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

[ISABELLA]

We just took our first cruise in Haven, not sailing with NCL in 20 years, we mostly sailed with Celebrity ( over 50 cruises in total).  We sailed on Gateway, 9 days Caribbean. We absolutely had no issues or complaints in regards of " Haven" experience and product.

Our suite was specious with jacuzzi tub in the room, plenty of closet space. Our butler was very accommodating, although we didn't have a lot of requests, just coffee with almond croissants and muffins in the morning and real cream for coffee, not non dairy little things they had . She was keep asking if anything we need or want. Suite was cleaned every day. In regards of Haven restaurant - fantastic service overall, minor issues, not worth talking about. Never had problem to substitute of some side dishes. Food was very good, and I am very picky about it. Overall great experience. I thought it was worth  $$$$. It worked great for us to have own space and not to be in the middle of the crowds. We have some health issues to consider. We didn't like NCL perks as much as Celebrity.  Internet perk is useless, even we paid to upgrade, it was spotty and slow. Ship overall felt very crowded and not very well designed. We will go in Haven again, but it will have to be for a right itinerary and price.

[insidecabin]

On 6/5/2023 at 10:12 PM, 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)

 

 

My take on this not with Haven where all ours have been part of a group and single trips 

 

On MSC we have done this twice in the last 12 months, the first was a just by chance.

 

The 7n cruise we wanted by date(a bday) had the same itinerary(8n and 7n) each side not that attractive and 7n is a bit too short.

Looking at next cruise earlier it was a 12n cheap and totally different making a good 20n B2B trip, the 8n was cheap and by chance there was a yacht club cabin at £100pppd in the perfect location too good to give up.

Worked great, on the 12n inside we skipped the drinks package but did get the enhanced dining package, made full use of all the ports, few beverage stops, did all the shows, entertainment etc.  all the dining options  and got the fun pass to do the VR and F1 stuff MSC has pretty busy 12 days. 
Then 8 days into the YC dipping out to the big ship just to do the stuff we liked and got good use out of the YC facilities and dining.

 

Liked it so much we did it again this year a 7+7 repeat itinerary, could not justify the 14n in YC so cheapest inside(this time with drinks)  with max time out and about in port(when weather was ok)  on the ship doing everything, Then the week in the sanctuary of YC where you pop out to selected venues.

As a B2B this way round you can head to the YC as soon as you are ready, they move your luggage for you,  sort out your new cards(9:15) while you sit with a beverage, prioritise your cabin we were in it 10:30 unpacked before lunch.

 

One other advantage of this way round is you have established the relationships needed on the main ship so when you do go to say your fav bar outside the YC they still look after you. 

 

Looking to do it again, start with the YC deal search and then see if the cruise before stacks up in a cheapy, not sure we could do the one after as a cheapy unless  itinerary was the attraction. 

  

Not found a Haven deal that comes close.  

[cruiseny4life]

13 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I know this is going off the rails a bit, but this happened the Celebrity Apex a little while back.

 

Was in a packed elevator which opened up to pick up another guest.  That guest was not a small person, and it was clear we wouldn’t even be able to fit a blade of grass in the elevator.  Doors opened and he stared at all of us and then pronounced “I’m a Zenith (Celebrity’s top guest tier)”.  Someone’s going to have to get out so I can get on.  No one budged.  He kept staring at us waiting for someone to get off, and we just stared at him.  He restated his demand for someone to get off so he could get on.

 

Finally, the person by the floor selector hit the “close door” button.  As the doors started to close, the guy could be heard raising his voice that he was a Zenith and someone had to get off to accommodate him.

 

No one said another word, but we giggled as the elevator doors closed.

Oh, thank you! I'm so glad my office door is closed, because my laughter would have disrupted the few co-workers that decided to show up for work today. Hahahaha, this is the best story ever! 

[Two Wheels Only]

57 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Doors opened and he stared at all of us and then pronounced “I’m a Zenith (Celebrity’s top guest tier)”.  Someone’s going to have to get out so I can get on.  No one budged.  He kept staring at us waiting for someone to get off, and we just stared at him.  He restated his demand for someone to get off so he could get on.

 

I would've said "Well, we're all the new Zenith Plus, soooo......." and smiled in his face as the doors closed. 

[insidecabin]

10 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

I would've said "Well, we're all the new Zenith Plus, soooo......." and smiled in his face as the doors closed. 

