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

[Laszlo]

At how many days out are your luggage typical sent?

[Sthrngary]

1 minute ago, Laszlo said:

At how many days out are your luggage typical sent?

Normally 30 days.  I am traveling out on Sunday of this week.  I still have not gotten mine.  For me, this does not matter.  I always print the luggage tags from the Online Check-In documents provided at 21 days.  I put those printed and colored luggage takes in a clear plastic tag holder gotten from Amazon.  The ones the Brand sends can come off and or be taken off to easily.  Just my way, not everyones approach.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Laszlo]

12 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Normally 30 days.  I am traveling out on Sunday of this week.  I still have not gotten mine.  For me, this does not matter.  I always print the luggage tags from the Online Check-In documents provided at 21 days.  I put those printed and colored luggage takes in a clear plastic tag holder gotten from Amazon.  The ones the Brand sends can come off and or be taken off to easily.  Just my way, not everyones approach.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Thanks, yea I do the same thing. Print them out and put two tags on each checked piece along with another copy of it inside the suitcase. Yea I'm anal about luggage info Lol. I also use a Tile and a Apple Air Tag. The Tile has found my "Lost" luggage twice

[CDR Benson]

1 hour ago, Sthrngary said:

I always print the luggage tags from the Online Check-In documents provided at 21 days.  I put those printed and colored luggage takes in a clear plastic tag holder gotten from Amazon.  

 

This was another method I learnt from your posts, sir.  I did the same for our cruise last September, and it worked fine.  Mote important, it worked fine for Luggage Forward, which we used to transport our bags to the ship.

 

 

[Sthrngary]

19 minutes ago, CDR Benson said:

 

This was another method I learnt from your posts, sir.  I did the same for our cruise last September, and it worked fine.  Mote important, it worked fine for Luggage Forward, which we used to transport our bags to the ship.

 

 

Hello sir.  I learned this from my mistake or almost mistake.  Years back, I put those pretty luggage tags on my luggage that came from the cruise brand.  I check my luggage at the airport, pick the luggage up and by the time I got to the port, NO luggage tags.  That got me thinking.  Fix the potential issue which lead to my plastic luggage tags.  Thanks for the shout out. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[CDR Benson]

I'm a belt-and-suspenders kind of guy, so I followed your advice for the luggage tags, plus inserting the cruise info in a prominent pocket inside both bags.  Luggage Forward also provides stout luggage tags and cruise information to go inside the bags.  I simply added those items with the tags and info I'd already attached/inserted.

 

If we didn't receive our luggage, it wasn't going to be because somebody couldn't figure out where it was supposed to go.

 

But it arrived just fine.

 

 

[bundtkate]

Super minor question: How are the upgraded bath amenities in the Haven? I'm not one to buy stuff at the salon, but normally I bring my shampoo, conditioner and shower gel because that all in one stuff is absolutely horrid. Packing that stuff is a pain so using what's provided for once would be a nice small luxury.

[FLcruisergrl]

1 hour ago, bundtkate said:

Super minor question: How are the upgraded bath amenities in the Haven? I'm not one to buy stuff at the salon, but normally I bring my shampoo, conditioner and shower gel because that all in one stuff is absolutely horrid. Packing that stuff is a pain so using what's provided for once would be a nice small luxury.

I bring my own hair care, but use the provided shower gel. Is L’Occtane now, I think.

[Sailing12Away]

7 hours ago, bundtkate said:

Super minor question: How are the upgraded bath amenities in the Haven? I'm not one to buy stuff at the salon, but normally I bring my shampoo, conditioner and shower gel because that all in one stuff is absolutely horrid. Packing that stuff is a pain so using what's provided for once would be a nice small luxury.

I'm a simple gal, so the onboard products are perfectly fine for me. I don't think I've packed shampoo/conditioner/shower gel for a cruise ever and I've been just fine. Haven also gives you a shower poof which I always forget, although that takes up zero weight in my bag unlike the other stuff.

[Sthrngary]

7 hours ago, bundtkate said:

Super minor question: How are the upgraded bath amenities in the Haven? I'm not one to buy stuff at the salon, but normally I bring my shampoo, conditioner and shower gel because that all in one stuff is absolutely horrid. Packing that stuff is a pain so using what's provided for once would be a nice small luxury.

They are high end.  The brand had changed recently but you will be fine with what is provided.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Treasure Hunter]

I always bring a bar of dove soap for my hands and face. ( Princess and the pea). I can’t stand that liquid stuff on my face.

[bundtkate]

1 hour ago, Treasure Hunter said:

I always bring a bar of dove soap for my hands and face.

