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

[MsTabbyKats]

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

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.

There comes a point in everyone's life where they appreciate the value of a prune!

[DCGuy64]

21 hours ago, LrgPizza said:

 

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.

Thank you for your honest review. I admire your willingness to roll with the punches. Several times during your review you would say something was "no big deal," when many others would probably have gone ballistic (no bagels, your son's dinner reduced to just a small entree?). I really like that positivity! A positive attitude can make or break a cruise. We won't be upgrading to a Haven cabin later this year because they're almost all sold out and I'm not forking over an additional $4,000. Like @MsTabbyKats, we are sold on MSC's Yacht Club and find it's worth the upcharge. Haven seems to be going a bit downhill.

[graphicguy]

My last Haven Cabin cruise I found the same with my Butler.  Saw him briefly in day 1, where he introduced himself.   Told him I didn’t want the Prosecco in the room, nor did not want the chocolate strawberries…ever.  Prosecco was still there on my disembarkation, and the strawberries were replenished a couple of times, even though I never ate any.

 

Didn’t see him again until the last day of the cruise as I was handing out tips, he was hanging outside my cabin door quite a bit and wanted to know if I needed anything else…..LOL!

[Mommapadraig]

Thank you for your honest  review. We’ve been in the haven 3 times. We’ve had very attentive butlers who I’m sure found us to be very frustrating. We didn’t want the daily snacks, etc. They kept checking so we finally settled on veggies and dip and potato chips. We also got the M&M peanuts. There seemed to be a shortage on our last cruise so she would bring some type of chocolates to hold us over. We didn’t care for them. Poor butler! (Even though we didn’t use her very much we tipped as if we did. she tried.)  I didn’t like the breakfast potatoes in the Haven restaurant. Each day I asked if any hash browns. Each day I was told no. Rather than going to the restaurant manager for a special request we just started eating breakfast in Taste. On our 2nd morning there the waiter said I see you are haven guests. Why are you eating here? I told him we liked their hash browns! He laughed and said we are glad you joined us! ( we also thought their tomato juice tasted better! No idea why) We love the haven for the small crowds, the fabulous staff who knew our names by day 2 and the bartenders who not only called us by name but knew our favorite drinks. Our next cruise is in a regular room. We are haven when we can find a great deal.

Edited June 6, 2023 by Mommapadraig
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[phillygwm]

On 6/5/2023 at 11:50 AM, LrgPizza said:

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. 

 

I dunno, speaking as someone who has never gone Haven, I feel if you're paying a premium, you deserve premium service.  That said, of course there's no excuse for being a jerk.  I have no doubt there are jerks in the Haven, just as there are jerks on Deck 5 inside cabins 🙂

[cruiseny4life]

Just now, phillygwm said:

I dunno, speaking as someone who has never gone Haven, I feel if you're paying a premium, you deserve premium service.  That said, of course there's no excuse for being a jerk.  I have no doubt there are jerks in the Haven, just as there are jerks on Deck 5 inside cabins 🙂

We've traveled in the Haven four times, once as a "letter-writer" and three times as those that talk through their requests with the butler/steward. We saw little difference in service on any of our trips. 

We did, however have a few occurrences where we saw jerks in the Haven. Premium service was provided to these idiots, but they still insisted on being ugly and disgusting.  

 

1. Milk man - I've told this story before. Daddy was upset his butler did not get milk for his spoiled toddler pronto. Milk man then went to the Haven Restaurant's host demanding milk. Not asking, but demanding. He subsequently told others how much better suite service is on Royal Caribbean, however his traveling party forced him on NCL. Anyway, milk man didn't wait more than two minutes before storming off. I guess it wasn't that big a priority. Twenty minutes later he was back, wondering where the milk was. The maitre d inquired with the host about the milk who told Milk man that she had brought it, but put it back in the cooler as he was nowhere to be found. He huffed and puffed while she retrieved the milk. We saw Milk man several other times and only once did he look happy. Don't be a Milk man.

 

2. Burger man - This guy ordered a plain burger in the Haven Restaurant. Well, the burger came with mayonnaise on it. Burger man then stated how, "HE ORDERED A PLAIN BURGER, BUT THERE'S MAYO ON IT. GET ME A PLAIN BURGER NOW." The server, of course, apologized, and got Burger man his burger. Ridiculous Burger man ate less than half of his burger. A good waste of cow: first, the burger that went uneaten, because Burger man is a French shower, and secondly, the second burger that was less than half eaten. Burger man was able to dip his fries in ketchup. 

