breakaway: first time cruiser, did you regret not getting haven room?

[luckyinpa]

ive done pretty much research on the breakaway and haven and have researched a years worth or pricing.

 

late october a haven spa suite is 4900 out the door and the spa mini suite is 3300. we definitely will get use of thermal spa so this is virtually same cost as a large balcony room , which with 400 for the spa, comes to 3100. drinks and internet would be the 2 perks we'd use on a regular room for free.

 

so the real decision is spa mini or spa haven. ive watched videos of both rooms and the tub in the room is very appealing because we may want to spa after 10pm when the other one closes. also there are roughly 4 days at sea and i'm sure will be times we just want to veg in the room. but the other part of me says will be out in the ship all the time since this is new to us.

 

however 1600 is a pretty large premium for haven room. ive been back and forth a lot with justifications such as:

 

you only live once

 

regardless of what room i get , this will be my first and only cruise for at least 5 years or more.

 

if you are going to do it, do it right!

 

since every ship is full, it pays to get a more private oasis you can retreat to

 

so i was wondering if anyone booked a non haven room and later regretted not getting a haven. or conversely booked a haven and was very happy they did for their choice .

[LouBNYC]

When are you going ?? We do a spa balcony and vibe gets us in the spa and then a nice private area (hot tubs but no pool) with bar service. You don't get the haven dining room or private pool that can be weather proof but we like the specialty restaurants and take the risk on vine being open air

[luckyinpa]

narrowed down to oct 30 at this point.

 

chose bahamas because it's cheaper and i think i would find the space center more interesting then 3 days at bermuda. this leaves 4 days total on the ship so i do realize its a pretty important choice to make where we stay.

 

funny you mention the pool. i forgot about that. with at least 2 days in october at sea, my research has told me that outside the ship on 1st and last days may not be as hospitable so the haven may get better use for us. i think i need a spreadsheet for all this data to evaluate

[bluefish17]

Don't forget to add in the extra costs of tipping the butler and concierge in the Haven. This adds $150-200 minimum.

 

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[luckyinpa]

ouch. really wow. ive never had a butler but i did read they will bring you all you want from other restaurants to your room. that is a service i'm sure id try once. but unsure what else id use a butler for really. like if i asked for crab chips and ranch dip do they bring you that free. i truly am clueless on how to utilize a butler. i guess i read to find a butler thread for newbies. and do you tip each time he shows up or at the end

 

i do realize if i dont book all my stuff before i get on board that the concierge will help me do that or change times. so i can see value in that for sure.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

It's really a personal choice only you can make. I've never regretted not staying in the haven, but that's pretty meaningless to you, right? It certainly doesn't mean you wouldn't regret it! Take a look at the haven amenities and make a call about whether they're worth the amount you'd pay above the non-haven cabin. There are people who wouldn't cruise if they couldn't book the haven and there are those who don't think the extra expense is worth it...totally an individual choice.

 

I hope your first cruise is great!

[luckyinpa]

i value privacy, calm and good service for sure but i'm far from well off enough to say this will not hurt the wallet. but 1600 over a 'normal' 3300 spa room is a 50% premium.

 

i'm really leaning toward doing it but the numbers guy in me says thats a lot. but i have broken down the numbers to hopefully justify it in my mind (4900 room - values of the perks ...1139 drink pack, 125 for 1000 mb data, 150 in port credit, 148 specialty meal credit means true cost 3358 for the room) of course using that rationale the mini suite is only about 2000 so thats still 1300 more :) see how things bounce in my head

 

hows that for justification

 

i also do need to learn how to get the most out of the services that are provided. i know boarding 1st etc but for first timers this is a lot of info. just the stuff at the terminal in NY is a bit intimidating. and yes i will probaly pay the 300 for the week there rather than offsite since ive read it is close and secure.

 

in my limited reading the only people that havent liked the haven are those that dont use the butler etc or care about the private oasis. of course they probably havent booked it lol.

 

and since this will be the first and only cruise for a long time, i hate to cheap out. so if we do it will likely do haven. i think.

 

either that or just will stay home and refurb my shower for 5K (yes i've gotten estimates)

 

so new shower or cruise..what to do (shower is down to studs now just fyi :)

[Pookie092403]

i value privacy, calm and good service for sure but i'm far from well off enough to say this will not hurt the wallet. but 1600 over a 'normal' 3300 spa room is a 50% premium.

