Haven Questions

[thomfam5]

I understand this is a personal preference question but hoping for some feedback. On ships that do not have a “ true” haven set up is it worth paying double to upgrade from a balcony. We haven’t cruised Haven yet so no experience to go by. Would it be worth the increase of cost to upgrade from a balcony to a suite on our  Sun and Star cruises. 

[Sthrngary]

6 minutes ago, thomfam5 said:

I understand this is a personal preference question but hoping for some feedback. On ships that do not have a “ true” haven set up is it worth paying double to upgrade from a balcony. We haven’t cruised Haven yet so no experience to go by. Would it be worth the increase of cost to upgrade from a balcony to a suite on our  Sun and Star cruises. 

That is a tough one.  Personal preference.  I love the Haven but here is what I did.  My choice completely.  I was on the Pearl some time ago.  I was in a Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa.  The Pearl did not have a Haven Restaurant or Bar.  It did have a Haven Courtyard of course.  Previous to this trip, I was in a Haven Spa Suite on a larger full Haven sailing.  

 

When that sailing was complete, I cancelled the Pearl and rebooked the Encore.  I wanted the full Haven Experience.  Again, the Pearl is a lovely ship.  Your question had to do with cost/value.  That is my opinion.

[thomfam5]

6 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

That is a tough one.  Personal preference.  I love the Haven but here is what I did.  My choice completely.  I was on the Pearl some time ago.  I was in a Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa.  The Pearl did not have a Haven Restaurant or Bar.  It did have a Haven Courtyard of course.  Previous to this trip, I was in a Haven Spa Suite on a larger full Haven sailing.  

 

When that sailing was complete, I cancelled the Pearl and rebooked the Encore.  I wanted the full Haven Experience.  Again, the Pearl is a lovely ship.  Your question had to do with cost/value.  That is my opinion.

Thanks for your feedback. We were supposed to do a TA on the Epic , our first Haven cruise, but it was cancelled this week. We do have a Haven on the Bliss scheduled for 2023. My issue is we have the Sun Tokyo to Seattle and the Star Iceland and Greenland booked in balconies for 2022.  They are both cruises we really want to take and I can change them to Suites for 2-2.5x cost but not sure if the cost will be worth the perks. Your reply makes me think I should save the money. Decisions……

[ColeThornton]

22 minutes ago, thomfam5 said:

Thanks for your feedback. We were supposed to do a TA on the Epic , our first Haven cruise, but it was cancelled this week. We do have a Haven on the Bliss scheduled for 2023. My issue is we have the Sun Tokyo to Seattle and the Star Iceland and Greenland booked in balconies for 2022.  They are both cruises we really want to take and I can change them to Suites for 2-2.5x cost but not sure if the cost will be worth the perks. Your reply makes me think I should save the money. Decisions……

 

For me, it's a no brainer.   If I can get two cruises in a balcony cabin for what one cruise in a Haven cabin would cost, I know exactly what I'm picking.  Personally, I would find a butler intrusive and the perks, for ME, are not worth all the extra money.

[thomfam5]

28 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

For me, it's a no brainer.   If I can get two cruises in a balcony cabin for what one cruise in a Haven cabin would cost, I know exactly what I'm picking.  Personally, I would find a butler intrusive and the perks, for ME, are not worth all the extra money.

Thanks, we haven’t cruised a Haven cabin so it’s hard to say but I think I’d like the private areas. We aren’t high maintenance but the butler may be nice. Priority boarding and disembarking esp at the stops would also be a pleasant perk. But you are correct, it’s hard to pull the trigger on the cost esp if it’s not a true Haven ship. 

[Yinster]

52 minutes ago, thomfam5 said:

Thanks for your feedback. We were supposed to do a TA on the Epic , our first Haven cruise, but it was cancelled this week. We do have a Haven on the Bliss scheduled for 2023. My issue is we have the Sun Tokyo to Seattle and the Star Iceland and Greenland booked in balconies for 2022.  They are both cruises we really want to take and I can change them to Suites for 2-2.5x cost but not sure if the cost will be worth the perks. Your reply makes me think I should save the money. Decisions……

It is such a personal question. And Stringray rightly say it's about cost/value.

