A quick review on my first time in the Haven, NCL Joy March 5th 2022

[aubreyc1988]

I am going to just do a review of my first time in the Haven.  Feel free to ask any questions,  and remember that this is only my opinion and your own experience and thoughts will vary. 

 

I initially booked a HI Haven Suite with Balcony on NCL Joy for March 5th 2022 sailing at the low low price of 1,500pp.  Whenever the Haven Courtyard rooms went down in price to 1,630pp, I paid the different to upgrade. I was in room 18708 on Deck 18 of the courtyard. 

 

I did sent a precruise letter to the concierge asking him if we could have extra coffee and corn nuts as a snack in our room and he said all requests had to be made on board. 

 

Check-in: Initial thoughts was that general check-in was not well organized and this had nothing to do with the change in testing protocols. There wasn't any signs out front on who should be in what line and everyone was confused, even the staff. We had a 9am check in time and got into the terminal around 9:30 or so.  We then went into the Haven check-in room, which was a breeze and then onto the Haven lounge area, which was nice. The concierge Efren came to introduce himself and explained that we would all meet downstairs to board the ship. When we went downstairs to board, they had us all lined up according to muster station and it was all very confusing, as there was no signs where to line up and it was just Efren talking quietly in a very loud terminal. Once onboard the Joy, we were taken into the Haven and given the welcome spiel, which again no one could hear above the waterfall noise in the Courtyard, so I have no idea what was said during this welcome speech.  Our room was not ready so we went to lunch at American Diner, which was very good. After we ate there, our room was ready and we dropped off our bags and met our room steward, Sergio. We did not meet our butler on the first day.  She did find us in the afternoon on Day 2 and I requested extra coffee pods and corn nuts. 

 

Our room: We loved our room and the location. Some people need more room and the closet area could have been in a better location, but was perfect for two people. By the end of the cruise, I hated the soft close/push drawers but this is pretty nit picky. We asked our butler for extra coffee and I think by Day 3 she understood we POUND coffee probably harder than alcohol, so by Day 3 the decaf pods were gone and were replaced with Ristretto and Lungo pods haha! Our Nespresso was one of the favorite things about the room, although the bed was heavenly. Our room steward Sergio was great, he did a fantastic job. 

 

Haven Amenities: The best part of the Haven amenities for us was the sundeck. It is a nice area, although I thought the bar service around the deck should have been more frequent, and I actually thought the whole "bar experience" in the Haven was lackluster and service was just ok.  The menu had  this compass thing to help you create a "Bespoke cocktail" but whenever I tried to have the bartender create a "Bespoke cocktail" for me, it was like I got the response "Just order something already or I'm going to make you an old fashioned". We had some OBC left over on the last day, so I told my husband he should order .5 ounces of the Louis XIII Cognac, which we saw someone do on our last Alaskan cruise at Maltings. We decided to do it in the Haven because we thought for some odd reason that we would get a more premium experience. Since we saw someone do this on our last cruise, whenever we ordered .5 ounces, the bartender was about ready to just pour it in the regular glass, not the special crystal glass that the cognac is supposed to go in, so my husband asked to have it poured in the correct glass. We are not bougie people, but paying 80.00 for .5 ounce of special liquor, we want it in the special glass that it is supposed to be poured in. So the bartender was like "Ok I guess I'll go in the back to go get the glass...um there is literally just us and one other person at the bar...kind of ridiculous. Also, he didn't wear the special gloves or show my husband the book that comes with the Louis XIII "experience" as well. My husband DID really enjoy the tasting, but I was really disappointed he didn't get the same experience as the guy we saw on the Encore. So yeah, bar experience in the Haven was not my favorite so I mostly just went to other bars (the mojito bar in particular)  

 

We ate at the Haven Restaurant for breakfast almost every day, a few lunches, and three dinners. I thought the dinner time menu at the Haven Restaurant was *chefs kiss* but the other meal times were a letdown and just ok. In fact, I felt like the breakfast menu would have been better at the main dining room. 

 

We didn't use the concierge much, just to ask him to schedule a few shows/dinners for us, but everything was empty so idk how much my review of this will hold up when fuller capacity is back. 

