Is the Haven on NCL really worth it?

These are by far the best videos on cruising in Alaska and the NCL/Encore Haven experience. Great pace, no fluff or excessive rambling, great editing and camera work. Nice work! I feel so much more prepared and excited!

Great review. We (husband and I) booked The Haven on the NCL Gem in September. The NCL Gem's Haven doesn't have a dedicated restaurant and bar like the larger ships do, but we're cruising with two other friend couples who aren't in The Haven, so we'll have our dinners with them. For us, we wanted the upgraded suite, priority embarkation/disembarkation/tendering, overall quieter experience, and private pool/deck/hot tub. We take only one vacation a year due to having high-stress corporate careers where taking extended time off is really hard - so when we travel, we splurge.

Been in Haven many times... Platinum status. Great vid and only correction I can mention is re tipping. Room Steward is auto tipped from advanced payment tips or per day on ship account... Bar tenders are in the tip pool you pay for the Beverage package. The Butler and Concierge are NOT in the tip pool and should be tipped as per usage total. Obv tip amounts can vary and are up to the individual ...but, extra tips to bar tender do go a long way :)

We are in the Haven next week on the Breakaway and cannot wait. We successfully bid for an upgrade to Haven a few years ago and had an amazing experience. I am not sure we could go back after that cruise as it does completely spoil you. I am glad you two had such a great trip, thank you for the video!!!

This is one of the best reviews I've seen on the Haven experience. Thanks for the info!!

Thanks for making this video. We just booked in the Haven for a 2023 Alaska Cruise. This really helps out.

Thank you very much for the excellent video. We have been on 4 NCL cruises since 2015. Breakaway - Spa Suite Breakaway - Haven forward facing suite. Encore - Haven Mid Ship suite JOY - Haven Mid Ship. This is what I can share. The Spa Suite is a great deal for people on a budget. The Breakaway has great mid ship Spa suites but they are limited. The Joy does NOT have Spa suites. Or the thermal spa. The Joy Haven does NOT have Sauna or steam rooms, the other ships did. The Haven sun decks / hot tub areas are for people 18 years old and over, but it appeared that as long as children were up there with adult supervision nobody cared. The use of the crew / service elevators in port is huge. The ship cell phone is great. Consigniers made all dinning / entertainment bookings, reserve seating. One thing we found a little creepy was that our butler would just show up where ever we were on the ship to ask us if we required anything. Without being called. Stalker ? I think he tracked us by the phone. Priority boarding and disembarking - sweet * Once in Bermuda on Breakaway got a bad Sunburn , the ship store was sold out of Aloe. the Butler brought me his own personal bottle of Aloe. I thought that was very kind of him. My Wife thought the same , first day go to complimentary American Diner. The American Diner was awful. Service was painfully slow and food almost not edible. On Joy 7 / 28/ 22. Do not book a Haven forward facing suite if you dont like walking down narrow hallways, sometimes with room service carts, and other passengers in the hallway. Every time I walked to the mid ship elevators I would say walking the mile walking the green mile. Never heard or knew about that tip pool thing. Sounds crazy paying several hundred in tips up front and my guys arent getting it. We like the Haven because if we want to join or retreat from the crowd we can. This is not a Haven option - But Ive met some of the nicest people male and female after dinner in the Cigar smoking lounge. I like a cigar once in a while. My tip - bring your own Cigars from home. The Cigars sold on the ship they are double what they cost at home. I know the Haven is expensive and not in everyones budget. We have devised a plan to skip certain yearly things and save up for a Haven trip we feel it is so worth it. We are booked on the NCL Prima for an 11 day Transatlantic voyage. NCL upgraded us from a Penthouse Haven suite to a Haven Owners Deluxe suite which is huge for our lattitude rewards. . The balcony alone is bigger then the first spa suite entire cabin we had - We are very excited. Thank you again for posting.

Great review, we just got back from the Haven on the bliss as well we agreed with just about everything you brought up. Really enjoying your channel!

We were in the Haven for the final Encore Alaska itinerary in October 2022 and totally agree with your reviews. Lesson learned about the daily snacks is that you can actually let the butler know when you're going to be off the ship and ask not to have the snacks delivered too early so they don't sit and rot all day.

