Newbie to NCL! Haven, general questions

[LarissaRose]

I apologize if these have been asked a million times as I'm sure they have, I tried to do some searching on the forums and couldn't find answers to all my questions so thought I'd ask. Would love to be directed to other threads that may answer these questions as well :)

Sailing on The Escape July 2016!

 

We will be in a forward facing Haven penthouse suite. I'm pretty confused as to what all is included:

- I know it has a beverage package and dining package. Is there a max drink price allowed on the beverage package? Can it be used in all venues except the mini bar?

- The dining package just baffles me, seems like you get only 2 free meals and most restaurants you get a slight discount, some no discount at all. Am I right in my thinking on this?

- Is room service (NOT breakfast) free for Haven suites? Or still an upcharge?

- We will be cruising with others that will not have Haven suites, are we allowed to have them as guests to the Haven dining room ever? (Kind of doubt it but thought I'd ask).

- I believe I saw somewhere that the Haven gets reserved seats for the shows, whereabouts in the theater are these located?

- If someone could please either link me to all the perks of a Haven suite or list them I would greatly appreciate it.

 

My main experience has been on Royal Caribbean, and I've never really done the speciality restaurants ever, but on the Escape there seem to be A LOT. Should I be planning on spending a bunch of extra money? Do most people still just go with the free options?

 

Besides room service, are there 24 hour food options? I tend to have a weird eating schedule and sometimes just want a slice of pizza or snack after midnight.

 

What time do bars tend to stay open until? I was looking at some pictures of dailies but they mostly listed "close" as the closing time (except for ones that closed early-ish).

 

My sister in law is debating whether to share a room with her parents or to get a studio cabin. Is there usually a general crowd that books the studios? She would be most interested in socializing with a mid 20s - mid 30s crowd so I don't want to recommend a studio cabin if most solo cruisers tend to be older.

 

Anyone know what the poker situation is on NCL ships (or the Escape in particular)? Is there poker in the casino? With a dealer or one of those automated tables? Do people ever play?

 

Think that's all for now, sorry again if these questions are super over asked. Thanks in advance!

[perditax]

I'm really not trying to be obtuse, but at the rate NCL is making changes I would be surprised if the answers to your questions today are still the answers 7 months from now when you actually leave. :/ (That said, I'm interested in some of the questions myself, so tagging on to see what people say.)

 

I can at least say that I saw people of all ages in the Studios, including people who looked to be in their 30s. It's probably different from sailing to sailing, though.

Edited November 14, 2015 by perditax

[Got Tequila?]

]I apologize if these have been asked a million times as I'm sure they have, I tried to do some searching on the forums and couldn't find answers to all my questions so thought I'd ask. Would love to be directed to other threads that may answer these questions as well :)

Sailing on The Escape July 2016!

 

We will be in a forward facing Haven penthouse suite. I'm pretty confused as to what all is included:

- I know it has a beverage package and dining package. Is there a max drink price allowed on the beverage package? Can it be used in all venues except the mini bar?

 

Ultimate Beverage Package:

Applicable to guests 1-2 on the reservation.

Guest must be at least 21 years of age at time of sailing to qualify for the Ultimate Beverage Package. Guests under 21 will receive the soda package.

Variety of spirits and cocktails, wines by the glass and bottled or draft beer up to $15. Includes fountain soda and juice, and non-alcoholic beer.

A 20% discount will be given on bottles of wine (champagne and sparkling included) purchased on board.

Does not apply to the Ice Bars.

Does not include room service, package sales, bottled water, ship specific promotions or beer buckets, designated super premium brands (subject to change), bottled wine, mini bar purchases, fresh squeezed juices, Lavazza coffee beverages, wine dispenser, energy drinks or vending machines.

Guest who receive the Soda Package may obtain fountain soda at any bar, lounge or restaurant throughout the duration of the cruise.

Guest's check may reflect applicable VAT and/or taxes for certain ports or itineraries.