 

You can get the opinion of different people on here but ultimately you would need to decide 

 

Having said that, for me personally if a ship didn't have the full Haven experience then I won''t get a haven room. Suite maybe but no Haven. If I paid for it, I want the ship within a ship experience. My haven retreat. Away from general population.

 

So if the ship can't provide that then we happily save money and sail in a different type cabin. Usually that's an ocean view. We don't care too much for a balcony and my partner hates insides

[Yinster]

1 minute ago, thomfam5 said:

Thanks, we haven’t cruised a Haven cabin so it’s hard to say but I think I’d like the private areas. We aren’t high maintenance but the butler may be nice. Priority boarding and disembarking esp at the stops would also be a pleasant perk. But you are correct, it’s hard to pull the trigger on the cost esp if it’s not a true Haven ship. 

We are not high maintenance either and rarely use our butler. Afternoon snacks were usually all our butler did. Though we had ones check in to make sure we were fine.A butler looks after a group of haven cabins. Usually around 10. You may get a great one. But you may also get a not so great one. If that's the case, speak to the concierge as he/she looks after all the butlers

[pbenjamin]

There is middle ground on the Jewel class ships, Gem included.  There are 10 2 Bedroom Family Suites (S4) on Deck 11.  They are considerably less expensive than the same suite in the paltry Haven. You get butler and concierge along with the option of breakfast and lunch in whatever specialty restaurant they send the Haven customers to.   Just make sure it is under the library and not the fitness center.

[thomfam5]

33 minutes ago, pbenjamin said:

There is middle ground on the Jewel class ships, Gem included.  There are 10 2 Bedroom Family Suites (S4) on Deck 11.  They are considerably less expensive than the same suite in the paltry Haven. You get butler and concierge along with the option of breakfast and lunch in whatever specialty restaurant they send the Haven customers to.   Just make sure it is under the library and not the fitness center.

That’s good to know as I wasn’t aware of the middle ground ships. I always look a deck above and below prior to picking my cabin for that reason! I think I want the whole Haven experience though and will wait until one comes along that seems priced right. 

[Sailing12Away]

2 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

1. I promise not to drink all the Vodka on the ship. (This one I am not sure of)

True story - on our last sailing on the Epic we wiped the Haven bar out of Disaronno by the 3rd night. They got more at the next port of call, but that was a fun cruise. 

2 hours ago, thomfam5 said:

I understand this is a personal preference question but hoping for some feedback. On ships that do not have a “ true” haven set up is it worth paying double to upgrade from a balcony. We haven’t cruised Haven yet so no experience to go by. Would it be worth the increase of cost to upgrade from a balcony to a suite on our  Sun and Star cruises. 

We have price points that we're comfortable with, having sailed Haven on both the Jade and Epic. If it's a true Haven (separate restaurant, bar, lounge, plus a courtyard and such) then we're willing to pay over 1K/night for the right itinerary. If it's a baby Haven, we'll do it if we find an elusive deal of $500/night or less, otherwise we're fine with a non-Haven suite or lower. It's hard for us to justify a 50% increase in the cost for just the courtyard pool. Suites still get to eat lunch in the specialty restaurants and get a butler and concierge. 

 

For someone who loves to be in the pool daily and wants that private pool area, it may be worth it to them. For me, not so much.

[Sthrngary]

11 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

True story - on our last sailing on the Epic we wiped the Haven bar out of Disaronno by the 3rd night. They got more at the next port of call, but that was a fun cruise. 

You are my hero's.  Make them pay for the opportunity to have us on board.  That is what I say, anyway. 

