Candy Apple 12

What makes the Epic Haven the best in the fleet? I’ve been on the Bliss in the Haven three times and loved it, especially the Horizon lounge. I just got off the Escape and while I missed the Horizon lounge, I still enjoyed the Haven.

I was specifically told by the concierge, assistant concierge, and on board account crew member that additional gratuities cannot be paid for with non-refundable OBC. I did add gratuities to my account. The assistant concierge gave me a guest copy of the receipts and envelopes in which to place the receipts to give them to each respective crew member. I’ve redacted some information, but the receipt clearly shows the crew member who is to receive the gratuity along with their ID number and crew cabin number. If the crew member doesn’t receive it on their account, they have the receipt.

You cannot use the non-refundable OBC for any gaming purchases. I was on the Escape last week, and the crew member at the On board credit desk said gaming includes casino, bingo, Deal or No Deal, and Wheel of Fortune. He also confirmed that it cannot be used for daily service charge or additional gratuities.

Thank you!

How long did the passport line take? Or did you go through the BC line with your passport since you said “30 seconds later we were outside”? We are taking passports next month, but after the fiasco disembarking in LA last month (in laws got off before us and waited 90 minutes in the regular line, and we waited about 40 minutes in the porter line), I’ll bring BC’s along with passports if it’ll shorten the time in the terminal after disembarkation.

Looking forward to reading more as I’m in the Haven on this itinerary in a few weeks. Is there any charge (other than drinks and food) in Puerto Plata?

As soon as the ship is ready. Unfortunately for me, this has never been before noon. I’ve been unlucky on the Bliss for three sailings. The first time was out of Seattle when the previous cruise had a norovirus outbreak, and they did a deep clean before letting the new passengers on. The second was out of LA on Easter Sunday when the Coast Guard decided to do their inspection. The third was out of Miami this past December. The incoming cruise was an eastbound Panama Canal and customs took a lot of time processing the disembarking passengers. This cruise was also a Panama Canal cruise and customs was also painfully slow (my in-laws disembarked around 8 AM and waited in the regular line for 90 minutes; we disembarked just after 9 AM and paid a porter to go through the faster line which took about 30 minutes once we entered that line), so I’m sure embarkation was delayed for those incoming passengers. I’m hoping for better luck next month on the Escape out of Port Canaveral.

We tried it on the Bliss last month. All five of us agreed that we’d never go there again. The ribs were dry. The pulled pork was mostly the burnt ends. I like some burnt ends, but I also want to enjoy moist pulled pork. The regular corn bread was dry. I eat gluten-free and the GF corn bread was actually moist and not too bad. The banana pudding was a very weird texture—almost too thick. The bread pudding was the strangest we’ve ever seen; it looked like a mashup of bread pudding and flan. The person who got it said it was terrible. The music was fine, but once it started it was too loud for any conversation at the table.

Thanks! I hope they offer La Cucina for my cruise which I think is sold out because it’s no longer showing on NCL’s website.

Did the concierge mention it to you? I’ve been in the Haven three times and no one onboard ever mentioned that the American Diner was free. I learned that here on Cruise Critic and did partake of it on our most recent cruise.

I’m going on the Escape soon. La Cucina sounds great for lunch. How did you learn of this option?

Great explanation! Do you know how to find out which terminal you’re sailing from? I’m on the Escape out of Oort Canaveral next month.

Which ship? If you have sewer smells from the bathroom drain, pour water into the drain.

Thanks for the review. It’s nice to relive the experience and see what we missed. Did you see the volcano erupt while you were on the ship or on your tour? We stayed in the port area and did not see it. Chicken busses?? Please elaborate.

I enjoy taking the stairs. Why is it difficult to access the stairs on the Pr1ma class ships? Enjoy the most: tie between the butler bringing me my meals to the room so I don’t have to sit in the restaurant and wait for them and priority embarkation/disembarkation so I don’t have to wait in lines. Therefore, what I enjoy most is not having to wait! Can do without: the smell of the smoked drinks permeating from the bar into the lounge area

Many ports have a fine. Good luck! We don’t want to sail without you!

Thank you! Hubby and I are looking forward to trying it out soon!

Are robes available in the thermal spa? Thank you!

That would have to be the most expensive bottle of perfume I’ve ever bought. I have $250 to spend.

Will that work the same way for buying an SDP for guest #3? I currently have all three guests under my credit card. I did that just for the ease on online check in, but guest #3 was going to change it over to her credit card at the embarkation port. If need be, she can keep it on my card. We don’t drink, so I’m trying to find the best use of the credit on my upcoming cruise.

I don’t like those breakfast potatoes either. They are usually soft and mushy. They’d be better if they were crispy. I ask the server to leave them off and I’m only successful half the time, even though I have a pre-order due to needing to eat gluten-free. Unfortunately I’ve never been able to try the now elusive hash browns because I’ve always been told they contain gluten. I’m thinking of pre-ordering some real shredded hash browns next month in the Haven. I’ll report back if I’m successful.

What can the non-refundable stockholder OBC be used for? I’ve heard it cannot be used to pay the daily service charge. Is there anything else it cannot be used for, or is everything else fair game? It gets split between guest #1 and guest #2 on the reservation which of course are the guests that get the free at sea SDP. Can I use it to buy a SDP for guest #3? Can I use it to pay for tips for the stateroom steward, butler, or concierge? Thank you!

Well, there’s another mystery solved. Maybe we have the same TA. @RocketMan275 helped me find a new TA, so I think my new TA gifted me these extras.

Woe to the crew member wearing red!

I just booked 14312 and 14314 for a 2025 cruise. Any feedback on those would be appreciated.