 

I have more examples of entitled Haven customers, but I'll stop with my men for now. We hear all about Karen's, but my stories feature the Ken's of the world. I'm sure some jerks do reside in those Deck 5 inside cabins, but I haven't seen them. Just the Haven jerks. 

[carohs]

Thanks for the review. As a non-havener I find it really difficult to justify the increased cost and your review really cemented the gen pop areas of the ship work just fine for us. In fact, if we were to splurge a little, I would be soo disappointed to have paid for an increased/better experience and ultimately not getting that out of the Haven areas. Nor do I want to feel like I should stay in the Haven areas just to get my $$ worth when there's so much more any one ship has to offer.

[KeithJenner]

On 6/5/2023 at 4:50 PM, LrgPizza said:

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.

Interesting review.

 

We seem to agree on most things, and my opinion of the Haven is very similar to yours. For us, the main advantage of a suite is the room (which is why we like non Haven suites).

 

We also really enjoy breakfast in the suite dining room. I very rarely want a proper sit down lunch, so that is irrelevant to me. If we stayed in a suite on a ship with a Haven restaurant then I'm sure we would eat there a few times. I wouldn't pay a huge amount extra for those things though.

 

It's interesting that you have had some replies with comments on how you can get more out of the Butler. I suspect that, like us, you really aren't fussed about what they do though. We find the Butler and Concierge more of an inconvenience than a benefit, so wouldn't do anything to encourage them. I remember the annoyance once, when we had VIP benefits on the Spirit and I made the mistake of mentioning to the concierge that we had a dining booking to make and he insisted on doing it for me. What I could have done in 2 minutes on the app took about 10 minutes on the phone with the concierge acting as a buffer between me and the reservation desk. Total waste of time.

 

Anyway, I agree with your conclusions. Suites are great rooms, we would pay a bit extra for them, and the dining options are nice, but overall I can take or leave them. We enjoy the general public areas too much to feel the need to spend too much time in the Haven. The one time we were in the Haven (on the Pearl, so without the bar/restaurant), we found that we sometimes spent time there that we later regretted as we would have enjoyed being in the public bar areas more.

 

I may stick a small bid in on our Breakaway cruise though, but at a level that is very unlikely to be accepted. However, we have a great aft cabin booked, so is there really any need?

[DCGuy64]

40 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

We've traveled in the Haven four times, once as a "letter-writer" and three times as those that talk through their requests with the butler/steward. We saw little difference in service on any of our trips. 

We did, however have a few occurrences where we saw jerks in the Haven. Premium service was provided to these idiots, but they still insisted on being ugly and disgusting.  

 

1. Milk man - I've told this story before. Daddy was upset his butler did not get milk for his spoiled toddler pronto. Milk man then went to the Haven Restaurant's host demanding milk. Not asking, but demanding. He subsequently told others how much better suite service is on Royal Caribbean, however his traveling party forced him on NCL. Anyway, milk man didn't wait more than two minutes before storming off. I guess it wasn't that big a priority. Twenty minutes later he was back, wondering where the milk was. The maitre d inquired with the host about the milk who told Milk man that she had brought it, but put it back in the cooler as he was nowhere to be found. He huffed and puffed while she retrieved the milk. We saw Milk man several other times and only once did he look happy. Don't be a Milk man.

 

2. Burger man - This guy ordered a plain burger in the Haven Restaurant. Well, the burger came with mayonnaise on it. Burger man then stated how, "HE ORDERED A PLAIN BURGER, BUT THERE'S MAYO ON IT. GET ME A PLAIN BURGER NOW." The server, of course, apologized, and got Burger man his burger. Ridiculous Burger man ate less than half of his burger. A good waste of cow: first, the burger that went uneaten, because Burger man is a French shower, and secondly, the second burger that was less than half eaten. Burger man was able to dip his fries in ketchup. 

 

I have more examples of entitled Haven customers, but I'll stop with my men for now. We hear all about Karen's, but my stories feature the Ken's of the world. I'm sure some jerks do reside in those Deck 5 inside cabins, but I haven't seen them. Just the Haven jerks. 

Wow, just wow. That type of behavior is EXACTLY why I may never pay extra to use the Haven.

[Sthrngary]

I always attempt to be fair in my posts and responses.  After reading the replies I have to respond. 

 

When I did my customary reply to ANY Haven Related stream, I focused on being fair and reasonable.  I DID notice that the Author was on my "Ignore List".  I also saw that the Author has posted a lot on CruiseCritic.com which deserves respect.  Make of those facts as you will. So I took the High Road on my response. Boy that is hard sometimes and I have to fight with myself.  But if you want folks to be professional, thoughtful and kind you have to be honest and  "Lead by Example". 

