New Bliss and Suites = Rip Off

OP....kinda confused about how you perceive this cruise (if your past posts are correct, you’re still on board).

I remember you looking at this cruise nearly a year ago because I’ve been looking at the Bliss for a while, too.

Last July you said you were aware of the fact that the Haven Aft Cabins were not in the Haven “proper”. You even asked whether you should book in the port or starboard side instead. So, since you’re aware, why the drama?.........

“2) We love the Haven and want to stay in a room there again, (BUT) I noticed they have AFT facing cabins, then you have to walk to the Haven. Should we book AFT for Alaska or just a normal side cabin? We had an AFT cabin before and LOVED it!

3) If several of you do suggest NOT GOING AFT would you get left or right side of the ship??”

You lost me when you complained about paying for the Go cart rides. If I could afford the Haven, I don't think $10 rides would concern me.

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I’m totally upset with this ship (Bliss) and cruise line.

 

We paid for a nice Aft Cabin which includes the Haven, a few things they don’t tell you when you book.

 

1) The Haven up front has a bar, 20 seconds from all rooms inside the Haven. If you have to get alcohol in the rear suites it’s a two floor walk and takes 10 minutes. They charge to bring it to your room so don’t ask.

 

2) The smoke stack puts nasty black mess all over the back where you can’t even use the porch except when docked if they cleaned it.

 

3) The Go Kart track is a sham you have to pay $9.99 a person to ride once.

 

4) Don’t pay for a suite they rip you off and it’s not worth it.

Not really sure how this is a rip off. Just looking at the deck plans would show the Haven is in the front of the ship. There is a reason for the in-Haven suites being higher priced (i.e. - being in the Haven itself). Some of the ships do have issues with the aft-facing cabins and soot, unfortunately.

I hope this thread dissuades people from booking Aft Haven Suites. I would LOVE to upgrade to one with a low ball bid!

People. Keep. Paying. Cruises are sailing full, the Haven is full (likely due in part by the bidding process).

The Haven is full because

People keep paying.

So,,, to clarify, NCL suites have always sailed full. Did you know that?

The bidding process was put in place because the old upsell deak did not scale well with NCL adding a new megaship every year, adding another 2000 rooms per week. Did you know that?

The upsell desk use to manually take requests for upgrades and manually fill them. Did you know that?

So,,, the Haven was always full. Every ship. Every week.

We’ve been on other aft cabins with no issues. This one is so bad the entire back porch is dark black like a coal mine.

 

Why would the cruise line charge people $9 for go karts? That’s just stupid sorry.

 

As far as the Haven and the bar inside I’m sorry but not every Haven is the same. The other ship with the Haven we went on (Epic) has a gym, this one doesn’t.

 

So yes information is out there but the cruise lines are ripping people off.

 

I’m glad you have tons of extra time to do research on every question you have, that’s great. Sorry to be snarky but not everyone has as much free time.

Crowd control. If they were free everyone would want a turn, and that’s not possible. Kind of like charging for spa passes, to limit people.

Crowd control. If they were free everyone would want a turn, and that’s not possible. Kind of like charging for spa passes, to limit people.

Not being altruistic and trying to keep crowds down - NCL is a for-profit business, not a charity. Spa, gokarts etc are a revenue opportunity. They charge separately because people keep paying.

As contrasted with UBP, which people say that is really included in the cost of your fare-so you aren't charged (except for tips!) - but it is also not really capacity limited. I'd personally be ticked if there is "free" spa access or go kart access, and then I can't use either because of crowding. Better to charge separately and limit capacity so those who have paid get what they paid for, rather than burying it in the cruise fare (so you are paying anyway) and then pax justifiably are upset that they can't use the "free" spa they've paid for.

"porch" lol

I can't believe people pay these Haven prices to cruise NCL. I love NCL but you can do way better for your money on other lines. Since you do have to pay to ride the go-carts or use the lazer tag on the Bliss even if you're a Haven guest goes to show you how badly you're being ripped off. At least go on Holland, Celebrity or Princess where you might get your worth and the attention and service you deserve at those prices.

