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Haven Access for non-Haven Guests - Thoughts?


pcakes122
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I guess it depends on how it's implemented and only NCL knows for sure how it works.

 

Like the rest of the ship, the Haven has a set number of max passengers and a set number of rooms and the 2 might not always match up.  If they get less families then they anticipate, then the restaurant/lounge has unfilled capacity. Or when the haven passengers book specialty dining (which NCL will know and can track) there will be unfilled capacity.  

 

This seems like it represents an easily tapped revenue source as another pseudo-specialty dining venue for the general passengers.

 

I am guessing it will mean a more even population in the haven restaurant/lounge where basically the current "most crowded" haven cruises remain about the same and basically the less crowded cruises get brought up to that level.

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One poster mentioned sharing how I feel about it on the NCL Facebook page, which I did. Now I see several people replying to that on FB telling me it's just a "rumor that everyone believes" and "it's not true" because someone called NCL and they said it's not true. Knowing how poorly informed NCL customer service is, I'm not surprised. But I give up on them--I tried! 

 

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1 minute ago, perditax said:

 

Well, sure, they’re the ones who’ve paid for a product that’s being diluted.

 

But the poster you were responding to was only making the case that they didn’t think a lot of people would really go for the offer because it didn’t seem worth the price tag. That seems like a reasonable opinion too, since no one knows for sure how it’ll all play out yet.

Even if it doesn't cause major crowds, I still have an issue with the fact that they are offering it since it is the opposite of exclusive if it is open to all.  

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Trust me the Haven isn't all full of Rockefellers and DuPonts.   There are people staying in the Haven that have maxed out credit cards to do so for that one huge trip and there people staying in an inside cabin who are on their 15th cruise for the year.   Like the non-haven areas of the ship, the passengers in the Haven vary in attitude, $$, etc.   The only problem here I believe most Haven guests are upset about is that somehow the experience will diminish because there will be waiting times at the restaurant and bar.  I think it will be wait and see on whether this truly has an effect on the Haven experience.

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This just confirms for me that we made the right choice to move on from NCL.  I guess the dining room access would be okay given I've never seen it busy on any of our cruises and we've never waited to be seated, but the Haven bar is too small as it is.  When we first started cruising in the Haven the bar was a huge plus for us.  We'd stop and grab a drink and catch up with the bartenders and then grab a drink to bring back to the room for the evening.  It was quiet, relaxing and everything we like in a cocktail bar.  The last few cruises, however, that was not the case . . .  packed bar 2 deep from about 5 right through to closing, stressed out bartenders, less personalized service, etc.  I can only imagine what the Haven + bar scene would be like.

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21 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

One poster mentioned sharing how I feel about it on the NCL Facebook page, which I did. Now I see several people replying to that on FB telling me it's just a "rumor that everyone believes" and "it's not true" because someone called NCL and they said it's not true. Knowing how poorly informed NCL customer service is, I'm not surprised. But I give up on them--I tried! 

 

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Edited by valleyvillage
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20 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

One poster mentioned sharing how I feel about it on the NCL Facebook page, which I did. Now I see several people replying to that on FB telling me it's just a "rumor that everyone believes" and "it's not true" because someone called NCL and they said it's not true. Knowing how poorly informed NCL customer service is, I'm not surprised. But I give up on them--I tried! 

 

 

To me that just sounds like typical Facebook shenanigans. 🙂 (And is also why I don’t use Facebook.)

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31 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

One poster mentioned sharing how I feel about it on the NCL Facebook page, which I did. Now I see several people replying to that on FB telling me it's just a "rumor that everyone believes" and "it's not true" because someone called NCL and they said it's not true. Knowing how poorly informed NCL customer service is, I'm not surprised. But I give up on them--I tried! 

 

But someone reported it was in effect last week on their cruise on I think the Bliss.

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It sounds like this change has been in place at least long enough for someone who has purchased the "visit" to report back on the actual process, unless I am mistaken that some have already reported an uptick in wait times due to the new policy.  

Did they:

 

1)Walk up once on board and buy or have an opportunity to buy without an invite?

2)Have an invite from an existing Haven Guest?

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2 minutes ago, mertziek said:

But someone reported it was in effect last week on their cruise on I think the Bliss.

In the meantime someone else was able to upload the offers so now they are all tagging each other, lol. Word is out on FB now. My work is done. 😉

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Our last five cruises were in the Haven. One was obtained through the bidding process; the rest we paid full fare. One of the things that we enjoy the most about the Haven experience is sitting at the bar in the lounge. We have met some very interesting people at the bar, and some not so interesting, and we really enjoy talking with the bartenders. They are some of the best mixologists in the world, and are extremely entertaining.

 

The bars in the Haven are relatively small. For example, the Escape Haven bar only has seven stools. On many occasions, we have stood at the bar, waiting for a couple of stools to open. Now, if the lounge is open to non-haven guests, for an hour before and after they dine, I can foresee a packed bar, and fewer chances for us to enjoy one of our favorite pastimes.

