Haven?

[Fishymom]

We LOVED Haven on the Escape. It was worth every single penny to us and then some. We cruised the week prior to Christmas so the ship was PACKED and while there was a dozen or so kids in Haven ... the pool was not over run whatsoever. They actually all left most of the day to do all the slides etc. And come back for a little peace and quiet.

 

 

We did the aft balcony, and while it was definitely a hike... we had the best of both worlds. I agree with a previous poster and outside pool in Haven would be appreciated on that ship. ( yes the roof is retractable but they did not open it all week)

 

We looked at it on Bliss for Alaska and while it would be nice... the $$$$ is just not possible. New Ship+ Alaska =$$$ no matter what room you pick.

[BNBR]

We LOVED Haven on the Escape. It was worth every single penny to us and then some. We cruised the week prior to Christmas so the ship was PACKED and while there was a dozen or so kids in Haven ... the pool was not over run whatsoever. They actually all left most of the day to do all the slides etc. And come back for a little peace and quiet.

 

 

We did the aft balcony, and while it was definitely a hike... we had the best of both worlds. I agree with a previous poster and outside pool in Haven would be appreciated on that ship. ( yes the roof is retractable but they did not open it all week)

 

We looked at it on Bliss for Alaska and while it would be nice... the $$$$ is just not possible. New Ship+ Alaska =$$$ no matter what room you pick.

 

I wonder what the requirements are to open to roof? For us, they opened the roof quite a bit during our sailing. I wonder if you can just ask the concierge and see if they are willing to do it?

[graphicguy]

Loved.....LOVED the Haven!

 

Stayed there 3X. I think the Haven roof is open in good weather and closed in bad weather. I could count the amount of kids I’ve seen in the Haven on one hand.

 

Best cruise experience I ever had on a cruise.

 

Yacht Club on MSC is a close 2nd. Stayed there 2X.

 

Haven and YC are worth the $$$$.

[fsa1155]

We had to pay a premium to be in Haven on the Getaway- as it was over the holidays. I still think the expense is worth it as there are so many additional amenities (as others have pointed out) on the bigger ships. You cannot beat the pool time. I took pictures of the rooms, Haven areas, menus etc if you'd like to review. Enjoy! https://gotravellife.com/2018/01/03/about-us/

 

Loved your review. We are new to the Getaway and to Norwegian. 129 days to go. Woo Hoo

[boopsahoy]

Do your research first before jumping into Haven booking. It depends on the ship, as far as getting the Haven experience described on NCL website.

The Jewel Class ships ( jewel, pearl, jade etc) have "Haven" space but NOT restaurant, Haven lounge, concierge lounge etc.

We just got off Jewel, Haven cabin and the Haven was NOT worth the price. Others , who had been on the newer ships were complaining what a terrible Haven experience it is on these older ships.

I wish I would have taken a pic of Haven area when we were getting ready to disembark .

It was like a totally different ship. They had it all laid out with the padded loungers with HAVEN embroidered covers on them. Hammock frame we looked at all week was complete and looked inviting.

Umbrellas out and open . It looked like a beautiful 5 star hotel pool area. I asked workers why it looked so nice now.

This was done because Travel Agents were coming onboard and getting a tour and free lunch in Cagney's that day.

(I wanted to call BS on this whole thing,...talk about false advertising)

What we got during the cruise were loungers stacked and tied down .We were told they are not available for use during cruise. Even when we were in port for 2 days, No loungers, umbrellas, or assembled hammock available.("so Sorry") Some tried to drag out a lounger and were told not to.

Ironically, the other side of the sun deck, open to all the ship guests, had their loungers and side tables out throughout the cruise!! They were constantly hanging over the railing looking down at the Haven pool area.

So, on the newer ships with "complete" Haven experience, if you can afford it, go for it.

I would skip it on older ships.

We paid $10,000 more for Haven 2 bedroom Suite than 2 Bedroom Suite on lower decks. Not worth the money. This was the only Suite available for this cruise and we thought we would change after other lower Suites opened up.

Found out later, you cannot go down in categories but only up.

We are now moving on to MSC, Yacht Club. Pretty much done with NCL .