 

We didn't use our butler much, except to ask for coffee pods and one time when I was drunk, I asked my husband to order mozzerella sticks to my room from American Diner and it happened pretty quickly. we paid around 6-8.00 for that. 

 

The "pool" snacks in the Courtyard area seemed just like mostly buffet items, except for the ice cream sandwiches which were STRANGE bougie things that were very hard to eat. And I think you had to request a pool snacks menu, I only experienced this because someone else ordered some and I was like yep, send me some of that!

 

This is not a reflection of NCL/the Haven, but there were a ton of "better than thou" people in the courtyard which was a bummer to me. I couldn't even have a small conversation with most people without it becoming a thing about "Oh the people out there in gen pop" or "The poor people who aren't in the Haven" I knew this would most likely happen before I booked but it was a bit disappointing, it won't prevent me from booking again, but this was a "Cheap Haven Sailing", so I wonder about what the atmosphere is like when it is "normal Haven pricing" There was a nice couple we met in the Haven sundeck hot tub and if you are reading this, don't worry, you guys are not who I am talking about 😛 I did meet some great people at other various bars on the ship and we had a fab time regardless and spent so much time just relaxing on the sundeck 

 

So in conclusion, would I book the Haven again for the right price and if I had the money to do so? Yes absolutely! But I would definitely not say it's a "Must book Haven every time" for us and maybe that is because the normal experience on NCL is soooooo good. Every staff member on the Joy was fabulous, so nice! The ship is spotless and the shows and all the food (even in the buffet) is SO excellent, I can't imagine having a bad time even in the "worst" cabin 🙂

 

P.S. Go to the shows, most of them were SO amazing, especially Elements 😄  I did find Footloose a little boring, but the signing and dancing talent was there, just the plot was not my cup of tea. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[aubreyc1988]

A few photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JGmf]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. I enjoyed reading your comments and insights.

 

We've had similar experiences.  My wife and I enjoy the Haven amenities, the room snacks, special embarkation/disembarkation, restaurant, sundeck, etc., but lately not so much the bar and the courtyard.  It's too much of an insular club with that kind of attitude you mentioned.  Maybe we've had off experiences? 

 

Regardless, that's why we  prefer to stay in a Haven forward or aft room or even in the spa suite....it physically gets you out and also gets you walking. 

 

(Favorite bars and places to hang out are on the Waterfront).

[aubreyc1988]

5 minutes ago, JGmf said:

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. I enjoyed reading your comments and insights.

 

We've had similar experiences.  My wife and I enjoy the Haven amenities, the room snacks, special embarkation/disembarkation, restaurant, sundeck, etc., but lately not so much the bar and the courtyard.  It's too much of an insular club with that kind of attitude you mentioned.  Maybe we've had off experiences? 

 

Regardless, that's why we  prefer to stay in a Haven forward or aft room or even in the spa suite....it physically gets you out and also gets you walking. 

 

(Favorite bars and places to hang out are on the Waterfront).

Next time we go in the Haven, it will be hopefully in the Forward Facing or Aft Facing Suite. I didn't think the attitude would bother me, but it sort of did.  Next time we sail with NCL, if it's not in the Haven, definitely will try for Vibe Passes. I've heard they even pass out cold wash clothes and stuff there, and I didn't ever see that in the Haven. I am curious what the suite life is like on Celebrity tho. 

Edited March 14, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[aubreyc1988]

Bong and I have sailed together a few times and he is such a JOYful soul. 😄 He did tell me his contract is up in June, not sure where he heads next! 

[karmamule]

Thanks for the review! Happy to hear Bong will still be there when we're on in May. ☺️

[aubreyc1988]

On the left, Bongalicious, on the right, Raspberry Mojito. He knows I need both at the same time 😄 

 

 

The fancy Louis XIII, thanks to my TA 

 

[aubreyc1988]

We were in port with Carnival Sunrise (Which was in preeeettty bad shape), which used to be the Carnival Triumph, which I sailed on in Dec  2010 for my wedding anniversary. It was my first cruise, the one that started the addiction, and it made me all mushy inside to be next to her in port. We may try to sail on her this year because she's doing shorter itineraries and it will be easier for my to justify that short trip away from NCL. She is so old I am am afraid if I wait longer I will not be able to have that remembrance trip! 

