THE SECRETS OF THE NCL HAVEN LUXURY EXPERIENCE

[momofjohnjr]

On 1/17/2022 at 3:13 PM, catfan2 said:

I guess to each his own... but I'm a believer that kids need to spend more time playing in dirt.  I raised 2 sons and almost all of our family vacations were camping or Disney (where we stayed with relatives).  Honestly my boys preferred these types of vacations (and I did too when I was a kid).  I made one mistake of booking a cruise for my boys ~ages 8 & 10 for a cruise with my mother.  When I picked them up, the first thing out of my kids mouths were "that was so boring, I never want to cruise again".  Needless to say, I never brought them on a cruise again.  They disliked the kids camp.  The only things they liked was a 1 day ziplining & boating excursion and the unlimited ice cream and steak at meals.  They are adults now, if they want to go on a cruise, they can go themselves and pay for it with there own money.  But even now in their 20's, they still prefer camping or cabin vacations. 

 

I love cruises, but they have their place. I travel with my brother and elderly mother or with my husband.  Cruises are great for older mixed age groups, or for couples, but I don't think they are a great choice for kids.  Put the money in a 529 and give them a debt free college experience instead. 

Well. You are entitled to your opinion but I don't understand why us parents need to hear it over in over in 49 pages of comments and we do camp as well and my kids are getting scholarships oh and it's not your business but I guess u will continue to judge all parents on cruise. Sigh. 

[momofjohnjr]

1 hour ago, Calvin said:

I'm not an expert, but I have NO DOUBT they would accommodate you with some of the lunch entrees, given 1 caveat:

 

You have to notify them in advance!

Give them 24 hours notice and they likely would..or if she gets her fill at lunch maybe ask for other things and change it up even more.

[Pace67]

On 1/17/2022 at 2:37 PM, catfan2 said:

I just got upgraded to a 2BR Haven on the 1/23/22 Epic.  My first cruise in the Haven.  We just have to stay covid free until we board (and hopefully we will stay covid free).  I appreciate reading all this info about the Haven and the tips. 

 

We are travelling with my mother who is in her early 80's... so I've been very nervous about this whole experience, but she is healthy for her age.  I'm hoping staying in the Haven gives us more privacy and space for her sake.  We are so tired of cancelled vacations, it's time to live again, even with a mask on and social distancing.  Everyone I know thinks we are nuts to go on a cruise right now with her.  But she's already had 5 vacations cancelled on her and a few rescheduled and she isn't getting any younger.  I don't think covid is going anywhere, we will have 1 or 2 variants every year, so we just need to learn how to live with it, and ride out the waves.  I am 100% happy that NCL brought masks back on their ships, until Omicron settles down. It makes me feel much more secure with travelling with my mom.

 

My brother is a vegetarian, so I've reached out to the concierge so it can be noted on my room.  It's nice to know he can order off the menu in the Haven restaurant or through room service, I've been a bit concerned about how meals are going to go.  Our last cruise together was pre-covid, and he was still occasionally eating non vegetarian on vacations, but now he's strict.  Maybe something about a 2+ year pandemic to make you think hard about your health and eating habits.  

We were in the Haven on the Breakaway 2 weeks ago and my daughter and I are vegetarians. We would pre-order our vegetarian meals the day before with the maitre D. He would give suggestions (pasta, stuffed peppers, gnocchi etc...) and there were vegetarian options in the Haven for appetizers, so we only had to get the main entree accomodated. You can also request meals on the Haven menu without the meat. One day for lunch I had the shrimp scampi without the shrimp and it was delicious. We never had a problem and every meal was delicious. I also asked for fruit and vegy snacks from the butler and he never failed to deliver each day. 

[Sthrngary]

19 hours ago, Calvin said:

I just wanted to say thanks to you, Sthrngary, for all of your info and help re The Haven.  I just had the most wonderful cruise of my life and I wish I could always sail in the Haven.

 

Re our previous discussion about filet mignon, I asked during the first lunch if I could have that daily for breakfast, and I was accommodated.

 

My only issues were things due to covid that caused me sooooo much worry: covid testing 3 days before, testing at the port, risk of getting infected and quarantined, risk of production shows not occurring, risk of ports missed, etc.

 

Despite all of my worry, the food, service, exclusivity, expedited port access, etc. were wonderful!