I am not a bar soap fan, but def agree about shower gel on the face. There I do get a bit fancy and bring my daily face scrub with me.

 

2 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

I'm a simple gal, so the onboard products are perfectly fine for me.

I think I'm fairly simple too, but I do require actual conditioner so I would usually put some of my mid-range supermarket stuff in Amazon travel bottles when I'd cruise on RCI. Otherwise is was this all-in-one body wash/shampoo/hand soap stuff that was clearly invented by men. But, that was always in a standard balcony. Haven looks to have 3 separate bottles which it seems should do just fine.

 

Thanks, y'all! It's a small thing, but on a 14-day cruise where I have to pack a wedding dress every bit of saved luggage space counts!

[rbxlady]

10 hours ago, bundtkate said:

Super minor question: How are the upgraded bath amenities in the Haven? I'm not one to buy stuff at the salon, but normally I bring my shampoo, conditioner and shower gel because that all in one stuff is absolutely horrid. Packing that stuff is a pain so using what's provided for once would be a nice small luxury.

 

The toiletries are L'Occitane. The lotion is pretty good overall, but I have eczema, and it didn't cut it for places on my body (like my elbows and hands) that require thicker creams. My less-eczema-prone skin did fine with it.

 

The hand soap and body wash were very nice, and the shampoo smells amazing and reminds me of Neutrogena Rainbath, which unfortunately they don't make a shampoo to match. Anyway, it was very drying on my hair, though, and the conditioner didn't make up for it, so I ended up going back to my own hair products. However, my kids used it, and I was constantly sniffing their hair because it smelled so good! I actually bought the shampoo on sale* as a sort-of joke Christmas gift to put in the their bathroom (they loved that I was obsessed with how good their hair smelled). My husband used the provided toiletries and loved that he didn't have to bring anything into the shower.

 

Don't forget your toothbrush, though! Mine somehow disappeared between the hotel we stayed at the night before and the ship, so I asked concierge if there was a place on the ship I could buy one. They offered to hunt one down for me (I still offered to pay), and what they gave me was a toothbrush in the loosest sense of the word. I wasn't charged, thankfully. I made a point to stop at Walgreens before getting back on the ship in San Juan so I could buy one to use for the rest of the cruise.

 

*That stuff is expensive! Definitely a one-time purchase for me. I joked with my husband that next time we cruise in the Haven, I should bring empty travel bottles to fill before we leave the ship.

Edited November 30, 2022 by rbxlady
typo

[rbxlady]

On 11/23/2022 at 9:51 PM, Sailing12Away said:

Prior to our September sailing on the Joy I kept hearing stories about how it was one of the worst Haven ships because there were 'xxx' more Haven cabins on that ship than the sister ships of Encore/Bliss. So we went in expecting it to be crowded, tight, and overstuffed. That wasn't the case at all, even with a sold out Haven.

 

So as nice as it is to hear other's experiences or opinions, I don't get myself worried over them as folks have different perceptions and trigger points. While on vacation, I've found that it takes a lot more to get me upset than most so lots of preconceived assumptions end up unfounded.

That's funny because the Joy is at the top of my list of ships I really want to cruise, preferably in the Haven.

Edited November 30, 2022 by rbxlady

[CDR Benson]

On 11/23/2022 at 9:51 PM, Sailing12Away said:

Prior to our September sailing on the Joy I kept hearing stories about how it was one of the worst Haven ships because there were 'xxx' more Haven cabins on that ship than the sister ships of Encore/Bliss. So we went in expecting it to be crowded, tight, and overstuffed. That wasn't the case at all, even with a sold out Haven.

 

The Good Mrs. Benson and I sailed on Joy this past September, as well, and in terms of Haven population, we had the same experience as yours.

 

The conventional "wisdom" in most of the commentaries after Norwegian Joy shifted some additional suites to Haven status was that the influx of now-Haven residents would fill the Haven past a comfortable capacity.  The lounges would be overcrowded, we were told, and there would be an extended wait to dine in the Haven Restaurant.

 

However, that opinion was wrong, at least as far as our cruise went.  We never had to wait to dine in the restaurant (well, once, we had to wait a whole two minutes, because the GMB wanted a table next to a window), and none of the other Haven spaces were ever crowded (except for, understandably, that morning of embarkation).  Always plenty of comfy chairs and loveseats, even at sailaway, and enough people with whom to socialise, if one wanted to, but not so many that one couldn't find a more private spot.

[Laszlo]

10 hours ago, bundtkate said:

Super minor question: How are the upgraded bath amenities in the Haven? I'm not one to buy stuff at the salon, but normally I bring my shampoo, conditioner and shower gel because that all in one stuff is absolutely horrid. Packing that stuff is a pain so using what's provided for once would be a nice small luxury.