Maybe

 

"it will take more that 2 of us to make space for you"

 

might have shut them up.

 

MSC use a keypad to say where you want to go and allocate  you to a elevator.

Once in you can't change the stops.

 

YC keys have an override that works inside a couple of cabs people get a bit annoyed if you use it.

[Two Wheels Only]

26 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

MSC use a keypad to say where you want to go and allocate  you to a elevator.

Once in you can't change the stops.

 

YC keys have an override that works inside a couple of cabs people get a bit annoyed if you use it.

 

In most cases, the elevator will show "Priority Service" or won't light up when summoned by a Yacht Club card. If someone who isn't Yacht Club gets in, they shouldn't get annoyed if the elevator doesn't go where they want it to go. 

[The Traveling Man]

21 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

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

Which probably is better than being touched in the head.

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Was in a packed elevator which opened up to pick up another guest.  That guest was not a small person, and it was clear we wouldn’t even be able to fit a blade of grass in the elevator.  Doors opened and he stared at all of us and then pronounced “I’m a Zenith (Celebrity’s top guest tier)”.  Someone’s going to have to get out so I can get on.  No one budged.  He kept staring at us waiting for someone to get off, and we just stared at him.  He restated his demand for someone to get off so he could get on.

 

Finally, the person by the floor selector hit the “close door” button.  As the doors started to close, the guy could be heard raising his voice that he was a Zenith and someone had to get off to accommodate him.

 

No one said another word, but we giggled as the elevator doors closed.

I remember reading reports about another 'Zenith' who would walk up to a bar, flash their Zenith card and demand immediate service.  I  honestly believe that 'entitlement'  increases in directly proportion to higher levels of membership rewards, ie, Latitude, etc.

I also remember reports of a passenger on, IIRC, RCCI, who wore a special name tag announcing his rewards level in large levels.

[Sand and Seas]

15 hours ago, Beamco said:

I get a bagel with my Lox on every cruise in the Haven! I even have it toasted for me! It has never been a problem! 

We were just in the Haven on Getaway last month and thanks to threads like this, we have finally learned to just ask for what we want.  DH really loves ordering the 'how many do you want' shrimp cocktails.  I loved ordering Surf & Surf!    Do you know you can add a Lobster Tail or two to any item? Never had a problem with ordering a side dish from one item to go with the main dish I wanted. 

 

We were surprised not to see bagels on the breakfast buffet so we asked.   Apparently, they would hate for you to receive an un-toasted bagel!    We asked and promptly received nicely toasted bagels😋

[Cruising Lynne]

14 hours ago, jbcallender said:

On Spirit last November, our Cabin Steward, Butler and Concierge were excellent and seemingly ever present.  Spirit does not have a "Haven" area but we saw and spoke to the Concierge daily in Cagneys and at shows in the evening.  I agree the priority tender boarding is a bit cringy and I'm sure there is some muttering going on.  Our experience on Spirit was wonderful and the staff was outstanding.  It's unfortunate that your experience didn't meet your expectatiions or standards.

On an itinerary with multiple tender ports, priority tender boarding is one of the better perks that come with the Haven. One time we were at Great Stirrup Cay when an unexpected thunder storm hit. I was so jealous of the family of Haven guests that was escorted to the front of the line to board the tender. They were warm, dry, and safe a lot sooner than my husband and I. At the time I was kind of pissed off, but they did pay the high premium for the privilege. This was the trip when I realized that GSC does not have many places to shelter from a storm. Unless you splurge on a villa.

 

 

[jbcallender]

9 hours ago, Cruising Lynne said:

On an itinerary with multiple tender ports, priority tender boarding is one of the better perks that come with the Haven. One time we were at Great Stirrup Cay when an unexpected thunder storm hit. I was so jealous of the family of Haven guests that was escorted to the front of the line to board the tender. They were warm, dry, and safe a lot sooner than my husband and I. At the time I was kind of pissed off, but they did pay the high premium for the privilege. This was the trip when I realized that GSC does not have many places to shelter from a storm. Unless you splurge on a villa.

 

 

Well, it didn't rain on us in Tahiti, but we got to sit in the stuffy humid tender longer than anyone else!  And departing, we got to sit in the rolling, pitching tender longer than anyone!  In the end, we all got to shore and back to the boat at the same time.  Of all the suite amenities and perks, that was probably the least important to me.  For me, having really great bedding and an incredible shower was the best.

