Never-Haven Cruiser sails in the Haven. Here are her thoughts.

[LrgPizza]

I didn't put my Username in the title, but I did refer to myself in 3rd person, so you know this is important stuff right here...

 

I have always been a never-Haven cruiser, and I just spent a week of Haven on the NCL Joy.  Here are my thoughts on the whole “once you go Haven, you’ll never go back” movement.

 

We originally booked a standard balcony cabin. To my surprise, my husband placed a bid on a Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony. The bid was barely into the “Fair” category, which is orange on the little pie chart bid thing.  The very next day, he was notified it was accepted.  Our cabin was a two-room front corner thing, with a balcony off the living room area and a forward-facing porthole off the bedroom.  We were on Deck 10, so not in the actual Haven space.

 

Our cabin was fantastic.  We loved everything about it.  There was so much storage space that I could have brought every article of clothing, purse, shoes etc. that I own.  There was way more storage just in the bathroom alone than in my own bathroom at home.  I think we used about 1/10 of the storage space in this cabin.  The bed was comfortable, the shower was spacious, there was a tub we never used, and a separate mirrored, seated vanity area. (Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures of the cabin. We aren’t really picture people. There are lots of pictures out there already.

 

We met our butler, Xolani, on the very first day.  I never saw him again the entire cruise, which was fine, because I really didn’t need anything from him.  I called him once because the hair dryer was broken. After 2 days, I mentioned it to my outstanding cabin steward, Cleward, who immediately got me a new one, and had an electrical person install it. (Which I call “plugging it in.”)    I had often read about requesting specific snacks to have in the cabin.  We really aren’t snackers, and don’t spend much time in the cabin, but that first day Xolani asked us if we wanted any special snacks.  My husband asked for chocolate chip cookies, and my son asked for pretzel rolls. I couldn’t think of anything, so I passed.   This was on Sunday.  On Tuesday, a plate appeared with white chocolate macadamia and oatmeal raisin cookies. We never saw a chocolate chip cookie.  No big deal, because if my husband wanted some, there were plenty to be found on board.  On Wednesday, my son was brought some pretzel rolls.  That was the only time.  This wasn’t what we had expected to happen with the stories we had read here, but again, we aren’t really snackers, and if we were, there are plenty to be found around the ship, in the Haven’s Horizon lounge or the regular observation lounge. We were also brought some little sandwich things that looked gross. They always had potato chips with them which were soggy from having been enclosed with the sandwiches.

 

I think someone named Patrick was the concierge. He greeted us in the waiting area of the terminal before boarding.  After that, I don’t think we saw him until disembarking. There was a man named Mr. X who was always behind the concierge desk, who was handy if we had any questions, or when we needed to move a reservation.  It really was no different than going to the box office, but I can see how it would be convenient if you have lots of changes and things to coordinate between dining and shows.

 

The Haven restaurant is often described as the best part of the Haven, and we agree, even after it got off to a bad service start. The food was spectacular.  I ate dinner there 3 times, lunch 6 times, and breakfast 3 times.  When we arrived for our first meal there (dinner on embarkation day), they were trying very hard to divert people to Q the smokehouse to dine for free.  We declined and were seated immediately. The place was about 2/3 full.  We waited over 20 minutes for someone to stop by and say anything to us.  After we had finished our appetizers and had plates cleared, it was over an hour before our entrees arrived, or before anyone even stopped by to check on us.  By the time we finished our entrees, we had already been there nearly 2.5 hours, so we skipped out before being offered dessert. It was our first night at sea, and we had other things to do.  That first night, I had the surf & turf, and my meal was delicious. My son had the pork loin scallopini.  It comes with spaetzle, a mushroom sauce, and some veggies. He asked them to hold the veggies. They held absolutely everything except the tiny dry portion of pork. We had a chuckle at this. He just headed to the buffet for more food later, so no big deal. He didn’t want to risk waiting another hour for them to fix it.  Interestingly, this was the only time our service was bad in the Haven restaurant, and we never saw that waiter again the entire cruise.  While we quickly learned that special requests often would not be granted, we learned to adjust.  Some examples: The mini buffet has all the fixings for lox & bagel except the bagels, so I made mine on plain bread the first day. The next day, I asked if I could get a bagel, but it never arrived, so I think the answer was no?  It was not a big deal, because I would get lox and bagels in the regular Garden Café buffet.  Further, my son asked for apple juice for lunch, since he does not drink soda or alcohol. He was told no, they can only get it at breakfast, so he just drank water every meal.  One dinner he asked for pretzel rolls. He was told no, because “those are only in the lounge.”  He apologized for asking.  I asked for broccolini (a listed side on the menu) instead of spinach with my surf and turf.  It didn’t happen, so I just ignored the spinach…   Anyway, while it was certainly a learning experience for us regarding special requests, we really enjoyed all the food that we did eat.  On the very last day, my son asked for 2 lobster tails instead of the steak part of surf and turf.  They did indeed accommodate him, so I was happy he was brave enough to make another request.

 

The other thing we liked about the Haven was having a place to chill out away from the crowds.  It rained quite a bit on the cruise, and when we could not find space outside on the deck 8 Waterfront, we could always find space in the upper level lounge chairs around the pool area. This is not an area we would typically spend any time, because there is no view of the ocean from the Haven Courtyard, and we like to see the ocean when we cruise, but it was great when no outside space could be found on rainy days. We never used the Haven pool. It was packed with kids the entire trip.  We were not bothered by this in the slightest, but we heard many others complaining.  I found a hidden plastic duck near a stair rail and I tossed it to the kids in the Haven pool.  They loved it. 

 

The Horizon lounge (the observation lounge for Haven guests) was cozy, but there is no bar. The same with the sun deck. There is such a tiny bar for the entire Haven area, and it just cannot keep up.  While servers would generally come around the various areas, it was usually half an hour to get a drink.  Since we were not actually staying in the Haven, we would stop and grab drinks elsewhere before heading there.

 

We found there to be lots of demanding and entitled people in the Haven.  While there are demanding and entitled people everywhere, I always imagined it would be more highly concentrated in the Haven, and my expectations were certainly met.  I called these people “letter-writers”, because these seemed like people that would send those lengthy letters prior to boarding requesting the sun and the moon be delivered to them, and don’t forget the white gloves. I found myself sitting at bars and places with the key card upside down because I didn’t want anyone to know. We had priority boarding on the ferry from the ship to St. Georges.  As we were paraded past the giant line of other cruisers, I felt embarrassed.   I would love to call out so many people specifically, and maybe I will later, but I am sure that many will recognize themselves here, so for now I will refrain.  It just made me uncomfortable.  There were also lots of normal, fun people in the Haven, but you had to really look for them. We made some great new friends. 