- The dining package just baffles me, seems like you get only 2 free meals and most restaurants you get a slight discount, some no discount at all. Am I right in my thinking on this? It's 4 meals for guest #1 and 4 meals for guest #2 on the reservation, for a 7 day cruise.

 

Packages are based on a per meal basis.

Applicable to guests 1-2 on the reservation.

Food Republic, Carlo's Bake Shop items, The Bake Shop, Ice Cream Bar, Gelato, specialty items in the Asian restaurant, Chef's Table, Special Occasion/Holiday menus (New Year's, Christmas, etc.), Jazz Brunch, Wine Lovers and Murder Mystery lunches, and beverages are not included as part of the Specialty Dining Packages.

You may choose to dine in the following venues as part of your Specialty Dining Package for the corresponding upcharges: The Supper Club ($15), For the Record ($15), Ocean Blue ($15), Bayamo ($15), Cirque Dreams and Illusionarium ($10 regular seats/$15 premium seats/$35 VIP seating on Breakaway), Sushi Bar ($7), Pincho Tapas Bar ($7), and Raw Bar ($7).

Specialty Dining Packages include one main course per person at Cagney's and Le Bistro restaurants. Additional main courses will be charged at $10.00.

 

There is no minimum or maximum to the number of meals that can be redeemed in a day, however each meal is counted towards the package.

- Is room service (NOT breakfast) free for Haven suites? Or still an upcharge? Your butler will deliver all room service orders, no extra charge for those...but remember to tip the butler based on how much you use their services.

- We will be cruising with others that will not have Haven suites, are we allowed to have them as guests to the Haven dining room ever? (Kind of doubt it but thought I'd ask). No, the Haven area is exclusively for Haven suite guests.

- I believe I saw somewhere that the Haven gets reserved seats for the shows, whereabouts in the theater are these located?

- If someone could please either link me to all the perks of a Haven suite or list them I would greatly appreciate it.

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/cruise-accommodations/haven-cruise-suite

 

 

My main experience has been on Royal Caribbean, and I've never really done the speciality restaurants ever, but on the Escape there seem to be A LOT. Should I be planning on spending a bunch of extra money? Do most people still just go with the free options? Besides the 4 meals in the Specialty restaurants you will have the wonderful Haven restaurant for meals....and several main dining rooms which have great options.

 

Besides room service, are there 24 hour food options? I tend to have a weird eating schedule and sometimes just want a slice of pizza or snack after midnight. O'Sheehan's is open 24 hours, and you'll have butler service to the room 24 hours as well.

What time do bars tend to stay open until? I was looking at some pictures of dailies but they mostly listed "close" as the closing time (except for ones that closed early-ish).

 

My sister in law is debating whether to share a room with her parents or to get a studio cabin. Is there usually a general crowd that books the studios? She would be most interested in socializing with a mid 20s - mid 30s crowd so I don't want to recommend a studio cabin if most solo cruisers tend to be older. The number and ages of guests in the studio cabins tend to go by the cruise date....it's a younger group during January when the college kids are out of school, generally it's a good mix of ages in the studio cabins. I've always seen solo cruiser gatherings listed in the Freestyle daily activity sheets each afternoon.

Anyone know what the poker situation is on NCL ships (or the Escape in particular)? Is there poker in the casino? With a dealer or one of those automated tables? Do people ever play? There are poker tables in the Casino, live dealers.

 

Think that's all for now, sorry again if these questions are super over asked. Thanks in advance!

Hopefully that gets you started with a few answers.... :)

[bnorris10]

I apologize if these have been asked a million times as I'm sure they have, I tried to do some searching on the forums and couldn't find answers to all my questions so thought I'd ask. Would love to be directed to other threads that may answer these questions as well :)

Sailing on The Escape July 2016!