[scamper]

3 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

For me, it's a no brainer.   If I can get two cruises in a balcony cabin for what one cruise in a Haven cabin would cost, I know exactly what I'm picking.  Personally, I would find a butler intrusive and the perks, for ME, are not worth all the extra money.

Absolutely! The Haven is definitely not worth, say $8,000 for two, when you can sail MSC Yacht Club for $5500 for two (February, 2022), both to the Caribbean, and all things are pretty much equal. Except for the room size, 300 sqft for MSC vs 238 sqft on Epic.  It's a no brainer.

[ChiefMateJRK]

5 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

It is SO nice to have conversations like this.  It means we are all taking our upcoming cruises and reservations seriously.  I can remember, not so long ago, all we talked about was:

1. Waiting on a Refund
2. Why did I take the FCC
3. Yet another cruise was cancelled.

 

I will talk about the Haven and number of the suites on the Joy, and other ships until the cows come home.  It is so nice just to actually think we all can cruise together again.

1. I promise to not wear a bathing suit in the Haven Restaurant. 
2. I promise not to be, as my family says, "THAT GUY!!!!". 
3. I promise not to sneak friends into the Haven!
4. I promise not smoke cigars where I am not allowed. 
5. I promise not to drink all the Vodka on the ship. (This one I am not sure of)

 

I just want to cruise in the Haven one more time in the next 12 months.  Is that to much to ask.  Cruise well everyone.

Good post Gary (again).  I will add that a person doesn't necessarily need to be booked into the Haven to enjoy talking about and looking forward to their upcoming cruises!  😎  I don't care if you drink all the Vodka, just stay away from my Scotch.

[Sailing12Away]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I don't care if you drink all the Vodka, just stay away from my Scotch.

Challenge accepted! Although I think they'll have time to restock since you're going several months after me.

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Challenge accepted! Although I think they'll have time to restock since you're going several months after me.

You drink and you know things.  I like that in a fellow cruiser! 😎

[FLcruisergrl]

On 8/21/2021 at 1:20 PM, thomfam5 said:

Thanks for your feedback. We were supposed to do a TA on the Epic , our first Haven cruise, but it was cancelled this week. We do have a Haven on the Bliss scheduled for 2023. My issue is we have the Sun Tokyo to Seattle and the Star Iceland and Greenland booked in balconies for 2022.  They are both cruises we really want to take and I can change them to Suites for 2-2.5x cost but not sure if the cost will be worth the perks. Your reply makes me think I should save the money. Decisions……

Book the OS on the Sun. It will be your own personal Haven with the jacuzzi on the balcony. Even though it is a smaller, older ship, that has been my favorite room so far! 

[dwr777]

Looking forward to your Joy Haven review Sthrn Gary, we’re scheduled for Jan 2022.  Space looks great, I’m looking forward to it!

[Sthrngary]

44 minutes ago, dwr777 said:

Looking forward to your Joy Haven review Sthrn Gary, we’re scheduled for Jan 2022.  Space looks great, I’m looking forward to it!

So are we.  We are on Crystal Cruises tomorrow out of Miami to the Bahamas.  The NCL Joy is a family vacation, we hope. The space is great for sure. Cruise well. 

[Hadacareer]

On 8/21/2021 at 2:20 PM, thomfam5 said:

Thanks for your feedback. We were supposed to do a TA on the Epic , our first Haven cruise, but it was cancelled this week. We do have a Haven on the Bliss scheduled for 2023. My issue is we have the Sun Tokyo to Seattle and the Star Iceland and Greenland booked in balconies for 2022.  They are both cruises we really want to take and I can change them to Suites for 2-2.5x cost but not sure if the cost will be worth the perks. Your reply makes me think I should save the money. Decisions……

Sorry to hear your TA was cancelled, maybe ours on the Getaway is in jeopardy!