 

[karmamule]

I suspect if we ever met you two our first comment wouldn't be about Haven vs genpop but instead "OH WOW YOU HAVE MATCHING GLASSES!" 

[aubreyc1988]

4 minutes ago, karmamule said:

I suspect if we ever met you two our first comment wouldn't be about Haven vs genpop but instead "OH WOW YOU HAVE MATCHING GLASSES!" 

haha right? You wouldn't believe how many times I said hi to someone sitting at the bar and the next words out of their mouth was "have you seen the gas prices" and I'm like what in the living...

[CDR Benson]

1 hour ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I actually thought the whole "bar experience" in the Haven was lackluster and service was just ok.  

 

Thank you for your review.  I consumed it all with interest.  Everyone's perceptions of life in the Haven are important to me, with our cruise on Joy, and the Haven, taking place in September.  You provided good information to digest.

 

With regard to the excerpt above, the other day the Good Mrs. Benson and I were going over the ship's attractions and restaurants and lounges, deciding what we'd like to try and when.  When it came to watering holes, she was in favour of some of the more picturesque spots on board, while I was thinking the Haven Lounge would be the place.  Logically. I figured it would be more upscale and more extravagant to the guests.

 

Based on your experience there, I believe I'll have to re-think that.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by CDR Benson

[mafig]

Mmmm.  We booked Joy for April....it was between Celebrity's Retreat and NCL's Haven.  Haven won mostly on price, but I had read a lot of very good things about it.  

This wasn't Joy's first sailing.  Why were they so confused at embarkation?  

 

We've been on MCS's Yacht Club twice.  We really liked it.  When comparisons are done, the Haven usually comes out a little a head.  I thank you for sharing your experiences with us.  You know, sometimes reviews that are not the greatest get read and re-read by me.  Hopefully, our cruise will turn out better, but if not, you can be sure you'll be hearing from me.  

 

Thanks again💘

Edited March 14, 2022 by mafig

[CDR Benson]

1 hour ago, aubreyc1988 said:

haha right? You wouldn't believe how many times I said hi to someone sitting at the bar and the next words out of their mouth was "have you seen the gas prices" and I'm like what in the living...

 

I have bigger problems than gasoline prices right now.  My polo pony is off his feed.

 

[aubreyc1988]

25 minutes ago, CDR Benson said:

 

Thank you for your review.  I consumed it all with interest.  Everyone's perceptions of life in the Haven are important to me, with our cruise on Joy, and the Haven, taking place in September.  You provided good information to digest.

 

With regard to the excerpt above, the other day the Good Mrs. Benson and I were going over the ship's attractions and restaurants and lounges, deciding what we'd like to try and when.  When it came to watering holes, she was in favour of some of the more picturesque spots on board, while I was thinking the Haven Lounge would be the place.  Logically. I figured it would be more upscale and more extravagant to the guests.

 

Based on your experience there, I believe I'll have to re-think that.

 

 

The Haven observation lounge area was very nice, would be amazing for Alaska. 

[Beach Life 1]

Thank you for your review.  It gave a a good insight  on what to expect in the Haven.  Do all Haven  rooms have tubs,  not walk in showers?  Did you find the tub hard to get in and out of?  If you are familiar with the tubs in Club Balcony Suites on the Jewel class ships, are they the same height?   Thanks

[aubreyc1988]

8 minutes ago, mafig said:

Mmmm.  We booked Joy for April....it was between Celebrity's Retreat and NCL's Haven.  Haven won mostly on price, but I had read a lot of very good things about it.  

This wasn't Joy's first sailing.  Why were they so confused at embarkation?  

 

We've been on MCS's Yacht Club twice.  We really liked it.  When comparisons are done, the Haven usually comes out a little a head.  I thank you for sharing your experiences with us.  You know, sometimes reviews that are not the greatest get read and re-read by me.  Hopefully, our cruise will turn out better, but if not, you can be sure you'll be hearing from me.  

 

Thanks again💘

Our cruise was amazing, I hope I didn't come off as too negative. 