 

We will be in a forward facing Haven penthouse suite. I'm pretty confused as to what all is included:

- I know it has a beverage package and dining package. Is there a max drink price allowed on the beverage package? Can it be used in all venues except the mini bar? $15 is the max price if you go over that you pay the difference so if you get an $18 drink your package will pay $15 of it and you pay the remaining $3 - And yes it can be used in all venues except your room

- The dining package just baffles me, seems like you get only 2 free meals and most restaurants you get a slight discount, some no discount at all. Am I right in my thinking on this? having a haven suite gives the first 2 people on the cruise reservation 4 free meals (this is based on my 10 night reservation I am sure if you have less nights than 10 it may be a lesser number) at the specialty dining restaurants like moderno or tepanyaki

- Is room service (NOT breakfast) free for Haven suites? Or still an upcharge? Room service is free for haven suites

- We will be cruising with others that will not have Haven suites, are we allowed to have them as guests to the Haven dining room ever? (Kind of doubt it but thought I'd ask). Nope for haven guests only - would ruin the benefit of having our own private dining because we are haven guests if we start allowing non suite guests to use it - however you could if you wanted have dinner in your suite and have room service bring it to your room for you and your guests

- I believe I saw somewhere that the Haven gets reserved seats for the shows, whereabouts in the theater are these located? I am not sure on this however I do know for the cirq show the premium seats are better than the haven seats and they only hold the reserved haven area seats until 15 minutes before the show if you are not there before then you will have to sit where ever is available

- If someone could please either link me to all the perks of a Haven suite or list them I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Based on your room type you can look here and see the perks included with the Haven

 

 

https://www.ncl.com/thehaven/assets/docs/Haven_amenities_chart.pdf

 

Hopefully someone else can come along and give more of a list then what is listed

 

 

My main experience has been on Royal Caribbean, and I've never really done the speciality restaurants ever, but on the Escape there seem to be A LOT. Should I be planning on spending a bunch of extra money? Do most people still just go with the free options?

 

I would say enjoy your free nights of meals - and then check out the MDR's, the grills, and other dining options assuming your not a food snob there are plenty of choices that you don't need to spend extra on food

 

Besides room service, are there 24 hour food options? I tend to have a weird eating schedule and sometimes just want a slice of pizza or snack after midnight.

 

O'Sheehan's is a 24 hour eatery

 

What time do bars tend to stay open until? I was looking at some pictures of dailies but they mostly listed "close" as the closing time (except for ones that closed early-ish).

 

Different bars close at different times and it can change each day - however from what i read there is generally at least 1 bar open late into the night if not all night

 

My sister in law is debating whether to share a room with her parents or to get a studio cabin. Is there usually a general crowd that books the studios? She would be most interested in socializing with a mid 20s - mid 30s crowd so I don't want to recommend a studio cabin if most solo cruisers tend to be older.

 

I think this can vary by the cruise and time of the year - Studio is not necessarily for young people or old people it's just for people of all ages - No matter where she books herself she will find people her age

 

Anyone know what the poker situation is on NCL ships (or the Escape in particular)? Is there poker in the casino? With a dealer or one of those automated tables? Do people ever play?

 

They have poker available with live dealers

Think that's all for now, sorry again if these questions are super over asked. Thanks in advance!

 

Hope this helps

[LarissaRose]

Thanks for all the answers bnorris10 !!

 

I've actually thought of a few more questions as well:

 

Does the menu in the Haven restaurant change or it is always the same?

 

My DH is a vegetarian, how well do they cater with special requests etc? Will he easily find things to eat?

 

Are the comedy shows free? I see that you should also book ahead but is there also a fee associated with them?

[bnorris10]

Thanks for all the answers bnorris10 !!

 

I've actually thought of a few more questions as well:

 

Does the menu in the Haven restaurant change or it is always the same?

Honestly this is my first time in the haven for my trip for next month but from what i understand it pretty much stays the same and then sometimes they will add a meal that is being served in the MDR

 

My DH is a vegetarian, how well do they cater with special requests etc? Will he easily find things to eat?

 

You should not have any problems with this my hubby is not 100% veg but he mostly is and he never has any issues

 

Are the comedy shows free? I see that you should also book ahead but is there also a fee associated with them?

 

Comedy shows are free and you are not able to book those ahead - it is first come first serve for those

no problem