[thomfam5]

16 hours ago, FLcruisergrl said:

Book the OS on the Sun. It will be your own personal Haven with the jacuzzi on the balcony. Even though it is a smaller, older ship, that has been my favorite room so far! 

Thanks Florida Cruiser glad to hear that! 

[MellaJoyce]

We're in a Deluxe Owner's Suite w/Large Balcony (Haven). To us, it was worth the extra $ even before we were able to use so many accumulated FCCs. 

1. We hate being in crowds, so a 'haven' away from the crowds to relax is a must.

2. We are "sip drinks and read books on a balcony"-type people, so we wanted a lot of our own space plus the less crowded sundecks.

3. We almost went with the 2-bedroom family suite but the balcony on the Escape is small. The DOS w/LB has 2 bedrooms.

4. If - IF - worst case happens and we're quarantined in our room for any length of time, we wanted a large room vs being trapped in a small inside/balcony stateroom.

 

We spent around $10K on our original booking for a 2-BR Family Suite in the Haven, but the subsequent 6 cruise cancellations built our FCC up just over $15K, so we're cruising in style. 🙂 I already warned my daughter we'll never cruise at this price point again so enjoy it!

 

[kitty-sail]

On 8/20/2021 at 9:40 AM, skeeter195 said:

Not everyone you see in the haven is actually staying in a haven room.  Here is my story.  2 years ago my wife and I made friends with a couple in the casino one afternoon.  They invited us to dinner in the haven and we accepted.  They had met us outside the haven and we went in with them.  We had drinks at the bar, had dinner then more drinks after that all the time having a really good time.  When we were leaving our new friends stopped at the concierge desk and got us 2 keys to access the haven whenever we wanted and to use all of the amenities there.  Now we knew at the time that the haven was private and secluded but had no idea that it was as "guarded" as it was.  We went to the bar lounge and restaurant a couple of times for both lunch and dinner with and without our new friends.  The staff treated us like everyone else.  Our new friends apparently were VVVIP.  They never let on and we could care less if they did, they we super nice and very down to earth.  The point of this story is never say never.  If the right person asks for something they will get it.  

Sorry but you should be ashamed of what you did. I would not brag about cheating, lying and stealing which is what you did. Shame Shame Shame.

[kitty-sail]

On 8/21/2021 at 12:58 PM, thomfam5 said:

I understand this is a personal preference question but hoping for some feedback. On ships that do not have a “ true” haven set up is it worth paying double to upgrade from a balcony. We haven’t cruised Haven yet so no experience to go by. Would it be worth the increase of cost to upgrade from a balcony to a suite on our  Sun and Star cruises. 

If you normally cruise in a balcony, the "suite" cabins are a very nice upgrade without the heavy Haven price. If a ship doesn't have a 'true Haven" I opt for a suite cabin.

[skeeter195]

45 minutes ago, kitty-sail said:

Sorry but you should be ashamed of what you did. I would not brag about cheating, lying and stealing which is what you did. Shame Shame Shame.

Shame, shame ,shame on you for not understanding my post.  I did not ask for anything and honestly did not even realize that our situation was that rare.  The concierge himself gave my wife and I our access keys at the request of our new friends.  Who again must have been one of the most important people on the ship.  Honestly I would guess that he himself did not know that his request was usually turned down.  

 

Would I do it again?  Sure if the situation was the same.  If the man or woman in charge does not even hesitate about granting access to non-haven guests why should it bother others.  After all you are basically putting yourself in the hands of the concierge for the week, you should trust how he/she does their job.  

 

I have stayed in and will be staying again in the haven in October.  I could not care less who is in there.  If I have to wait for a table for a bit it is not the biggest deal as the bar is right next door.  

[purpleally]

On 8/19/2021 at 8:41 PM, Hadacareer said:

Totally agree..we are cruising haven for the first time on our next cruise, and I would be very peeved off if others are using something we have paid extra for..it would be my last time in the Haven

Same. There is a reason people pay so much. I don’t exceptions should ever be made