Haven Access for non-Haven Guests - Thoughts?

[NLH Arizona]

5 minutes ago, mertziek said:

Interesting.  So gold, platinum, platinum plus and Haven people have different card colors?  We never felt uncomfortable about the questions we’ve gotten based on our card color but people obviously do notice that.  Guess it’s just human nature and curiosity.

I don't know if it was NCL or Celebrity, basically because I've never noticed anyone's colors.

Edited June 17, 2019 by NLH Arizona

[chars]

Guests of the Haven have a gold card that says Haven right on it.  So if someone was to "sneak" into the Haven, as soon as they order a drink the bartender or server would know they do not belong there.  I remember purchasing BINGO cards when I was staying in the Haven and the worker, who scanned my card said, "Oh you are in the Haven, you must be rich".  

[mertziek]

1 minute ago, chars said:

Guests of the Haven have a gold card that says Haven right on it.  So if someone was to "sneak" into the Haven, as soon as they order a drink the bartender or server would know they do not belong there.  I remember purchasing BINGO cards when I was staying in the Haven and the worker, who scanned my card said, "Oh you are in the Haven, you must be rich".  

Well that was uncalled for from a staff member!  Many people who are not “rich” save for the Haven experience or get it for less by bidding. Green eyed goddess strikes again.

[kitty-sail]

On 6/15/2019 at 6:49 PM, kochleffel said:

It sounds to me like the Haven dining room is underutilized. If the passengers for whom it's complimentary aren't eating there, why would anyone else want to pay $50 for it?

I was not that thrilled with the restaurant. Menu is boring and by week's end definitely not fresh but re-heated fare. After bitching they finally added one special each night. MDR had a better menu and we had them send up meals to the Haven restaurant instead of eating same old Haven menu which is definitely not worth $50. in my book.   I enjoy the Haven bar and upstairs lounge.

 

As far as allowing outsiders for dinner and drinks, how do we know that Haven ppl aren't already bringing in family to enjoy the pool or lounge? I have never seen anyone ushered out of the Haven because they didn't belong.

[TPgal]

19 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

I just learned recently, from a tablemate, that on some cruise lines different color cards mean different categories or loyalty status......in over sixty cruise I never knew nor cared.  If someone were to ask me, I would just say "I have no idea, I think the color of the cards were just random".

The color of the cards allows the staff to instantly recognize the guest for whatever category they may be in.  This happens in hotels as well.    On our last cruise, a few times people commented on our "purple" cards and while I knew they were assigned to folks in the suite category I didn't need to explain it, a smile and an "oh yeah, you're right...where are you from?" Changed the topic quite nicely.   

We can assume (hope) that the king of all card colors is reserved for the Ambassador level loyalty members.  I would hope so, they earned their right to be "recognized" 

[mertziek]

7 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

I don't know if it was NCL or Celebrity, basically because I've never noticed anyone's colors.

Ok.  I can say I would not notice them either but it has become part of the discussion here and others have noticed ours.  Human nature....

[bevkay]

Maybe Haven guests could wear some kind of gold crown/tiara and others could have a scarlet letter pinned to their chest so it was obvious who belongs and who doesn't.

[mertziek]

6 minutes ago, kitty-sail said:

As far as allowing outsiders for dinner and drinks, how do we know that Haven ppl aren't already bringing in family to enjoy the pool or lounge? I have never seen anyone ushered out of the Haven because they didn't belong.

It may happen on occasion but the Haven staff and concierge get to know who’s who early on the ship.  And most Haven passengers understand the rules and abide by them.

[fmrlkr]

7 minutes ago, chars said:

Guests of the Haven have a gold card that says Haven right on it.  So if someone was to "sneak" into the Haven, as soon as they order a drink the bartender or server would know they do not belong there.  I remember purchasing BINGO cards when I was staying in the Haven and the worker, who scanned my card said, "Oh you are in the Haven, you must be rich".  

We were traveling in Portugal staying at the Pousadas (a chain of luxury, traditional or historical hotels in Portugal ) which had a special called "Golden Age" which at the time was offering 40% off for seniors.  At one hotel we asked for the Golden age discount and the clerk said "Oh for the old people".  He was not being rude, it was just the translation.

[NLH Arizona]

1 minute ago, bevkay said:

Maybe Haven guests could wear some kind of gold crown/tiara and others could have a scarlet letter pinned to their chest so it was obvious who belongs and who doesn't.

I'm sure some would love it.

[newty25]

1 hour ago, NLH Arizona said:

I've had friends that went on MSC and weren't pleased.  I would suggest Crystal; it is an amazing cruise line.

My mother went on MSC and had a terrible experience and told us not to cruise them. She said that the staff was very rude to her.