 

My overall impressions of the Haven are mixed.  I can take it or leave it.  I loved the cabin. I loved the restaurant.  We will probably place a bid in the “fair” category again in the future, but I cannot imagine ever booking it directly. We had an absolutely fabulous cruise, and can't wait to sail again.  This one was a blast, but it had nothing really to do with the Haven.

[MsTabbyKats]

Thanks for the honest review.  I'm booked for the 9/3 Escape...and have been toying with "if I should bid on the Haven".

 

We recently got off the MSC Meraviglia Yacht Club (I only booked YC due to DH's health) and had a wonderful experience.  Service couldn't have been better (ie...they knew to bring DH a large bowl of prunes in the morning) and, although I'm sure there were some snobs on board, I didn't meet any.

 

Based on your review, we'll just stick with "the masses".  

 

[njkate]

15 minutes ago, LrgPizza said:

I didn't put my Username in the title, but I did refer to myself in 3rd person, so you know this is important stuff right here...

 

I have always been a never-Haven cruiser, and I just spent a week of Haven on the NCL Joy.  Here are my thoughts on the whole “once you go Haven, you’ll never go back” movement.

 

We originally booked a standard balcony cabin. To my surprise, my husband placed a bid on a Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony. The bid was barely into the “Fair” category, which is orange on the little pie chart bid thing.  The very next day, he was notified it was accepted.  Our cabin was a two-room front corner thing, with a balcony off the living room area and a forward-facing porthole off the bedroom.  We were on Deck 10, so not in the actual Haven space.

 

Our cabin was fantastic.  We loved everything about it.  There was so much storage space that I could have brought every article of clothing, purse, shoes etc. that I own.  There was way more storage just in the bathroom alone than in my own bathroom at home.  I think we used about 1/10 of the storage space in this cabin.  The bed was comfortable, the shower was spacious, there was a tub we never used, and a separate mirrored, seated vanity area. (Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures of the cabin. We aren’t really picture people. There are lots of pictures out there already.

 

We met our butler, Xolani, on the very first day.  I never saw him again the entire cruise, which was fine, because I really didn’t need anything from him.  I called him once because the hair dryer was broken. After 2 days, I mentioned it to my outstanding cabin steward, Cleward, who immediately got me a new one, and had an electrical person install it. (Which I call “plugging it in.”)    I had often read about requesting specific snacks to have in the cabin.  We really aren’t snackers, and don’t spend much time in the cabin, but that first day Xolani asked us if we wanted any special snacks.  My husband asked for chocolate chip cookies, and my son asked for pretzel rolls. I couldn’t think of anything, so I passed.   This was on Sunday.  On Tuesday, a plate appeared with white chocolate macadamia and oatmeal raisin cookies. We never saw a chocolate chip cookie.  No big deal, because if my husband wanted some, there were plenty to be found on board.  On Wednesday, my son was brought some pretzel rolls.  That was the only time.  This wasn’t what we had expected to happen with the stories we had read here, but again, we aren’t really snackers, and if we were, there are plenty to be found around the ship, in the Haven’s Horizon lounge or the regular observation lounge. We were also brought some little sandwich things that looked gross. They always had potato chips with them which were soggy from having been enclosed with the sandwiches.

 

I think someone named Patrick was the concierge. He greeted us in the waiting area of the terminal before boarding.  After that, I don’t think we saw him until disembarking. There was a man named Mr. X who was always behind the concierge desk, who was handy if we had any questions, or when we needed to move a reservation.  It really was no different than going to the box office, but I can see how it would be convenient if you have lots of changes and things to coordinate between dining and shows.

 

The Haven restaurant is often described as the best part of the Haven, and we agree, even after it got off to a bad service start. The food was spectacular.  I ate dinner there 3 times, lunch 6 times, and breakfast 3 times.  When we arrived for our first meal there (dinner on embarkation day), they were trying very hard to divert people to Q the smokehouse to dine for free.  We declined and were seated immediately. The place was about 2/3 full.  We waited over 20 minutes for someone to stop by and say anything to us.  After we had finished our appetizers and had plates cleared, it was over an hour before our entrees arrived, or before anyone even stopped by to check on us.  By the time we finished our entrees, we had already been there nearly 2.5 hours, so we skipped out before being offered dessert. It was our first night at sea, and we had other things to do.  That first night, I had the surf & turf, and my meal was delicious. My son had the pork loin scallopini.  It comes with spaetzle, a mushroom sauce, and some veggies. He asked them to hold the veggies. They held absolutely everything except the tiny dry portion of pork. We had a chuckle at this. He just headed to the buffet for more food later, so no big deal. He didn’t want to risk waiting another hour for them to fix it.  Interestingly, this was the only time our service was bad in the Haven restaurant, and we never saw that waiter again the entire cruise.  While we quickly learned that special requests often would not be granted, we learned to adjust.  Some examples: The mini buffet has all the fixings for lox & bagel except the bagels, so I made mine on plain bread the first day. The next day, I asked if I could get a bagel, but it never arrived, so I think the answer was no?  It was not a big deal, because I would get lox and bagels in the regular Garden Café buffet.  Further, my son asked for apple juice for lunch, since he does not drink soda or alcohol. He was told no, they can only get it at breakfast, so he just drank water every meal.  One dinner he asked for pretzel rolls. He was told no, because “those are only in the lounge.”  He apologized for asking.  I asked for broccolini (a listed side on the menu) instead of spinach with my surf and turf.  It didn’t happen, so I just ignored the spinach…   Anyway, while it was certainly a learning experience for us regarding special requests, we really enjoyed all the food that we did eat.  On the very last day, my son asked for 2 lobster tails instead of the steak part of surf and turf.  They did indeed accommodate him, so I was happy he was brave enough to make another request.

 

The other thing we liked about the Haven was having a place to chill out away from the crowds.  It rained quite a bit on the cruise, and when we could not find space outside on the deck 8 Waterfront, we could always find space in the upper level lounge chairs around the pool area. This is not an area we would typically spend any time, because there is no view of the ocean from the Haven Courtyard, and we like to see the ocean when we cruise, but it was great when no outside space could be found on rainy days. We never used the Haven pool. It was packed with kids the entire trip.  We were not bothered by this in the slightest, but we heard many others complaining.  I found a hidden plastic duck near a stair rail and I tossed it to the kids in the Haven pool.  They loved it. 

