david_sobe

I got sunburn once in Nassau. You have no idea the stress it put me through. If NCL does not stop porting in the Bahamas, I will no longer sail with them.

It definitely does not. You can see that especially in the Haven suites/cabins. Gone is the spill over luxury for a modern, minimalist chic look. If it was not for the bigger space you could think it was a standard room with a larger balcony. The 2 bedroom has cut back on luxury features like a giant marble bar but has increased sensibility of a real second bedroom and a real bed that could sleep 2 adults easily.

Observation Lounge

Extensive walk through of the Prima Haven. Very spread out and large. However it does not have the upscale feel as other NCL ships. It fits right in with all the other upgrades of the ship which are all nice. Having a Haven poolside bar is HUGE. Finally!!!!!! The main dining room looks nicer or just as nice as the Haven IMHO.

One reason why the Breakaway/Getaway are some of my least favorite ships. The Haven is an afterthought and big steps back from its predecessor Epic. Besides the tiny restaurant, it's courtyard is small and the Haven sundeck has no water features. If I was considering the Haven on any NCL ship these ships would be last on my list. The Escape corrected most of these shortcomings in the Haven. Then Bliss/Encore took the Haven to another level. Now Prima took it even higher. But anyone that has sailed Bliss or Encore or even Epic in the Haven and sailed Breakaway or Getaway, they will be surprised.

The food truck hall and its food looks incredible. However we know NCL and its a matter of time they start charging for this food. We remember during the first sailings of Breakaway Margaritaville had no charge. The popularity of these places will eventually get a charge. Go Carts were only a few bucks or free during the first few sailings of Bliss too. Loving all the videos

Boarding the Prima

I would also add if you are platinum the 2 extra specialty meals may not be what everyone wants. You get 2 plus 2 others. But maybe people want to eat at a specialty restaurant every night. However if you stay in the Haven it may not be worth it to leave the Haven every night for dinner when you paid for your own private restaurant.

For some this may be worth it, others not so much. Younger people probably cant live without streaming. I dont care to stream anything while cruising. I wish NCL's original drink package included water like other lines. The only perk I see with the premium package is water but its not worth $50 per day 🙄

If you can, never book a cruise during Xmas or holidays. Been there done that. If you have options book in January/February when prices are at their lowest. I was looking at prices the other night and believe it or not studio prices are similar for Encore and Prima. Go figure! They had a sailaway rate inside room on Prima for $988. I thought that was pretty good considering how new and nice the inside cabins are on Prima. Now that price was only for one week, the other weeks were hundreds more and not sail away rates.

Prima Haven area and Vibe

I was on deck 17 Haven on Encore and yes you feel all the motion of the ship. On rough nights you will feel every bump. Its just the nature of not only being forward but up so high on 17 and 18. I love on Prima and new ships the Haven is now aft. It would not prevent me from booking again but like any ship, the higher and more forward you are the more you feel the water.

You make my point even stronger. A true 5 star luxury resort or restaurant would NEVER allow food from anther restaurant to be brought in. Try ordering food from another restaurant down the street (even if its owned by the same owner) in a 5 star resort. They would never allow it. Its allowed or permitted on NCL because the Haven is not a 5 star luxury line. There is a restaurant around the Daytona area that we go to every other year. Its a true luxury 5 star restaurant with dress code, etc. The food is prepared by a husband and wife chef team. Its hard to get reservations. The restaurant has a 4.8 star on google and yelp. The only bad reviews the restaurant gets is not about the food or service but about the denial of special requests. One family was celebrating a birthday and they spent a fortune on everyone at dinner. They posted a negative review because the restaurant would not permit them to bring a birthday cake in. It was their own store bought cake that was not from another restaurant. The restaurant has their rules and you dont go there if you dont follow the rules. While some may seem it to be "harsh" its a fairly standard practice at true 5 star luxury restaurants. If you are at Applebees or Outback Steakhouse its permitted no problem. I think some of us want to pretend the Haven is a luxury line and would never dare ask for a request such as this.

Let me bring this plane down for a landing. If you get food from other restaurants delivered to the Haven restaurant, good for you. Some of us think of logistics and such and may not ask. Some of us have asked and have been told no. That's ok too. But imagine its your job to run a restaurant. You have to keep the customers coming and going in a timely matter. You strive to give great service. Suddenly a table has a butler bring nachos from The Local at the Haven table. No big deal. Suddenly the table next to them says "wow, those nachos look really good, can we get some." Now the staff is running from restaurant to restaurant with special requests. Service grinds to a halt because staff is leaving the restaurant. Can you see why Haven managers frown or dont encourage such things. Fine, you ask your butler to fetch your sunglasses from your cabin. Some will do it. But is the butler a personal servant? I will never forget about 10 years ago the family that had no problem posting photos of a butler cutting their children's meat at the Haven restaurant. The children were old enough to feed themselves. Just because a butler entertains the idea of personally feeding your family, should you do it? Some of us are not ok with this. And guess what, that is the reason why the others get away with it because if we all asked for such requests the service in the Haven would grind to a halt and everyone would be told no. How could you successfully run a restaurant with everyone ordering from menus from other restaurants? That's all.😉

People have written they have used their butler to fetch their sunglasses in their cabin when they are as far away as the main pool area. Just because you "can" does not mean you "should" is the point. I am in the Haven so I can get ________________ is not a line I would be proud to say.

