TowerOrchard

I would focus on the noise & temperature issues when you are talking to the hotel director and be open to solutions that might not look like what you are imagining - they can't move you to a similar sized room if there are none available. 

The sleeping arrangements of the guests you chose to book into the room are not their problem. 

We did Margaritaville in the past & will do American Diner on our upcoming cruise. Several reasons - Haven lunch menu is the least appealing of the 3 meals and no variety during the week. We've also found the Haven restaurant to be crowded during lunch on embarkation day - the crowd evens out during the week, thankfully.

We generally aren't eating a heavy lunch on that first day, so apps & drinks with low crowds works for us!

Congrats on the upgrade! My husband and I love the Haven Spa rooms. We vastly prefer hanging out in the spa to using the Haven sundeck/pool area, so it's the best fit for us - use of the Haven restaurant & bar, all the other Haven perks and lots & lots of spa time!

21 minutes ago, kirsten1526 said:

 

I am confused by this- as people who bid get only the perks from their old room and should not get the added perks of booking Haven direct. Does this mean that bidding also gives you the added perk of the thermal suites? Or by bidding (and not booking) do you not have access to this perk? I'm intrigued by this as the only other point I can think of would be the extra latitude point per night.

The spa access is a feature of the room and not one of the perks like the alcohol or dining packages. Yes, you absolutely get full use of the spa in a Haven spa room, regardless of whether you booked direct or upgraded. 

We love the Haven Spa suites, and don't think it is any big deal to walk to the Haven. On one cruise, there were quite a few loud kids in the Haven pool area, and we were glad to be at a remove from the extra noise. 

On the Away class ships, we LOVE the spa.. spend hours there! Wherever you end up, don't give up the spa!

I just checked out the new Haven menus and I am impressed! Far more options that sound good to me than the old one!

Peanut butter is readily available, maple syrup is not. In fact, I would rank the syrup as being lower quality than even Mrs. Butterworths or similar grocery store brands. Whipped cream is not Cool Whip, but it's not top quality, either. 

I don't recall seeing Nutella, but I haven't looked for it. 

I've added the Apple Blossom, Bermuda Triangle Punch, Botanical Spritz, Toro Toro & a Tropical Paloma to my "to try" list! Thanks!

You look awesome! Rock that tux if you want to - it's your vacation! As others have said, you will be in the minority, but who cares? "Don't do it because no one else will" is a pretty crappy life philosophy, if you ask me. Do what makes you happy!

I don't "begrudge" anything - I choose the kind of vacation I want to have. The Haven doesn't make sense when my kids prefer the food at the buffet or O'Sheehans over the Haven restaurant, they prefer to be around friends at the water slides over hanging out at the quiet Haven pool, and they prefer to spend their days exploring all the ports instead of hanging out on a slow ship. If I am choosing between spending time in the Haven and spending time with my kids, my kids win every time! Why would I pay Haven prices when we'll have little use for what it provides on those trips?

I am aware that lots of people like to stash their children/grandchildren in the kids' clubs so they can do their own thing on a cruise, but we are fortunate enough to enjoy spending vacation time with our kids and they with us (well... at least until they become teenagers 😃). They enjoy the kids' clubs in small doses, but our family vacations are just that - family. And, as I mentioned, we are also fortunate enough to be able to take "just us" trips to enjoy each other AND the Haven to its fullest. 

To each their own... we know what works for us! 

When my husband & I cruise, we have two very different styles of vacations depending on whether our kids are with us or not. For us, the Haven is a must for "just the two of us" cruises, and a waste of money for cruising with kids. 

When it is just us, we are looking to unplug and reconnect. We are more focused on dining & drinks. We want less crowds, high quality meals, access to a great bartender, and a comfortable & luxurious space to unwind and be pampered. We often don't get off the boat at the ports - we are just there to chill. The Haven meets our needs for those kinds of trips.

When we are travelling with the kids (currently ages 12 & 10), we are MUCH more on the go. We get off the ship at every port, we do a lot of onboard activities, we don't drink NEARLY as much, and meals are more about finding choices that work for all of us instead of a higher end experience. Our kids like meeting new people, so we are out & about with the crowds being social. We just don't have enough demand for the amenities the Haven provides on those kinds of trips to make the additional cost worth it. 

