When you have Haven suite, do you get free specialty dining (i.e. do not need to use perk) during the embarkation day still?

[time391]

Hello,

I am getting competing examples that Cagneys or American Diner is free to Haven guests on embarkation day until 4 PM. Is this still true?

I will be on the NCL Bliss in April 2024 heading to Alaska, so I am interested in maximizing my Haven perks and knowing what I can get as a Haven guest.

[Two Wheels Only]

It isn't guaranteed but to help alleviate the burden on the Haven restaurant during embarkation day lunch, the concierge might arrange something with a specialty restaurant. 

 

I've seen meals discounted 50% at different restaurants but I wouldn't go in assuming that something will be completely without charge nor would I assume which specialty restaurant will be used. 

 

If it's offered and you're interested, take the offer.

If not, the Haven restaurant is there for you.

[Sand and Seas]

American Diner is now a complimentary venue with a new menu.   We sailed the first cruise with this change on the Encore in January.   Embarkation day they did give priority seating to some Haven guests but also served non-Haven guests.

[complawyer]

hopefully this will adequately answer your question(s) 1 neither haven/ nor suite guests get comped dinners in specialty restaurants. Only those dinners included in your initial booking, those included in you specific latitudes award program, it  has been our experience, that if you are a haven guest and the ship has a designated haven complex  you will be taken to the exclusive haven restaurant. if there is no designated haven complex, or you have booked a suite category cabin (not club balcony suite) you will be taken to cagneys for lunch.  haven and or suite guests on ncl ships without the designated haven complex, are offered breakfast every morning in moderno, and lunch in cagney's 

 

dinner for all sailing is "catch as catch can"

[time391]

6 hours ago, complawyer said:

hopefully this will adequately answer your question(s) 1 neither haven/ nor suite guests get comped dinners in specialty restaurants. Only those dinners included in your initial booking, those included in you specific latitudes award program, it  has been our experience, that if you are a haven guest and the ship has a designated haven complex  you will be taken to the exclusive haven restaurant. if there is no designated haven complex, or you have booked a suite category cabin (not club balcony suite) you will be taken to cagneys for lunch.  haven and or suite guests on ncl ships without the designated haven complex, are offered breakfast every morning in moderno, and lunch in cagney's 

 

dinner for all sailing is "catch as catch can"

Thanks, I was wondering if this was a new benefit of the Haven. I was on the NCL Epic and was directed Haven restaurant my last time. I'll be on the NCL Bliss, so I assumed it would be the same. Then I heard some folks on the Encore were able to have lunch until 4 PM at the specialty restaurant, so I was curious if that was a new benefit for Haven guests. 

I wouldn't mind sampling Los Lobos, Food Republic, or some of the new places for lunch as an additional benefit of the Haven. I know dinner is fee/perk per visit deal.

Edited February 26 by time391

[complawyer]

if you are booked into a haven complex, all meals in the haven restaurant itself are free (breakfast lunch and dinner) without the haven complex ,(as stated before) breakfast in moderno, lunch at cagneys. This has been my personal experience throughout my last 5-6 cruises.

 

i have not sailed on the newer ships, escape, encore, joy prima or viva, so i cannot speak as to their procedures. my post speaks only of most of the other ships we have been on.

 

regardless, without the dinner package, or your latitude perks, none of the other specialty restaurants will offer you a free meal. sorry. finally, i dont believe you need to be booked into either a haven or a suite to gain access to the restaurants you have mentioned.

 

by the way, the epic does have a designated haven complex with its  own pool area, bar and restaurant, which was probably the reason you were directed there once  onboard (rank does in fact have its privileges), but that's what you paid haven prices for.

[Pitzel]

If the concierge does provide a complimentary specialty restaurant lunch for Haven guests on embarkation day to relieve some of the crowding in the Haven restaurant, you will not be able to select the restaurant. When we sailed the Bliss in 2020, we ate at Margaritaville gratis for embarkation lunch (this was before Margaritaville went away fleetwide).

Until recently, American Diner was often (but not always) offered as a Haven lunch option on day 1, but now it is complimentary for all, so who knows.

[Sand and Seas]

51 minutes ago, Pitzel said:

Until recently, American Diner was often (but not always) offered as a Haven lunch option on day 1, but now it is complimentary for all, so who knows.

On the Joy (October), we were offered lunch in American Diner at no charge the first day.  This was before the American Diner became a complimentary venue with a new & simplified menu.   As I stated above (post #3), we were on the Encore in January the first cruise after the change to complimentary.   I did not hear of any other specialty venue being available to Haven for lunch that first day.   