 

The Horizon lounge (the observation lounge for Haven guests) was cozy, but there is no bar. The same with the sun deck. There is such a tiny bar for the entire Haven area, and it just cannot keep up.  While servers would generally come around the various areas, it was usually half an hour to get a drink.  Since we were not actually staying in the Haven, we would stop and grab drinks elsewhere before heading there.

 

We found there to be lots of demanding and entitled people in the Haven.  While there are demanding and entitled people everywhere, I always imagined it would be more highly concentrated in the Haven, and my expectations were certainly met.  I called these people “letter-writers”, because these seemed like people that would send those lengthy letters prior to boarding requesting the sun and the moon be delivered to them, and don’t forget the white gloves. I found myself sitting at bars and places with the key card upside down because I didn’t want anyone to know. We had priority boarding on the ferry from the ship to St. Georges.  As we were paraded past the giant line of other cruisers, I felt embarrassed.   I would love to call out so many people specifically, and maybe I will later, but I am sure that many will recognize themselves here, so for now I will refrain.  It just made me uncomfortable.  There were also lots of normal, fun people in the Haven, but you had to really look for them. We made some great new friends. 

 

My overall impressions of the Haven are mixed.  I can take it or leave it.  I loved the cabin. I loved the restaurant.  We will probably place a bid in the “fair” category again in the future, but I cannot imagine ever booking it directly. We had an absolutely fabulous cruise, and can't wait to sail again.  This one was a blast, but it had nothing really to do with the Haven.

After my experience in the Haven on the Breakaway back in 2018 I would never pay full price for it. We also had a butler, Seeka was her name that we saw on embarkation day and she ghosted us up the the last night when she came fishing for a tip, it’s the only time I did not tip someone and don’t feel the slightest bit bad. Our cabin steward was phenomenal so a good portion of what I budgeted for the butler was added to his tip, 

 

The night butler was good and we assumed we would not see him before we departed so we tipped him as service was provided. 
 

Yes there were plenty of snobs running their butlers ragged, in retrospect maybe that’s why ours ghosted us lol. We did meet plenty of down to earth people as well

Edited June 5, 2023 by njkate

[scooter6139]

32 minutes ago, LrgPizza said:

I didn't put my Username in the title, but I did refer to myself in 3rd person, so you know this is important stuff right here...

 

I have always been a never-Haven cruiser, and I just spent a week of Haven on the NCL Joy.  Here are my thoughts on the whole “once you go Haven, you’ll never go back” movement.

 

We originally booked a standard balcony cabin. To my surprise, my husband placed a bid on a Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony. The bid was barely into the “Fair” category, which is orange on the little pie chart bid thing.  The very next day, he was notified it was accepted.  Our cabin was a two-room front corner thing, with a balcony off the living room area and a forward-facing porthole off the bedroom.  We were on Deck 10, so not in the actual Haven space.

 

Our cabin was fantastic.  We loved everything about it.  There was so much storage space that I could have brought every article of clothing, purse, shoes etc. that I own.  There was way more storage just in the bathroom alone than in my own bathroom at home.  I think we used about 1/10 of the storage space in this cabin.  The bed was comfortable, the shower was spacious, there was a tub we never used, and a separate mirrored, seated vanity area. (Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures of the cabin. We aren’t really picture people. There are lots of pictures out there already.

 

We met our butler, Xolani, on the very first day.  I never saw him again the entire cruise, which was fine, because I really didn’t need anything from him.  I called him once because the hair dryer was broken. After 2 days, I mentioned it to my outstanding cabin steward, Cleward, who immediately got me a new one, and had an electrical person install it. (Which I call “plugging it in.”)    I had often read about requesting specific snacks to have in the cabin.  We really aren’t snackers, and don’t spend much time in the cabin, but that first day Xolani asked us if we wanted any special snacks.  My husband asked for chocolate chip cookies, and my son asked for pretzel rolls. I couldn’t think of anything, so I passed.   This was on Sunday.  On Tuesday, a plate appeared with white chocolate macadamia and oatmeal raisin cookies. We never saw a chocolate chip cookie.  No big deal, because if my husband wanted some, there were plenty to be found on board.  On Wednesday, my son was brought some pretzel rolls.  That was the only time.  This wasn’t what we had expected to happen with the stories we had read here, but again, we aren’t really snackers, and if we were, there are plenty to be found around the ship, in the Haven’s Horizon lounge or the regular observation lounge. We were also brought some little sandwich things that looked gross. They always had potato chips with them which were soggy from having been enclosed with the sandwiches.

 

I think someone named Patrick was the concierge. He greeted us in the waiting area of the terminal before boarding.  After that, I don’t think we saw him until disembarking. There was a man named Mr. X who was always behind the concierge desk, who was handy if we had any questions, or when we needed to move a reservation.  It really was no different than going to the box office, but I can see how it would be convenient if you have lots of changes and things to coordinate between dining and shows.

 

The Haven restaurant is often described as the best part of the Haven, and we agree, even after it got off to a bad service start. The food was spectacular.  I ate dinner there 3 times, lunch 6 times, and breakfast 3 times.  When we arrived for our first meal there (dinner on embarkation day), they were trying very hard to divert people to Q the smokehouse to dine for free.  We declined and were seated immediately. The place was about 2/3 full.  We waited over 20 minutes for someone to stop by and say anything to us.  After we had finished our appetizers and had plates cleared, it was over an hour before our entrees arrived, or before anyone even stopped by to check on us.  By the time we finished our entrees, we had already been there nearly 2.5 hours, so we skipped out before being offered dessert. It was our first night at sea, and we had other things to do.  That first night, I had the surf & turf, and my meal was delicious. My son had the pork loin scallopini.  It comes with spaetzle, a mushroom sauce, and some veggies. He asked them to hold the veggies. They held absolutely everything except the tiny dry portion of pork. We had a chuckle at this. He just headed to the buffet for more food later, so no big deal. He didn’t want to risk waiting another hour for them to fix it.  Interestingly, this was the only time our service was bad in the Haven restaurant, and we never saw that waiter again the entire cruise.  While we quickly learned that special requests often would not be granted, we learned to adjust.  Some examples: The mini buffet has all the fixings for lox & bagel except the bagels, so I made mine on plain bread the first day. The next day, I asked if I could get a bagel, but it never arrived, so I think the answer was no?  It was not a big deal, because I would get lox and bagels in the regular Garden Café buffet.  Further, my son asked for apple juice for lunch, since he does not drink soda or alcohol. He was told no, they can only get it at breakfast, so he just drank water every meal.  One dinner he asked for pretzel rolls. He was told no, because “those are only in the lounge.”  He apologized for asking.  I asked for broccolini (a listed side on the menu) instead of spinach with my surf and turf.  It didn’t happen, so I just ignored the spinach…   Anyway, while it was certainly a learning experience for us regarding special requests, we really enjoyed all the food that we did eat.  On the very last day, my son asked for 2 lobster tails instead of the steak part of surf and turf.  They did indeed accommodate him, so I was happy he was brave enough to make another request.

