1st Time in Haven- What do I need to know?

[jlabs03]

I just upgraded my cabin to a Haven forward facing penthouse w/balcony on the Breakaway.  I have never stayed in the Haven before and would like any information/tips people can provide.  I am not even sure what is really included.

[n4w]

 

[Peachypooh]

11 minutes ago, jlabs03 said:

I just upgraded my cabin to a Haven forward facing penthouse w/balcony on the Breakaway.  I have never stayed in the Haven before and would like any information/tips people can provide.  I am not even sure what is really included.

We have cruised NCL 9 times all of them in the Haven. There are people (like me) that just like the larger cabins, not waiting in lines, and the ability to call someone (Butler or Concierge) if there is a problem. We only did that once and it was a stateroom maintenance issue. There are others that like the dedicated restaurant, special seating at shows, afternoon (free) snacks, smaller exclusive areas to hang out. The person who posted above has outlined many informative things. Will you be sailing with children? During the holidays, winter and spring breaks  and summer vacation don't expect peace and quiet in the Haven areas. Lots and lots of kids most of the time. I have cruised with my grandchildren during summer vacations so I have first hand experience with that. And that's OK I expected it.

[complawyer]

once you get through security, you will be shown a specially designated waiting area for haven guests. shortly thereafter, you will be escorted to the have lounge. the concierge desk is usually located at or near this area.  you can introduce yourself to the concierge and hopefully he can answer any questions you may have. depending on the time. you can go have lunch in the restaurant, or go into the pool area where you can have lighter fare.  you can also get a drink at the haven bar. once you are set and comfortable, you can them go to your cabin. usually the steward and butler will be there to great you and if not, shortly thereafter.

my only request to  the steward is to make sure every day we get extra bath towels, and if you follow sthrngary's advice, give the butler a letter outlining y our requests and needs.  usually, i ask him to bring a pot of coffee and hot water for tea in the mornings, and assorted pastries and croissants.

 

inthe afternoon, i ask him  to try and get us assorted meats, cheeses and crackers. 

 

if you have followed other posts, it wouldnt hurt to give the maitre'd a few dollars if you go into the restaurant. usually give my cabin steward $20 when we 1st meet, $20 inthe middle of the cruise and $20 at the end.  Sthrngary suggests that the butler receive a tip at the strat, i prefer to wait until the end and then give him  $100 or more.

 

since i dont really utilize the concierge a great deal, i give him $50 on the last dau, for the ability to get me off the ship and on my way within 10-15 minutes.

 

what's included is a feeling of really being special, and you'll love every minute of the cruise. your butler will fulfill any reasonable request.

 

if its been a long day and we're back from a shore excursion, i ask him to bring me an ice cold bottle of heineken . mu grandson who was about 14 at the time made friends with the butler and called him in the afternoon to bring a pizza. also your butler can set up in room dining and if you meet some people you feel you click with, you can arrange an entire dinner party in  your suite.  anything else you may like to know, please read the extremely informative posts by sthrngary. i think by themselves will cover anything  and everything you need to know about staying in a haven

"ENJOY"

[jlabs03]

1 hour ago, Peachypooh said:

We have cruised NCL 9 times all of them in the Haven. There are people (like me) that just like the larger cabins, not waiting in lines, and the ability to call someone (Butler or Concierge) if there is a problem. We only did that once and it was a stateroom maintenance issue. There are others that like the dedicated restaurant, special seating at shows, afternoon (free) snacks, smaller exclusive areas to hang out. The person who posted above has outlined many informative things. Will you be sailing with children? During the holidays, winter and spring breaks  and summer vacation don't expect peace and quiet in the Haven areas. Lots and lots of kids most of the time. I have cruised with my grandchildren during summer vacations so I have first hand experience with that. And that's OK I expected it.

Thanks for the information.  I will be sailing the second week in May so school will not be out yet.  It will be me and my 15 year old daughter.  Part of the reason I went with the Forward facing penthouse is because she can sleep in the living room area and I will have my own bedroom.  She usually gets in after I am already asleep.

[jlabs03]

1 hour ago, n4w said:

 

Thanks I will read through the post.

[complawyer]

if i'm not mistaken, the cabin has only the one room.your bed and the couch are right next to each other and only 1 bathroom

[jlabs03]

3 minutes ago, complawyer said:

if i'm not mistaken, the cabin has only the one room.your bed and the couch are right next to each other and only 1 bathroom

No, it is two rooms and one bathroom. A bedroom (with a window) and a living room (with a balcony).  The couch in the living room can be converted to a bed.