 

For the price I paid, 10/10 worth it. If I had paid normal haven pricing for the Courtyard (4k per person ish), I would have felt extremely let down I think. I try to base my reviews on what normal pricing is and such.  It certainly was a special deal at 1650pp, but at 4k pp, some of the areas would need to be improved I think. 

[CDR Benson]

The Horizon Lounge, you bet'chum.  The GMB and I will plant ourselves there the same way that we did in the Crow's Nest on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam when we went to Alaska in 2018.

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by CDR Benson

[aubreyc1988]

3 minutes ago, jezabel80 said:

Thank you for your review.  It gave a a good insight  on what to expect in the Haven.  Do all Haven  rooms have tubs,  not walk in showers?  Did you find the tub hard to get in and out of?  If you are familiar with the tubs in Club Balcony Suites on the Jewel class ships, are they the same height?   Thanks

I'm 34 years old and in decent shape...i think if you had a drink or two and were going to take a shower, an accident could occur. There was a little handle that even I used to get in and out of. I don't think all Haven rooms have only a tub/shower combo. The tub was nice and deep, but we never used it, would prefer just a shower. If someone was even just a little bit handicapped, this tub would be a problem. 

 

I've never sailed in a club balcony so I cannot weigh in on that. 

 

Edited to add that I am 5'3, the top of the tub came up to the top of my thigh. 

Edited March 14, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[Shellbelle28]

I felt the same about the Haven bar service on the Bliss. The bartenders just didn't seem to really care that much. And I KNOW you would LOVE an aft suite (try to get the "large balcony" one. That MF is huge!)

[vacation44]

3 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I am going to just do a review of my first time in the Haven.  Feel free to ask any questions,  and remember that this is only my opinion and your own experience and thoughts will vary. 

 

I initially booked a HI Haven Suite with Balcony on NCL Joy for March 5th 2022 sailing at the low low price of 1,500pp.  Whenever the Haven Courtyard rooms went down in price to 1,630pp, I paid the different to upgrade. I was in room 18708 on Deck 18 of the courtyard. 

 

I did sent a precruise letter to the concierge asking him if we could have extra coffee and corn nuts as a snack in our room and he said all requests had to be made on board. 

 

Check-in: Initial thoughts was that general check-in was not well organized and this had nothing to do with the change in testing protocols. There wasn't any signs out front on who should be in what line and everyone was confused, even the staff. We had a 9am check in time and got into the terminal around 9:30 or so.  We then went into the Haven check-in room, which was a breeze and then onto the Haven lounge area, which was nice. The concierge Efren came to introduce himself and explained that we would all meet downstairs to board the ship. When we went downstairs to board, they had us all lined up according to muster station and it was all very confusing, as there was no signs where to line up and it was just Efren talking quietly in a very loud terminal. Once onboard the Joy, we were taken into the Haven and given the welcome spiel, which again no one could hear above the waterfall noise in the Courtyard, so I have no idea what was said during this welcome speech.  Our room was not ready so we went to lunch at American Diner, which was very good. After we ate there, our room was ready and we dropped off our bags and met our room steward, Sergio. We did not meet our butler on the first day.  She did find us in the afternoon on Day 2 and I requested extra coffee pods and corn nuts. 

 

Our room: We loved our room and the location. Some people need more room and the closet area could have been in a better location, but was perfect for two people. By the end of the cruise, I hated the soft close/push drawers but this is pretty nit picky. We asked our butler for extra coffee and I think by Day 3 she understood we POUND coffee probably harder than alcohol, so by Day 3 the decaf pods were gone and were replaced with Ristretto and Lungo pods haha! Our Nespresso was one of the favorite things about the room, although the bed was heavenly. Our room steward Sergio was great, he did a fantastic job. 