8 Day Yacht Club Deluxe Suite was $4300 for both of us combined. (Newer ship, 2016 ).

We are Plat Plus with NCL and they matched us to BLACK,so we get 5% off that price and other perks.

Will be interesting to try new cruise line (for us, at least).

Did you tell your Concierge? I would think he would get them to put out the loungers...

[Antman1131]

I will be doing the haven in the Escape for the first time, did it on the Gem and the Breakaway. I actually do not like the bigger ships. I typically do the Gem or the Dawn and go off peak. This is a family trip, they opted for the Escape during the summer. I am only going because it was their choice. However I would NOT do the large ships, especially in the summer without doing the Haven. Unfortunately it is the ONLY option if you wish to relax

 

 

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[BEACHBARB]

We LOVED Haven on the Escape. It was worth every single penny to us and then some. We cruised the week prior to Christmas so the ship was PACKED and while there was a dozen or so kids in Haven ... the pool was not over run whatsoever. They actually all left most of the day to do all the slides etc. And come back for a little peace and quiet.

 

 

We did the aft balcony, and while it was definitely a hike... we had the best of both worlds. I agree with a previous poster and outside pool in Haven would be appreciated on that ship. ( yes the roof is retractable but they did not open it all week)

 

We looked at it on Bliss for Alaska and while it would be nice... the $$$$ is just not possible. New Ship+ Alaska =$$$ no matter what room you pick.

 

Looking forward to Escape this January but we had an aft Haven balcony on Breakaway and I agree with the hike but the balcony was sooooo worth it. We didn't spend much time during the sea days in the Haven because we had that awesome balcony. We are in a 2 bedroom in January and will definitely miss the balcony but need the space for more people.

[Mikial]

Is the Haven really $2500 per person?? New to NCL

 

 

 

My .02 from a previous post (from a cruise on the Escape)...

 

Unlike some other cruise lines, booking in the Haven provides a lot of nice benefits. Whether they are worth the price difference depends on you. As a family who doesn't get to vacation as often as we would like, and prefers to have as relaxing and stress-free vacation as possible, we see the benefits as worthwhile.

 

Some of the benefits that matter for us:

 

Priority Embarkation - Being able to arrive at port and pretty much walk onto the ship without waiting, and have your luggage waiting for you in your room right after you board, is a really nice benefit. We feel like we get an extra day on the boat at the beginning of the trip because of it.

Disembarkation - For disembarkation, they take you down in the ship's service elevator whenever you are ready and you get to walk-off whenever you feel like it. No hassle, and no stress.

 

Concierge - Having a concierge available to help you with everything without having to wait in lines is a really nice perk.

 

Shore Excursions - Instead of battling for the public elevators when everyone is rushing off the boat, the Concierge escorts you down in a private service elevator whenever you are ready without any wait, hassle, or delay. Does it look like rain? The Concierge provides ponchos.

 

Haven Pool - The Haven pool is a really nice benefit. Chairs are plentiful, and -- other than possibly the spa -- there is no better place on the ship to quietly unwind after shore excursions and / or family chaos. I think that it is all a matter of taste with some people preferring the vibrance and noise of the main pool, and some people just preferring to relax and not have to hunt for lounge chairs. We prefer to just relax on vacation, and when things get busy and chaotic, the Haven really is a quiet shelter from the storm.

 

Haven Restaurant - While the Haven suites come with the specialty dining package, the Haven restaurant (and the fact that you can just walk in whenever you want without a reservation) is just wonderful. We never experienced a wait, and the food and service was consistently amazing. The onboard specialty restaurants never disappoint, but the Haven restaurant is a nice alternative.

 

The Haven Lounge - Having a quiet bar that is not crowded right down the hall is never a bad thing, right?

 

Haven Rooms - The Haven rooms and room amenities are just amazing. The rooms are as nice as any hotel that I have stayed at and all have plenty of storage. Prior to sailing, you are provided a suite selection list in which you get to select three bottles of wine and / or liquor, pick which beverages that you would like in the suite, and specify your pillow and bedding selections.

 

Butler - Once on board, you have a butler who goes out of his way to make the trip wonderful. Just as an example of the lengths that they go to to make your stay a wonderful experience, our butler on a recent cruise either saw the kids going to the Haven pool to get cookies and M&Ms (or saw remnants in the room - ha). From that point of the trip onward, we had a cookie platter and a bowl of M&Ms in the room every day. Where else can you find such service?