Thanks! My wife Ann and I are heading out on Bliss this week in Haven suite and your videos were very helpful and interesting! Thanks! Randall

My family and I are avid Cruise goers as they say. But for us it's truly a lifestyle. We have been loyal devout patrons of NCL since the 1970s. Our relationship with the company is simply sublime and superlative within every category. I sincerely and truly can say that it has been an honor to have experienced the evolution of this cruise line. We do have a perspective we have traveled and sailed on all the other competitors within the industry throughout our days. And we have been very blessed and fortunate to have these experiences to the point that we are diamonds and platinum and beyond repeat passengers on some of these alternative cruise lines. As for the others it has been interesting to watch them evolve as well they have grown exponentially and not always bigger is better. We've experienced them all at their peak and also as they declined. But NCL has continued a trajectory of simply going up-and-up. The customer service and treatment Of their passengers is simply beyond. They surpass what we've experienced on more exclusive premium Ships. Without A doubt I know that when I leave the ship I am skipping down the gangway due to the fact I had an incredible holiday and travel experience. Your pros and cons were interesting to hear. But simply all you need to do is ask I think many of your concerns and issues would have been resolved immediately. The entire team and crew aboard NCL'S ships go above and beyond Consistently. To alleviate any of your future travels whether it is on their fleet of ships or their competitors and you are once again traveling in a high end or premium category or cabin . You should simply prepare a preference sheet and hand it to your Butler upon arrival, Problem resolved. We are booked on the new fleet of the Prima class ships Which we can hardly wait to experience. See you in the "Haven" P.S No we have never experienced what you seem to have endured at check in. Ironically we were Back on the Encore as well this past Alaskan season.🤔 ❤️NCL

I just came across your video, and it's very helpful, especially if you've never cruised the Haven before! I recently booked our second Haven cruise for me, my husband, and our two kids in a 2BR suite. We were on the Getaway previously, and our next one will be on the Epic. Anyhow, one little perk that we didn't expect to use was that little bit of help when one of our kids got a stomach bug mid-cruise. We alerted the concierge in case there was anything the medical staff needed us to do (there was nothing), but concierge must've alerted our butler because he brought "easy" snacks for when our son was able to start eating again. He also bent over backwards to bring us Haven restaurant food in our cabin so that we didn't inadvertently spread illness to anyone else. The concierge was also amazing in getting us refunds on our excursion for that day as well as the next day, because we wanted to give him a break after being sick. (Thankfully, nobody else got sick.) We cruised out of Port Canaveral, and the port staff screwed us all up with not understanding that we were in the Haven even though we told them we were. When we finally found the Haven "gatekeeper", she didn't believe us because the person we'd been led to had given us non-Haven keycards. The Haven staff had to go fix it after the fact, though they were very gracious about it. My advice is to tell every port staff member you encounter that you are in the Haven so that they will know where to lead you. Do not be shy about it, even though you might feel like a jerk constantly announcing it! That said, we got spoiled by cruising in the Haven and can't imagine cruising any other way. We are introverts and enjoy quiet, so it was our literal haven for when we were overwhelmed with the noise and crowds on the rest of the ship. To us it is worth the money. We don't have time for a lot of vacations due to our work, so the times we do go, we don't mind spending more to get that experience.

Great video! My wife and I are booked in the Haven for the first time this coming January. Looking forward to it!

Maybe in the future if you do choose the Haven, you could inform your Butler of when you would prefer snacks and which type. Perhaps the Butler could arrange for a snack delivery to the lounge for you or in your cabin's refrigerator if that is better and needed.

This is the first video of your I have seen. My wife and I are big fans of the Haven. We successfully bid up to the Haven on a Baltic cruise and fell in love experience. You should note that the Haven originated on the NCL Epic and NCL has improved it with each new class of ship. They have installed "Havens" on older ships but they don't have the exclusive Haven area including the restaurant and I believe are a lesser overall experience. The four Breakaway Plus ship Havens include the wonderful outdoor dining area and the beautiful lounge looking out the front of the ship.

Good video. We just booked a 7 night western Caribbean on The Joy, Haven Family Suite. (Mom, Dad, Son 13, Daughter 12) for spring break in March! Super excited!

Short answer, YES. It nearly doubles the cost, but its worth every penny if you want to avoid the crowds and you want good food. My family tried it once, and we no longer cruise any other way. Three Haven trips so far, and once you try it you will never go back to the other way again.

Only a very small comment, but we travelled in a Haven Owner's Suite a while back and the mini bar was free for us and the Butler filled it with anything we wanted and refilled it every day at no charge, so I think there are differences in what you get depending on the category of your suite.

Thank you so much for this! I think we just may book The Haven on the Bliss this year!!! Plus, you two are so sweet and kind and I enjoyed your review. =)

Well done video; great content, pacing, delivery, and video. I found it helpful and enjoyable to watch!