 

Haven Amenities: The best part of the Haven amenities for us was the sundeck. It is a nice area, although I thought the bar service around the deck should have been more frequent, and I actually thought the whole "bar experience" in the Haven was lackluster and service was just ok.  The menu had  this compass thing to help you create a "Bespoke cocktail" but whenever I tried to have the bartender create a "Bespoke cocktail" for me, it was like I got the response "Just order something already or I'm going to make you an old fashioned". We had some OBC left over on the last day, so I told my husband he should order .5 ounces of the Louis XIII Cognac, which we saw someone do on our last Alaskan cruise at Maltings. We decided to do it in the Haven because we thought for some odd reason that we would get a more premium experience. Since we saw someone do this on our last cruise, whenever we ordered .5 ounces, the bartender was about ready to just pour it in the regular glass, not the special crystal glass that the cognac is supposed to go in, so my husband asked to have it poured in the correct glass. We are not bougie people, but paying 80.00 for .5 ounce of special liquor, we want it in the special glass that it is supposed to be poured in. So the bartender was like "Ok I guess I'll go in the back to go get the glass...um there is literally just us and one other person at the bar...kind of ridiculous. Also, he didn't wear the special gloves or show my husband the book that comes with the Louis XIII "experience" as well. My husband DID really enjoy the tasting, but I was really disappointed he didn't get the same experience as the guy we saw on the Encore. So yeah, bar experience in the Haven was not my favorite so I mostly just went to other bars (the mojito bar in particular)  

 

We ate at the Haven Restaurant for breakfast almost every day, a few lunches, and three dinners. I thought the dinner time menu at the Haven Restaurant was *chefs kiss* but the other meal times were a letdown and just ok. In fact, I felt like the breakfast menu would have been better at the main dining room. 

 

We didn't use the concierge much, just to ask him to schedule a few shows/dinners for us, but everything was empty so idk how much my review of this will hold up when fuller capacity is back. 

 

We didn't use our butler much, except to ask for coffee pods and one time when I was drunk, I asked my husband to order mozzerella sticks to my room from American Diner and it happened pretty quickly. we paid around 6-8.00 for that. 

 

The "pool" snacks in the Courtyard area seemed just like mostly buffet items, except for the ice cream sandwiches which were STRANGE bougie things that were very hard to eat. And I think you had to request a pool snacks menu, I only experienced this because someone else ordered some and I was like yep, send me some of that!

 

This is not a reflection of NCL/the Haven, but there were a ton of "better than thou" people in the courtyard which was a bummer to me. I couldn't even have a small conversation with most people without it becoming a thing about "Oh the people out there in gen pop" or "The poor people who aren't in the Haven" I knew this would most likely happen before I booked but it was a bit disappointing, it won't prevent me from booking again, but this was a "Cheap Haven Sailing", so I wonder about what the atmosphere is like when it is "normal Haven pricing" There was a nice couple we met in the Haven sundeck hot tub and if you are reading this, don't worry, you guys are not who I am talking about 😛 I did meet some great people at other various bars on the ship and we had a fab time regardless and spent so much time just relaxing on the sundeck 

 

So in conclusion, would I book the Haven again for the right price and if I had the money to do so? Yes absolutely! But I would definitely not say it's a "Must book Haven every time" for us and maybe that is because the normal experience on NCL is soooooo good. Every staff member on the Joy was fabulous, so nice! The ship is spotless and the shows and all the food (even in the buffet) is SO excellent, I can't imagine having a bad time even in the "worst" cabin 🙂

 

P.S. Go to the shows, most of them were SO amazing, especially Elements 😄  I did find Footloose a little boring, but the signing and dancing talent was there, just the plot was not my cup of tea. 

 

 

 

 

I have been waiting anxiously to see your report.   I totally agree, if we had to pay anywhere near full price, there would of been a let down.   As I said, we had our best cruise ever, but it was not due to the Haven.   

 

Regarding the Haven bar service, remember they served me your raspberry drink in a plastic cup?

 

Regarding the Vibe, when we sailed the Escape in May of 1999, the bartenders also brought around to every one the Haven pool/snack menu and we were allowed to order free of charge.   And they had coffee and pastries in the morning when they opened.   

 

Glad you had a great time!

 

 

[aubreyc1988]

52 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

I have been waiting anxiously to see your report.   I totally agree, if we had to pay anywhere near full price, there would of been a let down.   As I said, we had our best cruise ever, but it was not due to the Haven.   

 

Regarding the Haven bar service, remember they served me your raspberry drink in a plastic cup?

 

Regarding the Vibe, when we sailed the Escape in May of 1999, the bartenders also brought around to every one the Haven pool/snack menu and we were allowed to order free of charge.   And they had coffee and pastries in the morning when they opened.   

