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

[McGarrett5oh]

11 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

 

@McGarrett5oh in my opinion, the most powerful thing you said was, "lower your expectations".  I say it another way, "Have Realistic Expectations".  That is why to this day, whether on NCL or Regent Seven Seas; I still say, "Butlers are hit or miss."  Same, it should not be that way. 

Agreed!  Based on this thread's advice our "realistic expectations" have yet to be met by the butlers, so our realistic expecations are now a notch lower.  That way, we won't be disappointed and perhaps surprised and delighted by service beyond these expectations.

 

Case in point, in the Retreat, the cabin steward set up a birthday surprise for my wife upon returning to our cabin from dinner.  This thrilled her and delighted me as we were not expecting any type of recognition despite the key date being on our reservation.  The Butler may have had some part in this but since we didn't see him nor did he acknowledge a role, we profusely thanked the cabin steward (and called him out in the post cruise survey) who DID ask how my wife liked the surprise.

 

Sorry if this sounds negative as we really enjoyed so much of our "ship within a ship" experiences (dining room, bar, pool area etc).

[graphicguy]

Been in Celebrity's Retreat (EDGE and APEX).  Sailed more in NCL's Haven.

 

Truely, they are very, very similar.  The big difference being the Retreat using a combo Butler/Concierge.  They are the same person, unless you interface with the Concierge's in the Retreat area.

 

NCL Haven....seperate Concierges and Butlers.  Concierges take care of my reservations for dining/entertainment, billing issues, internet issues, special requests (like communicating to have B-Day cakes sent to the room, for example).

 

Butlers will execute the Concierge's requests when you have a special occasion.  I've found NCL to be quite good with B-Day/Anniversary cakes and decorations....if they're aware.  Matter of fact, NCL is more likely to have some nice surprises that you didn't request over what I experienced in the Retreat.

 

Minor issue, but another data point.

[Sthrngary]

49 minutes ago, McGarrett5oh said:

Agreed!  Based on this thread's advice our "realistic expectations" have yet to be met by the butlers, so our realistic expecations are now a notch lower.  That way, we won't be disappointed and perhaps surprised and delighted by service beyond these expectations.

 

Case in point, in the Retreat, the cabin steward set up a birthday surprise for my wife upon returning to our cabin from dinner.  This thrilled her and delighted me as we were not expecting any type of recognition despite the key date being on our reservation.  The Butler may have had some part in this but since we didn't see him nor did he acknowledge a role, we profusely thanked the cabin steward (and called him out in the post cruise survey) who DID ask how my wife liked the surprise.

 

Sorry if this sounds negative as we really enjoyed so much of our "ship within a ship" experiences (dining room, bar, pool area etc).

Not negative at all.  Just realistic.  However, you make a huge point I hope is not missed by others.  Someone on a ship was listening.  It was your wife's birthday and they made it special.  That is "Personalized Service" and that is the part of cruising most often missed.  The feeling it gives someone to be treated special has no words.  

 

All any of us really want is to be treated like a "Rock Star" 7 days in a year.  We are just normal people but for those seven days, "Personalized Service" rings the bell. I loved the picture and love the description of your wife feelings.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Lorne317]

@Sthrngary Thank you for this great resource. I confess to "only" having read the first 20 pages and last 20 pages but I feel like I have a pretty great picture of what to expect on our first Haven cruise coming up on Escape  April 24 ! 

We are newbies to cruising as this is only our 2nd which we booked immediately after our first because we loved it so much.We recognized the value in Haven during our first cruise so I promised DW I would consider booking it for our next one but the prices for Haven were over twice as much as the club balcony that we booked. Over the year that followed, the price consistently dropped to the point where I could upgrade for not a lot more than I originally paid. 

This would already have been the trip of a lifetime for us so The Haven will be icing on the cake !

 

Thanks again, and thank you to everybody who took the time to answer questions and express opinions both positive and negative.