 

She's fairly easy going and not very demanding so I trust that the staff truly was rude to her. We may give them a try anyways. We canceled our November MSC cruise to cruise with her on the Breakaway.

 

If it wasn't for family cruising with us and a birthday celebration, I'd probably cancel our Breakaway cruise. But, we'll give NCL Haven one more cruise.

[Shoppie124]

3 minutes ago, bevkay said:

Maybe Haven guests could wear some kind of gold crown/tiara and others could have a scarlet letter pinned to their chest so it was obvious who belongs and who doesn't.

I truly hope you’re joking 

[bevkay]

1 minute ago, Shoppie124 said:

I truly hope you’re joking 

Dripping with sarcasm.

I understand the concerns but some of the replies sound pretty snobby. I all honestly I think the Haven looks kind of boring. I like my mini suites and hanging with the riff-raff in the fun areas of the ship. But that's just me. 

[NLH Arizona]

17 minutes ago, newty25 said:

My mother went on MSC and had a terrible experience and told us not to cruise them. She said that the staff was very rude to her.

 

She's fairly easy going and not very demanding so I trust that the staff truly was rude to her. We may give them a try anyways. We canceled our November MSC cruise to cruise with her on the Breakaway.

 

If it wasn't for family cruising with us and a birthday celebration, I'd probably cancel our Breakaway cruise. But, we'll give NCL Haven one more cruise.

I was on the Breakaway in December and it was awesome.  Everyone knew your name and knew what drinks you liked at the bar and restaurant.

 

Unlike others, I want to hear how the change has affected The Haven, as there is no reason, IMHO, to get overly upset until we have facts about it.  For all the folks who had bad behavior passengers in the restaurant. we don't know if they were Haven passengers or not.  Hopefully, we will get some review with an honest representation of how The Haven is with this new policy and not those afraid of folks with bad behavior and blame folks without finding out if the are Haven guests or not.

 

BTW, my friends, two different couples, also said the staff was rude and the food was awful.  On couple stayed in a regular cabin and the other in the Yacht Club.

Edited June 17, 2019 by NLH Arizona

[Shoppie124]

3 minutes ago, bevkay said:

Dripping with sarcasm.

I understand the concerns but some of the replies sound pretty snobby. I all honestly I think the Haven looks kind of boring. I like my mini suites and hanging with the riff-raff in the fun areas of the ship. But that's just me. 

While I agree some of the comments are coming off as snobby.  I wouldn’t care if NCL did this but disclosed it at the time of booking.  It’s bad business to make this change to affect cruises that are past final payment.   

 

They are not delivering what I signed up for.  This is a comment on NCL not the people paying the fee.

[bevkay]

3 minutes ago, Shoppie124 said:

While I agree some of the comments are coming off as snobby.  I wouldn’t care if NCL did this but disclosed it at the time of booking.  It’s bad business to make this change to affect cruises that are past final payment.   

 

They are not delivering what I signed up for.  This is a comment on NCL not the people paying the fee.

I agree with you. You are paying a lot of money for that quiet, exclusive experience. I was just making a point that not everyone wants that and will be rushing to try and get into the Haven. 

[mertziek]

25 minutes ago, bevkay said:

Dripping with sarcasm.

I understand the concerns but some of the replies sound pretty snobby. I all honestly I think the Haven looks kind of boring. I like my mini suites and hanging with the riff-raff in the fun areas of the ship. But that's just me. 

And that’s why everyone is free to select what category cabin and cruise experience they are looking for.  Different strokes for different folks and don’t feel remarks here are being snobby.  I don’t believe most  here referred to those non-Haven passengers as being “riff-raff.”  Just looking for a different experience.  Plus, I doubt Haven passengers stay solely in the Haven for the entire cruise.  I think most get out into public areas, too.

Edited June 17, 2019 by mertziek

[perditax]

6 minutes ago, mertziek said:

And that’s why everyone is free to select what category cabin and cruise experience they are looking for.  Different strokes for different folks and don’t feel remarks here are being snobby.  I don’t believe anyone here referred to those non-Haven passengers as being “riff-raff.”  Just looking for a different experience.  

 

Maybe some of the posts have been deleted, but there is a regularly-occurring burst of posts suggesting that non-Haven customers, having not paid as much money, are 1) lowlifes 2) don’t have as much to lose and therefore 3) will probably use this as a means to gain access to unwitting victims. 

 

Unless this is your first time in this thread, I’m sure you saw some of them.

 

I’m not in favor of this policy (or really, any of the customer-hostile changes NCL has made since I started cruising), but I’m even less in favor of the suggestion that mass-market cruise ship passengers in one section of the ship need protection from those in another section. It’s vile.