At least go on Holland, Celebrity or Princess where you might get your worth and the attention and service you deserve at those prices.

Those lines are more likely to have scooters than have go-karts. :p

. The aft suites are discounted for not being in the Haven even though they have the best balconies on the ship.

:confused:

On any cruise I've been on in Haven, the aft suites have always been priced higher than the Courtyard Penthouse.

We like aft cabins, but prefer being in Haven Proper because we find it more convenient.

I did my research and I’ve been on 14 cruises so let’s try this again.

 

1) Never had a coal mine out back like this ship it’s horrible. Usually a little black specks on the Aft but nothing this bad.

 

2) They should figure out a better way for Haven aft cabins to get drinks without having to go up to deck 15 in the front, especially when all other Haven cabins have a bar 20 steps away.

 

3) They shouldn’t charge anyone paying thousands for a cruise $9.99 for go kart rides.

 

So what I’m saying is if you do pay for the Haven on this ship don’t get an AFT cabin as it’s not worth it whatsoever. Sure you get nice views in port but when we’re underway the back can’t be used.

 

I’ll have pics and videos as well as a full review up once home.

Uh. Maybe someone who does not drink or ride go carts would like it.

Did u book outright or upsell. The reason I asked is if you book out right you get to pick your own cabin if you upsell you don't.

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1. All aft balconies have soot issues. It doesn’t matter what ship, cruise line, etc. Royal Caribbean’s are worse than NCL’s, IMO.

 

2 . You realize you could have gotten drinks at ANY BAR on the ship, not just in The Haven, right? It’s not like the Haven bar is free if you don’t have the beverage package......

 

3. They charge for two reasons - one, because they can and people will pay and two, to limit the number of people actually using it. With 5,000 people on board, they have to limit it somehow. Sort of like how they charge extra for The Haven.

 

As others have said, the aft Haven suites are a trade off. Amazing balcony and stateroom but a bit of a hike. We loved our aft on Escape and would happily do it again. Looking at the deck plan should have told you the cabin was nowhere close to the Haven. This one is on you, unfortunately.

Never had a bit of soot in approx 40

Nights aft. Ncl Sun, Jewel or Carnival Magic.

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I do think booking an aft penthouse should include one bottle. What’s the point of having a great balcony if you have to leave it every time you’re thirsty?

And then they complain it was just one and want two and then three

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Those lines are more likely to have scooters than have go-karts. :p

I find it amazing that someone is willing to (possibly) pay for Haven yet had time to complain yet not tkme to research. If you were going to buy a car are you just going to turn up and pick one and do no reseeech??? Be accountable, NCL does not hide any of this info, you “didn’t have time” is no one else fault. Waking to a bar or the haven is hardly a chore when on holidays.

Don’t like the charge of the go karts/spa/bingo etc. save money and stay at home. Easy.

On any cruise I've been on in Haven, the aft suites have always been priced higher than the Courtyard Penthouse.

 

We like aft cabins, but prefer being in Haven Proper because we find it more convenient.

Prices vary but on the BA/BA Plus ships, the H6 is usually less expensive than the H5 (least expensive "in the Haven" suite).

Plus, the H6 can sleep 4 while the H5 can only sleep 3.

For most, it's a matter of choice. I'll take the balcony (and the walk) over the H5/H4 even though the "inside" suites have advantages, too.

The Haven is full because

 

People keep paying.

 

 

 

So,,, to clarify, NCL suites have always sailed full. Did you know that?

 

 

 

The bidding process was put in place because the old upsell deak did not scale well with NCL adding a new megaship every year, adding another 2000 rooms per week. Did you know that?

 

 

 

The upsell desk use to manually take requests for upgrades and manually fill them. Did you know that?

 

 

 

So,,, the Haven was always full. Every ship. Every week.

Uh yeah - that’s what I said....

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OP - Lesson of the day is to never criticize the corporation. Especially on a website dedicated to being a critic of the corporations. Open your wallet, hand over your money, and if you're unsatisfied with the product, it's somehow your fault.

