Sthrngary

@Niffernay Hello and it has been a while. Yes, a few months ago, NCL opened up the ability to purchase Vibe Beach Club Weekly passes and on the ships that have them, Vibe Beach Club Cabana's which comes with two week passes. You go to your entertainment on your online reservations, it is there. My cruise leaves in 60 days. It shows NO Vibe Club Weekly passes available but you still can purchase a Vibe Beach Club cabana on that sailing. So you are right, no more running to the location where the Vibe Beach Club table is located at. For me it means I can check in later and take it easy. Hope that answers your question. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am one of those crazy cruisers that look at their online account daily. My wife and I wake up, make coffee and go on our computers. She goes to Reddit and I go to CruiseCritic. After CruiseCritic, I look at my two upcoming cruise ( NCL and Oceania) to see what has changed or is different. Is my Haven Upgrade Bid still a possibility? ; Is everything I pre-purchase on my account?: Are their any messages about my cruise?; Has the fares gone up or down? My list go on. This habit allows me to allow the time until the cruise to create anticipation. This morning with 60 days to the cruise, my account summary has finally changed. I can finally see my Free at Sea PLUS and Vibe Beach Club pass as a purchased option. Prior, it was not shown or you really had to look for it. I hate this because of how many times I have gotten onboard and something I took care to make happen was not noted. It was always fixed quickly but still not something I wanted to deal with on the first day of my vacation. I bring this to everyone attention assuming you all have been looking for the same clarifications on your online portfolio. Hope this helps everyone in some way. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Juncti I can answer this question personally. First, I am cruising on December 4, 2022 on the Breakaway out of New Orleans. This next comment has to do with your reference of a December 4, 2022 cruise if this is the ship. The Haven is sold out. The normal Spa Balcony Suites are sold out. It is 60 day prior to the cruise. That means, NCL has full retail prices for their Haven Suite and the likelihood of an upgrade is slim and none. I have five upgrade bid personally and know from experience, this is not the type of situation that could get me a Haven upgrade so I won't be disappointed. In 2021, I cruised on the Joy, In the Haven with my family. Three months later I cruised in the Joy as a solo in a Non-Haven Club Suite. Both times I had the Premium Plus Beverage Package. I drink French Champagne and very high end tequila. I found that the "A List Bar" called different names on different ships, which is usually in-between two specialty restaurants had the best selection of all high-end wines and spirits. It was also a classy place to have a drink. I also found one or two other bars that had great brands and the surprise was the bar in the Main Observation Lounge which was right by the Starbucks. This means, there are a few bars with everything you could imagine. The same thing will hold true with my Breakaway Sailing. It is a fun thing to find the bar that has the brands and wines you like best. It is like a hunt for your drinks. Once found, you have your bar of choice. Cruise well and enjoy every minute.

Yep, the smaller bottles were super hard to find. Mine it the huge bottle. Glad I bought it. Reminds me of my last few cruises. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