[complawyer]

sorry, my bad

[luckyinpa]

7 hours ago, complawyer said:

 

 

if its been a long day and we're back from a shore excursion, i ask him to bring me an ice cold bottle of heineken . mu grandson who was about 14 at the time made friends with the butler and called him in the afternoon to bring a pizza. also your butler can set up in room dining and if you meet some people you feel you click with, you can arrange an entire dinner party in  your suite.  anything else you may like to know, please read the extremely informative posts by sthrngary. i think by themselves will cover anything  and everything you need to know about staying in a haven

"ENJOY"

 

if you meet people and want to party in your cabin, are the snacks etc free or billed to you? i do know every drink has to be paid for regardless. 

[Yinster]

6 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

 

if you meet people and want to party in your cabin, are the snacks etc free or billed to you? i do know every drink has to be paid for regardless. 

Room service is free as you use your butler. They can get anything for you if it's free. Anything from the speciality restaurant it will be billed to you

Edited February 9, 2022 by Yinster

[dexddd]

Even if you have a drink packages, butlers will not bring bar drinks to room.

 

Haven experience can vary widely as far as service.

[keep on cruisin]

Also be aware, while you have Haven access, your stateroom is not in the Haven.  

 

You will have a little walk to get to the actual Haven area.

 

 

 

[Two Wheels Only]

On 2/8/2022 at 3:33 PM, complawyer said:

if i'm not mistaken, the cabin has only the one room.your bed and the couch are right next to each other and only 1 bathroom

 

On 2/8/2022 at 3:40 PM, jlabs03 said:

No, it is two rooms and one bathroom. A bedroom (with a window) and a living room (with a balcony).  The couch in the living room can be converted to a bed.

 

It depends.....

 

If the upgrade was for stateroom 13106 on Breakaway, it is one large room and large (wheelchair accessible) bathroom. The front-facing window is in the bathroom. 

 

If the upgrade was to any other front-facing suite in that category, it is a separate living-room and bedroom as shown above. 

[complawyer]

please note, i have previously apologized for my mistake. we were in a forward penthouse on the getaway  a few years back   and i forgot about the layout and the separate bedroom.

 

when i post i try and answer an inquiry to the best of my ability based on cruising with ncl since 2010  and having cabins in the mid ship mini suite category, regular suites and the haven.

 

 i hope that my comments would hold some validity and help answer the questions(s)

 

i quess even the best of us can screw up once in a while

[don't-use-real-name]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

please note, i have previously apologized for my mistake. we were in a forward penthouse on the getaway  a few years back   and i forgot about the layout and the separate bedroom.

 

when i post i try and answer an inquiry to the best of my ability based on cruising with ncl since 2010  and having cabins in the mid ship mini suite category, regular suites and the haven.

 

 i hope that my comments would hold some validity and help answer the questions(s)

 

i quess even the best of us can screw up once in a while

Not your fault complawyer - - -

 

It is not easy with NCLs deck plan diagrams not being totally actually realistically what

one is expecting. Best to go to NCL.com and click on ships - click on your ship - click

on the deck and stateroom that you have for a GENERIC description of that stateroom.

Even better if a past guest has done a YouTube video of that stateroom to really see

what you are getting. Not finding that look for a similar stateroom in the area with that

YouTube video it maybe a mirror (reverse) image of your stateroom.

Beware booking a handicap mobility impaired stateroom - you may be moved to another

cabin but the outcome is usually to your advantage.

Also note the deck plans for sister ships is not always exactly the same thru out the fleet.

NCL leaves much to be desired in exact cabin description (the generic version) 

 

To the OP - ENJOY the Haven experience - read up on Strngary Haven Luxury experience

Yes - you will have cruised in heaven !

[SliderNc]

Depending on the room you were upgrade to will determine the layout as said above.  We stayed in 9706 the last time we were on the Escape and we were really happy with the room.  One thing to note on the BA and BA+ ships is that the crew lounge area (one of them) is down on the bow of the ship.  Looking out the window, you will see some chairs and an umbrella.  Sometimes around 11 or so when we would be getting back to the room, we could hear them down there.  I think if we were higher up, it would have been fine, but alas, you are assigned the room you get if you upgrade.

 

Otherwise, the room is great with the separate living area and bedroom and that awesome bathroom with a separate tub and shower with multiple jets.  It was nice that I could let my wife sleep in while I enjoyed coffee and caught up on some reading in the AM.

 

One thing that we had done every morning after the 1st morning when we had it was have pressed coffee brought down to the room each morning with some fruit and yogurt.  We had him come down around 7:30 on port days or around 9AM on sea days.  It was a great start to our day to sit on the balcony and enjoy coffee and pulling into port.

[jlabs03]

On 2/10/2022 at 11:22 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

 

 

It depends.....

 

If the upgrade was for stateroom 13106 on Breakaway, it is one large room and large (wheelchair accessible) bathroom. The front-facing window is in the bathroom. 

 

If the upgrade was to any other front-facing suite in that category, it is a separate living-room and bedroom as shown above. 

I will be in deck12, but that is good to know about the wheel chair accessible room on deck 13.