Glad I could be of service.  

 

Cruise well!!

[Sthrngary]

17 hours ago, Thain said:

Thank you so much for such outstanding information and it has provided me with a better sense of the experience and worth of upgrading.

 

It's reassuring when you read other comments that make you feel like it is not worthwhile at this time.

 

However, for some of us it is an opportunity to experience something we would not have tried otherwise.

Social media is all about free thought and sharing opinions.  The issue is opinions are not always based on personal experience.  Everyone's opinion should be considered and weighed.  The opinion of my daughter whom is 31 years old was,

 

"Dad, I hate the idea of the Haven.  I want to be out with all the people.  It is a complete waste of money. If you don't do Haven, we all can get our own rooms with balconies."

 

I, the dad, was paying for everyone's rooms, my daughter was taking her significant other.  My daughter never sailed in the Haven.  Then we did in the Joy, on November 27, 2021 through December 4, 2021.  

 

Let's just say, she changed her mind.  I did also.  Where in the past I would only eat in the Haven Restaurant and specialty restaurants.  This past trip, I loved the Local which was a 24/7 place for lunch and snacks.  

 

My point is, until a guest experiences something like the Haven or the Premium Plus Drink package, take that into consideration when weighing the options. How was that for being PC, LOL.

 

Cruise well.

[CarolinaMamma]

We are in Haven on Encore right now. Maitre D told us “if it is on the ship, U can get it for you, I just need a day’s notice.” 
 

We eat low-carb, so I asked for heavy cream for our coffee and a cheese plate instead of dessert. My daughter does not love red meat, so they said it would be no problem to request MDR meals in advance.  All of this is no problem for them. 

 

[vacation44]

23 minutes ago, CarolinaMamma said:

We are in Haven on Encore right now. Maitre D told us “if it is on the ship, U can get it for you, I just need a day’s notice.” 
 

We eat low-carb, so I asked for heavy cream for our coffee and a cheese plate instead of dessert. My daughter does not love red meat, so they said it would be no problem to request MDR meals in advance.  All of this is no problem for them. 

 

How far in advance do you have to request and who do you request it with?

 

I hope you are having an wonderful time!

[Calvin]

17 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

How far in advance do you have to request and who do you request it with?

 

I hope you are having an wonderful time!

Idk if there is a minimum amount of time they need but, in my case, I requested filet mignon for breakfast during the very first meal at lunch on embarkation day, so it was less than 24 hours. She stated "no problem". Then asked if I wanted that for every morning, and I said "YES!".  Mesuspects this was not her first rodeo, LOL....

[CarolinaMamma]

19 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

How far in advance do you have to request and who do you request it with?

 

I hope you are having an wonderful time!

The Maitre D and she said one day in advance. On our sailing, she personally walked around and checks in with every guest at every meal, so you don’t have to work hard to find her. I haven’t tried asking at breakfast for something I’d like at dinner, but I’ll bet on a ship at 1:3 capacity they could pull that off. 

[pellep]

On 12/12/2021 at 4:32 PM, Sthrngary said:

The below link is of my family and me on our recent NCL Joy family cruise vacation.  We stayed in the H2-Haven Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony.  The YouTube.com video has a Timeline Table of Contents agenda so you can go to the area you would like to hear and see.  

 

I discuss the Haven Amenities, Amenities special to just the H2 Owners Suite, Pros/Cons and a lot more.  The entire video last 14 minutes.  If you like it, give it a thumbs up.  If you have a comment on how I can improve my presentation, let me know. My goal was to provide a real consumers point of view.  This is part of a video series I do called, "The Cranky Old Man" Which I am.  

 

Cruise Well Everyone and Enjoy Every Minute.

 

Link:  

 

Apologies if it was covered in the thread elsewhere, but what are the sleeping arrangements in the H2 such that it can accommodate 6?  Is it 2 in the master bedroom, 2 in the pulldown queen in the second bedroom, and does the couch in the living room pull out for 2?

 

Thanks!

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, pellep said:

Apologies if it was covered in the thread elsewhere, but what are the sleeping arrangements in the H2 such that it can accommodate 6?  Is it 2 in the master bedroom, 2 in the pulldown queen in the second bedroom, and does the couch in the living room pull out for 2?

 

Thanks!

