LeLeHayes

Thanks to you all for replying!!! I'm here now, checked in and waiting comfortably in the Haven waiting area. So far, it has been hassle free and I'm already feeling the healthcare stress slide away! I'm very excited!!!:)

Let me first say I have been on over 11 cruise's in the last 9 years and have enjoyed them all. Recently booked a ncl getaway in july 2016 and had a great time.wonderful ship very impressed. We booked another cruise for feb 2017 and we have heard about there "invitation to bid program" .seen on forums here where people were bidding and getting fantastic upgrades for a nominal fair. I had not received any word so called out travel agent who said she did not know anything about it and would check it out. Well I just took the matter on myself and contacted NCL today to be told that the travel agencys are not part of that program and was told in a round about way we should have booked directly thru them. VERY DISAPPOINTED!

I have booked cruises with competitors and always got a call at some point to upgrade if cabins were available even though I booked thru travel agency.I guess they dont think that the travel agents are thier friends anymore and I hope the agencies start recommending other linee. I know I sure will so much for my Latitudes points thats a JOKE.

Its a shame that my money is not the same as someone elses and this is the last time we book with NCL. Back to Royal and carnival for us.:mad:

I booked my NCL cruise for March 26th with a travel agent and got many emails from NCL to bid on an upgrade. I went through the process and updated my bid several times. I really wanted a Haven upgrade and did not like the blind bidding process and the fact that I wouldn't know until TODAY if I got the upgrade, so I ended up biting the bullet and just paying extra for the cabin I wanted.

This does seem to be a hot hot topic. I think if parents have spent the big money to get a haven suite and they have children, then it's to be expected that the parents will have their children in the Haven pool area at some point. That being said and pretty obvious, my humble opinion is that children belong in POOLS, not hot tubs. Adults should be able to enjoy the relaxation and serenity of a hot tub with a bunch of kiddies bouncing around and splashing like it a mini pool. Everyone knows that Water + Children = Wildness and Fun. Kids can't help themselves; something about that water makes the crazed maniac come out in them and that's totally normal in my experience raising kids and now a grandchild. With that line of thought, a lot of adults have sailed child free and spent a lot of money to be in the Haven for some well deserved relaxation. Hot tubs should be kept kiddie free and when kids are wildly out of control with happiness and fun, maybe that is a good time to transfer down to one of the huge kid friendly areas where they can work all that energy out of their systems and keep everyone perfectly happy. :cool:

I am cruising this coming Sunday, March 26th, on the Breakaway. I just upgraded my cabin from a regular balcony room to The Haven Spa Suite with Balcony. I am taking this cruise solo because it's on my bucket list. I've always wanted to take a cruise by myself so it would be all about ME. :D Anyhow, after reading a zillion posts and watching too many videos, I JUST HAD to book a Haven room. The Spa Suite was perfect for me because I had every intention of purchasing a spa pass. So, I've forked out a ton of money and I'm really excited but I'm also a bit stressed regarding the butlers and whatnot. I have sailed in suites before but that was with Holland America and Royal, with no butlers to fret about. I understand that all the Haven Spa Suites are on deck 14, with the actual Haven being on deck 16. How in the world will I meet my butler and the concierge? I'm not exactly sure what I would want from them???? I know that I don't care to eat any meals in my room, but I would like to have healthy snacks that I hear that they will leave. I'm NOT interested in sweets or things of that nature. How can I ensure that the "goodies" left for me will be things like fruit, chilled shrimp, veggies? Is that asking too much? I simply have no idea how to show any sense of deportment in this situation because I don't have any history in this area. :o I'm hoping someone can give me a good Haven for Dummies guide from A to Z. I haven't the slightest idea what time to arrive in port or how to conduct myself from that point forward. Any tutoring would be greatly appreciated with eye rolling kept to a minimum please!!! :D;):'):')

Thanks so much for the photo and info. I hope my room doesn't have that pole. I can see me stubbing my toe and walking right into in the middle of the night.....I'm not well known for my gracefulness. ;p

PLEASE SOMEONE, tell me what "the pole" is. The only thing I can figure out is that it's a pole in the front of the whirl pool tub? What would be the purpose of that? Does anyone have a photo?? I just booked 14134 on the Breakaway and it seems by the above list, that IF the Breakaway is the mirror image of the Getaway, that my cabin will have NO POLE. Should I change my room? This seems like a big deal for some reason and I'm baffled. Someone please educate me. :o

What is "the pole". I'm booked into this room for the March 26th sailing.

According to my travel agent, there are 4 Haven Spa Suite's with Balcony's left on the 26th sailing.

I am curious to other bidders that have WON their bids for The Haven Spa Suite with Balcony in the recent past.....how high did your bid per person have to go? Since I am cruising solo, I already had to pay quite a bit for just a balcony cabin, so I'm wondering how high I would have to go to actually win The Haven Spa Suite????????

Good luck with your bidding! FYI, you might not want to leave buying the discounted spa pass for after finding out if your bid was accepted. They start sending out the "declined" emails a day or two before sailing and for our sailing earlier this month, the spa passes were no longer available for purchase online at that point. Once I got on the ship they still had spa passes left for sale, but at full price. Enjoy your cruise, you'll have a blast!

Thank you so much for your remarks. Very helpful. WHAT is the full price if I purchase once I'm onboard versus the $199.99 that is the going rate online?

True. But depending on what the person wants out of the Thermal spa and/ or Vibe passes, the Haven-only areas might suit their needs. At least they did for me, as I was primarily looking for a quiet area away from the crowds on the BA. I ended up spending money at the spa anyway, but for massages and facials. The BA Haven courtyard "solarium", hot tubs, and sauna were more than adequate substitutes for the thermal spa for me, YMMV, of course.

 

I'd suggest the OP buy a discounted spa pass online in case their Haven bid is not accepted. If they're awarded the upgrade, they can call NCL and cancel the spa pass and get a refund. That's what I ended up doing because I definitely wanted the thermal spa if we were in a regular balcony room.

I actually plan to purchase the thermal spa pass, prior to boarding online, if my bid is not accepted. I am bidding on The Haven Spa Suite with Balcony. I know that if my bid is accepted, slim chance but what the heck!, that I won't need to purchase the spa pass or try to get the private pool area VIBE pass which I hear is quite expensive if you are fortunate enough to get one. I'm hoping and praying. I'm taking this cruise ALONE which is on my bucket list, so I figured why not go for it and get the best if I can manage it.

I am sailing on the Breakaway March 26. I have put in my bid and I'm crossing my fingers. Currently, I have a balcony booked and I was planning on buying the spa pass for $199.99. I was also going to ATTEMPT to get one of those ultra rare Vibe passes, but I wasn't real excited about the prospect of making the mad dash for the guest services desk to beat the crowds to snag one of maybe 50 passes that will be available. Soooo, I thought maybe an upgrade would be worth a shot since I wouldn't have to purchase a spa pass nor do the crazed dash to guest services for a Vibe pass. Anyone here taking a shot at an upgrade bid for the breakaway sailing March 26th??