 

The other thing we liked about the Haven was having a place to chill out away from the crowds.  It rained quite a bit on the cruise, and when we could not find space outside on the deck 8 Waterfront, we could always find space in the upper level lounge chairs around the pool area. This is not an area we would typically spend any time, because there is no view of the ocean from the Haven Courtyard, and we like to see the ocean when we cruise, but it was great when no outside space could be found on rainy days. We never used the Haven pool. It was packed with kids the entire trip.  We were not bothered by this in the slightest, but we heard many others complaining.  I found a hidden plastic duck near a stair rail and I tossed it to the kids in the Haven pool.  They loved it. 

 

The Horizon lounge (the observation lounge for Haven guests) was cozy, but there is no bar. The same with the sun deck. There is such a tiny bar for the entire Haven area, and it just cannot keep up.  While servers would generally come around the various areas, it was usually half an hour to get a drink.  Since we were not actually staying in the Haven, we would stop and grab drinks elsewhere before heading there.

 

We found there to be lots of demanding and entitled people in the Haven.  While there are demanding and entitled people everywhere, I always imagined it would be more highly concentrated in the Haven, and my expectations were certainly met.  I called these people “letter-writers”, because these seemed like people that would send those lengthy letters prior to boarding requesting the sun and the moon be delivered to them, and don’t forget the white gloves. I found myself sitting at bars and places with the key card upside down because I didn’t want anyone to know. We had priority boarding on the ferry from the ship to St. Georges.  As we were paraded past the giant line of other cruisers, I felt embarrassed.   I would love to call out so many people specifically, and maybe I will later, but I am sure that many will recognize themselves here, so for now I will refrain.  It just made me uncomfortable.  There were also lots of normal, fun people in the Haven, but you had to really look for them. We made some great new friends. 

 

My overall impressions of the Haven are mixed.  I can take it or leave it.  I loved the cabin. I loved the restaurant.  We will probably place a bid in the “fair” category again in the future, but I cannot imagine ever booking it directly. We had an absolutely fabulous cruise, and can't wait to sail again.  This one was a blast, but it had nothing really to do with the Haven.

 

Thanks for the review.  Just so you know, you might have just called out and perhaps insulted an entire group with the "letter writers" comment, as that is a very specific thing here.  

 

Perhaps you never read this forum before?

 

 

[LrgPizza]

1 minute ago, scooter6139 said:

 

Thanks for the review.  Just so you know, you might have just called out and perhaps insulted an entire group with the "letter writers" comment, as that is a very specific thing here.  

 

Perhaps you never read this forum before?

 

where do you think I came up with the term?

[LrgPizza]

35 minutes ago, njkate said:

... Our cabin steward was phenomenal so a good portion of what I budgeted for the butler was added to his tip, 

.

 

We did the same - he got a large tip. He was the best steward I've ever had. Since we were not in the Haven, he was also servicing all the standard cabins around us, so he was not a "Haven steward".  We loved the guy.

[vacation44]

1 hour ago, LrgPizza said:

I didn't put my Username in the title, but I did refer to myself in 3rd person, so you know this is important stuff right here...

 

I have always been a never-Haven cruiser, and I just spent a week of Haven on the NCL Joy.  Here are my thoughts on the whole “once you go Haven, you’ll never go back” movement.

 

We originally booked a standard balcony cabin. To my surprise, my husband placed a bid on a Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony. The bid was barely into the “Fair” category, which is orange on the little pie chart bid thing.  The very next day, he was notified it was accepted.  Our cabin was a two-room front corner thing, with a balcony off the living room area and a forward-facing porthole off the bedroom.  We were on Deck 10, so not in the actual Haven space.

 

Our cabin was fantastic.  We loved everything about it.  There was so much storage space that I could have brought every article of clothing, purse, shoes etc. that I own.  There was way more storage just in the bathroom alone than in my own bathroom at home.  I think we used about 1/10 of the storage space in this cabin.  The bed was comfortable, the shower was spacious, there was a tub we never used, and a separate mirrored, seated vanity area. (Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures of the cabin. We aren’t really picture people. There are lots of pictures out there already.

 

We met our butler, Xolani, on the very first day.  I never saw him again the entire cruise, which was fine, because I really didn’t need anything from him.  I called him once because the hair dryer was broken. After 2 days, I mentioned it to my outstanding cabin steward, Cleward, who immediately got me a new one, and had an electrical person install it. (Which I call “plugging it in.”)    I had often read about requesting specific snacks to have in the cabin.  We really aren’t snackers, and don’t spend much time in the cabin, but that first day Xolani asked us if we wanted any special snacks.  My husband asked for chocolate chip cookies, and my son asked for pretzel rolls. I couldn’t think of anything, so I passed.   This was on Sunday.  On Tuesday, a plate appeared with white chocolate macadamia and oatmeal raisin cookies. We never saw a chocolate chip cookie.  No big deal, because if my husband wanted some, there were plenty to be found on board.  On Wednesday, my son was brought some pretzel rolls.  That was the only time.  This wasn’t what we had expected to happen with the stories we had read here, but again, we aren’t really snackers, and if we were, there are plenty to be found around the ship, in the Haven’s Horizon lounge or the regular observation lounge. We were also brought some little sandwich things that looked gross. They always had potato chips with them which were soggy from having been enclosed with the sandwiches.

 

I think someone named Patrick was the concierge. He greeted us in the waiting area of the terminal before boarding.  After that, I don’t think we saw him until disembarking. There was a man named Mr. X who was always behind the concierge desk, who was handy if we had any questions, or when we needed to move a reservation.  It really was no different than going to the box office, but I can see how it would be convenient if you have lots of changes and things to coordinate between dining and shows.