 

i'm really leaning toward doing it but the numbers guy in me says thats a lot. but i have broken down the numbers to hopefully justify it in my mind (4900 room - values of the perks ...1139 drink pack, 125 for 1000 mb data, 150 in port credit, 148 specialty meal credit means true cost 3358 for the room) of course using that rationale the mini suite is only about 2000 so thats still 1300 more :) see how things bounce in my head

 

hows that for justification

 

i also do need to learn how to get the most out of the services that are provided. i know boarding 1st etc but for first timers this is a lot of info. just the stuff at the terminal in NY is a bit intimidating. and yes i will probaly pay the 300 for the week there rather than offsite since ive read it is close and secure.

 

in my limited reading the only people that havent liked the haven are those that dont use the butler etc or care about the private oasis. of course they probably havent booked it lol.

 

and since this will be the first and only cruise for a long time, i hate to cheap out. so if we do it will likely do haven. i think.

 

either that or just will stay home and refurb my shower for 5K (yes i've gotten estimates)

 

so new shower or cruise..what to do (shower is down to studs now just fyi :)

 

 

 

Sounds like you have made up your mind to try the Haven, you just need others to help justify the cost and possibly the experience of the Haven to you. I am going on my first NCL cruise on breakaway in May and I too went back and forth about, to haven or not to haven! It was cheaper for my family by 5k to get two, yes two, balcony connecting rooms. Every day, well almost everyday, I kick myself in the behind because I want to try the haven but like you I couldn't justify the cost. I hope whatever you decide, you have an amazing time. But my two cents...go big. Do the haven!!! It's an increase but if it's going to be your only cruise in 5 plus years...it will be worth it!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

r my family by 5k to get two, yes two, balcony connecting rooms.

 

Wow, that's a lot of people in two rooms! ;););)

[CateW]

We've done a an aft suite on the Gem but not the Haven (the BA doesn't have full suites, just the mini-suite). For this reason, we've booked the Haven for our Breakaway cruise this coming January. It is 14 days and pricey but will be worth it for the quiet and privacy. Definitely looking forward to it.

[Pookie092403]

Wow, that's a lot of people in two rooms! ;););)

 

Guess I should have specified there are 4 of us. When we sailed Granduer of the seas and saw how small interior rooms are, we decided then that whenever we cruise again it would be two rooms so we are not squished together like sardines. We had two rooms on Granduer because it was 5 of us then. But my SIL had an interior with 4 of them and holy lord they couldn't all be in the room at the same time. So two balcony rooms on the breakaway it is! Which is still 5k cheaper than doing a family suite. I guess we could suck it up and get a room with all 4 of us to save even more money....but what happens at bedtime? When a husband and wife need ALONE time 😜

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Guess I should have specified there are 4 of us. When we sailed Granduer of the seas and saw how small interior rooms are, we decided then that whenever we cruise again it would be two rooms so we are not squished together like sardines. We had two rooms on Granduer because it was 5 of us then. But my SIL had an interior with 4 of them and holy lord they couldn't all be in the room at the same time. So two balcony rooms on the breakaway it is! Which is still 5k cheaper than doing a family suite. I guess we could suck it up and get a room with all 4 of us to save even more money....but what happens at bedtime? When a husband and wife need ALONE time 😜

 

I was making a joke about your saying 5k in your room. That's 5,000 people. LOL. But, now I see you were talking about the price. I read it that it was your family OF 5k. Lame joke to begin with and now it's even lamer!

 

When the kids were younger, we always got two rooms. Four in a room just didn't sound like fun to me either!

[Cruising Golfer]

Not my cup of tea... :cool:

[hansolosmom]

Personally I would just go with the spa mini suite. I would live in the spa the entire trip. I'm looking at next year going with my dh & getting the spa room.

 

The other part of it for me is the 4 perks. When I'm on vacation I don't keep in contact, so the internet package would be a waste as would be the shore excursion credit. So right there I'm not using $275 worth of perks. I can also live without the specialty dining as we don't normally use that on a cruise. But I would get my $$ worth out of the drink package. I would factor that into my choice and just go with the mini suite as opposed to the Haven.

[hansolosmom]

I was making a joke about your saying 5k in your room. That's 5,000 people. LOL. But, now I see you were talking about the price. I read it that it was your family OF 5k. Lame joke to begin with and now it's even lamer!

 

When the kids were younger, we always got two rooms. Four in a room just didn't sound like fun to me either!

 

I read it as 5 in the room so I appreciated the lame joke :)

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I read it as 5 in the room so I appreciated the lame joke :)

 

 

You're kind. :o