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

[RocketMan275]

31 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@estvil30 You just supported one of the Secrets of the Haven.  If we show the staff some respect and appreciation. If we give them a heads up and ask vs. demand.  They are likely to do almost anything we want.  

 

Generously tipping works wonders too.

[Sthrngary]

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Generously tipping works wonders too.

Amen my brother.  Every time I bring up tipping I get my head cut off on social media.  We folks in Alabama know how to tip correctly, treat folks like superstars.  Because of that, we tend to get treated like "Rock Stars".  Hard to explain that small but important fact to everyone.  

 

Cruise well, and enjoy every moment.  

[mearsfansinboise]

5 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@mearsfansinboise "Hoity-toity", LOL.  The Haven menu never changes.  For some, that is an issue.  It is nice you can order, with advanced notice, items from the Main Dining Room Menu or have your butler bring it.  I want to add.  in 2019 the small, round chocolate cake served in the Haven was different.  Back then, I was obsessed over it.  In November 2021, I had the opportunity to have it again.  It was NOT the same.  I was disappointed.  UNTIL, I went back on the Joy three months later, when to Cagney's for dinner and had the slice of Chocolate Cake.  There it was, the taste I missed.  Just looked different.  I TRIED to get a slice from Cagney's to bring back to my room, more than willing to pay for it, on a recent trip on the NCL Breakaway.  They said NO.  I was again disappointed.  I had a craving for more CAKE.  I am so bad.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

I'll see if I can get my hands - or mouth - on it and report back!

[mearsfansinboise]

4 hours ago, estvil30 said:

 

I agree 100 % 

That cake was special !

 

on a slightly different topic...

And i'll add that "asking for " rather than "demanding" makes a world of difference.

We saw a couple demanding "this and that", and the staff did the best they could, but what a mess.

We asked our waiter at lunch if we could have a special "off menu" meal if we ordered in advance.

They gave us everything we asked for, and MORE.

All with a smile and they were happy that they could make it happen.

 

So much this!!

 

I'm not saying we're special people, or that we are any nicer than others, but I have found that when people ask about something here on the boards and I say we received it and 19 people blast me saying that's not in the policy and read this thread here or whatever, all I can say is that we got the canned sodas in our room - MANY OF THEM, no charge, last 2 sailings - our kids got any and all virgin drinks on the last 3+ sailings - MANY OF THEM, no charge, no issues.  Could that change next time?  Sure.  Would we pitch a fit?  Of course not.  We'll smile, thank them for their consideration and move on and keep enjoying our sailing.  

I would agree though - we ask ... we smile ... we show respect.  We have never been turned down on anything - and I don't think anything we asked for or received was super expensive or would get someone fired or anything like that.

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, mearsfansinboise said:

So much this!!

 

I'm not saying we're special people, or that we are any nicer than others, but I have found that when people ask about something here on the boards and I say we received it and 19 people blast me saying that's not in the policy and read this thread here or whatever, all I can say is that we got the canned sodas in our room - MANY OF THEM, no charge, last 2 sailings - our kids got any and all virgin drinks on the last 3+ sailings - MANY OF THEM, no charge, no issues.  Could that change next time?  Sure.  Would we pitch a fit?  Of course not.  We'll smile, thank them for their consideration and move on and keep enjoying our sailing.  

I would agree though - we ask ... we smile ... we show respect.  We have never been turned down on anything - and I don't think anything we asked for or received was super expensive or would get someone fired or anything like that.

@mearsfansinboise GREAT post and thank you.  Ask and ye shall receive.  Here is my position.  I also have gotten special treatment that others have said they did not get.  My M.O. on this thread is and always has been to set realistic expectations.  Your attitude on if some of the amenities were not provided in the future shows class and understanding.  My hopes are that more guest approach things like you have.  

 

Going on a cruise is a two way street.  We all are guest looking for a great vacation.  The crew are doing their jobs and want to be happy in their work.  Both parties have an obligation to work together and enjoy each others company.  A smile, thank you and complement gets almost anything we want especially in the Haven.  Thanks again for the post. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[McGarrett5oh]

15 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

Going on a cruise is a two way street.  We all are guest looking for a great vacation.  The crew are doing their jobs and want to be happy in their work.  Both parties have an obligation to work together and enjoy each others company.  A smile, thank you and complement gets almost anything we want especially in the Haven. 

We’ve also found that asking to take a picture of the crew member’s name tag so that we can be sure to compliment them by name on the post cruise survey goes a long way too!