[Cruising Lynne]

11 hours ago, jbcallender said:

Well, it didn't rain on us in Tahiti, but we got to sit in the stuffy humid tender longer than anyone else!  And departing, we got to sit in the rolling, pitching tender longer than anyone!  In the end, we all got to shore and back to the boat at the same time.  Of all the suite amenities and perks, that was probably the least important to me.  For me, having really great bedding and an incredible shower was the best.

I guess being first can be bad. Pros and cons of each scenario. The day at GSC not everyone in line made that tender. Many people behind us had to wait for the next one. We were among the last to board, and I had to squish myself onto a bench with a nice family that felt bad I was having trouble finding a seat. A Tahiti cruise sounds great. Closest I have been is two Hawaii cruises. One on 

Wind and one on Pride of America. Loved them both.

[Grimix]

My Ken encounter was my father-in-law. Granted he'd just turned 80, and a bit of a curmudgeon with a walker. We were getting on the elevator after a rather long (for him) shore excursion. We were going to the18th floor so had a long way to go. The elevator stops at a floor, and no-one gets on or off. It stops at the next, and same thing happens. Grandpa gets irate and yells at the packed elevator, "Come on people! Hit the right buttons!" Turns out Grandpa had been the one 'butt-dialing' the buttons because he had done the minimum required to get into the elevator and had leaned back to rest on the 'butt'ons... The wife spent the rest of the ride apologizing to our fellow elevator riders.

 

[jbcallender]

4 hours ago, Cruising Lynne said:

I guess being first can be bad. Pros and cons of each scenario. The day at GSC not everyone in line made that tender. Many people behind us had to wait for the next one. We were among the last to board, and I had to squish myself onto a bench with a nice family that felt bad I was having trouble finding a seat. A Tahiti cruise sounds great. Closest I have been is two Hawaii cruises. One on 

Wind and one on Pride of America. Loved them both.

We loved it on Spirit, 12 days.  4 days in Tahiti, 4 at sea and 4 in Hawaii.  Bora Bora is simply stunning in person.

[Captain-John]

Thanks for this. I intend on (eventually!) doing a full write up of our Joy Haven experience in May but a couple of things you said resonated with me. What I will say is I find it very hard to justify 'full price' for the experience (the same goes for any ship-within-a-ship or suite experience - the sticker price is just too rich for my blood vs what is offered).

 

I have sailed MSC Yacht club a few times and find their lounge setup much better than that on Joy. The lack of a bar or any atmosphere whatsoever in the Haven lounge struck me as odd. It was a very under utilised space and wasted given the size. On MSC, the bar is within the lounge and there is light entertainment (a piano) which makes the area more of a focal point. The focal point on Joy Haven was the bar area which at times was too crowded.

 

The snack setup in the Haven lounge is odd and we always seemed to turn up at the 'wrong' time - setting up or clearing away, which was taken *very* seriously by the crew. The coffee machine appeared to be used by the butlers for room delivery rather than the one at the bar (not a complaint, just an observation and in the 'odd' category).

 

I echo the sentiments of slow meal services (and we encountered a very busy restaurant on several occasions). I find their protectiveness over the Riedel glasses amusing (you cannot leave the restaurant with one, the contents of the glass gets decanted into another glass before you can leave).

 

The snack requests to the butler were not consistenly fufilled and consequently there was a lot of food waste on sandwiches etc. we did not want. Sometimes the requests were delivered (cheese plate, gummy bears, potato chips).

 

I am surprised there is no priority elevator override like on MSC (albeit it doesn't always work). I did appreciate the priority embarkation/disembarkation via the crew elevator faciltiated by the Haven concierge.

 

The outdoor sun deck was closed with surprising frequency owing to the position at the front of the ship ('too windy'). However the courtyard pool area with the retractable roof was great.

 

The pool menu is not well advertised in the Haven and unless you knew it was there or spotted it in the app there was nothing to let you know you could make an order.

 

 

On 6/7/2023 at 2:49 PM, graphicguy said:

I know this is going off the rails a bit, but this happened the Celebrity Apex a little while back

 

You have got to be kidding!!!