 

Room Service - Being able to order anything on the ship at any time is a huge benefit to us. Some people prefer to eat breakfast in a restaurant, and love grabbing junk food at O'Sheehan's after a night of fun. We far prefer quiet breakfasts and late night munchies in the room. Being able to order whatever you want, whenever you want, and not be limited to the ships regular room service menu is a real benefit from our perspective.

 

Preferred Seating - Being able to walk down to the main theater's Haven section right before showtime and not have to arrive 40 minutes early to save seats is a nice benefit. With the other venues that we have been to (the Supper Club on the Escape and the Illusionarium on the Getaway) you are escorted down in a service elevator, and given your choice of seating in the venue before the doors open. Great seating, no stress, and no hassle.

 

Other Misc. Benefits - On day one, NCL threw in free lunch at Margaritaville, and gave us half off dinner at Food Republic. Nice little surprise perk!

 

With the Haven, you are definitely paying a lot more up front. Whether the price difference is "worth it" definitely depends upon your perception of value. We believe that the Haven benefits are worth it, and I completely understand why others say that they are not. If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing, stress-free experience while at sea, the Haven is definitely the way to go from our perspective.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Antman1131]

My .02 from a previous post (from a cruise on the Escape)...

 

Unlike some other cruise lines, booking in the Haven provides a lot of nice benefits. Whether they are worth the price difference depends on you. As a family who doesn't get to vacation as often as we would like, and prefers to have as relaxing and stress-free vacation as possible, we see the benefits as worthwhile.

 

Some of the benefits that matter for us:

 

Priority Embarkation - Being able to arrive at port and pretty much walk onto the ship without waiting, and have your luggage waiting for you in your room right after you board, is a really nice benefit. We feel like we get an extra day on the boat at the beginning of the trip because of it.

Disembarkation - For disembarkation, they take you down in the ship's service elevator whenever you are ready and you get to walk-off whenever you feel like it. No hassle, and no stress.

 

Concierge - Having a concierge available to help you with everything without having to wait in lines is a really nice perk.

 

Shore Excursions - Instead of battling for the public elevators when everyone is rushing off the boat, the Concierge escorts you down in a private service elevator whenever you are ready without any wait, hassle, or delay. Does it look like rain? The Concierge provides ponchos.

 

Haven Pool - The Haven pool is a really nice benefit. Chairs are plentiful, and -- other than possibly the spa -- there is no better place on the ship to quietly unwind after shore excursions and / or family chaos. I think that it is all a matter of taste with some people preferring the vibrance and noise of the main pool, and some people just preferring to relax and not have to hunt for lounge chairs. We prefer to just relax on vacation, and when things get busy and chaotic, the Haven really is a quiet shelter from the storm.

 

Haven Restaurant - While the Haven suites come with the specialty dining package, the Haven restaurant (and the fact that you can just walk in whenever you want without a reservation) is just wonderful. We never experienced a wait, and the food and service was consistently amazing. The onboard specialty restaurants never disappoint, but the Haven restaurant is a nice alternative.

 

The Haven Lounge - Having a quiet bar that is not crowded right down the hall is never a bad thing, right?

 

Haven Rooms - The Haven rooms and room amenities are just amazing. The rooms are as nice as any hotel that I have stayed at and all have plenty of storage. Prior to sailing, you are provided a suite selection list in which you get to select three bottles of wine and / or liquor, pick which beverages that you would like in the suite, and specify your pillow and bedding selections.

 

Butler - Once on board, you have a butler who goes out of his way to make the trip wonderful. Just as an example of the lengths that they go to to make your stay a wonderful experience, our butler on a recent cruise either saw the kids going to the Haven pool to get cookies and M&Ms (or saw remnants in the room - ha). From that point of the trip onward, we had a cookie platter and a bowl of M&Ms in the room every day. Where else can you find such service?