No apologies needed.  First thing, I just stayed on the Joy on December in the H2.  Please remember the information I am about to give you is for the two-bedroom H2 Haven Deluxe Owners Suite.  At the end of this post, I am going to give you a video of the suite that also includes some Haven amenities. 

 

The second bedroom is big enough for a couple.  Ask the butler to put a memory foam topper on the bed at night.  Some folks like the bed out all the time, other like it only out at night.  The bed is a trundle bed and queen sized.

 

The Great Room has a sleep Sofa which is also queen sized.  Ask for the memory foam topper for that as well.  Very comfortable but still a sofa bed.  There are outlets on each side of the bed but you really have to reach in to get to them.  FYI only.

 

Now, there is a new video of this suite and I will give you the link to it below.  Please like it if it gives you some good information.

 

Cruise Well

 

 

 

[usahawk1]

On 1/11/2022 at 12:17 PM, Hutcha said:

Neither is going on a cruise 

I think it is much safer then going to Walmart to shop. At least you know everyone is vaccinated 

[catfan2]

21 hours ago, momofjohnjr said:

Well. You are entitled to your opinion but I don't understand why us parents need to hear it over in over in 49 pages of comments and we do camp as well and my kids are getting scholarships oh and it's not your business but I guess u will continue to judge all parents on cruise. Sigh. 

Mom of John Jr,

I would like to apologize to you for any comments that you found judgmental, it was not my intention to judge parents who cruise with children.  Also, congratulations on your children obtaining scholarships to college. 

 

Every family is in a different situation financially.  The Haven is an expensive vacation (even with upgrades). Every family is different in what they expect out of vacations as well as future life items such as college (which is also very expensive). 

 

I was offering a fact (my 2 young boys were bored on a cruise) and a personal opinion (I didn't think cruising with children was worth the $ and it's $ better spend on college education). I do think that parents should think twice as to whether or not their money is being spent in the best way possible on their children. 

 

Members of cruise critic are looking for information to make decisions about how to spend their vacation time and their money.  Is it worth it?  Is cruising worth it?  Is the Haven worth it? Before any family spends a significant amount of money on a cruise (particularly in the Haven), first figure out if cruising is the right type of vacation for your family and if you can still afford what's needed to get your children through life (i.e. college education).  I've seen too many of my adult children's friends families spend huge amounts of money to take family vacations (including cruises and the Haven) and then watch their children incur large amounts of debt to obtain college degrees.  

 

If people have the financial means to take their children on cruises, and their children like that type of vacation and families can still support their college educations, by all means go on a cruise, spend the money on the Haven.  It just wasn't the right choice for my family (nor would it have been for me personally when I was a child). 

 

I will be honest, I joined this particular chat about 2/3rds of the way through, with the intent on obtaining some information on the Haven in the midst of Omicron because we were recently upgraded and are traveling during the pandemic. I saw a post about cruising versus camping and Disney and responded because I sent my kids on a cruise that they were bored on. 

 

I do think followers should recognize that not everyone starts a cruise critic thread at the beginning, and I had no idea that kids/cruising/Haven was such a contentious issue on this thread. 

 

We use cruise critic to gather information (whether good or bad) to help us make these personal decisions.  

 

[catfan2]

21 hours ago, Pace67 said:

We were in the Haven on the Breakaway 2 weeks ago and my daughter and I are vegetarians. We would pre-order our vegetarian meals the day before with the maitre D. He would give suggestions (pasta, stuffed peppers, gnocchi etc...) and there were vegetarian options in the Haven for appetizers, so we only had to get the main entree accomodated. You can also request meals on the Haven menu without the meat. One day for lunch I had the shrimp scampi without the shrimp and it was delicious. We never had a problem and every meal was delicious. I also asked for fruit and vegy snacks from the butler and he never failed to deliver each day. 

Thank you Pace67, I will try this suggestion of pre-ordering vegetarian meals for my brother!  I also like the ideas from you and others on the snacks. This cruise I'm going to specify what snacks we want and don't want.

 

My back story: The first (and only) time we were in a suite (NCL Dawn which did not have the Haven, but you still got a butler and Haven like breakfasts and lunches) the Butler kept delivering food we didn't like, but we ate most of it because it was sitting there in front of us and we don't like throwing food away.  It was driving me crazy, the constant food that kept appearing.  One day it was sandwiches and potato chips, one day it was fruit and canapes, one day it was gummy bears and veggies.  We were all like what the heck is going on, why is all this food being put in our room, half of which we didn't want to eat!! Make it stop!!