Edited June 8, 2023 by Captain-John

[graphicguy]

10 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

Thanks for this. I intend on (eventually!) doing a full write up of our Joy Haven experience in May but a couple of things you said resonated with me. What I will say is I find it very hard to justify 'full price' for the experience (the same goes for any ship-within-a-ship or suite experience - the sticker price is just too rich for my blood vs what is offered).

 

I have sailed MSC Yacht club a few times and find their lounge setup much better than that on Joy. The lack of a bar or any atmosphere whatsoever in the Haven lounge struck me as odd. It was a very under utilised space and wasted given the size. On MSC, the bar is within the lounge and there is light entertainment (a paino) which makes the area more of a focal point. The focal point on Joy Haven was the bar area which at times was too crowded.

 

The snack setup in the Haven lounge is odd and we always seemed to turn up at the 'wrong' time - setting up or clearing away, which was taken *very* seriously by the crew. The coffee machine appeared to be used by the butlers for room delivery rather than the one at the bar (not a complaint, just an observation and in the 'odd' category).

 

I echo the sentiments of slow meal services (and we encountered a very busy restaurant on several occasions). I find their protectiveness over the Riedel glasses amusing (you cannot leave the restaurant with one, the contents of the glass gets decanted into another glass before you can leave).

 

The snack requests to the butler were not consistenly fufilled and consequently there was a lot of food waste on sandwiches etc. we did not want. Sometimes the requests were delivered (cheese plate, gummy bears, potato chips).

 

I am surprised there is no priority elevator override like on MSC (albeit it doesn't always work). I did appreciate the priority embarkation/disembarkation via the crew elevator faciltiated by the Haven concierge.

 

The outdoor sun deck was closed with surprising frequency owing to the position at the front of the ship ('too windy'). However the courtyard pool area with the retractable roof was great.

 

The pool menu is not well advertised in the Haven and unless you knew it was there or spotted it in the app there was nothing to let you know you could make an order.

 

 

 

You have got to be kidding!!!

Not kidding at all.  

 

I have cruised enough to have a bunch of crazy stories.  Sometime if I'm posting with a drink next to my keyboard, I'll relay the story about the guy who insisted on showing me pictures of his wife...NAKED!

 

Have done MSC Yacht Club and the Haven.  Both are good.  Each unique in their own ways, but still quite good.  Won't say one's better than the other, though.  Where one falls down the other excels and vice versa.

Edited June 8, 2023 by graphicguy

[Captain-John]

Just now, graphicguy said:

Have done MSC Yacht Club and the Haven.  Both are good.  Each unique in their own ways, but still quite good.  Won't say one's better than the other, though.  Where one falls down the other excels and vice versa.

 

Yes agreed. I wasn't necessarily making a qualitative assesment one way or the other - just drawing out 'differences' which may or may not be a big deal for some - still worth throwing out there though as I have benefitted from others doing the same.

MSC are terribly organised, the food is not as consistently good (IMO), plus many other demerits I could draw out if I put my mind to it.

 

2 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Sometime if I'm posting with a drink next to my keyboard,

 

What do you drink? I'l send a few your way... that's a story that needs to be told. 🍹🧉🍻 There's definitely a few standalone threads (panning all cruise lines) in the offing here. Crazy stories, 'Don't You Know Who I Am' primadonna type stories, the list goes on........

[graphicguy]

5 hours ago, Captain-John said:

 

Yes agreed. I wasn't necessarily making a qualitative assesment one way or the other - just drawing out 'differences' which may or may not be a big deal for some - still worth throwing out there though as I have benefitted from others doing the same.

MSC are terribly organised, the food is not as consistently good (IMO), plus many other demerits I could draw out if I put my mind to it.

 

 

What do you drink? I'l send a few your way... that's a story that needs to be told. 🍹🧉🍻 There's definitely a few standalone threads (panning all cruise lines) in the offing here. Crazy stories, 'Don't You Know Who I Am' primadonna type stories, the list goes on........

Haven’t had enough to drink yet!  I’ll spill the beans someday…including the self

proclaimed porn stars in the Retreat on Celebrity and maybe the drunks/stoners  passed out on my Carnival Balcony.

 

No doubt…every cruise line has a wart or two!  

Edited June 9, 2023 by graphicguy

[DCGuy64]

21 hours ago, Captain-John said:

 

Yes agreed. I wasn't necessarily making a qualitative assesment one way or the other - just drawing out 'differences' which may or may not be a big deal for some - still worth throwing out there though as I have benefitted from others doing the same.

