NCL Breakaway September 6 - 13: Haven vs. Vibe vs. Spa review!!

[justschuttme]

Got back from our BA cruise on Sunday and wanted to share my Haven/Vibe/Thermal Spa experience. I’ve been on the BA twice, this September and last, and since there are so many good reviews on here, didn’t feel the need to repeat everything. Just wanted to share my thoughts on having access to all three of these areas and whether or not I felt it was worth it.

 

For you Haven guests that might also want Vibe: I had planned on getting down to guest services as soon as I got on the boat to ensure we got Vibe passes since we were the first on the boat. However, our Haven concierge, Anoop, told me that he could call down and have some sent up to the Haven for us. I was nervous until I got the bands, but alas, they were there as promised.

 

I did stress a little because we got on the boat at 11:30 and still didn't have them by 2:30. I swung by the concierge desk at 3:00 and luckily the concierge had just received them and was able to give them to me before we went to muster. I was stressed because our plan was to be in a hot tub for sailaway. It worked! Just the four of us were in a hot tub with drinks in hand as we went by the statue and under the bridge. Perfect start to a cruise!

 

For those wondering if I felt the Vibe was overkill with having the Haven and Spa as well, the answer is NO! It was awesome. We used each location just about every day. They all have their pluses and minuses, so it is great to be able to go between them based on what we are looking for. Also, with how much the Haven costs, I really didn’t think the $160 for my wife and I to get Vibe bands was too bad. Even if we only used it for sailaway, it would be worth it.

 

Haven Courtyard - awesome area, but the chairhogs are in full effect on the sun deck. So getting shaded seating outdoors was challenging for the four of us. The inner courtyard is very nice and we hung out there on several occasions. The bar is inside, however the drink servers were excellent in here and I almost never had a need to go up to the bar while using the courtyard. It could get a little stuffy in there at times depending on if there was a breeze. Those are times we headed to Vibe! Also, big difference between courtyard and Vibe is the location of hot tubs and kids. The hot tubs are inside in the courtyard, so they are not really out in the sun or have a view of the ocean, like they do in Vibe. So we used the Haven hot tub once and the Vibe hot tubs a bunch of times. Also, while there were not a ton of kids on my sailing since it was after school was in, they were still there in the courtyard and being loud. I have nothing against kids, I have two of my own, but when kids play (as they do around a pool and hot tubs) they get loud. Being that this was a cruise without kids for us, it just wasn’t the background noise I was looking for. So Vibe offered a perfect alternative.

 

Vibe - there are really no chairhogs here because everyone knows there are only so many people that can get in. It definitely gets windy up there at times, but there is almost always a spot you can find with shade. The four of us sat in one of the hot tubs probably 8 times throughout the cruise and every single time that we wanted to, there was always one available. The bar does not get busy here and the staff is very friendly. I did feel like Vibe was more crowded this year than it was the prior year, but we also had a cabana the prior year and purposely did not this year, so we may have just noticed it more. We did not get the cabana because we honestly didn’t feel like it added that much to our experience from being in Vibe. The shade structure on the cabana is permanently fixed, so you are at the mercy of the sun’s placement. For those like us that want shade, we preferred the flexibility of just finding the best spot in Vibe with shade based on where the sun was at that point.

 

Spa Thermal Suite - I love the thermal pool, hot tub, sauna and steam rooms as they are all great to relax in. Chair hogging also seemed to be an issue here but there was never a time where the four of us could not find four chairs together in there. The thing about this area is that it is not nearly as quiet as the Haven Courtyard and Vibe because it is enclosed so the voices and noises echo. There is also a very large jet in the middle of the thermal pool which is constantly running and is pretty loud. Not saying it wasn't relaxing as I napped and read books in there on several occasions, however I would have never thought that it would have been the loudest of the three areas. Also, the chlorine from the pool and hot tub is in the air and can begin irritating your eyes after a little while. This affected me, my wife and SIL, but not my brother. Overall, couldn't really see being in the thermal suite for more than a couple of hours at most on any given day.

So overall, would not hesitate at all having access to all three areas again and definitely didn’t feel it was a waste. We could go to the thermal suite and Haven if it was windy or rainy, the Vibe if it was calm and sunny, the Vibe for hot tubbing, the Haven for hanging out and reading a book while getting good cocktail service, the Spa if we wanted to unwind in a pool, steam room or stone lounger. It basically guaranteed that no matter what the weather, chair hogs, or other elements had in store for us – we always had a nice quiet place to go and relax and make sure we had an awesome cruise.

 

A couple of other quick notes that I hadn’t read on CC before our cruise about the UDP. I know there is a lot of confusion on here about what you can and cannot get with the UDP. We purchased our cruise in March of this year and it included the free UDP. Here are some experiences I had:

 

1) I was charged the up-charge for the lobster in both Cagney’s and La Cucina, but not Le Bistro. I would imagine that one or some of those were incorrect, but the $8 or $10 was not worth my time complaining about it.

