The NCL Haven Luxury VIP Experience "Secrets" REVISED for 2022

[poodlelover59]

3 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@lisa928 I see we completely connect on the need for the details.  Your question has so many ways to answer it.  I have tried guessing the times of the shows based on old cruise dailies.  I have tried a standard time for all dinner reservations.  Neither was a perfect fix.  So my strategy is the following and it ALWAYS works better if you are in the Haven.  The Haven Concierge has never let me know.

 

I make my initial reservations for Specialty Restaurants for 07:00 PM.  The Haven Restaurant does not take reservations. Depending on how many days I am traveling and number of specialty Restaurants I have, I alternate Haven and Specialty to gain variety.

 

When I get on the ship, I ask the Concierge when the shows are playing and if I have to make a change in my dinner, I have them do both at the same time.  A hint on how to do this.  Either get on first thing and go straight to the Haven Desk, or understand, you will have to wait a bit because other Haven guest will be on line to talk to the Concierge with the same plan.  If you say, "The line is to long, you will worry about your timing until you get it done."  Another words, do it upfront and wait if you need too. 

 

With cruising, they are always fluid.  Just the way it is.  Now my next cruise in December will not be as easy.  I am not in the Haven so my reservations are at the mercy of the restaurant manager.  It will always work out but this just shows one more reason the Haven creates lovely experiences. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

[2boyzmom]

16 hours ago, lisa928 said:

I received my "pre-cruise Concierge" via email for our 11/6 cruise.  I want to make dinner reservations but the entertainment timings is important as I want to get to some of the shows like Six.  Should I just wait until we are on the ship and I have the schedule (hopefully they publish the whole 14 days at once)?  

 

I am on this cruise with you. I read 2500 guests total so I'm not sweating getting in to the shows, I'm just hoping the concierge will handle the reservations.

[2boyzmom]

4 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@lisa928 I see we completely connect on the need for the details.  Your question has so many ways to answer it.  I have tried guessing the times of the shows based on old cruise dailies.  I have tried a standard time for all dinner reservations.  Neither was a perfect fix.  So my strategy is the following and it ALWAYS works better if you are in the Haven.  The Haven Concierge has never let me know.

 

I make my initial reservations for Specialty Restaurants for 07:00 PM.  The Haven Restaurant does not take reservations. Depending on how many days I am traveling and number of specialty Restaurants I have, I alternate Haven and Specialty to gain variety.

 

When I get on the ship, I ask the Concierge when the shows are playing and if I have to make a change in my dinner, I have them do both at the same time.  A hint on how to do this.  Either get on first thing and go straight to the Haven Desk, or understand, you will have to wait a bit because other Haven guest will be on line to talk to the Concierge with the same plan.  If you say, "The line is to long, you will worry about your timing until you get it done."  Another words, do it upfront and wait if you need too. 

 

With cruising, they are always fluid.  Just the way it is.  Now my next cruise in December will not be as easy.  I am not in the Haven so my reservations are at the mercy of the restaurant manager.  It will always work out but this just shows one more reason the Haven creates lovely experiences. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

I'm a stickler for details and actually have a spreadsheet for all 14 nights with specialty dinners, times ( 6:30 each night)  excursions, etc. I plan to have this on my phone when i view the show times and make changes as needed immediately. This way the planning is done and it's time for my smokin old fashioned 🙂

Edited October 20, 2022 by 2boyzmom

[Sthrngary]

40 minutes ago, 2boyzmom said:

I'm a stickler for details and actually have a spreadsheet for all 14 nights with specialty dinners, times ( 6:30 each night)  excursions, etc. I plan to have this on my phone when i view the show times and make changes as needed immediately. This way the planning is done and it's time for my smokin old fashioned 🙂

In my humble opinion, a Brilliant Strategy if I could not say so myself. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[2boyzmom]

12 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

In my humble opinion, a Brilliant Strategy if I could not say so myself. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I'm type A - hubby type C so it's a great fit 🙂

 

[Dcoy]

1 hour ago, 2boyzmom said:

I'm a stickler for details and actually have a spreadsheet for all 14 nights with specialty dinners, times ( 6:30 each night)  excursions, etc. I plan to have this on my phone when i view the show times and make changes as needed immediately. This way the planning is done and it's time for my smokin old fashioned 🙂

OMG, I thought I was the only one with a spreadsheet. I even calculate how much I save purchasing the soda package vs paying for each drink. 

[Phil265]

3 hours ago, 2boyzmom said:

I am on this cruise with you. I read 2500 guests total so I'm not sweating getting in to the shows, I'm just hoping the concierge will handle the reservations.

How do you know how many guests are on your cruise? Did you ask ncl, or is there another way? Thanks!

[lisa928]

8 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@lisa928 I see we completely connect on the need for the details.  Your question has so many ways to answer it.  I have tried guessing the times of the shows based on old cruise dailies.  I have tried a standard time for all dinner reservations.  Neither was a perfect fix.  So my strategy is the following and it ALWAYS works better if you are in the Haven.  The Haven Concierge has never let me know.