MSC are terribly organised, the food is not as consistently good (IMO), plus many other demerits I could draw out if I put my mind to it.

 

 

What do you drink? I'l send a few your way... that's a story that needs to be told. 🍹🧉🍻 There's definitely a few standalone threads (panning all cruise lines) in the offing here. Crazy stories, 'Don't You Know Who I Am' primadonna type stories, the list goes on........

Yesterday my hair guy told me that once Oprah Winfrey was at a jewelry store (it may have been Turkey since my friend was just there), she was looking at a necklace and the clerk allegedly said "oh, you can't afford that." I can only imagine her reply!

[ChiefMateJRK]

6 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Yesterday my hair guy told me that once Oprah Winfrey was at a jewelry store (it may have been Turkey since my friend was just there), she was looking at a necklace and the clerk allegedly said "oh, you can't afford that." I can only imagine her reply!

So she bought the store and gave him a talkin' to?

[DCGuy64]

15 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

So she bought the store and gave him a talkin' to?

Or fired him, LOL. Actually she seems gracious, I hope she replied with something like "well, I'd like to see it and don't worry, I'm good for it."

[Greenpea2]

On 6/5/2023 at 3:41 PM, 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!

My Haven experiences have been the same as yours. None of the stuff OP reported (that was negative) has EVER been an issue for me. I have been in the Haven on the Spirit, Jewel, Dawn, the Star, the Epic, the Gem, the Breakaway, the Bliss, and the Prima. Always excellent.

Edited June 9, 2023 by Greenpea2

[Greenpea2]

2 hours ago, Greenpea2 said:

My Haven experiences have been the same as yours. None of the stuff OP reported (that was negative) has EVER been an issue for me. I have been in the Haven on the Spirit, Jewel, Dawn, the Star, the Epic, the Gem, the Breakaway, the Bliss, and the Prima. Always excellent.

Just realized I was NOT in the Haven on the Spirit (it had no Haven). The Spirit was my first "Suite" experience. It was magical even without the Haven!

[kismetique]

On 6/5/2023 at 10:50 AM, LrgPizza said:

As we were paraded past the giant line of other cruisers, I felt embarrassed.

Oh, I know what you mean!  We didn't book the Haven and after not cruising for a decade, I didn't know anything about it!  We booked a 2 bedroom suite with connecting room for our son and his wife. I paid for both rooms, but found out his room didn't qualify for perks because of the category, only our cabin got Haven perks???  I wasn't happy. I couldn't go to Cagney's because I wasn't going to tell 3 ppl in my party of 7, you can't go with us!  I guess NCL counts on this and it's a way to cut down on ppl in Cagney's.

 

I had no idea my keycard told on me, or I'd have been like you and would have turned it upside down.

 

We arrived at the port late because of the flight and were paraded past 100s of ppl with me apologizing profusely the whole way.  It was a lifesaver due to our age, but so very very embarrassing. You can't tell me that there isn't a separate entrance they could take us to for this perk, rather than shoving this down everyone else's throat. Simply disgusting.

 

While getting off we had 2 of the people you described trying to push past everyone trying to get off. I told her to wait in line like everyone else. I asked her where is your concierge.. She pushed past me exclaiming "ppl like me caused her to have a bad cruise".  My daughter held up our pink,/purple room card and she just huffed away.  Pretentious ppl just irk me so much. My conceige didn't say anything to us about priority disembarkation, but I didn't care, we can stand in line like everyone else. We had a great time reminiscing about the cruise while inching towards the pier. 

 

We're sailing again in November and have booked the same suite on the Dawn, but we are sailing alone this time. I love that room!  A separate bedroom from the living area and a HUGE bathroom. I hate that the 2nd bedroom will go unused, but I simply love that cabin!! It truly feels like a hotel room instead of a tiny cabin. I looked at the newer ships and I can't get this cabin (that's located out of the Haven) for a good price and it's the Haven or tiny cabins on the newer ships.  May be time to look for another go to cruise line. Disappointing after having so many perks from our years of cruising with them. 

 

Thanks for your honest review! 

[ChiefMateJRK]

6 minutes ago, kismetique said:

We booked a 2 bedroom suite with connecting room for our son and his wife. I paid for both rooms, but found out his room didn't qualify for perks because of the category, only our cabin got Haven perks???

You had a Haven room connecting to a non-haven room?