 

I have done the MSC Yacht Club, Celebrity Retreat, Crystal Cruises and NCL Haven. I have also done every kind of cabin from Inside to the Haven Deluxe Owners Suite on the NCL Joy.  Each of these Premium Areas have had a few entitled guests. After 30 cruises and 44 years of cruising, the number of openly entitled guests has been very low.  Yet, if you want to find one, look in any area of a cruise ship, you really don't have to look far. Manners is not a prerequisite to a cruise vacation.  

 

I love the NCL Haven.  So much so that I write about it and give advice here on Cruise Critic. I get nothing from that effort other than remember a time well spent.  I want everyone to notice, I have never gone on the Royal Premium areas so I don't comment on them. That is on purpose.  From someone that has NO skin in the game and pays 100% for all cruises he goes on, the NCL Haven experience is some of the best I have ever had. 

 

Yet we all have to balance value with cost. Now, with as much as I love the Haven, I will only consider it if "The Price Is Right" and that is not a game show.  My money, my choice.  If the Haven was that bad, it would not be sold out ALL the time especially at it premium price point. Take every ones opinion with a grain of salt including mine. On the topic of writing letters, I am the guy.  Blame me for doing that for the butler letter and to the NCL team pre-cruise. I am proud of it and it works for me.  "You Do You".

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[JennKach]

I appreciate your review and it seems we are similar.  We once upgraded to a suite for our 10th anniversary and had the butler and concierge.  I think we asked for one thing, probably breakfast in our room, and they seemed put out by the request.  There's no guidebook so we thought we did something wrong.  If I didn't read cruise critic I would have no idea what type of things a Haven guest could ask for or expect, and I don't think I'd request much.  If it were adults only I may change my mind.  The promo materials mention a lot of tranquility, hideaway, private sanctuary, etc. and pretty much only shows adults in the pictures so I wouldn't expect a pool full of kids either. 

[vacation44]

19 hours ago, JGmf said:

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!

 

 

 

Agree 100%.    We are looking forward to our HavenLite cruise next February on the Encore.  We have an extended club balcony booked and a Vibe Cabana booked and we are happy with our four specialty dinners. As we are not big drinkers, we forgo the upgraded drink package.  To upgrade to a Haven cabin, it would be an additional $6,072 more plus the additional tips needed.  No, thank you.

[scooter6139]

The cost of the Haven has skyrocketed lately, which is disconcerting.  My wife and I loved our one experience so far in The Haven and wish we could continue to do so, but when it is double or triple the cost of a Club Class Balcony?  No thanks.  We will stick with our upgraded Balcony for just 1/3 the price.  

 

Granted I WILL book the Haven when the price is right.  

[cruiseny4life]

26 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Wow, just wow. That type of behavior is EXACTLY why I may never pay extra to use the Haven.

Milk man was within 15 minutes of us boarding for our very first Haven cruise. We had our eyes opened right then to what we could expect. Thankfully, it seems only about 30% of Havener's are the entitled spoiled brats. The other 70% are great! Yes, I do think there are more entitled guests in the Haven than the rest of the ship. I've seen it. Perhaps not to the degree of those two ginormous sour grapes, but it's there. 

 

Alas, we do enjoy the Haven and will likely not cruise non-Haven. I don't like saying never, especially if I can convince my dear, lovely husband to cruise in a non-Haven option (this includes other lines, like MSC). 

 

24 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

On the topic of writing letters, I am the guy.  Blame me for doing that for the butler letter and to the NCL team pre-cruise. I am proud of it and it works for me.  "You Do You".

And, as I've expressed, I (and many others) are very thankful for your letter-writing advice. It worked for our first cruise. My husband proposed we try different on our next, so we did. Just a conversation with the butler. That worked so that's what we have followed...but I'm still glad you're the guy that introduced us to the option of writing a letter! Personally, if I were cruising solo, that's what I would do. The less conversation the better for me. He enjoys conversation, so I let him lead the conversation with our butler and steward. But, I'm absolutely grateful for knowing about the butler letter option. 

[Sthrngary]

1 minute ago, cruiseny4life said:

And, as I've expressed, I (and many others) are very thankful for your letter-writing advice. It worked for our first cruise. My husband proposed we try different on our next, so we did. Just a conversation with the butler. That worked so that's what we have followed...but I'm still glad you're the guy that introduced us to the option of writing a letter! Personally, if I were cruising solo, that's what I would do. The less conversation the better for me. He enjoys conversation, so I let him lead the conversation with our butler and steward. But, I'm absolutely grateful for knowing about the butler letter option. 