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, time391 said:

Thanks, I was wondering if this was a new benefit of the Haven. I was on the NCL Epic and was directed Haven restaurant my last time. I'll be on the NCL Bliss, so I assumed it would be the same. Then I heard some folks on the Encore were able to have lunch until 4 PM at the specialty restaurant, so I was curious if that was a new benefit for Haven guests. 

I wouldn't mind sampling Los Lobos, Food Republic, or some of the new places for lunch as an additional benefit of the Haven. I know dinner is fee/perk per visit deal.

Again, no free specialty restaurant food. On ships without a dedicated Haven restaurant, you are taken to Cagney's / Moderno, but served the Suites menu,,, not food off the steakhouse menu. 

[CruisingSince1982]

18 hours ago, complawyer said:

hopefully this will adequately answer your question(s) 1 neither haven/ nor suite guests get comped dinners in specialty restaurants. Only those dinners included in your initial booking, those included in you specific latitudes award program, it  has been our experience, that if you are a haven guest and the ship has a designated haven complex  you will be taken to the exclusive haven restaurant. if there is no designated haven complex, or you have booked a suite category cabin (not club balcony suite) you will be taken to cagneys for lunch.  haven and or suite guests on ncl ships without the designated haven complex, are offered breakfast every morning in moderno, and lunch in cagney's 

 

dinner for all sailing is "catch as catch can"

Not necessarily true. There have been instances where Haven guests were comped on night one in a specialty, but it usually is a low demand restaurant. Such as Q. It all depends on how busy the Haven restaurant is on night 1. 

Edited February 26 by CruisingSince1982

[complawyer]

i would think however, that with having a limited number of cabins, the haven restaurant should have enough seating space for the people that are haven booked.  while ive never tried Q and only saw it on the Bliss a few years ago, i would be more than a little p+++sed off, if i expected to eat dinner at the haven, and they tried to stick me in what is essentially a somewhat "upper class" BBQ joint. i dont think i would ever eat at Q anyway, not a big fan of texas bbq

and since haven cabins are limited, why would the haven restaurant be any more or less crowed on the 1st night?  im sure that not everyone in a haven suite would be beating down the doors to eat there.

 

i'd have headed for le bistro or cagney's or even the MDR

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

and since haven cabins are limited, why would the haven restaurant be any more or less crowed on the 1st night?  im sure that not everyone in a haven suite would be beating down the doors to eat there.

 

I think that it is more of a timing issue. The Haven restaurant can handle all Haven guests but cannot handle all Haven guests at the same time. During the course of a week, some will dine early, some in the middle, and some later. On the first night, there might be a rush of people that arrive early since there's usually nothing else to do or people haven't found ways to occupy themselves with other things. 

 

I've never been offered a specialty restaurant at dinner but even if it's an offer, anyone can always decline the offer and wait for the Haven restaurant.  

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

 i dont think i would ever eat at Q anyway, not a big fan of texas bbq

and since haven cabins are limited, why would the haven restaurant be any more or less crowed on the 1st night?  im sure that not everyone in a haven suite would be beating down the doors to eat there.

I am a fan of Texas BBQ but I wouldn't consider Q Texas BBQ.

I assure  you if  you ever had real Texas BBQ, ie, BBQ beef ribs, you would throw rocks at the next pig you see.

 

[UKstages]

20 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

On ships without a dedicated Haven restaurant, you are taken to Cagney's / Moderno, but served the Suites menu

 

it's actually the haven menu, served to haven and suite guests. it's branded "haven" for both haven and suite guests and it's the full haven menu, no whammies.

 

10 hours ago, CruisingSince1982 said:

There have been instances where Haven guests were comped on night one in a specialty, but it usually is a low demand restaurant. Such as Q. It all depends on how busy the Haven restaurant is on night 1. 

 

absolutely true.

 

we were offered "Q" for dinner on embarkation day, but chose to eat at the haven restaurant.

[Always Cruising]

10 hours ago, CruisingSince1982 said:

Not necessarily true. There have been instances where Haven guests were comped on night one in a specialty, but it usually is a low demand restaurant. Such as Q. It all depends on how busy the Haven restaurant is on night 1. 

On the Joy to Bermuda last summer, we were offered Q the first night - the Haven restaurant was overwhelmed.  I was glad to take advantage of the offer, and not use a specialty meal.  Loved the music and the smoked peach margarita!   My daughter and granddaughter stayed for the Haven dinner, but service was slow.