 

Glad you had a great time!

 

 

So I thought of you whenever I ordered a raspberry mojito or watermelon mojito at the Haven Bar. It was NOT like the ones at the Mojito Bar. It was like...a normal mojito with a raspberry essence, same with the watermelon. It wasn't near as punchy as the Mojito Bar's. And halfway through the cruise, if I asked for one, they declined, saying go to the Mojito Bar. I know this may sound extra, but this is the HAVEN, the bartenders should be able to make ANY drink that I see from ANY of the bars and they should make it BETTER, seeing as the Mojito bar has some of their drinks premixed. 

 

Sidenote: they also wouldn't give me Haven slippers to go with my robe! I specifically didn't bring my slippers because I read reviews where Haven guests get these for the room. 

 

Wonderful time but definitely not as luxurious as advertised and imagined in my head. 

 

 

[aubreyc1988]

2 hours ago, Shellbelle28 said:

I felt the same about the Haven bar service on the Bliss. The bartenders just didn't seem to really care that much. And I KNOW you would LOVE an aft suite (try to get the "large balcony" one. That MF is huge!)

I wanted to, but I heard SO many bad reviews about the cavitation in the aft of the Joy and BOY they were right. When eating at LeBistro, I was like Holy COW

[kruiserkatie]

9 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

So I thought of you whenever I ordered a raspberry mojito or watermelon mojito at the Haven Bar. It was NOT like the ones at the Mojito Bar. It was like...a normal mojito with a raspberry essence, same with the watermelon. It wasn't near as punchy as the Mojito Bar's. And halfway through the cruise, if I asked for one, they declined, saying go to the Mojito Bar. I know this may sound extra, but this is the HAVEN, the bartenders should be able to make ANY drink that I see from ANY of the bars and they should make it BETTER, seeing as the Mojito bar has some of their drinks premixed. 

 

Sidenote: they also wouldn't give me Haven slippers to go with my robe! I specifically didn't bring my slippers because I read reviews where Haven guests get these for the room. 

 

Wonderful time but definitely not as luxurious as advertised and imagined in my head. 

 

 

This is very disappointing to hear. We are sailing on the Joy in  2 weeks in the Haven.  We spent 4 weeks on the Encore in the Haven between August and December of last year and were blown away by the bar team.  Actually by the whole Haven team.  We knew it would be different sailing on the Joy but my expectations are based on our last experiences.  I will be providing feedback onboard if I am told to “go to the Mojito Bar” ….

 

I am sorry that there were some challenges. 

[micha200]

4 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

Next time we go in the Haven, it will be hopefully in the Forward Facing or Aft Facing Suite. I didn't think the attitude would bother me, but it sort of did.  Next time we sail with NCL, if it's not in the Haven, definitely will try for Vibe Passes. I've heard they even pass out cold wash clothes and stuff there, and I didn't ever see that in the Haven. I am curious what the suite life is like on Celebrity tho. 

l have long wanted to try the Haven but actually found a good deal for a solo in The Retreat so I’m doing that later this month. It will be my first non-NCL cruise. I like that Celebrity gives you a significant amount of your money back as obc ( in my case $600) plus price includes premium bev, internet, and tips. Last NCL cruise in December I had the Vibe pass and loved having it. They do pass out fruit skewers but I don’t think I got a cold cloth. Very attentive bar staff.
 

I still hope to try the Haven someday. Thanks for your report.

Edited March 14, 2022 by micha200

[DaisyGoldberg]

3 hours ago, jezabel80 said:

Thank you for your review.  It gave a a good insight  on what to expect in the Haven.  Do all Haven  rooms have tubs,  not walk in showers?  Did you find the tub hard to get in and out of?  

I had a similar Haven suite on Breakaway and know there's no way my elderly mom could have showered safely. The tub was not only deep, but curved in such a way you needed to lift your foot practically to the height of your other knee then step waaaay in... With nothing to hold onto but that flimsy glass door. 

 

The tub in this photo at least seems to have vertical sides, but how they don't grasp the need for a handle (or a convenient counter not impeded by the sliding door) escapes me.