@cruiseny4life More than welcome.  I did not mean to be pointing fingers at anyone.  I am the Extrovert in my family and my wife it the introvert.  Your comments sound so much like hers.  What to know a secret, "She does not know I sent the letters".  If she did, I would be in trouble, LOL.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[pkay1]

10 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

The cost of the Haven has skyrocketed lately, which is disconcerting.  My wife and I loved our one experience so far in The Haven and wish we could continue to do so, but when it is double or triple the cost of a Club Class Balcony?  No thanks.  We will stick with our upgraded Balcony for just 1/3 the price.  

 

Granted I WILL book the Haven when the price is right.  

My husband and I are of the same mind as you. Since we've reached platinum level, and the two specialty meals that come with it, we're just as happy staying in a club balcony suite as a Haven penthouse. We like to upgrade to Free At Sea Plus, so we end up with six specialty dinners. It's hard to justify the cost of the Haven if you're not using the amenities, especially the restaurant. However, we are booked on the Bliss to Alaska this year and staying in the Haven. I love having the Haven observation lounge in Alaska, and the large penthouse balcony that we've booked. I've told my husband I think it's a trip to trip decision as to what rooms we'll be staying in. We actually looked at a concierge level suite on Regent for this summer in Alaska, just to see how much it would cost. If you take into consideration that your excursions, airfare and pre-cruise hotel stay is included with Regent, all things we are paying out of pocket, Regent is only about $2,000 more than what we are paying for our Bliss Haven room. If the cost of the Haven continues to increase, we might be looking at Oceania or Regent in the future. We're sailing on Regent in November in the Mediterranean, compliments of my parents. We'll see if that will spoil us forever! Ha!

[LrgPizza]

1 hour ago, KeithJenner said:

Interesting review.

 

We seem to agree on most things, and my opinion of the Haven is very similar to yours. For us, the main advantage of a suite is the room (which is why we like non Haven suites).

 

We also really enjoy breakfast in the suite dining room. I very rarely want a proper sit down lunch, so that is irrelevant to me. If we stayed in a suite on a ship with a Haven restaurant then I'm sure we would eat there a few times. I wouldn't pay a huge amount extra for those things though.

 

It's interesting that you have had some replies with comments on how you can get more out of the Butler. I suspect that, like us, you really aren't fussed about what they do though. We find the Butler and Concierge more of an inconvenience than a benefit, so wouldn't do anything to encourage them. I remember the annoyance once, when we had VIP benefits on the Spirit and I made the mistake of mentioning to the concierge that we had a dining booking to make and he insisted on doing it for me. What I could have done in 2 minutes on the app took about 10 minutes on the phone with the concierge acting as a buffer between me and the reservation desk. Total waste of time.

 

Anyway, I agree with your conclusions. Suites are great rooms, we would pay a bit extra for them, and the dining options are nice, but overall I can take or leave them. We enjoy the general public areas too much to feel the need to spend too much time in the Haven. The one time we were in the Haven (on the Pearl, so without the bar/restaurant), we found that we sometimes spent time there that we later regretted as we would have enjoyed being in the public bar areas more.

 

I may stick a small bid in on our Breakaway cruise though, but at a level that is very unlikely to be accepted. However, we have a great aft cabin booked, so is there really any need?

 

It's been quite a while since I've cruised with you, Keith.  I'd imagine us sitting at the Haven bar, ordering beer, and being frowned upon by the bartenders trying to push us into ordering something more fancy and classy.  It went something like this: "No thanks. I'm good with the beer. And you can keep your glass."

[Mommapadraig]

Just now, LrgPizza said:

 

It's been quite a while since I've cruised with you, Keith.  I'd imagine us sitting at the Haven bar, ordering beer, and being frowned upon by the bartenders trying to push us into ordering something more fancy and classy.  It went something like this: "No thanks. I'm good with the beer. And you can keep your glass."

There was a couple in the haven with us on our last TA. For 15 days they both only ordered Budweiser in the can. They knew what they liked. 

[LrgPizza]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

We've traveled in the Haven four times, once as a "letter-writer" and three times as those that talk through their requests with the butler/steward. We saw little difference in service on any of our trips. 

We did, however have a few occurrences where we saw jerks in the Haven. Premium service was provided to these idiots, but they still insisted on being ugly and disgusting.  