 

This might sound crazy but we had no idea we could tell the Butler to stop delivering food or tell him what to deliver, it seemed to be part of his mission, "Job Responsibility: required to deliver snacks whether guests eat them or not".  The snacks kept coming with little cards "Courtesy of the xxx manager", we didn't want to insult the xxx manager and send the food back so we either ate it or wrapped it up and threw it in the garbage in desperation to be rid of it.  

 

This time I'm going to have to be firm on snacks and I like the idea of requesting fruits and veggies only.  My brother and I are in our 50's and my mom is in her 80's... we don't need candy and there is too much salt in the potato chips, and the sandwiches and canapés are frankly boring and all calorie intensive without much flavor.

[Keene33]

6 hours ago, CarolinaMamma said:

The Maitre D and she said one day in advance. On our sailing, she personally walked around and checks in with every guest at every meal, so you don’t have to work hard to find her. I haven’t tried asking at breakfast for something I’d like at dinner, but I’ll bet on a ship at 1:3 capacity they could pull that off. 

This is wonderful to hear and we are looking forward to it.

 

Happy you are having such a nice time.

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, catfan2 said:

Mom of John Jr,

I would like to apologize to you for any comments that you found judgmental, it was not my intention to judge parents who cruise with children.  Also, congratulations on your children obtaining scholarships to college. 

 

Every family is in a different situation financially.  The Haven is an expensive vacation (even with upgrades). Every family is different in what they expect out of vacations as well as future life items such as college (which is also very expensive). 

 

I was offering a fact (my 2 young boys were bored on a cruise) and a personal opinion (I didn't think cruising with children was worth the $ and it's $ better spend on college education). I do think that parents should think twice as to whether or not their money is being spent in the best way possible on their children. 

 

Members of cruise critic are looking for information to make decisions about how to spend their vacation time and their money.  Is it worth it?  Is cruising worth it?  Is the Haven worth it? Before any family spends a significant amount of money on a cruise (particularly in the Haven), first figure out if cruising is the right type of vacation for your family and if you can still afford what's needed to get your children through life (i.e. college education).  I've seen too many of my adult children's friends families spend huge amounts of money to take family vacations (including cruises and the Haven) and then watch their children incur large amounts of debt to obtain college degrees.  

 

If people have the financial means to take their children on cruises, and their children like that type of vacation and families can still support their college educations, by all means go on a cruise, spend the money on the Haven.  It just wasn't the right choice for my family (nor would it have been for me personally when I was a child). 

 

I will be honest, I joined this particular chat about 2/3rds of the way through, with the intent on obtaining some information on the Haven in the midst of Omicron because we were recently upgraded and are traveling during the pandemic. I saw a post about cruising versus camping and Disney and responded because I sent my kids on a cruise that they were bored on. 

 

I do think followers should recognize that not everyone starts a cruise critic thread at the beginning, and I had no idea that kids/cruising/Haven was such a contentious issue on this thread. 

 

We use cruise critic to gather information (whether good or bad) to help us make these personal decisions.  

 

Your response was well thought out and you expressed yourself extremely well. I want you to know how much I appreciate it.  I am the author of this op-ed, you can ask me anything you want.  I am happy to answer any question that I have knowledge of.  Thanks to every single person whom expresses their opinion on this thread. 

 

Cruise well everyone.

[Calvin]

20 hours ago, usahawk1 said:

I think it is much safer then going to Walmart to shop. At least you know everyone is vaccinated 

You brought up an interesting point, and that is the main reason why, despite having the best cruise/time of my life, I was frought with worry. 

 

My wife had a heart transplant about 1 1/2 years ago.  At that same time, I made arrangements with a group of her friends to go on a "Celebration of Life" cruise.  Somehow, my idiotic reasoning told me that if I made plans far in advance, that she would make it out of this just fine, and I wouldn't lose the woman I've loved for 30 years.  I planned it so far in advance because I assumed that the virus would no longer be a concern by then. WRONG! 

 

Aside from all the general covid worries, I was EXTREMELY concerned about my wife's immune system.  Literally, about 3 days before we were to sail, we checked in with her cardiologist, who gave us his blessing.  In fact, he said something similar to what you just said ~ This might be the safest place for her to be, given that everyone is tested, vaccinated, and masked.  Given that this would be our first time in the "full-fledged" Haven, I thought she was in a great position.