The are really nice! When my wife and I were in the Haven on the Escape in 2019 they had something I believe started with a B, sorry I forget the name. I liked it so much I took pictures of it. When we got back home I looked it up. From what I remember is was pretty expensive

[cruiseny4life]

2 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

The are really nice! When my wife and I were in the Haven on the Escape in 2019 they had something I believe started with a B, sorry I forget the name. I liked it so much I took pictures of it. When we got back home I looked it up. From what I remember is was pretty expensive

I think it was Bvlgari? The fleet has changed over to L'Occitane now, which I find lovely.

 

I've used Bvlgari in hotels and it is nice, but I do appreciate L'Occitane's hand lotion more (my hands are super dry and almost always chapped). After far too many hours in the thermal suite, hot tubs, pools, and ocean, I douse myself in the hand lotion! 

[Laszlo]

2 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I think it was Bvlgari? The fleet has changed over to L'Occitane now, which I find lovely.

 

I've used Bvlgari in hotels and it is nice, but I do appreciate L'Occitane's hand lotion more (my hands are super dry and almost always chapped). After far too many hours in the thermal suite, hot tubs, pools, and ocean, I douse myself in the hand lotion! 

Yes, that was it!

Edited November 30, 2022 by Laszlo

[Sailing12Away]

2 hours ago, bundtkate said:

I am not a bar soap fan, but def agree about shower gel on the face. There I do get a bit fancy and bring my daily face scrub with me.

 

I think I'm fairly simple too, but I do require actual conditioner so I would usually put some of my mid-range supermarket stuff in Amazon travel bottles when I'd cruise on RCI. Otherwise is was this all-in-one body wash/shampoo/hand soap stuff that was clearly invented by men. But, that was always in a standard balcony. Haven looks to have 3 separate bottles which it seems should do just fine.

 

Thanks, y'all! It's a small thing, but on a 14-day cruise where I have to pack a wedding dress every bit of saved luggage space counts!

This was on the Joy in September, separate bottles for all 3.

[scooter6139]

On 11/23/2022 at 11:48 AM, rbxlady said:

The Haven had been sold out for about two months prior to our sailing, and we only ever had to wait for a table at the Haven restaurant once, for maybe 7 or 8 minutes, because we were a party of four. Service was always quick, too. Maybe we got lucky.

The bar stools were full many times in the late afternoon, though, which made it tough if we wanted to walk up and order something to drink and bring back to our cabin (we were in 16120 on the Getaway, so literally right next to the Haven lounge), but if we had wanted to sit in the chairs in the lounge, that would not have been a problem. I don't think I ever saw them full except maybe on disembarkation day.

As I write this, our Dec 18th 5 day Mexico sailing on Joy still has 13 Haven rooms showing as available.  I have no doubt they will move/upgrade to fill all these before sailing.  

 

Does a full Joy Haven usually mean a full Haven Bar or Haven Restaurant too?  

 

Also, is the Haven embarkation day lunch the standard lunch menu or something else?  Wife and are are still trying to decide where to eat first, as we wont' usually waste $$$ at the America Diner.

[Sthrngary]

24 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

As I write this, our Dec 18th 5 day Mexico sailing on Joy still has 13 Haven rooms showing as available.  I have no doubt they will move/upgrade to fill all these before sailing.  

@scooter6139 Yes, the Haven will be sold out.  Not just on the Joy. I most all the NCL ships.  

 

25 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

Does a full Joy Haven usually mean a full Haven Bar or Haven Restaurant too?

This has been explained serval times on this blog.  I will simply give you my experience in a Sold Out Joy Haven.  I only had to wait for dinner once and it was less than 15 minutes.  The Haven Bar is always crowded but you never have an issue getting a drink.  Getting a bar stool is a bit tricky.

 

27 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

Also, is the Haven embarkation day lunch the standard lunch menu or something else?

The Haven meals, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinners never really change so you might call that Standard Lunch Menu.  You are also offered a complementary lunch at the American Diner.  I would pass on that.  My preference is the Haven Restaurant Lunch. 

 

I hope this helps you and your plan.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[CDR Benson]

54 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

As I write this, our Dec 18th 5 day Mexico sailing on Joy still has 13 Haven rooms showing as available.  I have no doubt they will move/upgrade to fill all these before sailing.  

 

Does a full Joy Haven usually mean a full Haven Bar or Haven Restaurant too?  