 

I make my initial reservations for Specialty Restaurants for 07:00 PM.  The Haven Restaurant does not take reservations. Depending on how many days I am traveling and number of specialty Restaurants I have, I alternate Haven and Specialty to gain variety.

 

When I get on the ship, I ask the Concierge when the shows are playing and if I have to make a change in my dinner, I have them do both at the same time.  A hint on how to do this.  Either get on first thing and go straight to the Haven Desk, or understand, you will have to wait a bit because other Haven guest will be on line to talk to the Concierge with the same plan.  If you say, "The line is to long, you will worry about your timing until you get it done."  Another words, do it upfront and wait if you need too. 

 

With cruising, they are always fluid.  Just the way it is.  Now my next cruise in December will not be as easy.  I am not in the Haven so my reservations are at the mercy of the restaurant manager.  It will always work out but this just shows one more reason the Haven creates lovely experiences. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

I just wanted to say thank you for your response as well as your hundred's of other posts that I have read.  Your posts are always insightful, helpful, and respectful even when others turned up the heat.  You will certainly make my first Haven experience more educated and enjoyable.  Thank you!

[2boyzmom]

34 minutes ago, Phil265 said:

How do you know how many guests are on your cruise? Did you ask ncl, or is there another way? Thanks!

I read it on a post. Simeone's daughter works on the ship and will be sailing with us. I hope it's accurate 🙂

Edited October 20, 2022 by 2boyzmom

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, lisa928 said:

 

I just wanted to say thank you for your response as well as your hundred's of other posts that I have read.  Your posts are always insightful, helpful, and respectful even when others turned up the heat.  You will certainly make my first Haven experience more educated and enjoyable.  Thank you!

@lisa928 You and others are the reason why I love CruiseCritic.com.  I assure you when folks are mean, or rude or turn up the heat on me I have to have a internal conversation with myself.  It goes like this, "Gary, you can take the High Road, or the Low Road.  The Low Road is like scratching an itch.  It initially feels GOOD and then becomes infected.  The High Road is much harder work and rarely recognized."  

 

The way I look at it, when anyone spends the extra premium to be in the Haven, they should know all the benefits and how to utilize them.  To many folks say things like, "I never asked the butler to do anything", or something else related to the Haven.  By sharing the "Secrets" so they are no longer "Secrets"; benefits current and future Haven Guest as well as NCL.  

 

I always want to make sure that everyone has Realistic Expectations about the Haven also.  That is why when folks write a review and the give Pros and Cons of the Haven; it support others enjoyment of the experience.  

 

Now for me selfishly.  The last two cruise (One I did on the Joy Solo the other we are about to do on the Breakaway) My wife and I will not be in the Haven.  I wish we were however like everyone else, we all have to look at our budgets and do the right thing for our selves.  In my case, I want to take a 10 day cruise in the Mediterranean at the end of 2023.  I can't do that and do the Haven.  The best part of this is I have learned to have a GREAT time doing Haven lite.  The key is cruising and the ocean.  Being with old and new friends.  We all put in our Bids for upgrade and hope for the best.  In my case, it really won't matter.  I just love to cruise.  

 

Thanks again for your kind words. I wish my family knew that I am not thought of as an idiot on CruiseCritic, LOL.  Just being a Dad, I think.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[mconthehighseas]

11 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

Shore side Concierge: 1-855-625-4283. 

I've called them several times and the wait time is minimal.  They are very helpful.

I love the idea of talking to a real person instead of trading emails.  They can find out why I picked the things I did, and then can let me know whether I made decisions based on good info. And that can be worked in 5-10 minutes instead of 5-10 emails

[Sundiego]

22 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

Shore side Concierge: 1-855-625-4283. 

I've called them several times and the wait time is minimal.  They are very helpful.

This was my experience!

 

At @Sthrngarysuggestion, I phoned them. The gal was super helpful. I'll elaborate a bit for the benefit of people who have a similar situation ... we have 5 specialty dinners (2 platinum, 3 package) and due to itinerary changes, some of the ones I had booked months ago weren't a fit anymore. I know they only have about 25% of restaurant time slots available for reserving pre-cruise and she tweaked what she could. But most important, she was forwarding requests to the onboard Concierge who will finish things up 2 days prior to boarding when he has access to the full reservation system. Then she went through the list of other preferences.

 

We've stayed in the Haven before but I had never taken advantage of this so thanks for recommending. It was nice to get this off my to-do list and not have to bother the Concierge day of boarding when I'm sure we'll both be busy 🙂

 

Denise

[Sundiego]

18 hours ago, Dcoy said:

OMG, I thought I was the only one with a spreadsheet. I even calculate how much I save purchasing the soda package vs paying for each drink. 

Spreadsheet peeps unite!!

 

Denise

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, Sundiego said:

This was my experience!

 

Then she went through the list of other preferences.

 

We've stayed in the Haven before but I had never taken advantage of this so thanks for recommending. It was nice to get this off my to-do list and not have to bother the Concierge day of boarding when I'm sure we'll both be busy 🙂

 

Denise

Yes, they go through the entire list of preferences which only takes a few minutes.  They forward that to the ship and all of that is taken care of. 