French Champagne is available at all restaurants. If in the main dining room give your servers a heads up of your drink plan. In the Specialty Restaurants especially the French restaurants it is always available. There is one bottle of French Champagne which is on the "Selected" P+BP and a better quality by the glass. Search Premium Plus program and see list. The list can change based on availability. We drink the better Champagne by the glass at dinner. At the end of dinner we have one glass of the bottle. We take the rest of the bottle back to the suite. We do the same thing with win. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Wow, I really mean WOW. Never in Alabama. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I came back from my last cruise and bought a large bottle. I live in Alabama and it was no where to be found. So I ordered it from a online store. I shopped and finally got it. $350.00 for this bottle. I have had it for 5 months and it is 3/4 filled. It is for special occasions and no one touches it but me in my family. Really smooth stuff. BTW, it was $45.00 a shot on the cruise. LOL. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This comment might seem funny coming from me. For those of you that don't know, I am the author of this topic. We all my topics, my goal is always to allow all of us to have "Realistic Expectations". This goal was set because on a past cruise, my expectations were, lets say kindly, not realistic. It was completely my fault because I created a vision in my head that was more of a day dream then reality. Lesson learned. On to my main point. If you are choosing the Premium Plus Beverage Package for a specific brand or type of wine or spirits, be careful. The ship might run out, it might have a supply chain issue. Then you get onboard, ask for it and it is not on your cruise. Happens all the time. On the opposite end of the spectrum, look at the offerings and if you see something you want, ask? I know this because a couple of years ago, I was at a bar, had the Premium Plus Program and asked for a great tequila. The Bartender asked to see my card and then brought out a tall bottle I had never seen before. It was, Don Julio 1942. It was not on the list but was no charge with this program. If I never would have asked the question, I would have never had the opportunity. Four cruises later, I asked a bar tender for the Don Julio 1942 and he told me he did not have any and did not think it was on the ship. Some would have been disappointed. I used this as a game. Fine a bar that had that tequila. I was on the Joy at the time. With no luck, I went to Starbucks for a coffee at the observation deck. Next to Starbucks is a full bar. In the back row of all the bottles was the distinctive bottle of 1942. Of all places to find this. The bartender there said, another full bottle was in the "A" list bar between Cagney's and the French Restaurant. I would have been fine not having this drink. But making it a quest for the Grail was fun also. Cruise are what we make of them. They never go completely to plan. We get disappointments and surprises. Most of this is out of our control. Go with the flow or in my case shot of Tequila. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The answer is either. Servers just to to a bar to get the bottles. Remember, only "Selected" bottles. Look at the wine list to choose when on board. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Hello, I wrote an op-ed on the Premium Plus Beverage Package which has lots of information. The link is below: The question in the table is, "Is it worth it?" The answer is YES/NO. If you are looking at it as a bargain or how much you have to drink to make it worthwhile, it is not worth it. It you look at it as an adventure to try wines and spirts you would normally not drink; have selected full bottles of wine at meals; Starbucks/Specialty Coffee (Haven has specialty Coffee included); Bottled imported water/energy drinks. Then the answer is yes. My wife and I get this upgrade every cruise. Not saying it is for everyone. I do it to make my cruise as all inclusive as possible. Like anything else on a cruise, you really need to know the ins/outs of this program to gain maximum benefit. You need to know some brands are not on NCL's list but are available and some are not. So ask and don't be shy. The opinions on this topic will range just like when questions are asked about the Vibe Beach Club and the Haven Area. Take the good with the bad and you will quickly realize what your decisions will be for you and your family. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The issue was timing. The Airlines are now much more flexible with giving credit if you have not left yet. NCL force you to get on a flight by only informing you of your situation at 03:00 AM the night before. I think we can substitute other cruise brands in the place of NCL in waiting for the last minute to cancel. It does not make it right. Nobody would want to be on a ship or an plane during a hurricane. The covid cancelations did not kill the cruise industry but it changed it for sure. When the lost all that money, they knew they had to make it back as soon as possible. Not giving guest the option of cancelations prior to a hurricane is in my estimation not a good look for the cruising industry as a whole. Maybe like with many things in the past, they can learn from this experience. On the Peanut butter and Jelly issue, that is so very strange. It used to be bacon. Price go up and BB&J is an add on. Who would have thought that would happened? Crazy world we life in. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You did not give enough information for opinions to be given. Allow me to gain clarification: Have you already reach the time for full payment and has it been paid? Is the person in question the first or second person on the reservation? Be specific why the parson wants to cancel? When is your cruise leaving? Your headline asks for clarification on Travel Insurance. Yet your detail in your post does not discuss or ask about travel insurance. Please clarify your association. If your question on Travel Insurance was the "Cancel for any reason" clause. That is not on all insurances and when you do have it, there are rules/policies/restrictions. Remember, you don't have to get trip interruption or cancellation when buying travel insurance. They are often options that cost more. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@graphicguy I am sorry this happened to you. I want to say, it was no NCL's fault but they could have handled the situation differently. In our world today, health and safety have to take the lead over money/profits. What really struck me about your post was the due diligence your TA did. Bravo to them and I can see why you will use them in the future. That is commitment. Traveling is bad weather on a cruise is awful. This kind of weather is a new level of dangerous. NCL could clearly see no cruise out of these port were going out. Good decision to cancel bad decision to wait so long. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@commodore2010 You will have a GREAT time. it is different then Regent and Oceania but not better or worse. Just different. I really like it because it gives me the best of both worlds. A huge ship activities with a small ship feel. Please tells us how it goes. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am also not a heavy drinker. NCL loses money on my every cruise. This one week of vacation allows me to drink brands that I would never do at home due to yearly budgets. It is nice to feel like a rock star for 7 days a year. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@CDR Benson Sir, Regent Seven Seas is a completely different animal. Funny, I also considered a cruise November 2023 in the Mediterranean on Regent. Our friends could not choose this cruise due to budget concerns. It was disappointing to my wife and I but we would rather be with them and chose Oceania. On to Regent. Consider the service you got from the Haven on the entire ship. It is the Haven on steroids. The main dining room is better then the best Specialty Restaurant or Haven Restaurant from service to food quality. I know that is hard to believe. There is a much better crew to guest ratio making "Personalized Service" even better. If you have a butler, they are much better trained is you can believe that. They also have a lot more time to focus on their guest rather than behind the scenes work duties. That said, the size of the ship, they nature of port intensive approach, create a very hard to describe experience. You deserve to be treated like "Rock Stars" and I assure you that is what is going to happen. BTW, I truly loved the Haven on the Joy as well. My favorite place was the Horizon Observation Lounge and the Library. Lovely ship. Cruise well and I know you will, and enjoy every moment.