 

Room Service - Being able to order anything on the ship at any time is a huge benefit to us. Some people prefer to eat breakfast in a restaurant, and love grabbing junk food at O'Sheehan's after a night of fun. We far prefer quiet breakfasts and late night munchies in the room. Being able to order whatever you want, whenever you want, and not be limited to the ships regular room service menu is a real benefit from our perspective.

 

Preferred Seating - Being able to walk down to the main theater's Haven section right before showtime and not have to arrive 40 minutes early to save seats is a nice benefit. With the other venues that we have been to (the Supper Club on the Escape and the Illusionarium on the Getaway) you are escorted down in a service elevator, and given your choice of seating in the venue before the doors open. Great seating, no stress, and no hassle.

 

Other Misc. Benefits - On day one, NCL threw in free lunch at Margaritaville, and gave us half off dinner at Food Republic. Nice little surprise perk!

 

With the Haven, you are definitely paying a lot more up front. Whether the price difference is "worth it" definitely depends upon your perception of value. We believe that the Haven benefits are worth it, and I completely understand why others say that they are not. If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing, stress-free experience while at sea, the Haven is definitely the way to go from our perspective.

 

 

 

 

 

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Agreed! Well said!

 

 

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[dexddd]

My .02 from a previous post (from a cruise on the Escape)...

 

Unlike some other cruise lines, booking in the Haven provides a lot of nice benefits. Whether they are worth the price difference depends on you. As a family who doesn't get to vacation as often as we would like, and prefers to have as relaxing and stress-free vacation as possible, we see the benefits as worthwhile.

 

Some of the benefits that matter for us:

 

Priority Embarkation - Being able to arrive at port and pretty much walk onto the ship without waiting, and have your luggage waiting for you in your room right after you board, is a really nice benefit. We feel like we get an extra day on the boat at the beginning of the trip because of it.

Disembarkation - For disembarkation, they take you down in the ship's service elevator whenever you are ready and you get to walk-off whenever you feel like it. No hassle, and no stress.

 

Concierge - Having a concierge available to help you with everything without having to wait in lines is a really nice perk.

 

Shore Excursions - Instead of battling for the public elevators when everyone is rushing off the boat, the Concierge escorts you down in a private service elevator whenever you are ready without any wait, hassle, or delay. Does it look like rain? The Concierge provides ponchos.

 

Haven Pool - The Haven pool is a really nice benefit. Chairs are plentiful, and -- other than possibly the spa -- there is no better place on the ship to quietly unwind after shore excursions and / or family chaos. I think that it is all a matter of taste with some people preferring the vibrance and noise of the main pool, and some people just preferring to relax and not have to hunt for lounge chairs. We prefer to just relax on vacation, and when things get busy and chaotic, the Haven really is a quiet shelter from the storm.

 

Haven Restaurant - While the Haven suites come with the specialty dining package, the Haven restaurant (and the fact that you can just walk in whenever you want without a reservation) is just wonderful. We never experienced a wait, and the food and service was consistently amazing. The onboard specialty restaurants never disappoint, but the Haven restaurant is a nice alternative.

 

The Haven Lounge - Having a quiet bar that is not crowded right down the hall is never a bad thing, right?

 

Haven Rooms - The Haven rooms and room amenities are just amazing. The rooms are as nice as any hotel that I have stayed at and all have plenty of storage. Prior to sailing, you are provided a suite selection list in which you get to select three bottles of wine and / or liquor, pick which beverages that you would like in the suite, and specify your pillow and bedding selections.

 

Butler - Once on board, you have a butler who goes out of his way to make the trip wonderful. Just as an example of the lengths that they go to to make your stay a wonderful experience, our butler on a recent cruise either saw the kids going to the Haven pool to get cookies and M&Ms (or saw remnants in the room - ha). From that point of the trip onward, we had a cookie platter and a bowl of M&Ms in the room every day. Where else can you find such service?

 

Room Service - Being able to order anything on the ship at any time is a huge benefit to us. Some people prefer to eat breakfast in a restaurant, and love grabbing junk food at O'Sheehan's after a night of fun. We far prefer quiet breakfasts and late night munchies in the room. Being able to order whatever you want, whenever you want, and not be limited to the ships regular room service menu is a real benefit from our perspective.

