Gem Haven vs Suite

[babba]

I can not find any updated information ... specifically speaking of the Gem ... what are the "suite" perks ... (not club balcony suite) ... I am mainly interested if there are still dining perks in a "special" dining room for breakfast and lunch ... 

 

Thank you in advance ... 

[njhorseman]

33 minutes ago, babba said:

I can not find any updated information ... specifically speaking of the Gem ... what are the "suite" perks ... (not club balcony suite) ... I am mainly interested if there are still dining perks in a "special" dining room for breakfast and lunch ... 

 

Thank you in advance ... 

Yes, you'll have a private breakfast and lunch venue...last time we were in a suite on the Gem I believe breakfast was in Moderno and lunch in Cagney's. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by njhorseman

[pbenjamin]

18 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Yes, you'll have a private breakfast and lunch venue...last time we were in a suite on the Gem I believe breakfast was in Moderno and lunch in Cagney's. 

Yes, that was our experience in a non-Haven suite on the Jewel.

[graphicguy]

Had an Aft Suite on the GEM (really nice).  Not a Haven Suite, but I had access to the concierge to take care of all my dinner, entertainment, billing, and shore excursions.  Met her in Cagney's, where I also went for breakfast.

 

Haven on the "gem" ships is tiny.  I had access to all the other amenities of the Haven except the Haven pool, itself.

[bonvoyagie]

the Gem does not have a Haven - instead it has two huge Garden Villas - they were the first of thier kind and were the underpinnings of the Haven concept started on the Jewel class ships. We were in a 2bedroom suite on the Gem and had the usual suite service with breakfast in Modernaro and lunch in Cagney's. 

[njhorseman]

5 hours ago, bonvoyagie said:

the Gem does not have a Haven - instead it has two huge Garden Villas - they were the first of thier kind and were the underpinnings of the Haven concept started on the Jewel class ships. We were in a 2bedroom suite on the Gem and had the usual suite service with breakfast in Modernaro and lunch in Cagney's. 

The Gem absolutely does have a Haven. It just has modest size and facilities compared to the ships built after the Jewel class . What the Jewel class Haven doesn't have is a Haven restaurant and bar.

[DaisyGoldberg]

I've done both the regular suite and "Haven" suite on the Gem. The only additional perk in the Haven is access to the common area. In our case, traveling with my mom who uses a walker, it gave her a place to leave the room (especially unaccompanied), grab a lounger and be out of the rat race on the public decks. They also had a breakfast and lunch menu served at the handful of tables, and some snacks and juice/coffee/lemonade there to help yourself to during the day.  There are staff to take drink orders, etc but that seemed kind of intermittent (maybe because we were the only ones there).

 

It really can't compare to a Haven on a larger ship with its own bar and restaurant. But if your goal is peace and quiet to read or nap in an area outside your own cabin, it does the trick. And when they open the roof for a light breeze it's really quite pleasant.  

 

So I'd say a regular suite gives you all the perks except that private area outside of your actual room. How much that matters to you will drive whether it's "worth it."

[Turtles06]

22 hours ago, babba said:

I can not find any updated information ... specifically speaking of the Gem ... what are the "suite" perks ... (not club balcony suite) ... I am mainly interested if there are still dining perks in a "special" dining room for breakfast and lunch ... 

 

Our most recent experience in a non-Haven suite on the Gem was in January 2020, not long before ships stopped sailing.  As of that time, yes, guests in non-Haven suites (and the Haven suites) could have breakfast and lunch in a dedicated dining venue as noted in comments above: Moderno for breakfast, and Cagney's for lunch.  That breakfast is one of my favorite suite perks; it's so nice to start the day in such a pleasant, calm space.  We are not big fans of the lunch, however, because the menu is too limited and too "heavy," and so we usually have lunch elsewhere (we love the Great Outdoors on the Gem and her sister ships).  YMMV.

 

Some of the other suite perks include "priority" boarding and disembarkation.  One related perk that can be very useful, depending on your ports, is that the concierge will escort you off the ship as soon as it's cleared, which can be a big help if you have a private excursion scheduled and want to get going early and not wait in line to get off the ship.

 

Prior to the pandemic, all of the non-Haven suites were entitled to the services of a butler and the concierge.  However, NCL had some vague plans to cut back on some of that on the Jewel-class ships starting with cruises in Fall 2020.  Those cruises never happened, of course, and so it's not totally clear what, if anything, NCL will be doing on that front when cruising resumes.  I would encourage anyone booking a non-Haven suite on these ships for whom any of those perks is important to be clear about what perks are included.   By way of background, here's a tread I started in July 2019 to collect the information then known about NCL's plans:

 

I hope this is helpful.

[bonvoyagie]

I stand corrected I was thinking of the Dawn.

[goldmom]

Turtles06- Totally agree with you about lunch.  I wish they would offer a nice chef's salad or something a bit different.  The atmosphere is lovely but the menu is lacking.  A daily special or two would be nice.

[Treasure Hunter]

We have been on the Gem in the Haven and on one of the fancy new ships both in the Haven and in a crummy mini suite near the bridge. I will not go on any NCL ship again unless we are in the Haven. I’m not fighting for a sun lounge or theater seats. Even without the Haven bar and restaurant the Haven on the Gem is worth every penny. The Service!    We often had breakfast and lunch at the small ( but adequate) Haven pool. Our server got us anything we wanted from any restaurant. The chicken club sandwich he made up on our request with Lemon pie was outstanding and eaten in peace and quiet. It’s a whole other experience.

[bonvoyagie]

On 2/11/2021 at 3:05 AM, njhorseman said:

The Gem absolutely does have a Haven. It just has modest size and facilities compared to the ships built after the Jewel class . What the Jewel class Haven doesn't have is a Haven restaurant and bar.

OOPs my bad, I was thinking about the Dawn and Star.