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, McGarrett5oh said:

We’ve also found that asking to take a picture of the crew member’s name tag so that we can be sure to compliment them by name on the post cruise survey goes a long way too!

That's an excellent idea.  We used it on our last cruise and it worked quite well.

[mickeysgal]

Are there any specific Haven cabins on any of the ships that one should avoid for any reason? 

[RocketMan275]

15 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

Are there any specific Haven cabins on any of the ships that one should avoid for any reason? 

If you want to use the balcony while the ship is underway, avoid the cabins with the balconies on the front of the ship, ie, the Owners Suites.  Wind speeds can approach 30 knots.

[Tjtoads]

Thank you for such a well thought out set of information on the Haven.  
 

My wife and I have been married 28 years and never been on a cruise.  Been overseas lots of times; if we are going to do a cruise, we want to have a space we can go away from the crowds - Haven sounds perfect- we still want to also be part of larger events and shows- .  She is the introvert and I am the planner.  Like you said, if I wife is happy, I am happy.  
 

I read your notes and sounded so much like us.  Don’t need a huge room. Penthouse balcony will do.  Take opportunity to let NCL know what we want.  Let them know ahead of time with email you sent; tip extra so my wife is pampered as she always takes care of others and never asks for anything.

 

I could go on an on.  Thank you for the great advice,

 

 

[mickeysgal]

My travel agent refers to Haven room categories as HE, HF, etc. I’ve also seen Haven room categories as H2, H7, etc. Is there a list somewhere of these categories? I have no idea what these are referring to. Thanks 

[mickeysgal]

Another question- 

What is more preferable …deck 17 or deck 18? 
I have a choice for 18126 or 17726 

Are there any disadvantages to either due to their location? They are both the last cabin in a line of cabins on each floor. 

Edited March 21, 2023 by mickeysgal

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, mickeysgal said:

Another question- 

What is more preferable …deck 17 or deck 18? 
I have a choice for 18126 or 17726 

Are there any disadvantages to either due to their location? They are both the last cabin in a line of cabins on each floor. 

Probably need to specify the ship.

[mearsfansinboise]

2 hours ago, mickeysgal said:

Another question- 

What is more preferable …deck 17 or deck 18? 
I have a choice for 18126 or 17726 

Are there any disadvantages to either due to their location? They are both the last cabin in a line of cabins on each floor. 

I LOVE deck 17 because you are in the Haven proper and feel very connected to it. 

On this next sailing we are on deck 18, which, yes, the restaurant is up there, but I have a feeling we'll miss the deck 17 vibe.

[Sthrngary]

5 minutes ago, mearsfansinboise said:

I LOVE deck 17 because you are in the Haven proper and feel very connected to it. 

On this next sailing we are on deck 18, which, yes, the restaurant is up there, but I have a feeling we'll miss the deck 17 vibe.

I have been on both decks and also not in Haven Proper when I was in a Haven Spa Suite.  I really did not feel anything different with the different suites.  The one thing I will say is deck 17 is better for the Haven Two Bedroom Suites because it has an extended balcony.  

 

The Haven Spa Suite was nice because we got full access to the Thermal Spa and that made up for not being in the Haven Proper.  Please remember, this is social media.  Just because this is my opinion and feelings don't make it right.  It is personal like our feelings on food in restaurants.  Just my two cents.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[wolft927]

23 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

I have been on both decks and also not in Haven Proper when I was in a Haven Spa Suite.  I really did not feel anything different with the different suites.  The one thing I will say is deck 17 is better for the Haven Two Bedroom Suites because it has an extended balcony.  

 

The Haven Spa Suite was nice because we got full access to the Thermal Spa and that made up for not being in the Haven Proper.  Please remember, this is social media.  Just because this is my opinion and feelings don't make it right.  It is personal like our feelings on food in restaurants.  Just my two cents.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

So we have stayed in the Haven Proper also in the forward facing Haven suite and April 8th staying in the Aft facing Haven Suite. We know that it is a walk to get to the Haven, but will take the Huge Balcony over being iniside the Haven. Also gives my time to gets some steps in with all the food and drinks we will be consuming. I will say so far the 2 Bedroom on the Breakaway was amazing!!!!! 