[Sthrngary]

12 minutes ago, Lorne317 said:

@Sthrngary Thank you for this great resource. I confess to "only" having read the first 20 pages and last 20 pages but I feel like I have a pretty great picture of what to expect on our first Haven cruise coming up on Escape  April 24 ! 

We are newbies to cruising as this is only our 2nd which we booked immediately after our first because we loved it so much.We recognized the value in Haven during our first cruise so I promised DW I would consider booking it for our next one but the prices for Haven were over twice as much as the club balcony that we booked. Over the year that followed, the price consistently dropped to the point where I could upgrade for not a lot more than I originally paid. 

This would already have been the trip of a lifetime for us so The Haven will be icing on the cake !

 

Thanks again, and thank you to everybody who took the time to answer questions and express opinions both positive and negative.

@Lorne317 My pleasure and this will your Once in a Lifetime Cruise.  As will your next one and the one after. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[havoc315]

On 3/29/2024 at 8:35 AM, Sthrngary said:

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What a lot of folks don't get about CruiseCritic.com is if I know and issue, I may be able to avoid it.  If I don't know, I might fall right into it.  I also have cruise upper end lines like Oceania.  Two different animals.  NCL, Royal, MSC, Celebrity and Carnival are great for some trips.  Regent, Oceania, Seabourn, Silver Seas, and Crystal are for other trip.  Completely different expectation for both sets of cruising.  Some of what you wrote makes that clear. What is funny is sometimes, those other brands are about the same price as a Haven Suite.  You just have to be clear on which approach suit your next cruise vacation. 

 

 

When you think about it, its not that shocking that the price would be similar. In some ways, you get more from the big mainstream ship --

Comparing a Haven suite to a Oceania/Silver Sea etc:

On the true luxury line: You absolutely should expect superior service, superior food and alcohol.

But in the Haven, you will typically get a much larger cabin than the same price on those ultra luxury lines. A Garden Villa / Deluxe Owner's Suite may be around the same price as a basic balcony cabin on true luxury line.  

And of course, you get big ship amenities that typically aren't found on those ultra luxury lines.

 

But I do feel, in the long term, NCL would be wise to lift consistency and level of service in the Haven. 

[Daniel A]

@Battlement don't let a sub par butler queer you on the Haven. Give it another chance.   I just returned today from a week long trip to a resort DW and I just love.   We go there just about every year.   This year we made the mistake of going during spring break.   No college aged kids but it was a very different (and unpleasant for us) experience.   It was more the crowds and the type of guests that made it a different experience.   We will keep returning there in the future but not during spring break time.   My point is that if this was our first experience there, we would never plan to return there.  Try the Haven on a different ship next time.

[Battlement]

56 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Give it another chance.   I just returned today from a week long trip to a resort DW and I just love.   We go there just about every year.   This year we made the mistake of going during spring break.   No college aged kids but it was a very different (and unpleasant for us) experience.   It was more the crowds and the type of guests that made it a different experience.   We will keep returning there in the future but not during spring break time.   My point is that if this was our first experience there, we would never plan to return there.  Try the Haven on a different ship next time.

Thanks for this, and who knows, we may try NCL again - but I very much doubt it. Much like @Sthrngary says at the beginning of this awesome thread, if my wife is happy, I am happy (because I get to go on more cruises 🙂 And I won’t go into every little detail, but our Celebrity experiences have surpassed NCL in every way for us, from the antagonistic butler to the broken room doors in our ‘penthouse suite’ (the magnets are just old and worn out - our cabin steward jammed cardboard in a few to ‘fix’ the problem’) to the Golden Corral food at the buffet (sorry - calling it like it was). 

Le Bistro and Cagney’s were really good, bordering on great. Still, neither held a candle to Luminae. 
 

The Haven restaurant was packed. All the time. Just like the bar. And sure, the itinerary changes affected that. But the food was ‘meh’ at best. 