I need to get in the cruise line business. What other industry has such cheerleaders for a brand? I guess Apple is up there...

I’m totally upset with this ship (Bliss) and cruise line.

 

We paid for a nice Aft Cabin which includes the Haven, a few things they don’t tell you when you book.

 

1) The Haven up front has a bar, 20 seconds from all rooms inside the Haven. If you have to get alcohol in the rear suites it’s a two floor walk and takes 10 minutes. They charge to bring it to your room so don’t ask.

Here's a portion of the post you made back on July 30th, 2017:

2) We love the Haven and want to stay in a room there again, (BUT) I noticed they have AFT facing cabins, then you have to walk to the Haven. Should we book AFT for Alaska or just a normal side cabin? We had an AFT cabin before and LOVED it!

You did your research, and knew about this limitation. Maybe it turned out to be more of a hassle than you thought it would be after researching it, but it wasn't a case of you not knowing that the aft cabins required you having to "walk to the Haven".

OP - Lesson of the day is to never criticize the corporation. Especially on a website dedicated to being a critic of the corporations. Open your wallet, hand over your money, and if you're unsatisfied with the product, it's somehow your fault.

 

I need to get in the cruise line business. What other industry has such cheerleaders for a brand? I guess Apple is up there...

Except the OPs complaints are more like “I’m so unhappy with Apple. They should have told me I couldn’t use Microsoft Word. Also they didn’t tell me I needed a printer to actually print documents; if I’m shelling out thousands of dollars, a printer should be included. Also they didn’t tell me I couldn’t use this desktop if it wasn’t plugged in to the wall. I’ll never buy an Apple again.”

No one here is cheerleading for NCL. The OP could have easily found all of this information here, on Cruise Critic, long before booking his vacation and then made the decision if he wanted to move forward or not. In fact it appears he did solicit opinions, knew what he was getting, and then decided to complain about it anyway.

OP - Lesson of the day is to never criticize the corporation. Especially on a website dedicated to being a critic of the corporations. Open your wallet, hand over your money, and if you're unsatisfied with the product, it's somehow your fault.

 

I need to get in the cruise line business. What other industry has such cheerleaders for a brand? I guess Apple is up there...

It’s not cheerleading at all. This is what is wrong with people these days, expect everything handed to them on a platter and explained word for word and take no responsibility, then complain it’s everyone else’s fault but their own. Be adult and take responsibility for your own holiday and if you don’t have the time for research maybe I suggest you’d be happier staying home. Less surprises for you.

Or do what most of us do when you travel, roll with the punches and go with the flow.

On any cruise I've been on in Haven, the aft suites have always been priced higher than the Courtyard Penthouse.

 

We like aft cabins, but prefer being in Haven Proper because we find it more convenient.

That's true in many cases. However you cant compare the cabins. The penthouse is a glorified balcony cabin IMHO. It has a fancy shower and is a bit bigger than a standard balcony. Its just one room. The aft suite is 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms and a huge balcony. It sleeps 4. With the extra room, bathroom, and balcony it should be more expensive than the penthouse but sometimes I have seen the Haven penthouse equal or more expensive. I have also seen the penthouse more expensive than the spa suite which is confusing to me. Each ship and sailing has different pricing.

Edit: I just checked my NCL Encore booking and the Haven penthouse is $100 more than the aft Haven suite. Go figure!

That's true in many cases. However you cant compare the cabins. The penthouse is a glorified balcony cabin IMHO. It has a fancy shower and is a bit bigger than a standard balcony. Its just one room. The aft suite is 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms and a huge balcony. It sleeps 4. With the extra room, bathroom, and balcony it should be more expensive than the penthouse but sometimes I have seen the Haven penthouse equal or more expensive. I have also seen the penthouse more expensive than the spa suite which is confusing to me. Each ship and sailing has different pricing.

 

Edit: I just checked my NCL Encore booking and the Haven penthouse is $100 more than the aft Haven suite. Go figure!

For the 9/1 Bliss sailing, the CY penthouse was $4k/pp and the aft penthouse was $5.5k/pp.