How I became addicted to the Haven!

[Sthrngary]

18 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

 

Still have the same info showing on our Joy December cruise.  I asked my PCC about it and he said it's some glitch in they NCL system.  He advised that we make sure to have a hard copy on hand of our Confirmation Booking with us to show all the individual add-ons that FASUP adds/includes.

Agreed, it came as an email.  Thank you for clarifying this.  Always have a back up for sure.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[jetact]

Just got off the Bliss on Saturday and was in the Haven. WOW !!!! We had a fabulous time and could not have been treated better by the Haven staff. The entire ships staff was fabulous in fact. The Haven was our refuge of peace and quiet. We enjoyed the casino a little to much and walked to ship a bit but it was always nice to be able to come back to the Haven. We are addicted to the Haven and other then the suite on the Jewel in October on a chartered cruise we will always go to the Haven.

[Sand and Seas]

41 minutes ago, jetact said:

Just got off the Bliss on Saturday and was in the Haven. WOW !!!! We had a fabulous time and could not have been treated better by the Haven staff. The entire ships staff was fabulous in fact. The Haven was our refuge of peace and quiet. We enjoyed the casino a little to much and walked to ship a bit but it was always nice to be able to come back to the Haven. We are addicted to the Haven and other then the suite on the Jewel in October on a chartered cruise we will always go to the Haven.

We are going on the Bliss Haven next week (and then back to regular cabins after that!)  

And, we will be spending some time in that casino too😉  

 

I hope you don't mind us asking a couple of recent Bliss Alaska Haven questions-

 

How was the weather for your cruise?

Was there Hot Chocolate for Haven Sun deck available?  

Can you tell us if the Haven Restaurant had some different 'specials' on the menu some nights?

 

We envision spending some good time on that top Haven Sun Deck with our binoculars....or warmly enjoying the view in the Haven's forward lounge😊

 

[jetact]

1 minute ago, Sand and Seas said:

We are going on the Bliss Haven next week (and then back to regular cabins after that!)  

And, we will be spending some time in that casino too😉  

 

I hope you don't mind us asking a couple of recent Bliss Alaska Haven questions-

 

How was the weather for your cruise?

Was there Hot Chocolate for Haven Sun deck available?  

Can you tell us if the Haven Restaurant had some different 'specials' on the menu some nights?

 

We envision spending some good time on that top Haven Sun Deck with our binoculars....or warmly enjoying the view in the Haven's forward lounge😊

 

Happy to answer any questions as I was just sitting at my desk looking at pictures. 

 

Our weather was beautiful. I never put on a coat all week but I heard the week before they had 5 days of rain. Hopefully you will have sunny weather at the ports like we didn't as it was perfect. We had some rain in the morning on our first at sea day and when we got back to Seattle our last day. 

 

I honestly didn't see any hot chocolate on the sun deck but we only went up there twice. One day we went up there they were setting up a chafing dish but it was very windy so we didnt stay up there very long to see what was being put into it. I am sure the fabulous bartenders in the lounge would be happy to make you a hot chocolate before you walked up there.  

There were no dinner specials mentioned but you can pretty much order what you want or amend dishes to you liking. We kind of mixed and match what we felt like. One night she didnt want steak but wanted  had a lobster craving, the waitress got her 3 lobster tails (they are very small) and her veggies. The staff is very accommodating. 

 

We sat on our deck with our binoculars often and enjoyed the view. The observation lounge is a very relaxing place. Sun deck was a bit windy but people were out there sitting in the cabanas and a few in the hot tubs. 

[golden6911]

I don't cruise very often, so this might be a different perspective.  I ended up getting a last minute super cheap Haven upsell on my 20th anniversary Alaskan cruise ($500pp going from a Balcony to an Owner's suite - I couldn't say no).  The experience started from the beginning, which was the separate embarkation plus a lunch at Cagneys - super nice way to start a trip. 

 

The cabin was also super fantastic.  King bed, huge bathroom with a tub, two balconies, a sitting room and of course the butler.  As someone not used to that level of service, I didn't really utilize the butler very much - but he did do a lot of thoughtful things.  He kept bringing us in room snacks and once he realized we liked fruit, he brought us fruit plates every day. 

 

The one downside.  The experience feels....isolating.  I get that this is the point for many people, but I kind of like being around other people and feeling the hustle and bustle of the ship.  I ended up using the Haven pool once, but I was the only one there, and it felt kinda...weird. 

 

But the cabin, if I had paid the rack rate, would have been an extra $4k total on the trip vs the $1k I paid.  That would not have been worth it, imo. 

 

I priced the Haven out for the Prima trip to Iceland I am taking next year and it is easily $10K more than a balcony Spa cabin I booked.  Not even remotely worth it for me.  But if there was another crazy cheap upsell, I would do it, maybe for say, $1-2K more pp.  (Won't happen on a new ship, but a girl can dream). 

 

 

[Sailing12Away]

3 hours ago, golden6911 said:

I priced the Haven out for the Prima trip to Iceland I am taking next year and it is easily $10K more than a balcony Spa cabin I booked.  Not even remotely worth it for me.  But if there was another crazy cheap upsell, I would do it, maybe for say, $1-2K more pp.  (Won't happen on a new ship, but a girl can dream). 

The other option is to make friends with someone else who was foolish enough to do it and get a tour of their room. 

 

Not sure which specific date you're sailing, but I was that specific foolish person you're looking for sailing September 2023. It's our most expensive splurge yet, but everything we're seeing so far in photos and videos has me confident that it will be worth it to us. Not for every trip, but sometimes you need to treat yourself and go big or go home.

[wolft927]

I will always book the Haven as long as it is within my price range or Bid range! We cruise off season so we can usually get the haven for Thousands less the book rate 

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, Sailing12Away said:

The other option is to make friends with someone else who was foolish enough to do it and get a tour of their room. 

 

Not sure which specific date you're sailing, but I was that specific foolish person you're looking for sailing September 2023. It's our most expensive splurge yet, but everything we're seeing so far in photos and videos has me confident that it will be worth it to us. Not for every trip, but sometimes you need to treat yourself and go big or go home.

@Sailing12AwayYou are NOT Foolish in anyway.  There are many ways to look at a vacation.  My recent vacation was for my family of 4, my wife and my 42 Wedding Anniversary, we did the Haven and the Owners Suite.  NOT FOOLISH.  I loved it so much, I did a solo trip on the same ship in a Non-Haven Club Suite and it was an $850.00 fare for me plus Port/Tax/Gratuities.  That also was an extremely nice cruise.  

 

There is nothing wrong with a splurge.  Some folks looking at the price alone think it is a waste because you could have cruised several times for the same amount.  I say, try it once and see it if makes a difference to you.  It did for me but will not change the fact I will also look for a bargain for a quick value priced cruise.  

 

Funny story.  My adult daughter was so upset with me for booking the Haven.  She wanted her own cabin with veranda for she and her partner.  I was paying so she and the partner got the second bedroom in the suite.  I thought the complaining would never stop. Then she saw the room, ate at the Haven Restaurant, Sun on the Haven Sundeck, Had a Smoking Manhattan at the Haven Bar, and room service from the Butler.  She loved her cabin and the privacy it gave her.  Until she actually saw, and know what the Haven was all about, he criticized it.  Let's just say my family had no complaints. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[complawyer]

it's extremely easy to get addicted to the haven....spend 24 hrs there, especially if the ship has the specially dedicated bar and restaurant. but caveat emptor!. you may never be satisfied with a lessor category cabin again