 

Another thought is how much does NCL expect to gain from this ridiculous plan. If they allow ten non-haven guests, they only gain $500. That would hardly be worth diminishing the Haven brand. So, how many additional guests would make it worth their while, 20, 30, 50 or more?

 

I just got my status match from MSC, (Platinum to Gold) and that's where I'll be spending my money. 

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So bringing some news from FB - someone called the shoreside concierge who confirmed the new policy but said that the non-Haven diners will not displace Haven guests in the restaurant. All Haven guests are considered to have a reservation for dinner in the Haven restaurant unless the system shows them booked elsewhere and only open availability will be offered to non-Haven passengers.  Also many people are reporting that the option is no longer showing In their reservations online. It seems that NCL has been flooded with complaints.  

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Wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this or not but NCL has heard everyone loud and clear. Just arrived in my email inbox from an executive at the company. 

 

We are committed to providing exceptional experiences across our fleet for every type of traveler.  As such, we test a variety of opportunities to expand our offerings.  Recently, we explored making an extremely limited number of reservations for The Haven restaurant available to non-Haven guests. Given that this test has not been well received, we will continue to preserve The Haven experience exclusively for our Haven guests. With over 30 restaurants and lounges available across the fleet, serving a variety of delicious cuisines, we are confident our guests will have a satisfying culinary experience on board.

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7 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

Wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this or not but NCL has heard everyone loud and clear. Just arrived in my email inbox from an executive at the company. 

 

We are committed to providing exceptional experiences across our fleet for every type of traveler.  As such, we test a variety of opportunities to expand our offerings.  Recently, we explored making an extremely limited number of reservations for The Haven restaurant available to non-Haven guests. Given that this test has not been well received, we will continue to preserve The Haven experience exclusively for our Haven guests. With over 30 restaurants and lounges available across the fleet, serving a variety of delicious cuisines, we are confident our guests will have a satisfying culinary experience on board.

This is excellent news! Thank you for posting it!

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6 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

Wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this or not but NCL has heard everyone loud and clear. Just arrived in my email inbox from an executive at the company. 

 

We are committed to providing exceptional experiences across our fleet for every type of traveler.  As such, we test a variety of opportunities to expand our offerings.  Recently, we explored making an extremely limited number of reservations for The Haven restaurant available to non-Haven guests. Given that this test has not been well received, we will continue to preserve The Haven experience exclusively for our Haven guests. With over 30 restaurants and lounges available across the fleet, serving a variety of delicious cuisines, we are confident our guests will have a satisfying culinary experience on board.

Fabulous! Just saw this elsewhere online as well 😁

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Wow, haven’t seen NCL reverse course on anything in very long time. They usually just double down.

 

The wonder is that they ever thought it was a good idea in the first place. To get people intrigued? If you’re not selling enough Haven rooms at the prices you want, you’re pricing them wrong or not offering enough value. This isn’t hard.

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13 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

Wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this or not but NCL has heard everyone loud and clear. Just arrived in my email inbox from an executive at the company. 

 

We are committed to providing exceptional experiences across our fleet for every type of traveler.  As such, we test a variety of opportunities to expand our offerings.  Recently, we explored making an extremely limited number of reservations for The Haven restaurant available to non-Haven guests. Given that this test has not been well received, we will continue to preserve The Haven experience exclusively for our Haven guests. With over 30 restaurants and lounges available across the fleet, serving a variety of delicious cuisines, we are confident our guests will have a satisfying culinary experience on board.

 

3 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

WTG everyone! You've made your point and NCL listened, just like they did with the VIP fiasco. Congrats. 

Great news!

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6 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

WTG everyone! You've made your point and NCL listened, just like they did with the VIP fiasco. Congrats. 

 

NCL doesn’t corner the market for bonehead moves. Just about all of the major cruise lines like to put on blindfolds and throw darts at the board to see what will stick. Celebrity comes to mind with the Edge. They’re still tweaking from mistakes made. Glad to see that NCL rethought this process. It was ridiculous to start with. 

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We are committed to providing exceptional experiences across our fleet for every type of traveler.  As such, we test a variety of opportunities to expand our offerings.  Recently, we explored making an extremely limited number of reservations for The Haven restaurant available to non-Haven guests. Given that this test has not been well received, we will continue to preserve The Haven experience exclusively for our Haven guests. With over 30 restaurants and lounges available across the fleet, serving a variety of delicious cuisines, we are confident our guests will have a satisfying culinary experience on board.

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2 minutes ago, perditax said:

Wow, haven’t seen NCL reverse course on anything in very long time. They usually just double down.

 

The wonder is that they ever thought it was a good idea in the first place. To get people intrigued? If you’re not selling enough Haven rooms at the prices you want, you’re pricing them wrong or not offering enough value. This isn’t hard.

 

I have a feeling the idea was to offer a “Hey come see what you’re missing”.  But probably realized that the backlash was too much.  

 

I don’t know if the pricing is wrong (it sure is out of my budget - DW and I cruise 2-3x as often on a balcony instead of going to the Haven), but they might be over saturated.  The Haven “access” rooms that aren’t in that area should probably just be priced as mini-suites without access and they could charge more for the Haven

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