 

Also, is the Haven embarkation day lunch the standard lunch menu or something else?  Wife and are are still trying to decide where to eat first, as we wont' usually waste $$$ at the America Diner.

 

I can speak only to our experience on Joy back in September.  I understood that all of the Haven staterooms were occupied for that cruise.  Yet, as I stated above, the Haven and Horizon lounges were not crowded.  (I will add the caveat that certain times---the morning of embarkation [as Haven guests were being escorted and oriented] and the mornings of port visits [when Haven guests assembled near the concierge desk for their priority debarkation]---things got elbow-to-elbow.  I would imagine that the Haven gets crowded at these occasions, no matter how many Haven pax there are.)

 

The Haven Restaurant was never crowded.  We were always seated immediately.   As I remarked, one night, the Good Mrs. Benson requested a table by the window; the two-minute wait was so they could bus and redress a table for us.  And, on another evening, they stretched a point and admitted us ten minutes before the restaurant officially opened for dinner.

 

The Haven Bar is a different animal.  As Mr. Tilkin and other Haven veterans of Joy have pointed out, the seating is limited at the Haven Bar, nine-to-twelve stools, I think, and they are at a premium.  I noticed it was almost always the same group of travelers planted at the Haven Bar.  The waiters, however, do a grand job of supplying the guests in the Haven and Horizon lounges, so you won't go thirsty. 

 

 

 

That first day, we ate lunch in the Haven Restaurant.  The bill of fare was its standard lunch menu, nothing special for the first day.  (NOTE:  I had the best French dip sandwich of my life.)  We didn't have to wait for a table, either.

 

We couldn't see going to the American Diner for our first-day lunch, even if it was free.  That seemed too much like going to a Steak 'n' Shake or some other short-order joint, and we could do that at home.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by CDR Benson

[scooter6139]

Thanks @Sthrngary, I've seen most of the responses on these Q's before, just hoping for more up to date and/or Holiday travel experiences.  Guessing we will see more Kiddo's as they will be on break too.  Wife is a teacher so she will sometimes use her "teacher voice" on them and inattentive parents (which can be a joy to watch).

[Treasure Hunter]

Yes pass on the American Diner. The food is mediocre. Only thing really good is the ice cream soda and you have to pay extra for that ( even with a free lunch offer. The food in the Haven restaurant is terrific. 

[cruiseny4life]

44 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

Also, is the Haven embarkation day lunch the standard lunch menu or something else?  Wife and are are still trying to decide where to eat first, as we wont' usually waste $$$ at the America Diner.

I'll offer a different answer to the lunch question since several have confirmed American Diner is offered on the Joy, as well. Both times we've sailed NCL we have gone to American Diner on embarkation day. The first time, because we figured it would be something different than the Haven Restaurant which we would be eating in virtually every day/meal of the cruise.

 

The second time, because of the experience in American Diner. The milkshake (I'm guessing that's what @Treasure Hunter's ice cream soda is, but maybe not) is the best I've ever had. The second time, not quite so great, but still very, very good. American Diner has my guilty pleasure, mozzarella sticks! Our tradition (it's been two times now, ya know) has been to order a double order of the mozzarella sticks and the milkshake. We do not bother with dessert in American Diner as it's ho-hum (too rich for me). 

 

The actual lunch in American Diner, first time, was good. Not great, but good. The second time, it was ok. Definitely not good, well except those mozzarella sticks and the milkshake. For lunch we have tried the burger, chicken sandwich, and fried seafood basket. The seafood basket was small, but tasty. Our first go around with the chicken sandwich was that it was very tasty. The second time, again, it was ok. The burger has an odd after taste. 

 

Another reason we chose American Diner on the second cruise, and will again on our third cruise, in March, is that the Haven Restaurant's lunch menu is uninspiring and boring to us. Breakfast and dinner are great! We've had the ribs (dry and virtually tasteless), the French Dip was just blah (sorry Benson, my good man), the burger is similar to American Diner's (after taste and all), and the shrimp scampi was loaded with salt (and we enjoy salt, like, a lot). 

 

If you stick to the appetizers during lunch, then you may enjoy it (well, that's what we enjoy most). The seafood fritto misto is excellent, mushroom flatbread is good, and the cobb salad is very good. My husband hates grass and he will enjoy the cobb salad, with double the chicken, bacon, and egg! Regardless of where you go, don't plan to be super impressed with the lunch - I definitely get others have had better experiences. Maybe the shorts, flippie floppies, and t-shirt I wear to all meals affects the taste.

 

But, enjoy the Haven, the Mexican Riviera, and your wonderful Haven experience! It is really a wonderful way to travel! My grumbling above is me being very picky, so don't put too much stock in it.