 

Maybe all the lines have had to cut corners since Covid. This was our first ‘post-Covid’ cruise, so I honestly don’t know. 
 

As for your mention of it being a spring break cruise: we brought our teenaged son. There were other teenaged guests in the Haven. They were all perfectly well behaved. Also, I’m nowhere near a prude, nor am I a teetotaler. I give the old drink package a workout, trust me. But I can hold my liquor well enough to avoid yelling f-bombs, telling stories about ‘this guy with two d$&@cks I knew in Jersey’, and several more examples of inappropriate behavior that I won’t repeat here. I love to meet new people and have fun on a cruise. My wife does too. And our son has probably heard curse words and off-color jokes that would get most people fired and stuff. But that’s not what we look for in an exclusive area of the ship.
 

The under-21 crowd was great. Some adults…well. 
 

Regardless, we cruised well and enjoyed every moment!  I hope you all do too. 

[graphicguy]

HI Gary...I have a quick question for you.  I know you cruised Oceania.  If you don't want to answer, I understand.  But, what was the delta price wise between the Haven and Oceania?

 

My TA is trying to get me to try Oceania, but when she forwards me quotes, Oceania is significantly more.

[Daniel A]

26 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

HI Gary...I have a quick question for you.  I know you cruised Oceania.  If you don't want to answer, I understand.  But, what was the delta price wise between the Haven and Oceania?

 

My TA is trying to get me to try Oceania, but when she forwards me quotes, Oceania is significantly more.

If you can wait until September 🙄, we will be taking our first (and maybe only) Oceania cruise.  DW likes the atmosphere of smaller ships and I'm also wondering how it will compare to the Haven.  I'll try to post a comparison here after the cruise.

 

I'm really sorry @Battlement had such a bad experience.  I do think @Battlement understood what I meant when I said the "type of guests" during Spring Break.

[graphicguy]

26 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

If you can wait until September 🙄, we will be taking our first (and maybe only) Oceania cruise.  DW likes the atmosphere of smaller ships and I'm also wondering how it will compare to the Haven.  I'll try to post a comparison here after the cruise.

 

I'm really sorry @Battlement had such a bad experience.  I do think @Battlement understood what I meant when I said the "type of guests" during Spring Break.

My TA is an admitted Disney Cruise Line fan, of which I'm definitely not.  I think if you have kids or teens, I believe Disney, Carnival and maybe even Royal works better.  NCL Haven?  Not so much.

 

As far as "drunk" or over served passengers, that's true of guests on ALL cruise lines (with the possible exception of Disney).  I've always been a proponent of moving another 75 feet to another bar if there are some at the bar who bother me.  It's not like there aren't enough bars on board.

 

Saw a guy lose his teeth on the table in front of him as he was passing out in the Retreat area on the Apex.  Appalling at the time.  Funny now!

 

On the Edge, a guy on my deck was ranting in front of a cabin door as I passed him.   I asked to see his key card.  Wrong cabin.  Tried to take him to the right one.  He was having none of it.  OhhhhKayyyy!  He followed me to the Concierge Desk ranting and raving they locked him out of his cabin.  Bless the patient Concierge.  It took him a minute but he finally showed the guest where his ACTUAL cabin was.

 

Point being, regardless of cruise or cabin type, all of us who have cruised for a while have similar stories.

Edited March 31 by graphicguy

[Treasure Hunter]