 

Preferred Seating - Being able to walk down to the main theater's Haven section right before showtime and not have to arrive 40 minutes early to save seats is a nice benefit. With the other venues that we have been to (the Supper Club on the Escape and the Illusionarium on the Getaway) you are escorted down in a service elevator, and given your choice of seating in the venue before the doors open. Great seating, no stress, and no hassle.

 

Other Misc. Benefits - On day one, NCL threw in free lunch at Margaritaville, and gave us half off dinner at Food Republic. Nice little surprise perk!

 

With the Haven, you are definitely paying a lot more up front. Whether the price difference is "worth it" definitely depends upon your perception of value. We believe that the Haven benefits are worth it, and I completely understand why others say that they are not. If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing, stress-free experience while at sea, the Haven is definitely the way to go from our perspective.

 

 

 

 

 

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The 3 bottles is only if in OS or DOS or 6 for a GV.

 

YMMV on butler.

[BNBR]

Priority Embarkation - Being able to arrive at port and pretty much walk onto the ship without waiting, and have your luggage waiting for you in your room right after you board, is a really nice benefit. We feel like we get an extra day on the boat at the beginning of the trip because of it.

Disembarkation - For disembarkation, they take you down in the ship's service elevator whenever you are ready and you get to walk-off whenever you feel like it. No hassle, and no stress.

 

This isn't even true. The rooms are not guaranteed to be ready and luggage is not always waiting in the room. We got to our Haven room and were told it would be a few hours, they needed to finish cleaning. Luggage showed up pretty darn late, too.

 

By the way, Carnival offers this service, with rooms actually ready and waiting for you, for a whopping $50 - $70 per cabin. :) You also get priority tenders, priority guest services, priority disembarkation, etc.

[Mikial]

This isn't even true. The rooms are not guaranteed to be ready and luggage is not always waiting in the room. We got to our Haven room and were told it would be a few hours, they needed to finish cleaning. Luggage showed up pretty darn late, too.

 

 

 

By the way, Carnival offers this service, with rooms actually ready and waiting for you, for a whopping $50 - $70 per cabin. :) You also get priority tenders, priority guest services, priority disembarkation, etc.

 

 

Not true? I can assure you that it was for us... While it may not be a guaranteed thing, we are 2 for 2.

 

Comparing the Haven experience to Carnival’s FTTF (or any experience we had with Carnival to be honest) is ridiculous.

 

In our experience, priority disembarkation on Carnival consists of you and another thousand guests all being herded into the theater for a chaotic, stressful, and disorderly exit. Not remotely the same experience.

[BostonGal35]

that's a very good per person price for Haven, IMO.

 

we sailed Haven on Gem (smaller courtyard experience, no dinner restaurant) but you still get a dedicated restauarant for breakfast and lunch or you can eat pool side from a much better menu than the MDR.

 

we are sailing Haven on Getaway this fall to try a large ship Haven experience.

 

ive also sailed three times in non-haven suites on Star and Jade.

 

what i have determined is that id be ok with a non-haven suite on the smaller ships. teh courtyard area is nice, but not a must have, and all the other perks are the same. reallky you are paying a lot more for the courryard which isnt worth it to us.

[BNBR]

Not true? I can assure you that it was for us... While it may not be a guaranteed thing, we are 2 for 2.

 

Comparing the Haven experience to Carnival’s FTTF (or any experience we had with Carnival to be honest) is ridiculous.

 

In our experience, priority disembarkation on Carnival consists of you and another thousand guests all being herded into the theater for a chaotic, stressful, and disorderly exit. Not remotely the same experience.

 

We were in the first group on Escape. The rooms were not even close to ready. Luggage showed up hours later. I asked about this and was told this was normal (I pointed out the whole "Priority" luggage thing).

 

Our disembarkation on Carnival with FTTF was actually faster than Escape. We walked down after they started self-assist and walked right off. Not sure how much easier it's supposed to be? On Escape, you can do the same I guess. We ended up waiting for 15 minutes in the Haven lounge for the group to be taken down via the service elevator. It was nice, too.