Edited June 17, 2019 by perditax

[ziggyuk]

30 minutes ago, TPgal said:

We can assume (hope) that the king of all card colors is reserved for the Ambassador level loyalty members.  I would hope so, they earned their right to be "recognized" 

 

Ambassadors actually get an NCL badge just like the staff wear, it has their name and states they are an Ambassador.

[Carrickbeg]

Listen, I don't care if the person sitting across from me is Haven/Non-Haven in the Haven Restaurant.  How am I to know or honestly care.    I think most of the Haven guests are angry because you pay a lot of money to have this quieter, less crowded experience.  It's a "ship within the ship" as they like to say.   It's a price people are willing to pay to have this type of vacation. I would certainly be annoyed if I showed up to dinner to find there was a long period of waiting time.   The hour to linger in the Haven lounge I think is the bigger problem.   The lounge/ bar area is not a big space. I don't know how the staff will be left to marshal this.  How will they stop people from going right through the doors to the courtyard?   I personally last year watched a crew member have to finally tell a large group of people who were sneaking their friends into the Haven that they had to leave.   This was going on for a few days before something was said.  You could tell the crew member was very uncomfortable having to do this and I felt bad that was also added to his job responsibilities.  

[mertziek]

1 minute ago, perditax said:

 

Maybe some of the posts have been deleted, but there is a regularly-occurring burst of posts suggesting that non-Haven customers, having not paid as much money, are 1) lowlifes 2) don’t have as much to lose and therefore 3) will probably use this as a means to gain access to unwitting victims. 

 

Unless this is your first time in this thread, I’m sure you saw some of them.

 

I’m not in favor of this policy, but I’m even less in favor of the suggestion that mass market cruise ship passengers in one section of the ship need protection from those in another section. It’s vile.

Boy I have not read it that way.  A couple derogatory comments but most were respectful discussions.  It’s not a matter of needing protection as I read comments but more expecting getting the experience they paid for whereas others have not paid for the exclusivity.

[perditax]

2 minutes ago, mertziek said:

Boy I have not read it that way.  A couple derogatory comments but most were respectful discussions.  It’s not a matter of needing protection as I read comments but more expecting getting the experience they paid for whereas others have not paid for the exclusivity.

 

I suspect the ones I’m talking about were deleted then. They are what’s causing the echoes you’re seeing in other comments. (Not trying to start it up again, just saying it didn’t occur in a vacuum.)

Edited June 17, 2019 by perditax

[FitchburgWIFamily]

Wow.   I am taken aback by the comments and the ire raised here.   Of all the policy changes to start a wave of "that's the last time I'll ever sail on NCL" this is not the one I would have picked.

 

I get that Haven people pay for a haven:  a place to get away from the crowds, the ship within a ship.   Apparently, Haven people think there are hoards of people waiting to spend $100.00 per couple per night to crowd them out of that place.   Really?   Because I am part of the great hoard you fear and I am NOT going to spend that much money getting a meal in a different part of the ship.  I honestly expected more Haven guests to welcome the change because I know there are people who have groups split between Haven, Suites and regular cabins.  I am more intrigued about being able to stay in the Haven and inviting my friends/relatives/etc. that are not in the Haven a chance to dine with me in the Haven restaurant.   This is something I might do it one night out of a 7 or a 10 night cruise.   

 

As to the "crowds" that are going to ruin the experience, on any given night, aren't a few of the Haven diners in the specialty restaurants?  Aren't some more of them dining in the solitude of their own cabin with their included room service?   Some might even be trying the MDRs, or gasp, the buffet!   The possibility of a crowd generated by all Haven passengers making the same dining decision on any given night far exceeds the potential of that many non-haven guests coughing up cash to dine in the Haven.

 

There are a lot of people on this thread that have given some pretty pointed references to "those people" being somehow lower class or not as desirable as the Haven guests.   I hate to break it to you, but paying more for your cruise doesn't make you any better than paying less for a cruise makes someone else worse.  

[bevkay]

9 minutes ago, perditax said:

 

Maybe some of the posts have been deleted, but there is a regularly-occurring burst of posts suggesting that non-Haven customers, having not paid as much money, are 1) lowlifes 2) don’t have as much to lose and therefore 3) will probably use this as a means to gain access to unwitting victims. 

 

Unless this is your first time in this thread, I’m sure you saw some of them.

 

I’m not in favor of this policy (or really, any of the customer-hostile changes NCL has made since I started cruising), but I’m even less in favor of the suggestion that mass-market cruise ship passengers in one section of the ship need protection from those in another section. It’s vile.

Disturbing for sure. Two misconceptions

1. That if you have money you are better behaved and less "dangerous"

2. That if you stay in the public area of the ship you don't have money and couldn't afford to stay in the Haven. 🙄

[perditax]

Note to mods: in retrospect, sorry for bringing that all up again.