This thread reminds me of one a few years ago when the poster wanted to get Margaritaville nachos delivered to the Haven restaurant on embarkation day. With all the hustle and bustle of embarkation day, I think the cheese would be cold and hard by the time they got there. I think there is sometimes a misunderstanding here on the board. No one is saying it cant be done or impossible to get done. Its the logistics that make it unfair to the staff which is why there is reluctance. Just because you are in the Haven, it does not give anyone the right for absurd requests for the staff. If I wanted nachos, I would much prefer to eat them hot and melted as they came out of the kitchen rather than them sitting for 8 minutes until a butler came to pick them up and deliever them 6 more decks. But that is just me 🙄

I think they do care. If you managed a restaurant, you would want servers running back and forth from other restaurants bringing food into yours? I think not. It causes delays, longer wait times for other customers let alone working already over worked butlers to the brink. I am not being argumentative but that is not a perk assigned anywhere from the Haven page. Many years ago people would write here how they would get specialty dining appetizers for free in the Haven restaurant. NCL stopped doing that several years ago. If you want a specialty dining appetizer you must go to that restaurant and pay. If you have been sailing NCL for over 10 years, you have seen the changes. The Haven restaurant is for guests of the Haven to eat. It is not an extension of your cabin to get food deliveries. Having said that, you could score a ship where they may try and make it happen but its definitely not encouraged. In 2010 on Epic when NCL had lobster night, it was an offering since the Haven did not have lobster on the menu. But that again was the old NCL.

Its so exciting that soon we will be seeing full ship tours. The photos look incredible. Vibe looks like private VIP areas on other ships just like a private Haven. Boy has Vibe come a long way since that small area walled in with a bar and some loungers on Breakaway.

I think its up to the Haven manager (not concierge or butler). It could vary from ship to ship but they dont want non-Haven food brought in. When I was on Encore in 2020 I asked the concierge if we could get Onda delivered to the Haven restaurant since Onda was sold out. I was told it would have to be cleared with the Haven manager. The face that I got looked like it was going to be a no. They want you to eat food delivered by your butler in your cabin. However many years ago people would report they did this. I could see its a strain on manpower with a butler and interfering with Haven protocol. No restaurant appreciates customers eating food from another restaurant in it. I am not saying it cant be done but I dont think they will encourage you to do it. But then again you could get a ship with really accommodating concierges and butlers. Then again just because you can do it means you should do it.

Thats a tough call. Since you got the successful upgrade maybe they will send the letter. You can always print your own luggage tags if you have a NCL account or link to your booking.

I love the photos. I hope some day to travel on her. Love that they were able to move the game shows to the theater instead of the noisy atrium that every ship since Epic has had.

Favorites Onda Cagneys Los Lobos Teppanyaki Food Republic Shanghai's (On Epic if they still have it) Least Favorites Le Bistro (I know I am in the minority but this is the most over-rated place ever) La Cucina (Dennys on the high sea - most everything is MDR quality)

OMG. That is a huge loss for NCL 😨 But I wish him well and hope he has a better job which I am sure is the case. He should be working at 5 star exclusive resorts that pay big bucks.

Contrary to the urban legend the concierge cannot make miracles happen. "Most" times they can score you a reservation no problem. But there are always exceptions. Once on Epic a singles group cruise booked the entire Cagneys during peak hours and the concierge could not over ride this sell out. On Encore, Onda was so popular and sold out the entire week. It took several days of asking for the concierge to finally get a reservation. I even asked the concierge if Onda could be delivered to the Haven and the concierge hit the pause button and made a big deal about it so I nixed that idea especially when a reservation finally came around. They do the best they can and well over 90% of the time they can work magic but there are some hurdles that impact their job. Several years ago when NCL gave the meal package to just about everyone made their jobs even more difficult because there are more fish in the pond. Having said all that, we have all experienced excellent to poor concierges. Most are so fantastic but we have gotten that one that really could care less about working extra hard. Unfortunately not everyone is like Adrian.

Bringing this thread back to cruising and the short answer is NO. Cruising will not go down in price anytime soon. Airfare is at record levels yet sold out flights. Car rentals are highest level ever even if you can get one. Hotels in south Florida are over 90% occupancy. People are traveling more than ever even before the pandemic. Cruises will not go down in price and could actually go up in price.