 

2) At both Wasabi and Raw Bar, our bill showed all of the individual items we ordered but then was discounted down to remove all of those charges and just charge us a $7 fee. That was not for me and my wife, $7 total. We had over $25 of sushi at Wasabi and $35 in oysters and apps at Raw Bar that were discounted off. I don’t remember reading about this anywhere and that is also different from our experience in 2014. I really don’t know if this was standard or not, because in both cases the server made some comment about discounting our bill. I really don’t know why they would have given us an abnormal discount, but just wanted to share my experience.

 

3) When we went in 2014, Ocean Blue was $50/person and you got 25% off if you had UDP. Now it is $40/person, however we were only charged a $15 cover/person with the UDP. We had not planned to go to Ocean Blue because while we thought it was very good in 2014, we just didn’t think it was that much better than Cagney’s or Le Bistro to justify spending $80 when we could eat at the others free. However, now that it is only $30 for two people that are on UDP, I definitely think it is worth it. Again, hadn’t read that anywhere before.

 

I am happy to answer any questions about those three areas, or any other questions you had about the Haven, UBP, UDP or anything else.

 

Thanks!

[garnet115]

Thank you for this write up. I think the question of haven vs. vibe vs. spa comes up often, so this will be a useful thread for many.

 

Question about your observations on UDP - did you have UDP or SDP? I ask because I thought the flat upcharges were for SDP. I was wondering how this would be handled for people who have UDP - whether they would be charged the flat up charge, or whether they would be charged full price less a 25% discount. I have a promo with UDP for my February Getaway cruise and am curious how this will be handled.

[justschuttme]

Thank you for this write up. I think the question of haven vs. vibe vs. spa comes up often, so this will be a useful thread for many.

 

Question about your observations on UDP - did you have UDP or SDP? I ask because I thought the flat upcharges were for SDP. I was wondering how this would be handled for people who have UDP - whether they would be charged the flat up charge, or whether they would be charged full price less a 25% discount. I have a promo with UDP for my February Getaway cruise and am curious how this will be handled.

 

I 100% had UDP and not SDP. I was surprised too which is why I included it. I don't know if the server's/manager's have the leeway now and can just give the discount if they want to, or if this is truly how it is treated now. I can tell you that had I known I was going to get that discount I would have ordered a lot more oysters!;)

[dazey]

I am not clear on vibe vs spa. My daughter and daughter-in-law want some quiet time on a family of 11 cruise and I thought I would try to get them either spa or vibe passes. What is the difference and when can I get them? Worth the price?

[Rosethorn40]

Thank you for sharing your perspective. The thermal suites we have enjoyed on many ships (And several different cruise lines) are some of my favorite places at sea. I am curious about chair hogs in the thermal suite. I have never encountered a chair hog say on a tile lounger. If I saw a lounger that was devoid of a person, but had a towel lying on it I would assume someone just hadn't bothered to put their dirty towel in the hamper and would have no trouble removing it.

 

I am also a bit amazed by how coveted Vibe passes are. I understand that it's a child free zone (+), and capacity controlled (+), and granted I have never been on a NCL ship that had a Vibe, but in the pictures I have seen the area seems devoid of visual interest, and the loungers don't seem that comfortable to me. Of course I am comparing Vibe to the "Sanctuary" available on Princess ships (A fee venue with super comfortable loungers that are reserved for the cruise duration and attentive service). Since I consider the Sanctuary to be nearly perfect it stands to reason I would find adult areas on other ships lacking.

 

Finally, your comments about the Haven have me a bit worried, and maybe I didn't understand. If there are chair hogs in the Haven, does that mean they don't have enough seating there IF all Haven guests decided to descend on the Haven area at once? For the price Haven guest's pay I better be able to find a seat when I go up.

 

We are sailing on the Escape next December and I have a Haven cabin booked, and intend to get thermal suite passes. I thought Haven adult guests had access to Vibe (But apparently I was wrong about that), so I will have decide if I want to shell out even more $$$ for an adult area.

 

Sounds like you enjoyed yourself, and you gave yourself plenty of options to get the most out of your cruise.

[perditax]

I also don't get the vibe thing, but I don't like feeling overheated. No shade and no cooling water features (just hot tubs). Much prefer the thermal suite, and find the white noise of the pool relaxing. Chlorine and all.

[Sauer-kraut]

I am not clear on vibe vs spa. My daughter and daughter-in-law want some quiet time on a family of 11 cruise and I thought I would try to get them either spa or vibe passes. What is the difference and when can I get them? Worth the price?

 

The spa has a thalassotherapy pool, saunas, steam rooms, heated tile loungers and depending on the ship salt room, snow room and no one under the age of 18 is allowed in. There are locker rooms where you will get a locker with key and a robe to wear over your swimwear. It is a relaxation zone, like any large spa on land.

 

The Vibe is a sundeck with hot tubs and limited access. Vibe passes are VERY limited and if you are not at the Purser's Desk within boarding group 1-6 you most likely wouldn't get them.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Sauer-kraut

[cruisingcasinos]

JUSTSCHUTTME, thanks for all the information. I look forward to hearing about your experience on the Escape. My DH and I will be sailing her in an H6 Aft penthouse in March and are quite curious how the haven areas compare with the away ships. I heard there are hot tubs on the upper level now and maybe that will sway me on not also buying the vibe passes. (I did last year on the GA But it was much too windy that week and didn't use it much But did love the idea of having a place to go to and relax :))