[Beamco]

@mickeysgal The balcony in room 17726 on ships like the Bliss are huge because they are next to to a storage area of some type that is at the end of the hall. It is my favorite cabin on the Bliss - the balcony could easily handle two lounge chairs along with the standard table and chairs. I have only asked for one lounge chair and the crew always delivers it for me. The only downside is there is a door for the crew access across the hall - it is busy in the AM as the crew begins to work for the day - they tend to let the door slam - I sleep heavy and wake up fairly early so it did not bother me - my wife sleeps through it - but light sleepers who like to sleep in may be bothered by the noise. The next time I cruise Haven proper I will look to book 17126 it has the same large balcony and hopefully less crew traffic in the morning. My guess is all Breakaway Plus ships have the same balcony situation for 17126 and 17726.

[mickeysgal]

3 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Probably need to specify the ship.

Encore. I’m so sorry. I tried to edit, but it didn’t show it as an option to do so. 

[BrownEyedGirl686]

2 hours ago, mearsfansinboise said:

I LOVE deck 17 because you are in the Haven proper and feel very connected to it. 

On this next sailing we are on deck 18, which, yes, the restaurant is up there, but I have a feeling we'll miss the deck 17 vibe.

We have stayed on floor 18 and loved it. Next cruise we are on deck 17. Cannot wait for the larger balcony. 

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, mickeysgal said:

Encore. I’m so sorry. I tried to edit, but it didn’t show it as an option to do so. 

That's good.  We've booked a 2025 cruise on Encore to Alaska.  We booked 17700 because of it's proximity to the observation lounge.

[js]

1 hour ago, mickeysgal said:

Encore. I’m so sorry. I tried to edit, but it didn’t show it as an option to do so. 

 

To date, Encore has been our favorite Haven area (although I am sailing Joy in August so hopefully I will love that even more LOL).
We stayed on Deck 17, in the Courtyard area. I LOVE being steps away from the bar and a quick walk up to the restaurant. I love the pool is outside our front door. It feels very connected.
On Joy, I'm not even on the same deck as the Haven so it will be a new experience for us.

Let us know what you decide.

[palpieha]

6 hours ago, mickeysgal said:

My travel agent refers to Haven room categories as HE, HF, etc. I’ve also seen Haven room categories as H2, H7, etc. Is there a list somewhere of these categories? I have no idea what these are referring to. Thanks 

Look at the deck plan on NCL's website, and it has those next to the description of the different staterooms.

[palpieha]

 

6 hours ago, mickeysgal said:

Another question- 

What is more preferable …deck 17 or deck 18? 
I have a choice for 18126 or 17726 

Are there any disadvantages to either due to their location? They are both the last cabin in a line of cabins on each floor. 

2 hours ago, mickeysgal said:

Encore. I’m so sorry. I tried to edit, but it didn’t show it as an option to do so.

 

18126 is the only cabin on the 18th deck that has a larger balcony, which is why it's an HE category instead of HF. HE is usually more expensive than HF because of the larger balcony.

 

If the price is the same, I would take deck 17 just because you're on the same deck as the bar and pool area. 18 has the restaurant, but I certainly go the bar a lot more often than the restaurant 😀.

[palpieha]

Another thing to consider is whether you're concerned with noise. 18126 is under Vibe, which might have noise from deck chairs earlier/later, while 17726 is under the outdoor part of the restaurant, which might have chair noise in the morning but not much late.

[mickeysgal]

18 hours ago, js said:

 

To date, Encore has been our favorite Haven area (although I am sailing Joy in August so hopefully I will love that even more LOL).
We stayed on Deck 17, in the Courtyard area. I LOVE being steps away from the bar and a quick walk up to the restaurant. I love the pool is outside our front door. It feels very connected.
On Joy, I'm not even on the same deck as the Haven so it will be a new experience for us.

Let us know what you decide.

We took deck 17 - 17726

 

20 hours ago, Beamco said:

@mickeysgal The balcony in room 17726 on ships like the Bliss are huge because they are next to to a storage area of some type that is at the end of the hall. It is my favorite cabin on the Bliss - the balcony could easily handle two lounge chairs along with the standard table and chairs. I have only asked for one lounge chair and the crew always delivers it for me. The only downside is there is a door for the crew access across the hall - it is busy in the AM as the crew begins to work for the day - they tend to let the door slam - I sleep heavy and wake up fairly early so it did not bother me - my wife sleeps through it - but light sleepers who like to sleep in may be bothered by the noise. The next time I cruise Haven proper I will look to book 17126 it has the same large balcony and hopefully less crew traffic in the morning. My guess is all Breakaway Plus ships have the same balcony situation for 17126 and 17726.

 

Do you happen to have any balcony pictures? We ended up taking 17726. We are super excited. 

Edited March 22, 2023 by mickeysgal