'm looking for a relaxing cruise! LOL :eek: