The NCL Haven Luxury VIP Experience "Secrets" REVISED for 2022

[benel204]

12 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Thank you for this post.  

I was recently considering a cruise on Escape when it is sailing from NOLA.  NOLA is the easiest port for us to get too.  I decided against that.  Your post confirms my decision.

 

I do have one question.  How windy was your balcony while underway?  We found our H2 balcony to be mostly unusable due to the wind.

We never had a reason to go out onto the balcony when the ship was sailing at night.

We were out on the balcony prior to or during sailing away from each port, or while arriving; so ~1-4 hour window depending on the port.  At that time of the day/afternoon/evening the ship is moving very slowly so no wind that felt uncomfortable. I supposed one could sit out there at night.  The 17th deck forward cabin we were on has a very deep balcony, which might protect from wind.  It certainly provided shade (or sun) depending on preference.  We loved it.

Edited May 24 by benel204

[SaltyPawz]

99 days to go. Haven Breakaway here we come! 🙂

[momofmab]

Hello-

 

With the lack of Haven-specific threads on the NCL board, I thought I would take a chance and ask my questions here 🙂

 

I'm not new to NCL but it's been a minute (ahem 15 years or so?). I've sailed in NCL suites back when the Haven concept was but a twinkle in someone's eye!  My last cruise was Dec. 2023 in the MSC YC (great concept, didn't love the rest of the ship). My husband and I thought about moving on to the luxury lines (Oceania, Explora Journey) but worry that they will be too sleepy - so we decided to give the Haven a try on Epic (works with our schedule and Epic's Haven always seems to get mostly positive reviews - plus it's been nicely refurbished - we usually gravitate toward the newest ships in a fleet, but the refurbished Epic Haven looks very nice).  We will stick a pin in the luxury lines and possibly revisit for a med cruise in Fall 2025.

 

I've kind of skipped through some of the more recent posts on this thread (great info!)  I had a few Epic Haven questions for anyone who has recently been there (and a couple of general questions):

 

-Morning coffee (very important!): I know there are machines in the room - I have one at home and they are noisy. Where else (besides Starbucks) can I get a morning cappuccino?  The Haven lounge?  I know I can always ask my butler to bring, but I like to be self-sufficient.

 

-Is it necessary to make reservations for the Haven restaurant, or just drop in?  What is the general dress code for dinner? (*opens Pandora's Box)

 

-Does NCL have a move-up or bidding process for suites?  (MSC has a bid program).

 

-I'm reading 120 days out for making specialty dining reservations. Is that still the case?

 

-On Epic, are entertainment reservations required for Haven guests? 

 

-If we order room service, is that always done through the Butler?

 

-Great Stirrup Cay - what is there now?  Is it just a beach?  Is there a Haven-only area there?

 

Thanks for reading (and possibly answering)!

[Sthrngary]

33 minutes ago, momofmab said:

-Morning coffee (very important!): I know there are machines in the room - I have one at home and they are noisy. Where else (besides Starbucks) can I get a morning cappuccino?  The Haven lounge?  I know I can always ask my butler to bring, but I like to be self-sufficient.

@momofmab Hello.  I am the author of this stream.  I will do my best to answer some of your questions.  At the end, I will comment on the other lines you brought up because I know them both.  On Coffee.  Transparency, I have NOT been on the Epic but have been on her sister ships.  Usually, in the Haven Observation Deck is a GREAT High End Coffee Machine that serves everything from drip to specially coffees.  Also have light breakfasts and snacks.  Usually empty in the morning. 

 

39 minutes ago, momofmab said:

-Is it necessary to make reservations for the Haven restaurant, or just drop in?  What is the general dress code for dinner?

The Haven Restaurant does not take reservations but my experience is rare to wait for a table. The dress code is Country Club casual but mostly not enforced.  Debated on a daily basis with no clear resolution. 

 

41 minutes ago, momofmab said:

-Does NCL have a move-up or bidding process for suites?  (

They do a Biding process.  Depends on the sailing and availability to win.  I have NEVER won. 

 

42 minutes ago, momofmab said:

-I'm reading 120 days out for making specialty dining reservations. Is that still the case?

For Haven it is 130 days out, you can do them from you online account.

 

43 minutes ago, momofmab said:

-On Epic, are entertainment reservations required for Haven guests? 

For the big shows yes and no.  Yes officially, but I have never been turned down.  There is a Haven Section reserved up until 15 minutes before the big shows. 

 

44 minutes ago, momofmab said:

-If we order room service, is that always done through the Butler?

Yes, complementary and important when the Haven Restaurant is open to ask the butler to get the food from there.  Much better food but they only make what is on the Haven Menu. 

 

46 minutes ago, momofmab said:

-Great Stirrup Cay - what is there now?  Is it just a beach?  Is there a Haven-only area there?

No Haven private area, very nice private island, beach-pools and bars.  

 

47 minutes ago, momofmab said:

My husband and I thought about moving on to the luxury lines (Oceania, Explora Journey)

I highly recommend trying Luxury Brands.  The difference is once you leave your stateroom on a luxury brand, everyone is treated the same.  More things are free across the board like soft drinks in your stateroom mini bar and thermal spas.  What you miss is go cart tracks, water slides, and huge production shows.  The best approach for me is to only go Luxury in Europe/Asia.  Port intensive and the ship is focused on relation not excitement.  Oceania I found to be GREAT for a recent Mediterranean 10 day cruise.  Explora Journey I have booked with my older sister for February of 2025 for a 7 day Caribbean because of the quiet ship, up tick in food, larger staterooms and personalized service for everyone not just Haven guest.  

 

You can't go wrong with Haven or any of your other choices.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[momofmab]

@Sthrngary  Thank you SO much for your response!

 

I agree with you on your description of the luxury lines and also think that it's a fantastic idea to try them for a port-intense itinerary.  I hope you'll review your Feb 2025 Explora cruise as I was contemplating a Jan 2025 Explora to the Carribean but pivoted to the Haven.  We have friends doing a 10-day European on Oceania next summer and may consider joining them.

 

Now that our kids are grown, we don't care about waterslides, etc., but do like a good selection of entertainment.  We were disappointed in the offerings on MSC (which was no doubt impacted by the rude behavior of passengers in the theatre each night).  We've always liked the specialty restaurants on NCL and believe they are solid alternatives to the Haven restaurant, should we get bored.  One plus that the Yacht Club has is the variety of dinner menus each night (although less selections, which my husband didn't like).

 

One other question - since the minibar is not complimentary as it is in the Yacht Club, does NCL allow passengers to bring soda or water to keep in the cabins?  I recall doing that for one cruise back in the day but can't recall if it was NCL or RCCL.

 

Thanks again for all the info!

[Treasure Hunter]

There is also a set up of early morning coffee and Danishes at the Haven pool. And the concierge will take you down to the shows early so you can pick your seat closer than the Javen reserve seats ( but do make a reservation for the big shows). 

[graphicguy]

Good advice from Gary and Treasure Hunter.  Won't repeat those answers.  

 

I was on the Epic Mediterranean Cruise this past October.  I ended up in the Haven 2BR Suite.  Long story, but I got a "deal".

 

Anyway, if you want to see the Haven, start at page 16 (you can skip over all the of the planning, flights and other gobbledygook) of my review.

 

NCL did a GREAT job on the HAVEN Epic refurb.  

 

Edited May 31 by graphicguy

[Sthrngary]

17 minutes ago, momofmab said:

One other question - since the minibar is not complimentary as it is in the Yacht Club, does NCL allow passengers to bring soda or water to keep in the cabins?  I recall doing that for one cruise back in the day but can't recall if it was NCL or RCCL.

I don't know.  That is a question for NCL.  What I always do is have the butler take every single item out of the mini-fridge day one. They now usually put it up in a closet rather then take it out of the cabin.  This keeps the mini-fridge open for other things.  Bringing soda's on board I have no clue. 

 

Ask NCL and or your Travel Advisor about the Free At Sea PLUS program.  You might gain value from that.  

 

I highly Oceania Cruises for the Mediterranean.  I did a comparison of Oceania, Crystal Cruises and Exploria on my Caribbean Cruise.  900 to 1200 guests with a crew ratio of 1.25/1. Oceania was the value. I would consider those three choices when considering a Mediterranean cruise.  Smaller ships to get into smaller ports is the way to go for that.  Happy to answer any questions but would prefer to focus on all things Haven and NCL on this thread.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[cruiseny4life]

33 minutes ago, momofmab said:

One other question - since the minibar is not complimentary as it is in the Yacht Club, does NCL allow passengers to bring soda or water to keep in the cabins?  I recall doing that for one cruise back in the day but can't recall if it was NCL or RCCL.

NCL does not allow you to bring drinks onboard. Except wine. If you have the Free at Sea package (the basic one), you can bring wine onboard and not pay a corkage fee. Otherwise, no water, soda, booze, etc. is allowed to be brought onboard.

[momofmab]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Anyway, if you want to see the Haven, start at page 16 (you can skip over all the of the planning, flights and other gobbledygook) of my review.

Great pics - thank you!

 

Loving your Barcelona pics - I was just there in April, with my daughter. The Sagrada Familia was amazing (more impressive, IMO, than the Sistine Chapel - shhhh...don't tell anyone 😉).

Edited May 31 by momofmab

[slidemaster5]

Returned from our first NCL and first Haven trip today:

 

Ship

Gem - Boston to Bermuda / Bar Harbor.  May 31 - June 7.

 

Pre-Trip

Responded to land concierge with juice / snack request and selected our pillow menu options. When we went into our cabin the requested food was there. The pillow arrived with first night turndown service. 

 

Embarkation

Boston starts the check in process at 10AM. There is a separate line for Haven before security check. After security and regular check-in, we were escorted to Haven area where they had drinks and snacks. Didn't stay there more than 5 minutes or so before the first group of us met with the concierge and were escorted on the ship. We were seated at Moderno's at 10:45 and given drinks / food. We went to lunch just before noon at Cagney's. Our rooms were ready around 1PM. We met our butler, Rogin, and our cabin steward, Hared, that afternoon. 

 

Service

Both Rogin and Hared were friendly and talkative (pending their duties). We asked them about their NCL experience and homelife. By Day 2 if I returned to my cabin alone, they would ask about my wife by name and what she was doing. My wife brings small "travel animals" that we received from our son who has had many deployments and Hared made towel animals to match. Small touch but very effective. Rogin would tell us when he planned on stopping by and do any necessary follow-ups. 

 

We ended up switching specialty dining around and were given anytime time and any day we wanted. The customs process is done on the Bar Harbor entry day, and we just bypassed the queue. 

 

Disembarkation

Priority starts at 8:30. We had our breakfast at 7:30 and then went to the waiting area. Walked off the ship at 8:30, took 30 seconds to find luggage in port. We got in awaiting car service and we were home by 9:30 (we live 45 miles away). 

 

Rookie Mistakes

I made two that I will not repeat:

 

(1) Butler letter. I know Sthrngary's "pre-tip" maybe controversial (I didn't do it) but I believe his butler letter idea should be required! I had all my reservations done and figured I didn't want to "burden him or her" but was wrong because of this:

(a) The butler provides better service the more they know you. You are creating a disservice by not giving them something to start with. For example, when we got our initial canapes and didn't touch them since we are picky, he asked "what type of canapes do we want"? 

(b) Our butler had 10 cabins - 7 on deck 14 and three on deck 11. He needs to learn the nuances of many people in his first few days. Something in writing gives him a cheat sheet. This didn't dwell on me until I was on the ship.

 

(2) Don't try to help them: One night I wanted O'Sheehan's pretzel bites to bring back. I happened to be walking past so I attempted to do that. The maitre d' seated me, but the managers freaked out that I was doing this (if you are Haven you are tracked) and asked me to go back to my room where they would be delivered. Instead of having the night butler bring them they had my butler come back to do it. Rogin had a sense of humor - the next day he brought up a special order of them in the canape container as a surprise. 

 

In summary the wife has already requested Haven for any future NCL trips.

Special thanks to Sthrngary for this column. 

[havoc315]

11 minutes ago, slidemaster5 said:

Returned from our first NCL and first Haven trip today:

 

Ship

Gem - Boston to Bermuda / Bar Harbor.  May 31 - June 7.

 

Pre-Trip

Responded to land concierge with juice / snack request and selected our pillow menu options. When we went into our cabin the requested food was there. The pillow arrived with first night turndown service. 

 

Embarkation

Boston starts the check in process at 10AM. There is a separate line for Haven before security check. After security and regular check-in, we were escorted to Haven area where they had drinks and snacks. Didn't stay there more than 5 minutes or so before the first group of us met with the concierge and were escorted on the ship. We were seated at Moderno's at 10:45 and given drinks / food. We went to lunch just before noon at Cagney's. Our rooms were ready around 1PM. We met our butler, Rogin, and our cabin steward, Hared, that afternoon. 

 

Service

Both Rogin and Hared were friendly and talkative (pending their duties). We asked them about their NCL experience and homelife. By Day 2 if I returned to my cabin alone, they would ask about my wife by name and what she was doing. My wife brings small "travel animals" that we received from our son who has had many deployments and Hared made towel animals to match. Small touch but very effective. Rogin would tell us when he planned on stopping by and do any necessary follow-ups. 

 

We ended up switching specialty dining around and were given anytime time and any day we wanted. The customs process is done on the Bar Harbor entry day, and we just bypassed the queue. 

 

Disembarkation

Priority starts at 8:30. We had our breakfast at 7:30 and then went to the waiting area. Walked off the ship at 8:30, took 30 seconds to find luggage in port. We got in awaiting car service and we were home by 9:30 (we live 45 miles away). 

 

Rookie Mistakes

I made two that I will not repeat:

 

(1) Butler letter. I know Sthrngary's "pre-tip" maybe controversial (I didn't do it) but I believe his butler letter idea should be required! I had all my reservations done and figured I didn't want to "burden him or her" but was wrong because of this:

(a) The butler provides better service the more they know you. You are creating a disservice by not giving them something to start with. For example, when we got our initial canapes and didn't touch them since we are picky, he asked "what type of canapes do we want"? 

(b) Our butler had 10 cabins - 7 on deck 14 and three on deck 11. He needs to learn the nuances of many people in his first few days. Something in writing gives him a cheat sheet. This didn't dwell on me until I was on the ship.

 

(2) Don't try to help them: One night I wanted O'Sheehan's pretzel bites to bring back. I happened to be walking past so I attempted to do that. The maitre d' seated me, but the managers freaked out that I was doing this (if you are Haven you are tracked) and asked me to go back to my room where they would be delivered. Instead of having the night butler bring them they had my butler come back to do it. Rogin had a sense of humor - the next day he brought up a special order of them in the canape container as a surprise. 

 

In summary the wife has already requested Haven for any future NCL trips.

Special thanks to Sthrngary for this column. 

 

Thanks for posting --- I'm in the Haven on the Gem in July..

 

How was the Haven (Cagney's/Moderno) dining for breakfast and lunch? Any chance you remember much of the menu?

 

You mentioned as a Haven guest, you were "tracked" ... did you feel you got any priority in restaurants or bars?

 

[slidemaster5]

15 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

 

Thanks for posting --- I'm in the Haven on the Gem in July..

 

How was the Haven (Cagney's/Moderno) dining for breakfast and lunch? Any chance you remember much of the menu?

 

You mentioned as a Haven guest, you were "tracked" ... did you feel you got any priority in restaurants or bars?

 

 

The menu that is posted on CC (I forgot where) is accurate. If you google NCL Haven 2024 menu you can see all three meals. (I just did it). You can go off menu, but I didn't really try. 

 

I am not a breakfast person, but we went to Moderno's every morning and I never got sick of it. (I will be lost tomorrow morning, lol). Besides the a la carte menu the breakfast bar has pastries and fruit.

 

For lunch I alternated between Grilled Salmon and French Dip. Being a chocolate lover, I also erred by not getting the Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownie from Day 1.

 

Every time I went to specialty dining or MDR they gave us a window seat. If you are waiting in a line, they can't do much since they don't know who you are until they read your card. When we went to O'Sheehans they messed up my wife's order, so the manager came over to apologize and they gave us a new waiter and gave my wife a new plate instantly. They definitely knew who we were.

Edited June 7 by slidemaster5

[havoc315]

39 minutes ago, slidemaster5 said:

 

The menu that is posted on CC (I forgot where) is accurate. If you google NCL Haven 2024 menu you can see all three meals. (I just did it). You can go off menu, but I didn't really try. 

 

 

All 3 meals? No dinner on the Gem unless something changed…

 

So it’s the full Haven breakfast and lunch menu on the Gem?

 

39 minutes ago, slidemaster5 said:

I am not a breakfast person, but we went to Moderno's every morning and I never got sick of it. (I will be lost tomorrow morning, lol). Besides the a la carte menu the breakfast bar has pastries and fruit.

 

For lunch I alternated between Grilled Salmon and French Dip. Being a chocolate lover, I also erred by not getting the Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownie from Day 1.

 

Every time I went to specialty dining or MDR they gave us a window seat. If you are waiting in a line, they can't do much since they don't know who you are until they read your card. When we went to O'Sheehans they messed up my wife's order, so the manager came over to apologize and they gave us a new waiter and gave my wife a new plate instantly. They definitely knew who we were.

 

[slidemaster5]

5 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

 

All 3 meals? No dinner on the Gem unless something changed…

 

So it’s the full Haven breakfast and lunch menu on the Gem?

 

 

 

Yes, breakfast and lunch. My first point is that if you google it you will see all three Haven meals. For Jewel class ships you see the dinner you don't get, lol.

 

 

 

[DorothyB]

I tried to get Carrot Cake to go from O'Sheehans while in a suite - I had the same basic experience . . . 

[rbxlady]

On 5/31/2024 at 7:27 AM, momofmab said:

-Great Stirrup Cay - what is there now?  Is it just a beach?  Is there a Haven-only area there?

 

We were on the Epic in a 2BR Haven suite beginning on 3/31 and into the first week of April. I echo Sthrngary's commentary on the Epic and Haven specifically and don't have anything to add as far as those are concerned.

 

However, as far as exclusive areas on Great Stirrup Cay, there is Silver Cove, which has villas you can reserve, a Moët champagne bar, its own lunch buffet, and a new infinity pool. We have done this twice and have always found it worth the money because we like the quiet, plus it's nice to have an air conditioned place to retreat to and your own bathroom. (We get a lagoon villa.) Service there is great, and we see it as an extension of the Haven. However, you do not have to sail in the Haven to be allowed to reserve there. (We have a cruise booked for Thanksgiving week of 2025 that is not in the Haven (unless there is a massive price drop), but we still plan to book a lagoon villa in Silver Cove again.) Silver Cove villas are reserved as excursions on GSC.

Edited Wednesday at 07:43 PM by rbxlady
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