 

We got back from our wonderful cruising experience (again, shout out to Sthrngary, who answered so many questions in this post), to a voicemail left by her doctor after we had already sailed and returned.  He said ~ The CDC just recommended that even those who are vaccinated should NOT be sailing on a cruise, so he withdrew his approval. Wow!  

[usahawk1]

22 minutes ago, Calvin said:

You brought up an interesting point, and that is the main reason why, despite having the best cruise/time of my life, I was frought with worry. 

 

My wife had a heart transplant about 1 1/2 years ago.  At that same time, I made arrangements with a group of her friends to go on a "Celebration of Life" cruise.  Somehow, my idiotic reasoning told me that if I made plans far in advance, that she would make it out of this just fine, and I wouldn't lose the woman I've loved for 30 years.  I planned it so far in advance because I assumed that the virus would no longer be a concern by then. WRONG! 

 

Aside from all the general covid worries, I was EXTREMELY concerned about my wife's immune system.  Literally, about 3 days before we were to sail, we checked in with her cardiologist, who gave us his blessing.  In fact, he said something similar to what you just said ~ This might be the safest place for her to be, given that everyone is tested, vaccinated, and masked.  Given that this would be our first time in the "full-fledged" Haven, I thought she was in a great position.

 

We got back from our wonderful cruising experience (again, shout out to Sthrngary, who answered so many questions in this post), to a voicemail left by her doctor after we had already sailed and returned.  He said ~ The CDC just recommended that even those who are vaccinated should NOT be sailing on a cruise, so he withdrew his approval. Wow!  

So glad you enjoyed your cruise and hoping this finds you and your wife in good health. 

[cruising sister]

45 minutes ago, Calvin said:

You brought up an interesting point, and that is the main reason why, despite having the best cruise/time of my life, I was frought with worry. 

 

My wife had a heart transplant about 1 1/2 years ago.  At that same time, I made arrangements with a group of her friends to go on a "Celebration of Life" cruise.  Somehow, my idiotic reasoning told me that if I made plans far in advance, that she would make it out of this just fine, and I wouldn't lose the woman I've loved for 30 years.  I planned it so far in advance because I assumed that the virus would no longer be a concern by then. WRONG! 

 

Aside from all the general covid worries, I was EXTREMELY concerned about my wife's immune system.  Literally, about 3 days before we were to sail, we checked in with her cardiologist, who gave us his blessing.  In fact, he said something similar to what you just said ~ This might be the safest place for her to be, given that everyone is tested, vaccinated, and masked.  Given that this would be our first time in the "full-fledged" Haven, I thought she was in a great position.

 

We got back from our wonderful cruising experience (again, shout out to Sthrngary, who answered so many questions in this post), to a voicemail left by her doctor after we had already sailed and returned.  He said ~ The CDC just recommended that even those who are vaccinated should NOT be sailing on a cruise, so he withdrew his approval. Wow!  

We sailed in November under very similar circumstances but with my husband it is cancer. Glad we did it and I will always have the memories. 

[Sthrngary]

56 minutes ago, Calvin said:

You brought up an interesting point, and that is the main reason why, despite having the best cruise/time of my life, I was frought with worry. 

 

My wife had a heart transplant about 1 1/2 years ago.  At that same time, I made arrangements with a group of her friends to go on a "Celebration of Life" cruise.  Somehow, my idiotic reasoning told me that if I made plans far in advance, that she would make it out of this just fine, and I wouldn't lose the woman I've loved for 30 years.  I planned it so far in advance because I assumed that the virus would no longer be a concern by then. WRONG! 

 

Aside from all the general covid worries, I was EXTREMELY concerned about my wife's immune system.  Literally, about 3 days before we were to sail, we checked in with her cardiologist, who gave us his blessing.  In fact, he said something similar to what you just said ~ This might be the safest place for her to be, given that everyone is tested, vaccinated, and masked.  Given that this would be our first time in the "full-fledged" Haven, I thought she was in a great position.

 

We got back from our wonderful cruising experience (again, shout out to Sthrngary, who answered so many questions in this post), to a voicemail left by her doctor after we had already sailed and returned.  He said ~ The CDC just recommended that even those who are vaccinated should NOT be sailing on a cruise, so he withdrew his approval. Wow!  