We have been on five Oceania cruises and double that on NCL ( most in the Haven). It is very important what size ship you pick. The Marina, Vista, Riviera are 1200 passengers with larger newer cabins and better entertainment and larger casino. All Oceania cruises are more port intensive but that doesn’t mean you won’t find chair hogs. The food ship wise is equal to the Haven restaurant with lots of nice touches. It is not a line for kids unless you want to tour every day. It is rare to find a drunk  ( unless they are so old that they have fallen asleep). Country Club casual and country club people. I love a big casino and good entertainment and often cruise with grandkids so the Haven has been great for us on holidays and spring break but you are right that it is a rowdy hard drinking younger group even in the Haven. NCL is more fun although their entertainment ( especially Broadway type shows has been slacking). We just got off the Encore in February ( 2 bedroom Haven suite) and all had a good time). We love that we can cruise from NY in winter ( no flights). But we are returning to Princess (35 cruises) in June and January in suites for great prices. Food will be not as good but the ambiance is great and room enormous. July 2025 we will be on the Maiden voyage on the Oceania Allura🤞🏻. If they open Cuba again,  our cruise on Oceania Sirena was fabulous. Ask me any questions.

[graphicguy]

3 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

We have been on five Oceania cruises and double that on NCL ( most in the Haven). It is very important what size ship you pick. The Marina, Vista, Riviera are 1200 passengers with larger newer cabins and better entertainment and larger casino. All Oceania cruises are more port intensive but that doesn’t mean you won’t find chair hogs. The food ship wise is equal to the Haven restaurant with lots of nice touches. It is not a line for kids unless you want to tour every day. It is rare to find a drunk  ( unless they are so old that they have fallen asleep). Country Club casual and country club people. I love a big casino and good entertainment and often cruise with grandkids so the Haven has been great for us on holidays and spring break but you are right that it is a rowdy hard drinking younger group even in the Haven. NCL is more fun although their entertainment ( especially Broadway type shows has been slacking). We just got off the Encore in February ( 2 bedroom Haven suite) and all had a good time). We love that we can cruise from NY in winter ( no flights). But we are returning to Princess (35 cruises) in June and January in suites for great prices. Food will be not as good but the ambiance is great and room enormous. July 2025 we will be on the Maiden voyage on the Oceania Allura🤞🏻. If they open Cuba again,  our cruise on Oceania Sirena was fabulous. Ask me any questions.

Thanks.  I've been "Princess Curious" for a while.  I just can't find a sailing that works for me.  I still am getting my best fares on NCL (including Haven), too.  

 

NCL has ticked me off in the past.  But, they always seem to get me back.

 

That said, I'm a fan of bigger ships.  So, that's another reason I've not sailed Oceania.

Edited March 31 by graphicguy

[Sthrngary]

50 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

HI Gary...I have a quick question for you.  I know you cruised Oceania.  If you don't want to answer, I understand.  But, what was the delta price wise between the Haven and Oceania?

 

My TA is trying to get me to try Oceania, but when she forwards me quotes, Oceania is significantly more.

@graphicguy Happy to kick in with what I know. Oceania Cruises and other brands pricing seem to be based on starting with a standard fare and catching sales.  Sometimes, if you get lucky you can catch two sales that both apply.  We did that for our 10 day European Cruise on November 2023.  I got a four category upgrade and another sail called the Extraordinary sales event. My point, sales on Oceania make a difference. 

 

Back to your point. Prior to booking that cruise, I took lots of brands and did a very intense excel comparison.  Not the easiest thing I ever did. Every Cruise line had different amenities. The brands included, SeaBourne, Silver Seas, Celebrity (Balcony and Retreat), NCL (Viva balcony and Haven), Regent Seven Seas (Below penthouse), Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Oceania Cruises, and a few others.  Oceania won and that was with only the four category upgrade to penthouse. 

 

Side note: As it came close to the departure date, the Viva started to discount the fare even in the Haven.  However, the airfare was twice as high if you had to purchase it from the airline brand. 

 

When you go from a Mega Ship to a ship like Oceania that has 1200 guest, you have give and take.  No slides, better food.  No Broadway shows, nicer quieter lounges with better drinks.  It is never the same.  So when I have a port intensive trip, I do smaller better category brands. 