 

The Haven restaurant is often described as the best part of the Haven, and we agree, even after it got off to a bad service start. The food was spectacular.  I ate dinner there 3 times, lunch 6 times, and breakfast 3 times.  When we arrived for our first meal there (dinner on embarkation day), they were trying very hard to divert people to Q the smokehouse to dine for free.  We declined and were seated immediately. The place was about 2/3 full.  We waited over 20 minutes for someone to stop by and say anything to us.  After we had finished our appetizers and had plates cleared, it was over an hour before our entrees arrived, or before anyone even stopped by to check on us.  By the time we finished our entrees, we had already been there nearly 2.5 hours, so we skipped out before being offered dessert. It was our first night at sea, and we had other things to do.  That first night, I had the surf & turf, and my meal was delicious. My son had the pork loin scallopini.  It comes with spaetzle, a mushroom sauce, and some veggies. He asked them to hold the veggies. They held absolutely everything except the tiny dry portion of pork. We had a chuckle at this. He just headed to the buffet for more food later, so no big deal. He didn’t want to risk waiting another hour for them to fix it.  Interestingly, this was the only time our service was bad in the Haven restaurant, and we never saw that waiter again the entire cruise.  While we quickly learned that special requests often would not be granted, we learned to adjust.  Some examples: The mini buffet has all the fixings for lox & bagel except the bagels, so I made mine on plain bread the first day. The next day, I asked if I could get a bagel, but it never arrived, so I think the answer was no?  It was not a big deal, because I would get lox and bagels in the regular Garden Café buffet.  Further, my son asked for apple juice for lunch, since he does not drink soda or alcohol. He was told no, they can only get it at breakfast, so he just drank water every meal.  One dinner he asked for pretzel rolls. He was told no, because “those are only in the lounge.”  He apologized for asking.  I asked for broccolini (a listed side on the menu) instead of spinach with my surf and turf.  It didn’t happen, so I just ignored the spinach…   Anyway, while it was certainly a learning experience for us regarding special requests, we really enjoyed all the food that we did eat.  On the very last day, my son asked for 2 lobster tails instead of the steak part of surf and turf.  They did indeed accommodate him, so I was happy he was brave enough to make another request.

 

The other thing we liked about the Haven was having a place to chill out away from the crowds.  It rained quite a bit on the cruise, and when we could not find space outside on the deck 8 Waterfront, we could always find space in the upper level lounge chairs around the pool area. This is not an area we would typically spend any time, because there is no view of the ocean from the Haven Courtyard, and we like to see the ocean when we cruise, but it was great when no outside space could be found on rainy days. We never used the Haven pool. It was packed with kids the entire trip.  We were not bothered by this in the slightest, but we heard many others complaining.  I found a hidden plastic duck near a stair rail and I tossed it to the kids in the Haven pool.  They loved it. 

 

The Horizon lounge (the observation lounge for Haven guests) was cozy, but there is no bar. The same with the sun deck. There is such a tiny bar for the entire Haven area, and it just cannot keep up.  While servers would generally come around the various areas, it was usually half an hour to get a drink.  Since we were not actually staying in the Haven, we would stop and grab drinks elsewhere before heading there.

 

We found there to be lots of demanding and entitled people in the Haven.  While there are demanding and entitled people everywhere, I always imagined it would be more highly concentrated in the Haven, and my expectations were certainly met.  I called these people “letter-writers”, because these seemed like people that would send those lengthy letters prior to boarding requesting the sun and the moon be delivered to them, and don’t forget the white gloves. I found myself sitting at bars and places with the key card upside down because I didn’t want anyone to know. We had priority boarding on the ferry from the ship to St. Georges.  As we were paraded past the giant line of other cruisers, I felt embarrassed.   I would love to call out so many people specifically, and maybe I will later, but I am sure that many will recognize themselves here, so for now I will refrain.  It just made me uncomfortable.  There were also lots of normal, fun people in the Haven, but you had to really look for them. We made some great new friends. 

 

My overall impressions of the Haven are mixed.  I can take it or leave it.  I loved the cabin. I loved the restaurant.  We will probably place a bid in the “fair” category again in the future, but I cannot imagine ever booking it directly. We had an absolutely fabulous cruise, and can't wait to sail again.  This one was a blast, but it had nothing really to do with the Haven.

Thank you for taking the time to report back on your recent experience and thoughts.    We, too, do not fall into the camp of “once you go Haven, you’ll never go back”.   While we did enjoy our cruises in the Haven, we also still enjoy staying in a non-Haven cabin.   The only thing we miss is 

the Haven restaurant, but with four specialty dining meals, we get over it fast while savings thousands of dollars.      I do think you did receive a lot of "no's" and that is very unfortunate, and I believe is not the normal.

[Sthrngary]

I obviously love the Haven and leveraging all the Amenities that it has to offer.  Yet, I really appreciate this review.  It was both fair and balanced.  In the last two years, I have cruised in the Haven on the Joy twice and in a Club Balcony Suite once.  My non-Haven cruise was solo and I called it Haven Lite by booking the Vibe Beach Club and the Free at Sea PLUS.  Far less investing and had a GREAT time on all three. 

• Butlers: On NCL and Celebrity they are hit or miss.  On the Luxury and Ultra-Luxury cruise brands they tend to be excellent.  The reason is both training and more importantly the NCL Haven Butlers have to many suites.  Yes I am the one that promoted the Butler Letter, it worked for me.  The issues is I should never have had to do that much work.  It should be just natural. 
• Room Stewards: Some of the hardest working folks in show business.  The not only handle requests, they do it right a way.  Bravo to your Room Steward.
• Haven Restaurant: For lunch it is like watching wet paint dry so I agree it takes way to much time.  If in the Haven, if you want to some activities and just want a quick lunch, the Have is NOT the place. Dinner was hands down my favorite place to eat. 

 

It is clear from the author that the Haven has lost a step or two.  It is very disturbing to me that the investment in the Haven has gone some much higher however the personalized service seems to have not followed.  The Haven is a great alternative to a Premium-Plus/Luxury brand if you have a family or want a mega ship.  The Joy in my mind is the nicest Mega Ship I have ever cruises.  If we want a couples cruise with enhanced dinning, more time in a port, and much improved personized service; there or other options to consider.  Some which are a better value.  

 

Thank you to the author for being straight forward. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[graphicguy]

@LrgPizza...thanks so much for the review.  Kind of surprised about the Butler and Haven Restaurant experiences.  Usually, they bend over backwards to accomodate.