Thank you for the shout out.  That was one great story.  I loved it.  The doctor was a day late and a dollar short.  I had a stroke about four years ago.  It was caused by a condition called, AFIB.  The doctor then put me on a blood thinner.  Since then, I lost 60 lbs, walk daily and had a procedure that eliminated my AFIB.  I told my doctor, I want to go off my blood thinners.  He almost had a heart attack and he is a cardiologist.  He wanted to put in a device on my heart called a Watchmen.  

 

I took myself off the blood thinners gradually and feel great.  Sometimes we have to take our doctors advice with a grain of salt.  As it related to a heart transplant, any risk is a calculated risk.  We all have to take accountability for those decisions.  Also weighing heavily is our need as humans to enjoy each others company creating positive memories.  Like on a cruise.  Risk and reward.

 

I am thrilled everyone is healthy after your well earned cruise.  My hope is soon, with doctors approval, we all can cruise again will limited risk.  Thank you for this wonderful post.

 

Cruise well.

[Starflyr3]

On 1/17/2022 at 2:13 PM, catfan2 said:

I guess to each his own... but I'm a believer that kids need to spend more time playing in dirt.  I raised 2 sons and almost all of our family vacations were camping or Disney (where we stayed with relatives).  Honestly my boys preferred these types of vacations (and I did too when I was a kid).  I made one mistake of booking a cruise for my boys ~ages 8 & 10 for a cruise with my mother.  When I picked them up, the first thing out of my kids mouths were "that was so boring, I never want to cruise again".  Needless to say, I never brought them on a cruise again.  They disliked the kids camp.  The only things they liked was a 1 day ziplining & boating excursion and the unlimited ice cream and steak at meals.  They are adults now, if they want to go on a cruise, they can go themselves and pay for it with there own money.  But even now in their 20's, they still prefer camping or cabin vacations. 

 

I love cruises, but they have their place. I travel with my brother and elderly mother or with my husband.  Cruises are great for older mixed age groups, or for couples, but I don't think they are a great choice for kids.  Put the money in a 529 and give them a debt free college experience instead. 

 

 

I must say, as a family that does cruise in the Haven every time we go, since the first disaster with 2 kids in a balcony (no one slept for the entire cruise)... I would assume that if someone is cruising in the Haven, the family has consciously addressed college plans.  That may be presumptuous, but I would not book the Haven if I was worried about the kid's ability to go to college. 

 

NCL is a unique cruise product.  They have 2 bedroom family suites, which is exactly what we need (all in the Haven).  They have freestyle dining, which means that we dont have to eat at 6 or 8 pm every night, which is great for families, and the ships are full of kid-friendly activities, such as waterslides, sport courts, video games (Entourage), etc. 

 

I find it a bit odd that people think NCL is not directed at families with children.  My kids have ZERO interest in Disney (unless it's Star Wars or Pandora-based), and honestly, a Disney inside room costs about half of a Haven 2 br family suite, so to get 2 br, we'd have to pay the same price as NCL H4.  To get a bigger single room on Disney, you have to go Concierge, which starts at almost 20k/cruise.  No, thank you.

 

That all being said, my kids know better than to run or shout, but they also are not about to go sedately swim laps in the Haven pool, or lounge quietly in the hot tub with a fancy drink.

 

Perhaps people who do not like children, who can afford to sail in the Haven should consider a cruise line that is not specifically kid-friendly, or sail during a time of year when children are typically in school.

[Sthrngary]

2 hours ago, Starflyr3 said:

Perhaps people who do not like children, who can afford to sail in the Haven should consider a cruise line that is not specifically kid-friendly, or sail during a time of year when children are typically in school.

Again, I am the author of this thread.  My original document which was hugely long had maybe 25 words on children in the Haven Courtyard.  Whenever the issue of children in the Haven comes up, I usually remind everyone that it is not the kids that are the issue.  I love kids on cruises, they make us all feel young.  This issue is any cruise guest that is rude to another guest.  

 

A guest that hogs chairs at the pool is rude.

A guest that touch foods at the buffet is rude.

A guest that saves an entire row at the show is rude.

A guest that cuts in a busy line at the bar is rude.

A guest that is intoxicated yelling in the hallway is rude.