 

My point is still valid. FTTF has a guaranteed room ready when you board. Haven does not. You get priority tenders and priority disembark. Plus priority guest services. Haven priority RETURN tenders was a nice perk, though. FTTF has a lot of similarities to these specific suite perks. It's not as classy, of course. But if the big selling point is the priority embark/disembark/tenders/guest services then you can save about $5,000 by sailing Carnival with FTTF. I mean, Dream class and -Away are damn near identical ships in many respects with each line having pluses and minuses.

 

I'm not comparing the overall Haven experience. I'm comparing a few perks that for some cruisers may be the most important. Even the poster right above me said the courtyard isn't that big a deal for them. I think a lot of people would be curious about competing products that may or may not be a better fit.

[dexddd]

The "ship-within-a-ship" concept is catching on so there are alternatives to the NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) Haven.

MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) has the Yacht Club for less than the Haven.

 

KkVDT14WuDA

 

Celebrity is getting into the concept (even though they deny it) with The Retreat on Celebrity Edge.

 

102wos4rNrM

 

(I tried do de-acronym everything :p)

 

Are you sure those videos aren't from Season 3 of Westworld? The people seem very robotic.

[Two Wheels Only]

The people seem very robotic.

Well, Edge was entirely planned in 3D virtual reality so I guess the "people" are expected to be virtual, too. ;)

[dexddd]

Well, Edge was entirely planned in 3D virtual reality so I guess the "people" are expected to be virtual, too. ;)

 

 

The MSC video is also a bit over the top. The butler escorted them everywhere except the crapper.

 

In reality, they are very good. They do escort you the first night to the restaurant but probably only because on Divinia it is way in the back. I'm not sure if they do that on the Seaside as there is no real need.

 

They did mention in materials about going to shops at "off" hours but once on board it was never mentioned to us, but again, not a big deal.

 

The one nice thing is on tender ports they have a butler there to take you right to the front of the ne for getting on the tender. At other ports they have a few of them on the pier who will escort you to a separate entrance to get back onto the ship. They also escorted us off for the one ship excursion we did on to the pier.

 

Let us know of yourSeaside trip goes.

[Mikial]

We were in the first group on Escape. The rooms were not even close to ready. Luggage showed up hours later. I asked about this and was told this was normal (I pointed out the whole "Priority" luggage thing).

 

Our disembarkation on Carnival with FTTF was actually faster than Escape. We walked down after they started self-assist and walked right off. Not sure how much easier it's supposed to be? On Escape, you can do the same I guess. We ended up waiting for 15 minutes in the Haven lounge for the group to be taken down via the service elevator. It was nice, too.

 

My point is still valid. FTTF has a guaranteed room ready when you board. Haven does not. You get priority tenders and priority disembark. Plus priority guest services. Haven priority RETURN tenders was a nice perk, though. FTTF has a lot of similarities to these specific suite perks. It's not as classy, of course. But if the big selling point is the priority embark/disembark/tenders/guest services then you can save about $5,000 by sailing Carnival with FTTF. I mean, Dream class and -Away are damn near identical ships in many respects with each line having pluses and minuses.

 

I'm not comparing the overall Haven experience. I'm comparing a few perks that for some cruisers may be the most important. Even the poster right above me said the courtyard isn't that big a deal for them. I think a lot of people would be curious about competing products that may or may not be a better fit.

 

 

I only took exception to your “not true” comment, and agree that the Haven’s value is dependent upon what is important to you. That was the point of my post. How do you put a value on some of those experiences?

 

Our experience on Carnival is limited, but we did not have a smooth disembarkation process at all and had a very different experience than you with FTTF.

 

While we did get off of the ship fairly quickly, we received three contradictory instructions as the where to be and when the night before, received contradictory instruction from crew members the next morning, and — after being told to line up in a certain place — were chastised by a manager for being in the wrong location. The poor woman at the front of the line, was basically called a liar even though we all received the same instructions from crew.

 

When we finally got to the right location (the main theater) it turned into sheer chaos, with more contradictory instructions. After upgrading to a suite to get FTTF, they told us that non-suite guests who “paid” for FTTF had priority over those that got it by purchasing a suite.

 

The whole experience resulted in a lot of needless stress, left a really bad taste, and made me really appreciate the Haven a lot more. Ha!

[DarkJedi]

Are you arguing about getting off the ship at the end of the cruise?

 

Really?