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, Sundiego said:

Spreadsheet peeps unite!!

 

Denise

@Sundiego We should unite.  I am attaching a spreadsheet and something called a Journey Document.  I think all of us "Planners" will appreciate the effort.  I have not posted this stuff for a very long time.  The last time I did, I got so much heat from folks saying any planning for a cruise makes the cruise worse.  I must disagree.  Planning allows me to relax and know that the things I could control were done.  Now I just let what happens on every cruise happen which is out of my control. 

 

Hope you like it and it gives everyone a smile.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.Cruise_Agenda_Template.xlsx

NCL_Joy_Family_Journey_Document_template.docx

[GALSews]

20 hours ago, Dcoy said:

OMG, I thought I was the only one with a spreadsheet. I even calculate how much I save purchasing the soda package vs paying for each drink. 

I just keep the info on my calendar app and include things like confirmation numbers in the notes. Usually I plan the trip, but my husband is winding into retirement. For the upcoming cruise, DH has gone full project manager, including columns for estimating times to walk from one venue to another. Each port of call has its own tab. He's even got a punch list. 

So far as purchasing the drink package goes, we just want to make sure that we break after paying for the tip. 

[lgdesign]

23 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Planning allows me to relax and know that the things I could control were done.  Now I just let what happens on every cruise happen which is out of my control.

 

In complete agreement...

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, Sundiego said:

Spreadsheet peeps unite!!

 

Denise

@Sthrngary  

Always remember that Dwight David Eisenhower once said (IIRC) "the plan is nothing, the planning is priceless".

I have my own, very simplified spreadsheet.  It helps me sort through the various options.  Once I've done that, I rarely refer to the spreadsheet again.

[RocketMan275]

4 hours ago, Sundiego said:

Spreadsheet peeps unite!!

 

Denise

@Sthrngary  

Always remember that Dwight David Eisenhower once said (IIRC) "the plan is nothing, the planning is priceless".

I have my own, very simplified spreadsheet.  It helps me sort through the various options.  Once I've done that, I rarely refer to the spreadsheet again.

[RocketMan275]

On another note, just picked up a $400 price drop on my Breakaway in March.

[lgdesign]

8 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I have my own, very simplified spreadsheet.  It helps me sort through the various options.  Once I've done that, I rarely refer to the spreadsheet again.

 

We call it our "cheat sheet" (even though it's sometimes 3-5 letter-sized pages depending on trip length).  There are always so many details and moving parts to our trips that's it's comforting to have one place to find them all when we forget something. 

 

It generally includes everything from when we need to be back on the ship to flight numbers/times and dining times in one convenient place and leaves plenty of room for flexibility and last minute changes.  Very helpful when traveling with ADHD family members.  Stops them from asking me the same questions all the time.  I just tell them to refer to the cheat sheet... has really saved the day (and 6 sanity) on more than one occasion.  😉

 

 

 

[Sthrngary]

2 hours ago, lgdesign said:

Stops them from asking me the same questions all the time. 

Amen. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Kauaijim]

We are on the Spirt now in Hawaii then to Tahiti. . No Haven but we are in a forward facing suite . Great staff , Cagney for breakfast and lunch is very good . Never more than  15 people anytime we have been in there . BUT what’s with no bar soap , we bought a bar today. No big deal but wish I had known . We have done over 100 days on Seaborne and while not apples and oranges  because of drink cards and 1000 more people it’s a nice experience so far . 

[mearsfansinboise]

On 10/19/2022 at 3:59 PM, 2boyzmom said:

Quick question without reading all these pages- Are reservations required for Six or can we just enter any show as a Haven guest at designated seats? Thank you 

I posted this on my Bliss thread (as I am on it now) - the ONLY thing they are allowing reservations for are the comedy shows.  Check the schedule as soon as you board because I completely missed that SIX was only on days one and two and I was planning on seeing it later, so I missed out. 
 

Also, if you take the Haven concierge escort they seat you on the left-hand side towards the front. For me that’s not necessarily the spot that I would choose. I prefer to sit in the middle and higher up. So once I figured that out, we opted to seat ourselves for the next show. 
 

Edited October 22, 2022 by mearsfansinboise

[mearsfansinboise]

On 10/12/2022 at 5:56 PM, njsmom said:

What is the difference between what the butler and what the concierge does for you in the Haven? 

 
In addition to what has already been said, I would say that the Haven concierge works with your butler (and all positions) to make sure that you have a stellar experience.

We were sitting in the Haven pool area and our butler had gone to get us hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries. I told him he didn’t have to that we could wait and he said “no no it’s only on deck six, I’ll be right back…” The concierge came by and saw us sitting there and asked what we were doing and I told him that we were hanging out that our butler was getting us food from deck six. He said “why deck six? He should get it from the Local because it’s on deck seven and it’s closer and it’s better; I will call him.”  So, he called him and told him that …