 

Again, and I can not over emphasize this.  When you book, you look often at the sales as they come up and get your agent to adjust the fares.  Let me know if you need any other information.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Treasure Hunter]

The prices on Celebrity ( especially the Retreat) have skyrocketed. Last year we were in a Royal Suite because the casino comped me 40%. We hate Luminae and you can’t order off the MDR menu on the Edge class ships. We are done with Celebrity for a while.

[graphicguy]

2 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@graphicguy Happy to kick in with what I know. Oceania Cruises and other brands pricing seem to be based on starting with a standard fare and catching sales.  Sometimes, if you get lucky you can catch two sales that both apply.  We did that for our 10 day European Cruise on November 2023.  I got a four category upgrade and another sail called the Extraordinary sales event. My point, sales on Oceania make a difference. 

 

Back to your point. Prior to booking that cruise, I took lots of brands and did a very intense excel comparison.  Not the easiest thing I ever did. Every Cruise line had different amenities. The brands included, SeaBourne, Silver Seas, Celebrity (Balcony and Retreat), NCL (Viva balcony and Haven), Regent Seven Seas (Below penthouse), Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Oceania Cruises, and a few others.  Oceania won and that was with only the four category upgrade to penthouse. 

 

Side note: As it came close to the departure date, the Viva started to discount the fare even in the Haven.  However, the airfare was twice as high if you had to purchase it from the airline brand. 

 

When you go from a Mega Ship to a ship like Oceania that has 1200 guest, you have give and take.  No slides, better food.  No Broadway shows, nicer quieter lounges with better drinks.  It is never the same.  So when I have a port intensive trip, I do smaller better category brands. 

 

Again, and I can not over emphasize this.  When you book, you look often at the sales as they come up and get your agent to adjust the fares.  Let me know if you need any other information.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Excellent compare/contrast.  Thank you!

 

Like you, I shop the living daylights out of cruise fares/ameninties/itineraries/ships.  It's a chore.  But, like you, I pride myself on the research done pre-cruise.

[Treasure Hunter]

Yes I like ships around 3200 size with a good casino ( had 4 handpays on the Emerald Princess in June to New England/Canada) good entertainment, trivia and nice shower) I would do Oceania in Europe for sure but Princess does an excellent job on tours. Especially in exotic ports. Tahiti comes to mind.

[Sthrngary]

31 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

If you can wait until September 🙄, we will be taking our first (and maybe only) Oceania cruise.

@Daniel A I will look forward to reading your review.  It is different and I think you will very much enjoy it.  The best way I describe it is everyone is essentially treated the same when you leave your stateroom.  I never had a hard time getting a drink at any bar.  All bartenders are really excellent and will make you unique drinks. I am a coffee drinker especially in the morning. The Barista Bar is open to everyone and again, never seemed to be crowded. 

 

Food is relative and Oceania in my opinion was a tick better then NCL especially in the specialty restaurants.  Overall, a better all around experience from a personalized service standpoint because again, everyone is treated the same. 

 

When I want high energy, lots of activities, lots of entertainment venues, lots of bars; I go on NCL in the Haven.  When I want port intensive, relaxing, upgraded service for everyone on the ship I to on Oceania. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Sthrngary]

3 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Excellent compare/contrast.  Thank you!

 

Like you, I shop the living daylights out of cruise fares/ameninties/itineraries/ships.  It's a chore.  But, like you, I pride myself on the research done pre-cruise.

@graphicguy I have done lots of documentation on Oceania.  I do not want to post it here because this is a NCL Haven Thread.  Just go to my profile and look at my attachments.  The FYI Attachment may give you some good information.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[graphicguy]

14 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

The prices on Celebrity ( especially the Retreat) have skyrocketed. Last year we were in a Royal Suite because the casino comped me 40%. We hate Luminae and you can’t order off the MDR menu on the Edge class ships. We are done with Celebrity for a while.

Agree about Retreat fares recently.  I've found way better Haven fares.

 

Like you, I wasn't a fan of Luminae's menus.  Truth told, most nights, I was allowed to pick the "MDR" choices.  They allowed me to choose the standard Steak, Fish, Chicken choices you usually find in the MDR.