 

I have never had a problem getting off the ship. If I needed off right away we did walk off, if we didn't need off right away but wanted early we just scheduled based on plane flights.

 

Other than that I have never had an issue getting off the ship.

 

 

 

OK, once, but that was the other side of the problem. They kicked us off, something about the cruise being over and they needed to get the cabins ready for the next passengers.

[CruiseGal999]

Is the Haven really $2500 per person?? New to NCL

 

That sounds cheap for Haven.

[Mikial]

Are you arguing about getting off the ship at the end of the cruise?

 

Really?

 

I have never had a problem getting off the ship. If I needed off right away we did walk off, if we didn't need off right away but wanted early we just scheduled based on plane flights.

 

Other than that I have never had an issue getting off the ship.

 

 

 

OK, once, but that was the other side of the problem. They kicked us off, something about the cruise being over and they needed to get the cabins ready for the next passengers.

 

Ha ha ha. Yes, I think that we can all agree that that whole "going back to reality" thing after a cruise kinda sucks....

[BNBR]

I only took exception to your “not true” comment, and agree that the Haven’s value is dependent upon what is important to you. That was the point of my post. How do you put a value on some of those experiences?

 

Our experience on Carnival is limited, but we did not have a smooth disembarkation process at all and had a very different experience than you with FTTF.

 

While we did get off of the ship fairly quickly, we received three contradictory instructions as the where to be and when the night before, received contradictory instruction from crew members the next morning, and — after being told to line up in a certain place — were chastised by a manager for being in the wrong location. The poor woman at the front of the line, was basically called a liar even though we all received the same instructions from crew.

 

When we finally got to the right location (the main theater) it turned into sheer chaos, with more contradictory instructions. After upgrading to a suite to get FTTF, they told us that non-suite guests who “paid” for FTTF had priority over those that got it by purchasing a suite.

 

The whole experience resulted in a lot of needless stress, left a really bad taste, and made me really appreciate the Haven a lot more. Ha!

 

I'm not sure why you took exception to my "not true" comment. I was right as far as I know. Unless someone can point it out as a perk, room being ready and luggage waiting for you is not a "thing" with Haven. It's not a Haven perk. I do like the overall experience of the Haven and the generally exceptional service. However, I found it very much overrated and quite a bit just flat out bad. If there were no kids allowed, I'd even consider sailing it again someday, though. Either that, or I'll just "join them" and bring my young kids and let them run wild in the Haven courtyard while we read books on the day beds.

 

As for disembarkation, that does sound like a less than ideal experience you had. For the life of me I have no idea why people do standard group disembarkation. We only do self-assist. When it starts, often we'll wait 15 minutes for the first groups/lines to get off, then we just walk down and walk off the ship and go home. No lines, no nonsense. Walk off, walk up to customs (never a line) and walk over to the car and we are home in a jiffy.

[Mikial]

I'm not sure why you took exception to my "not true" comment. I was right as far as I know. Unless someone can point it out as a perk, room being ready and luggage waiting for you is not a "thing" with Haven. It's not a Haven perk. I do like the overall experience of the Haven and the generally exceptional service. However, I found it very much overrated and quite a bit just flat out bad. If there were no kids allowed, I'd even consider sailing it again someday, though. Either that, or I'll just "join them" and bring my young kids and let them run wild in the Haven courtyard while we read books on the day beds.

 

 

 

As for disembarkation, that does sound like a less than ideal experience you had. For the life of me I have no idea why people do standard group disembarkation. We only do self-assist. When it starts, often we'll wait 15 minutes for the first groups/lines to get off, then we just walk down and walk off the ship and go home. No lines, no nonsense. Walk off, walk up to customs (never a line) and walk over to the car and we are home in a jiffy.

 

 

Every experience we have had is different, and I definitely understand that every one has different expectations and opinions.

 

Believe it or not that Carnival experience was a self-assist walkoff. The fact that everyone was herded with all of their luggage (and a huge box of tequila for some of us - haha) into the theater — where it was impossible to form anything that resembled a line — was the problem. Just seemed like a horrible decision by the crew on that sailing.

 

The place where we were initially directed to form a line by the crew (and subsequently got chastised for lining up there) made a lot more sense...