A child that jumps in the Haven Pool right in front of your lounge chair while screaming at the top of their lungs is rude.

 

No difference.  "Momma used to say, rude is as rude does!"  

 

We are focusing on kids in the Haven Courtyard making it a wave pool or taking over the hot tub all day long.  That happens, however usually due to two situations. 

1. Your are on a cruise that is in conjunctions with school vacations.  A better option is a few weeks after and the prices are much better also. 
2. The second issue is not the children at all.  It is their parents that think the Haven Courtyard is the babysitter for their kids.  

 

Should children go in the Haven on an NCL ship. Absolutely they should.  Can all families afford the premium of the Haven, NO they can't, however one day they may.  I have recently gone on a Luxury Cruise.  It has no children.  It was designed to have no children.  Everything about the cruise was pure luxury.  From the Service to the food to the amenities.  Great experience.  One thing though, I would never do that again unless it was a port intensive cruise to exotic places.  My wife and I were bored out of our minds.  We then went on the NCL Joy in the Haven with our adult children and had the time of our lives.  Luxury cruising is not always the answer.

 

All me to reframe this subject of cruising with children.  Great idea, NCL is a great ship to do it on, if you don't want lots of kids; the Haven is the place to be and cruise after normal vacations dates.  

 

Cruise well everyone. 

[aubreyc1988]

2 hours ago, Starflyr3 said:

 

 

I must say, as a family that does cruise in the Haven every time we go, since the first disaster with 2 kids in a balcony (no one slept for the entire cruise)... I would assume that if someone is cruising in the Haven, the family has consciously addressed college plans.  That may be presumptuous, but I would not book the Haven if I was worried about the kid's ability to go to college. 

 

NCL is a unique cruise product.  They have 2 bedroom family suites, which is exactly what we need (all in the Haven).  They have freestyle dining, which means that we dont have to eat at 6 or 8 pm every night, which is great for families, and the ships are full of kid-friendly activities, such as waterslides, sport courts, video games (Entourage), etc. 

 

I find it a bit odd that people think NCL is not directed at families with children.  My kids have ZERO interest in Disney (unless it's Star Wars or Pandora-based), and honestly, a Disney inside room costs about half of a Haven 2 br family suite, so to get 2 br, we'd have to pay the same price as NCL H4.  To get a bigger single room on Disney, you have to go Concierge, which starts at almost 20k/cruise.  No, thank you.

 

That all being said, my kids know better than to run or shout, but they also are not about to go sedately swim laps in the Haven pool, or lounge quietly in the hot tub with a fancy drink.

 

Perhaps people who do not like children, who can afford to sail in the Haven should consider a cruise line that is not specifically kid-friendly, or sail during a time of year when children are typically in school.

I've not sailed in the Haven yet, but I can weigh in on this. I don't have kids and sometimes they can be annoying, but I've RARELY been annoyed by a kid on a cruise ship. In fact, I love seeing kids have appropriate fun on a cruise ship...I am also a little jealous as I wish I had that opportunity as a kid. MOST parents do a good job on a cruise ship making sure their kids are not too obnoxious, IMHO. I feel like there is always a space to find somewhere quiet if need be...sometimes I like a little excitement anyhow lol

[momofjohnjr]

On 1/19/2022 at 6:59 PM, catfan2 said:

Mom of John Jr,

I would like to apologize to you for any comments that you found judgmental, it was not my intention to judge parents who cruise with children.  Also, congratulations on your children obtaining scholarships to college. 

 

Every family is in a different situation financially.  The Haven is an expensive vacation (even with upgrades). Every family is different in what they expect out of vacations as well as future life items such as college (which is also very expensive). 

 

I was offering a fact (my 2 young boys were bored on a cruise) and a personal opinion (I didn't think cruising with children was worth the $ and it's $ better spend on college education). I do think that parents should think twice as to whether or not their money is being spent in the best way possible on their children. 

 

Members of cruise critic are looking for information to make decisions about how to spend their vacation time and their money.  Is it worth it?  Is cruising worth it?  Is the Haven worth it? Before any family spends a significant amount of money on a cruise (particularly in the Haven), first figure out if cruising is the right type of vacation for your family and if you can still afford what's needed to get your children through life (i.e. college education).  I've seen too many of my adult children's friends families spend huge amounts of money to take family vacations (including cruises and the Haven) and then watch their children incur large amounts of debt to obtain college degrees.  