 

1. Milk man - I've told this story before. Daddy was upset his butler did not get milk for his spoiled toddler pronto. Milk man then went to the Haven Restaurant's host demanding milk. Not asking, but demanding. He subsequently told others how much better suite service is on Royal Caribbean, however his traveling party forced him on NCL. Anyway, milk man didn't wait more than two minutes before storming off. I guess it wasn't that big a priority. Twenty minutes later he was back, wondering where the milk was. The maitre d inquired with the host about the milk who told Milk man that she had brought it, but put it back in the cooler as he was nowhere to be found. He huffed and puffed while she retrieved the milk. We saw Milk man several other times and only once did he look happy. Don't be a Milk man.

 

2. Burger man - This guy ordered a plain burger in the Haven Restaurant. Well, the burger came with mayonnaise on it. Burger man then stated how, "HE ORDERED A PLAIN BURGER, BUT THERE'S MAYO ON IT. GET ME A PLAIN BURGER NOW." The server, of course, apologized, and got Burger man his burger. Ridiculous Burger man ate less than half of his burger. A good waste of cow: first, the burger that went uneaten, because Burger man is a French shower, and secondly, the second burger that was less than half eaten. Burger man was able to dip his fries in ketchup. 

 

I have more examples of entitled Haven customers, but I'll stop with my men for now. We hear all about Karen's, but my stories feature the Ken's of the world. I'm sure some jerks do reside in those Deck 5 inside cabins, but I haven't seen them. Just the Haven jerks. 

 

There was a boy in the Haven Restaurant, old enough to know better, who would take off running, screaming, from the table every night.  He would then go hide under a table in another area of the restaurant. Everyone would stare while the dad tried to reason with the child.  I said a little too loud, "Dad needs to get down there, haul that kid out, and get him out of here."  The server heard me, rolled her eyes, and said, "That boy does that every single meal. They never take him out."  If my husband had let me, I'd have gone over there and done it myself.  The little *****.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 minute ago, Mommapadraig said:

For 15 days they both only ordered Budweiser in the can.

Most of us would prefer to drink it at the bar, but to each their own. 🤣

[KKB]

Thanks for the report. 

 

We tried Retreat on Celebrity in April & note some similarities/differences.

 

Butler was pointless--we also requested snacks to no avail (and potato chips are ALWAYS soggy on ships--I thought it was the Caribbean humidity but it was that way in Norway last month too!

 

Retreat dining was very good as was service--but so are the MDRs on Celebrity.

But I will say virtually ANY request was granted.

Cabin great but, yes, more space than we need.

Retreat lounge/pool areas were great, never too crowded, both had bars, if service was a bit slower than I would expect (but likely better than on the main pool deck).

We were lucky in that other than one NASTY lady day 1 in the Lounge (who then posted about her horrid experience on another site...then several of us who were there called her out on that site), I'm thrilled to say I saw no other entitled behavior.

 

We liked it. A lot.

Once I factored in OBC/extra perks, it was very comparable in price to what we have paid for a balcony. (It was a terrific deal)

We would do it again for that price, but probably not much more.

We would just rather sail more often in "steerage"

 

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by KKB

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 minute ago, LrgPizza said:

 

There was a boy in the Haven Restaurant, old enough to know better, who would take off running, screaming, from the table every night.  He would then go hide under a table in another area of the restaurant. Everyone would stare while the dad tried to reason with the child.  I said a little too loud, "Dad needs to get down there, haul that kid out, and get him out of here."  The server heard me, rolled her eyes, and said, "That boy does that every single meal. They never take him out."  If my husband had let me, I'd have gone over there and done it myself.  The little *****.

My guess is that "dad" was "that kid" thirty or so years ago.  Thank God that most of us had parents who created some limits.

[Mommapadraig]

23 hours ago, graphicguy said:

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.

What deck? We were in an  Epic Haven aft room on deck 11 on the TA in April. You will love the Epic Haven. Even though it was a jaunt to get to the haven we didn’t feel we missed anything. The year before we had been in the haven proper. The best way for us to get to the haven was always head to the aft elevators on the port side. (Red carpet in front) we never waited for an elevator. We took the elevator to 15 and walked across the deck. Even though there is the private haven elevator outside the buffet we usually just took the stairs up to 16. First cruise ever that we didn’t gain weight. Enjoy!!!

[graphicguy]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Wow, just wow. That type of behavior is EXACTLY why I may never pay extra to use the Haven.

WOW is right.

 

I feel for some of the crew to have to put up with jerks.  In real life, those parents would have been treated “differently” with that sort of behavior.

 

A little mannerly behavior, some general kindness, will go a long way in a guests enjoyment, and service that’s great vs adversarial.

[schmoopie17]

What's the difference between the Haven and Heaven (besides an extra "e")?

 

To get into the Haven, it costs an arm and a leg. Praying doesn't help.

 

Heaven, on the other hand...

 

I'll take Heaven every time.