I am looking forward to the day when my kids age into either appreciating the slower, quieter Haven OR they are old enough to manage their own time so that we can just meet up in the evenings for some family time. But we aren't there yet. Until then, sometimes the Haven is worth it and sometimes it isn't!

So Six isn't on the Bliss anymore? Does anyone know what shows are on the Bliss?

I can't speak to CVS, but my son had to take a PCR test at Walgreens a couple of months ago because of an exposure and it did have his date of birth on the results they sent him. The text of the email didn't show it, but there was a link attached with a PDF of the full report and that did.

I'm sure you've gotten the picture by now that there are no assigned times or eating with strangers. 😆 The MDRs are set up like a land-based restaurant with lots of smaller tables instead of the larger banquet style tables on other cruise lines.

We have also had good experiences on other lines meeting people over dinner, but on NCL, we focus that friendly energy in other places. We've made new friends at the bars, during trivia, on shore excursions, around the pool... you name it. That vibe is still present on NCL - it just shows up in places other than the dining rooms.

2 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@TowerOrchardgreat question.  @ggTexasGalsaid, the restaurant has changed.  I just spoke with the Pre-Cruise Haven Desk and ask the question for the Joy.  The answer was YES.  The way they answered it was it was a standard feature of Haven cruises on Embarkment day.  My understanding is the Lobster Rolls there are GREAT.

Thanks so much for the information! The lobster rolls are EXACTLY what I will be enjoying!

I skimmed through this & didn't see an answer. We are returning to the Haven on a Mexican Riviera cruise in March 2022 on the Bliss. When we've sailed the Haven before, we had the option of having our embarkation lunch at Margaritaville. Is this still an option or is it the Haven restaurant only? TIA!

We are taking advantage of the B1G1 deal with Norwegian for our next cruise. We fly out of a smaller market airport where choices are fewer,  prices are higher, and travel always involves a connection through a hub. I can understand people from bigger markets not finding the value in this deal, but it is saving us around $1400 for flights that are about the same as what we have access to anyway.

57 minutes ago, mgrace56 said:

March 15 sailing? Me too!!

Yes! We can't wait!

AFAIK, the Nespresso machines are a Haven only perk. I've never heard of anyone getting anything upgraded beyond the Hamilton Beach. It never hurts to ask, but my strong suspicion is that the answer will be "no."

And I know this is a common gripe on here, but seriously... WHEN is NCL ever going to change the name of the mini-suite booking category? It is very confusing for people (especially newbies) who assume that suite benefits are included.  Calling it Balcony Plus would be more accurate and less confusing.

That will be us in 3 weeks! Looking forward to hearing about your week!

Not sure whether you are travelling to Alaska on the Bliss or not, but I was on last week, and the water slides weren't open very much - this during one of the hottest weeks they had experienced, according to the locals. I wouldn't book an Alaskan cruise based on water slides - availability will be limited.

We attempted to book go kart rides last week starting on Sunday and all slots were taken (my kids are smaller, so we needed the two seaters). We kept checking multiple times a day and eventually got lucky when a slot opened up later in the week./QUOTE]

 

 

 

How big do kids have to be to ride alone?

 

I'm not sure of the exact height needed. I have a shorter than average 9 year old boy and a MUCH taller than average 7 year old girl, and they didn't quite make the minimum height requirement. I'd guess maybe 50 or 52 inches?

 

 

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We attempted to book go kart rides last week starting on Sunday and all slots were taken (my kids are smaller, so we needed the two seaters). We kept checking multiple times a day and eventually got lucky when a slot opened up later in the week.

While it might be possible to walk up and get on if someone else is a no-show, that is a poor strategy for guaranteeing a ride. There is a greater demand than supply for the go karts.

Has anyone had 4 people in their cabin and had their upgrade bids accepted? We are bidding on an upgrade to see if we get lucky, but I feel like the number of people in our cabin might automatically disqualify us - it's an extra wrinkle to account for lifeboat space, proper cabin configuration, etc. and I don't know if the NCL algorithm is built to consider it.

Absolutely not. We've done The Haven in the past, but it is not worth it for the prices they are going for these days. We have an upcoming Alaska trip with the kids on the Bliss - we are spending our extra dollars on amazing excursions. The next cruise after that will be just DH and I, and we are currently looking around at more "luxury" lines.

I'm not sure how much high end travel you've done before, but the current pricing on The Haven is completely out of line for the level of luxury/service you receive. There are better options out there at that price point that offer you much more.