 

I had noticed a lack of Butler engagement the last Haven experience I had last year.  Concierges have always been on top of anything I asked of them...from changing dinner reservations (including finding "space" for me at sold out times for Specialty Dining Restaurants), booking my excursions and entertainment (including getting me front row seats at extremely popular shows at Sid's and Cavern Club).  Taking care of billing snafus and WiFi issues....all done without me waiting around at their desk.  I tip them well.

 

Haven Restaurant not listening to what you wanted or denying reasonable requests?  Yeah, that's a "conversation" I would probably have with the Haven Restaurant Manager.

 

But, good to hear you enjoyed it.

 

Gary.....I think it depends on the ship regarding the quality of the Haven Staff.  Just a guess from me.  I've had great experiences on the "-Away" ships in the Haven.  On the Jewel class ships?  Not so much!  Obviously personnel is different, but policies seem to be in a state of flux (no apple juice except for breakfast?).  Communications seem to have breakdowns, too.  What's normal for one Haven is not for the Haven on a different ship.  That's a communications issue from management.  At least, that's my take.

 

 

[graphicguy]

3 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Thanks for the honest review.  I'm booked for the 9/3 Escape...and have been toying with "if I should bid on the Haven".

 

We recently got off the MSC Meraviglia Yacht Club (I only booked YC due to DH's health) and had a wonderful experience.  Service couldn't have been better (ie...they knew to bring DH a large bowl of prunes in the morning) and, although I'm sure there were some snobs on board, I didn't meet any.

 

Based on your review, we'll just stick with "the masses".  

 

Just booked the Epic H9 Haven Spa Suite for October. Really looking forward to staying in what many believe to be the best Haven in the NCL fleet, plus, they just refurbished it.

[Beamco]

While I don't write a letter - I pay attention to the letter suggestions and all the knowledge imparted through other letter writers who have replied to the @Sthrngary thread. I have a nice getting to know you chat with the Butler day one. I am always grateful and pleasant in my interactions with them and they always seem to respond with great service without me really asking for it! What a novel idea being pleasant gets rewarded! I look at the OP's post differently - the OP went looking for an issue with the Haven and found it. Stranger things can be true but I was in a FF Haven cabin for 15 days in early 23 on floor 10 , my butler was awesome, my room steward equally awesome, 50/50 chance I was in the same cabin as the OP. I can't see the Haven experience on Joy going downhill that much since I got off in early Feb! I didn't ask for much but what was asked for was immediately accommodated - including chocolate chip cookies! The afternoon snacks are not always the greatest but the ones that I like I eat, the ones that I don't want I ask the Butler to not deliver them and to bring something else - I ask for PB&J sandwiches and BLT's and I always get them once or twice per cruise, the pates and other canopies rarely come to my room because I ask them not to bring them. I explain they will only be wasted. I love going to the Haven bar ordering drinks chatting for a few moments with whoever is there or the bartenders and then taking the short walk back to the Horizon Lounge - typically in the afternoon - and watch the sun go down, oh the horror I had to walk 200 feet to get a drink to enjoy in the Horizon Lounge. Oh and if there was a snack I liked from the Horizon Lounge i.e. Pretzel Rolls I didn't ask the Butler for them I wrapped a few up in a napkin and brought them to my room for later, easy peasy I had what I wanted with little to no effort and I didn't even have to ask the Butler to do something I easily could do myself.  Because I read the posts of the letter writers I know to expect a leisurely paced meal in the Haven restaurant, and I also know I can ask for multiple lobster tails with dinner, or more dumplings in the chicken consommé, etc. I am always grateful when they accommodate a request and I am always understanding when they can't - but for some reason maybe it's that concept of being pleasant and only making reasonable requests I have not been told no for anything in the Haven Restaurant, and neither has my daughter who tends to travel with my wife and I. Patrick has been the concierge on at least 2 of my cruises and has been visible and helpful each time, along with the entire concierge team - they have been great and provide the services noted by @graphicguy above. Personally I can't wait to sail in a Haven with Patrick as the concierge again. And for what it's worth (which is basically not very much!) I read these threads and the FB threads often and I am seriously tired of the postings referring to the entitled attitude of Haven Cruisers and I do take insult to the OP's comments on "letter writers" and use of the word "entitled!" The rare entitled people I have met in the Haven could never diminish my enjoyment of the Haven! Again if you look for it you will find it - me I choose to be blissfully ignorant as I relax and unwind in the Haven that I worked so hard to be able to be in once or maybe twice per year - I'm on vacation and nothing is going to spoil it for me and believe me even in the Haven I have had things happen that I could complain about all day online but again I adjust so I can enjoy my hard earned vacation - unfortunately most of this world is looking for ways to denigrate things under the guise of just posting my honest opinion. An honest opinion can be posted without insulting a multitude of people with snarky snide comments!

[craig01020]

3 hours ago, LrgPizza said:

I found myself sitting at bars and places with the key card upside down because I didn’t want anyone to know.

🤣

[LrgPizza]

13 minutes ago, Beamco said:

While I don't write a letter - I pay attention to the letter suggestions and all the knowledge imparted through other letter writers who have replied to the @Sthrngary thread. I have a nice getting to know you chat with the Butler day one. I am always grateful and pleasant in my interactions with them and they always seem to respond with great service without me really asking for it! What a novel idea being pleasant gets rewarded! I look at the OP's post differently - the OP went looking for an issue with the Haven and found it. Stranger things can be true but I was in a FF Haven cabin for 15 days in early 23 on floor 10 , my butler was awesome, my room steward equally awesome, 50/50 chance I was in the same cabin as the OP. I can't see the Haven experience on Joy going downhill that much since I got off in early Feb! I didn't ask for much but what was asked for was immediately accommodated - including chocolate chip cookies! The afternoon snacks are not always the greatest but the ones that I like I eat, the ones that I don't want I ask the Butler to not deliver them and to bring something else - I ask for PB&J sandwiches and BLT's and I always get them once or twice per cruise, the pates and other canopies rarely come to my room because I ask them not to bring them. I explain they will only be wasted. I love going to the Haven bar ordering drinks chatting for a few moments with whoever is there or the bartenders and then taking the short walk back to the Horizon Lounge - typically in the afternoon - and watch the sun go down, oh the horror I had to walk 200 feet to get a drink to enjoy in the Horizon Lounge. Oh and if there was a snack I liked from the Horizon Lounge i.e. Pretzel Rolls I didn't ask the Butler for them I wrapped a few up in a napkin and brought them to my room for later, easy peasy I had what I wanted with little to no effort and I didn't even have to ask the Butler to do something I easily could do myself.  Because I read the posts of the letter writers I know to expect a leisurely paced meal in the Haven restaurant, and I also know I can ask for multiple lobster tails with dinner, or more dumplings in the chicken consommé, etc. I am always grateful when they accommodate a request and I am always understanding when they can't - but for some reason maybe it's that concept of being pleasant and only making reasonable requests I have not been told no for anything in the Haven Restaurant, and neither has my daughter who tends to travel with my wife and I. Patrick has been the concierge on at least 2 of my cruises and has been visible and helpful each time, along with the entire concierge team - they have been great and provide the services noted by @graphicguy above. Personally I can't wait to sail in a Haven with Patrick as the concierge again. And for what it's worth (which is basically not very much!) I read these threads and the FB threads often and I am seriously tired of the postings referring to the entitled attitude of Haven Cruisers and I do take insult to the OP's comments on "letter writers" and use of the word "entitled!" The rare entitled people I have met in the Haven could never diminish my enjoyment of the Haven! Again if you look for it you will find it - me I choose to be blissfully ignorant as I relax and unwind in the Haven that I worked so hard to be able to be in once or maybe twice per year - I'm on vacation and nothing is going to spoil it for me and believe me even in the Haven I have had things happen that I could complain about all day online but again I adjust so I can enjoy my hard earned vacation - unfortunately most of this world is looking for ways to denigrate things under the guise of just posting my honest opinion. An honest opinion can be posted without insulting a multitude of people with snarky snide comments!

 

You are sure reading a lot into my post that wasn't there, but that's okay!  My attitude was great. With this being our first Haven experience, I really didn't know what to expect, so when we didn't get things we asked for, we certainly didn't let it impact our cruise. At the time my son asked for pretzels, we had not yet been in the lounges to see that they were there. Once we found them, perfect!  And once we found out that they would not bring them to the restaurant during dinner, no big deal. He simply was going to have them as a side dish, but he certainly lived and didn't care when denied. He's a 20 year old picky eater, and he has learned to live with himself. haha

 

I don't consider being pleasant a novel suggestion. I consider it a given. All staff with whom we dealt were extremely friendly, professional, and pleasant, and not just because we were the same to them, but because they are just so well trained.

[cruiseny4life]

What an interesting review. I appreciate your perspective. Your experience is far from mine in the Haven, and I'm sorry you heard those words "no." I will say that on Joy, I heard no from a bartender for a simple drink request. It's the only time a request has been denied in the the Haven. Alas, I still love the Haven and for me, it's still the only way I'll sail. 

 

I'm glad you said you did have a decent time, despite the odd occurrences you had. 

[ama123]

Luckily for us, our Haven experiences have been essentially the opposite of yours. Even the other guests in the Haven - more along the lines of "average people" than demanding or entitled. Hopefully if you give the Haven another try you will find it to be a much better experience. 

[Russiamomm]

Interesting review.  I’m sorry about the disappointments.  And stunned about the amount of time it took for your first dinner and the refusal of simple requests. I’ve been in the Haven three times, twice on the Joy, once on the Breakaway.  Much preferred the Joy Haven, but the Breakaway Haven was also excellent! Seeing as I just booked another Haven sailing, I must be in the “Once you go Haven, you’ll never go back” category. 😂 All three experiences were exceptional and we never had the issues you describe.  
 

I agree with you to a certain extent on the “entitled” passengers.  We met a few.  But by and large we really loved the passengers in the Haven on all of of our trips.  Most were just normal folks like you and I treating themselves to a fabulous vacation and I really loved getting to know them.  By the end of the trip it felt like family.  
 

All that being said, I’m with you on most of this.  I will book the Haven if the price is right. But am certainly not opposed to not being in the Haven. Last month I did a B2B - the first leg in the Haven and the second leg in a lowly OV cabin.  I admit that I missed the Haven on the second leg, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the trip!

[Two Wheels Only]

3 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

Last month I did a B2B - the first leg in the Haven and the second leg in a lowly OV cabin.  I admit that I missed the Haven on the second leg, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the trip!

 

Out of curiosity, if you could do it again, would you do Haven first and OV second or OV first and Haven second? (If the number of days in each is the same)

 

As for leaving notes/letters or speaking directly, it's up to the individual. I don't give the butler anything in writing because I can easily just speak to him/her. Some people feel that written requests work better for them. There is no "wrong" method as long as guests are respectful. Barking orders in person or leaving nasty or demeaning notes is foul, IMO.

 

For some people, the 2nd time in the Haven is better than the first. An experienced Haven guest will probably do a better job of having their wants/needs met by the staff. The OP didn't seem to have any outrageous requests so I'd be willing to bet that the Haven staff will satisfy more of what the OP wants next time...if there is one.

[Russiamomm]

1 minute ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Out of curiosity, if you could do it again, would you do Haven first and OV second or OV first and Haven second? (If the number of days in each is the same)

 

It really depends on the circumstances.  All things being equal, I would have done it in reverse - Haven last.  But in this situation, I was traveling with a friend for the TA for 16 nights.  We won the bid into the Haven.  I decided to stay on for the next 10 night Italy/Greece cruise.  The idea was to do it as cheap as possible. There was no way to justify the Haven (or even a balcony) as a solo.  Did I miss it?  Absolutely!  Would I do it this way again?  Absolutely!  But it all depends on the circumstances.  If it had been the reverse, I wouldn’t have known what I was missing during the first leg and would have avoided the little bit of “Woe is me” syndrome that I had.  😂. 
 

All first world problems.  We’re privileged to be able to sail at all.   It’s all a matter of perspective.  Given the choice of sailing in an inside cabin or not sailing at all, I’d sail any day of the week.  If I can do it, the Haven is fabulous, but it’s not a deal breaker if it doesn’t happen.  Just have to deal with feeling sorry for yourself a little bit.  😂

[JGmf]

3 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Thank you for taking the time to report back on your recent experience and thoughts.    We, too, do not fall into the camp of “once you go Haven, you’ll never go back”.   While we did enjoy our cruises in the Haven, we also still enjoy staying in a non-Haven cabin.   The only thing we miss is 

the Haven restaurant, but with four specialty dining meals, we get over it fast while savings thousands of dollars. 