I can attest you can not be 100% on even what is on this list. My goal in this comment is to establish realistic expectations. Other brands are added and some they are out. The good news is you never go thirsty. It took me a one hour mission, to find the two bottles of Tequila 1942 which is part of this program but not on this list. So some things not on the list are available and some things on the list are not on the ship. The issue is a Floating hotel. Thank you for the list, it is super helpful. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Hello Sir, your review is one of the best written I have read in a while. You give me to much credit. You had a choice to do the due diligence. To learn and take action is a true credit to your eventual approach. My favorite part was the fix to your walking stick. Wow. Glad you had a good time. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I wish I could answer this question exactly but I can not. BTW, I did have in-suite dining but very rarely. I have had butlers tell me 100% NO; other said yes. The policy is No even from a butler. NCL is so consistent on some things and not on others. I know that was clear as mud. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

It is ok, we can both be confused. It is NCL after all. Allow me to give my experience and say that it may not be every ones. When in the Haven, I have never had an issue to the point where between Lunch and dinner the bartender gave me a bottle of Selected Wine for my wife. Unopened. Now when I have been in other restaurants specifically the MDR's, the program is not always understood. You have to get the manager over sometimes and wait for certain selections. Not always but sometimes. The only reason I was asking was my last trip, we ordered a bottle of French Champagne (Selected Wine) had the Premium Plus program for breakfast. No charge. We did it a couple of times because I obviously have a need to be a little toasted in the morning, LOL. Thank you for taking the time to post the link. Very kind of you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am confused. I don't remember reading that the list of Selected Wines for the Premium Plus Beverage package was for Dinner only. If that is the case, I have been giving very bad advice for a long time and I am sorry. I have been able to get selected Premium Plus Bottles of Wine/Champagne at any meal including breakfast. I have never been turned down when I ordered one. Please share where this is the policy so I can correct my advice in the future. I am kind of embarrassed I might have missed this. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

To clarify, any wine/beer/spirits brought by a butler will not be part of the Premium Plus Beverage Package. This rule is silly in my estimation but the suite is charged. Yes, some folks have posted that their butler brought them something on the package, that is not the rule, that is the exception. My advise which comes from both experience and the disappointment of having a huge suite tab at the end of the week; ask first then have a strategy if the answer is no. Nothing is more upsetting as thinking thing are available and then realizing it was not. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I love your evaluation and I want to tell you why. When I started this thread, my goal then and now was to create a realistic expectation of the Haven Experience. You gave the good and the bad. For example your experience in the Haven Restaurant. If I read your review, I would order differently knowing that I wanted the course served correctly. On your thoughts on the butler where you did not ask for much. That is normal and unfortunately, butlers are over worked on NCL. They can not be as intuitive as they are on other luxury lines. I personally give the butler a letter upfront with our wants and needs. I rarely ask for anything after day one so I get what you were saying. Again, thank you for being so accurate with your experiences. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This is my pleasure and so happy you enjoy the subject and effort by all whom contribute. The only place that Children are discouraged is the Haven Sundeck because it is 16 and up. I have seen children up there but their parents were very mindful to keep the noise level and behavior nice especially in the Hot tubs. Still it is 16 and above. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@CDR Benson I am very excited to read your post. My hope and wish is that one day, you and the Good Mrs. Benson can join my wife and I to mutually enjoy a cruise vacation. For someone who posts a lot on areas I truly enjoy, it was my pleasure to assist you, Sir in any way I could. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.