 

Frankly, I found Blu and Tuscan restaurants (free) to be better than Luminae.  Blu was my favorite restaurant on board.

 

Eden was my favorite extra charge restaurant.....the food, the service, the ambiance, overlooking the aft of the ship...all was wonderful.

 

Plus, I enjoyed hanging at the Eden Bar.  

Edited March 31 by graphicguy

[havoc315]

19 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

My TA is an admitted Disney Cruise Line fan, of which I'm definitely not.  I think if you have kids or teens, I believe Disney, Carnival and maybe even Royal works better.  NCL Haven?  Not so much.

 

As far as "drunk" or over served passengers, that's true of guests on ALL cruise lines (with the possible exception of Disney).
 

 

I feel like it’s a bigger issue on economy cruise lines that have adopted all-you-can-drink packages.  It specifically attracts people drawn to drinking heavily. Pay a budget price, get mediocre entertainment and food… but lots of booze. And I fear NCL’s entertainment cuts means relying more on the draw of lots of booze. 
 

One would hope to find less of that mentality in the Haven.  Not because more affluent people drink any less.  But simply because at the much higher price of the Haven, unlimited drinks wouldn’t be the draw at that price tag. 

 

 

19 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

 

 

 I've always been a proponent of moving another 75 feet to another bar if there are some at the bar who bother me.  It's not like there aren't enough bars on board.

 

Saw a guy lose his teeth on the table in front of him as he was passing out in the Retreat area on the Apex.  Appalling at the time.  Funny now!

 

On the Edge, a guy on my deck was ranting in front of a cabin door as I passed him.   I asked to see his key card.  Wrong cabin.  Tried to take him to the right one.  He was having none of it.  OhhhhKayyyy!  He followed me to the Concierge Desk ranting and raving they locked him out of his cabin.  Bless the patient Concierge.  It took him a minute but he finally showed the guest where his ACTUAL cabin was.

 

Point being, regardless of cruise or cabin type, all of us who have cruised for a while have similar stories.

 

[graphicguy]

4 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

 

I feel like it’s a bigger issue on economy cruise lines that have adopted all-you-can-drink packages.  It specifically attracts people drawn to drinking heavily. Pay a budget price, get mediocre entertainment and food… but lots of booze. And I fear NCL’s entertainment cuts means relying more on the draw of lots of booze. 
 

One would hope to find less of that mentality in the Haven.  Not because more affluent people drink any less.  But simply because at the much higher price of the Haven, unlimited drinks wouldn’t be the draw at that price tag. 

 

 

 

Probably right.  

 

That said, in the Retreat (Edge), we were treated to a couple of "ladies" who proclaimed themselves to be "porn stars" who were more than willing to get very drunk and show snippets of them plying their trade on their phones to those of us having cocktails in the Retreat.  Raised a few eyebrows.

 

I had a guy before the COVID shutdown insist on loudly arguing politics with me (even though I never responded to him) while I was trying to read a book in the Haven.  

 

Then you always have those who insist on telling everyone how rich they are the drunker they get while in the Haven.

 

Had a drunk guy insist on showing me a detailed video tour of his house, his boat and his cars while on my last cruise in the Prima Haven.  He wanted me to respond, but the only thing I could muster was "that's nice".

 

Then, my favorite, the guy who was showing me his restoration of a vintage Ford F100 truck.  Interspersed with his picture collage of the restoration were nude pictures of his wife.  I'm not a prude....you want to carry naked pictures of your spouse with you?  Go for it.  Sharing it?  That was a tough watch for me.  I kept cringing as he was clearly trying to view my response.  I kept going between being polite and acting like it was normal and excusing myself to got to the men's room.  I finally chose the latter and left the Diamond Lounge.

 

Those of us here have been sailing for a while.  You see all kinds of behaviors on ships and even in their premium areas.