 

If people have the financial means to take their children on cruises, and their children like that type of vacation and families can still support their college educations, by all means go on a cruise, spend the money on the Haven.  It just wasn't the right choice for my family (nor would it have been for me personally when I was a child). 

 

I will be honest, I joined this particular chat about 2/3rds of the way through, with the intent on obtaining some information on the Haven in the midst of Omicron because we were recently upgraded and are traveling during the pandemic. I saw a post about cruising versus camping and Disney and responded because I sent my kids on a cruise that they were bored on. 

 

I do think followers should recognize that not everyone starts a cruise critic thread at the beginning, and I had no idea that kids/cruising/Haven was such a contentious issue on this thread. 

 

We use cruise critic to gather information (whether good or bad) to help us make these personal decisions.  

 

Tysm. I appreciate it. For us we actually can't afford the cruise so to speak but it is a once in a lifetime event. This is the first time we can vacation with all 4 kids and likely that won't happen again until my kids are much older. At this time my second oldest is getting ready to graduate and it will be difficult to plan around her schedule and her brother's work schedule. And we got incredible deals. I just wish I had let the first cruise cancel itself. Then we would have saved even more!! But the price we paid was incredible compared to normal prices and we are definitely going off season. I am very disappointed though that the kids program was canceled though they say there will be plenty of activities with the parents etc. Vs. Being dropped off. I do think I didn't think about water temps enough though. Lol. We do one fairly costly trip around every 3 or 4 years (visit family in Jordan 🇯🇴 ❤) but my son never could go (first husband wouldn't let him) and we couldn't get him to come after 18 because timing didn't work out. My 2 oldee girls have some pretty bad anxiety (got worse after the quarantines and e-school) and I am really hoping the ocean and lack of stress will give them a nice break and hopefully help them with it longer term as well. 

And yes, I didn't realize/think about the fact that a lot of people aren't going to read every page like I did. Lol!!

My husband and I also desperately need this trip. We have had a horrible several years with some trauma included and after losing my sister to Covid in August I am absolutely desperate for a break. I didn't have anxiety b4 that but now I have it pretty bad. And it didn't stop there. Just sooo many things going wrong or badly. I was probably just having a veey bad day/night and should not have taken it out on you. I'm really hoping this vacation will "reset" things. I am so worried something will happen to stop this trip. Our 5 year old was exposed to Covid yesterday so I will be worried until we are boarding the ship 🚢 ⚓ 🛳. We have all had it but she was only 11 days out from her second Pfizer dose. Praying God will grant us this break and all will go great! Our trip is February 5th. 

[momofjohnjr]

On 1/19/2022 at 7:45 PM, catfan2 said:

Thank you Pace67, I will try this suggestion of pre-ordering vegetarian meals for my brother!  I also like the ideas from you and others on the snacks. This cruise I'm going to specify what snacks we want and don't want.

 

My back story: The first (and only) time we were in a suite (NCL Dawn which did not have the Haven, but you still got a butler and Haven like breakfasts and lunches) the Butler kept delivering food we didn't like, but we ate most of it because it was sitting there in front of us and we don't like throwing food away.  It was driving me crazy, the constant food that kept appearing.  One day it was sandwiches and potato chips, one day it was fruit and canapes, one day it was gummy bears and veggies.  We were all like what the heck is going on, why is all this food being put in our room, half of which we didn't want to eat!! Make it stop!!

 

This might sound crazy but we had no idea we could tell the Butler to stop delivering food or tell him what to deliver, it seemed to be part of his mission, "Job Responsibility: required to deliver snacks whether guests eat them or not".  The snacks kept coming with little cards "Courtesy of the xxx manager", we didn't want to insult the xxx manager and send the food back so we either ate it or wrapped it up and threw it in the garbage in desperation to be rid of it.  

 

This time I'm going to have to be firm on snacks and I like the idea of requesting fruits and veggies only.  My brother and I are in our 50's and my mom is in her 80's... we don't need candy and there is too much salt in the potato chips, and the sandwiches and canapés are frankly boring and all calorie intensive without much flavor.

I am the same way! I am going to adjust our ideas for the Butler even more based on this! It's tough because all 6 of us eat very different in many aspects. 😕 lol.