 

Agree with @LrgPizza and @vacation44 regarding the Haven: nice to do, but not worth it unless heavy discount. 

 

A big negative is that the courtyard, pool, and hot tubs are usually packed with kids and their families -- which is totally their prerogative as they paid for it and should enjoy it as they see fit.  However, it adds to the overall congestion of that space and it spills into the adjacent bar area too....which is relatively small and gets a lot of mid-day kid traffic for sodas, virgin daiquiris, etc.

 

We pivoted.  We've enjoyed the Haven Lite, as @Sthrngary has dubbed it: get Vibe passes, upgrade drink package if you like, and enjoy the specialty restaurants.  Way more economical!

 

 

 

[Sthrngary]

35 minutes ago, JGmf said:

We've enjoyed the Haven Lite, as @Sthrngary has dubbed it: get Vibe passes, upgrade drink package if you like, and enjoy the specialty restaurants.  Way more economical

@JGmf Thank you

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, JGmf said:

 

Agree with @LrgPizza and @vacation44 regarding the Haven: nice to do, but not worth it unless heavy discount. 

 

A big negative is that the courtyard, pool, and hot tubs are usually packed with kids and their families -- which is totally their prerogative as they paid for it and should enjoy it as they see fit.  However, it adds to the overall congestion of that space and it spills into the adjacent bar area too....which is relatively small and gets a lot of mid-day kid traffic for sodas, virgin daiquiris, etc.

 

We pivoted.  We've enjoyed the Haven Lite, as @Sthrngary has dubbed it: get Vibe passes, upgrade drink package if you like, and enjoy the specialty restaurants.  Way more economical!

 

 

 

every once in a while, I see someone talk about the Haven pool being crowded and filled with kids.  Truth told, I’ve never experienced that.  Not saying it doesn’t happen, just after 4-5 Haven cruises, it’s never been a problem!

 

Have pool is at best, a wading pool, however!

 

Celebrity Retreat pool?  Good luck finding a chair, let alone a lounger…even with no kids around!

[nhtravels]

We just sailed the Haven in 3 cabins (2 in the "Haven proper" and one on deck 15, a HH family villa suite).  Those of us on deck 17 saw our butlers regularly, but the cabin on floor 15 only met their butler on day 1 (and ironically on day 7). However, our DS (the HH cabin) raved about their room steward, who was so accommodating to him and his family of 5.  

 

Different experiences on the same cruise.  But we all enjoyed our time in the Haven, especially on the rainy days. 

[luvcruzing]

5 hours ago, Beamco said:

While I don't write a letter - I pay attention to the letter suggestions and all the knowledge imparted through other letter writers who have replied to the @Sthrngary thread. I have a nice getting to know you chat with the Butler day one. I am always grateful and pleasant in my interactions with them and they always seem to respond with great service without me really asking for it! What a novel idea being pleasant gets rewarded! I look at the OP's post differently - the OP went looking for an issue with the Haven and found it. Stranger things can be true but I was in a FF Haven cabin for 15 days in early 23 on floor 10 , my butler was awesome, my room steward equally awesome, 50/50 chance I was in the same cabin as the OP. I can't see the Haven experience on Joy going downhill that much since I got off in early Feb! I didn't ask for much but what was asked for was immediately accommodated - including chocolate chip cookies! The afternoon snacks are not always the greatest but the ones that I like I eat, the ones that I don't want I ask the Butler to not deliver them and to bring something else - I ask for PB&J sandwiches and BLT's and I always get them once or twice per cruise, the pates and other canopies rarely come to my room because I ask them not to bring them. I explain they will only be wasted. I love going to the Haven bar ordering drinks chatting for a few moments with whoever is there or the bartenders and then taking the short walk back to the Horizon Lounge - typically in the afternoon - and watch the sun go down, oh the horror I had to walk 200 feet to get a drink to enjoy in the Horizon Lounge. Oh and if there was a snack I liked from the Horizon Lounge i.e. Pretzel Rolls I didn't ask the Butler for them I wrapped a few up in a napkin and brought them to my room for later, easy peasy I had what I wanted with little to no effort and I didn't even have to ask the Butler to do something I easily could do myself.  Because I read the posts of the letter writers I know to expect a leisurely paced meal in the Haven restaurant, and I also know I can ask for multiple lobster tails with dinner, or more dumplings in the chicken consommé, etc. I am always grateful when they accommodate a request and I am always understanding when they can't - but for some reason maybe it's that concept of being pleasant and only making reasonable requests I have not been told no for anything in the Haven Restaurant, and neither has my daughter who tends to travel with my wife and I. Patrick has been the concierge on at least 2 of my cruises and has been visible and helpful each time, along with the entire concierge team - they have been great and provide the services noted by @graphicguy above. Personally I can't wait to sail in a Haven with Patrick as the concierge again. And for what it's worth (which is basically not very much!) I read these threads and the FB threads often and I am seriously tired of the postings referring to the entitled attitude of Haven Cruisers and I do take insult to the OP's comments on "letter writers" and use of the word "entitled!" The rare entitled people I have met in the Haven could never diminish my enjoyment of the Haven! Again if you look for it you will find it - me I choose to be blissfully ignorant as I relax and unwind in the Haven that I worked so hard to be able to be in once or maybe twice per year - I'm on vacation and nothing is going to spoil it for me and believe me even in the Haven I have had things happen that I could complain about all day online but again I adjust so I can enjoy my hard earned vacation - unfortunately most of this world is looking for ways to denigrate things under the guise of just posting my honest opinion. An honest opinion can be posted without insulting a multitude of people with snarky snide comments!

That is one LONG paragraph.

 

[dexddd]

19 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Thanks for the honest review.  I'm booked for the 9/3 Escape...and have been toying with "if I should bid on the Haven".

 

We recently got off the MSC Meraviglia Yacht Club (I only booked YC due to DH's health) and had a wonderful experience.  Service couldn't have been better (ie...they knew to bring DH a large bowl of prunes in the morning) and, although I'm sure there were some snobs on board, I didn't meet any.

 

Based on your review, we'll just stick with "the masses".  

 

Your DH should move in with my DM.  She tried to feed us prunes as kids which were awful and unfortunately we didn't have any pets to try to feed them to.  Pits included.

[dexddd]

Patrick gets mixed reviews but so do most others.  We've had him two or three times and probably the best we've had other than the one on Spirit who I heard is no longer with NCL.

 

Seeka, have not seen her name in long time.  Heard great things about her.