[Sthrngary]

41 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

One would hope to find less of that mentality in the Haven.  Not because more affluent people drink any less.  But simply because at the much higher price of the Haven, unlimited drinks wouldn’t be the draw at that price tag.

@havoc315 Interestingly, in the Haven Bar, there is usually 2-4 seats with the same folks every time yo go to the bar. I am exaggerating but not by much. It is much easier to get a drink in the Haven Bar but love to sit at the bar sometime.  Not a complaint, just an observation.  

 

The reason for my comment is, whether you are on NCL or ultra Luxury brand/category, folks that are chair hogs (Pool and Bar), folks that over drink (not happy drunks) and hit/miss food happen.  Just my take and every ones take is different based on their experiences. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[Daniel A]

36 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Oceania won and that was with only the four category upgrade to penthouse. 

 

16 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

 

I feel like it’s a bigger issue on economy cruise lines that have adopted all-you-can-drink packages.  It specifically attracts people drawn to drinking heavily. Pay a budget price, get mediocre entertainment and food… but lots of booze.

From the looks of the Penthouse Suite on O (which is what we have booked for September) it is very similar in layout to a Deluxe Balcony cabin on the larger Princess ships.  The balconies for both the Princess and O are very narrow with the exception that Princess also has Premium Deluxe Balconies with enormous aft facing balconies.  I'm sure the difference is included amenities and nicer fixtures on O.  We like Princess because they aren't party boats, and they don't have amusement parks on the top of the ship.  This attracts a more subdued crowd and not too many rambunctious children (or drunks.)  On all my sailings, I've never yet seen any drunks as described above, but we also generally don't hang out at the watering holes preferring to have our cocktails on our balcony.

 

DW & I prefer to have the drink packages (which by the way, are not 'unlimited'.)  Our reasoning is that since we are on a nice vacation, we don't want to be counting how much money we have spent on drinks.  It's like having an insurance policy so up front, we know exactly how much we will be spending on drinks.

 

Our experience with Haven Bars (as opposed to the lido bars) is that it is more of a reserved quiet atmosphere offering a more relaxing experience.  I'm sure there are exceptions to this experience, but I can only relate to my own.  This is the nice thing about the cruise industry - there are many different niches catering to differing preferences for a vacation.

[Battlement]

9 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Those of us here have been sailing for a while.  You see all kinds of behaviors on ships and even in their premium areas

This is very well-said. Just like every NFL team has its annoying drunk fans, every cruise line has its annoying drunk passengers. And again, I love to catch a nice buzz, meet new folks, and enjoy those vacation connections. The challenge with this particular situation, on this particular ship (the NCL Getaway) is that there was no other bar 75 feet away to escape to. The Haven lounge on Getaway is way too small, and when someone is talking about NSFW stuff at the bar at drunk person volume, you either deal with it or go back to your room (‘Retreat’ from the ‘Haven’ - see what I did there?:)

 

@graphicguy I totally believe that stories like the ones you told happen on Celebrity as well. Maybe it’s just the way in which the Retreat areas seem to be more spaced out that has kept the ‘pack in at the bar and do shots woohoo!’ vibe down in our experience. But you’re absolutely right: like the rough seas that cut our 4 days in Bermuda down to 2, there are certain elements of cruising you just can’t control. And we still enjoyed the week, without a doubt!

 

Also, totally agree about the Celebrity price jumps that a few folks have pointed out. The price we got on this trip was so much better, which is why I really wanted it to be great. 
 

FYI I also like to order the occasional dish from one of the MDRs at Haven/Luminae.  This week, Haven was swamped, and could barely get their own food out to the tables. When I asked our butler about MDR food the one time we dared room service with him, he said ‘I only have the Haven menu. The other one changes every day’. So I probably could have gone to the MDR, asked for a menu (it’s not on the NCL app, other apps include daily menus) and then tried to convince him to bring me some French onion soup? 😂