Cruising to Alaska in 2021 - Norwegian Encore Haven Review - Is it a Good Time to Cruise?

I recently returned from a 7-day Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Encore in September 2021. Thanks to the Norwegian Upgrade Advantage program, I won a room upgrade bid and was able to stay in The Haven for the first time. In this video, I share my whole cruise experience with you, including new safety and Covid protocols, embarkation, The Haven experience, dining, entertainment, activities, shore excursions, and much more! I also go into detail about how the Upgrade Advantage program works so you can learn how to potentially save some money on your next Norwegian cruise. Finally, I provide some tips and tricks for maximizing your Alaskan cruise voyage. I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.
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Video Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction
2:21 - Covid protocols
3:42 - Haven checkin and embarkation
6:01 - Cabin information / review
8:12 - Haven perks and private spaces
10:51 - Main dining rooms
11:24 - Specialty restaurants
14:04 - Other food options
16:55 - Entertainment
18:00 - Activities
20:08 - Casino
21:01 - Spa
21:42 - Summary of activities
22:17 - Freestyle cruising
23:15 - Ports and shore excursions
30:04 - What I liked and didn't like
36:11 - Upgrade Advantage program
38:53 - Tips for Alaskan cruising
40:20 - Wrapping up
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Tim at Sea is a channel devoted to all things cruising. You'll find ship and cabin tours, tips and tricks, cruise line comparisons, reviews of restaurants and excursions, and much more! I'm an introverted person who typically cruises solo, so my opinions and content will be geared a little more towards this audience, though anyone can benefit from the content of my videos. I have several more cruises planned on multiple different cruise lines over the next few months and I look forward to sharing information and my unbiased opinions on them. I'd be honored if you would subscribe to my channel. Thank you!
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Other videos from this cruise:
Is The Haven worth the extra cost?: • The Haven on Norwegian...
The Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Large Balcony Cabin Tour: • Cabin Tour: Haven Cour...
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Connect with me!
Facebook: / cruisewithtim
Instagram: / cruisewithtim
Shipmate: timatsea
Email: [e-mail]
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I would really appreciate it if you would like my video and subscribe!

[@fritzfreak]

I just discovered your channel but I already fell in love with the videos. Not sure if anyone told you but i feel like you really have a knack for this. From the website to the quality of the videos and to the detailed explanations, good job. i like your style, real fresh! I want to go on a cruise in Alaska as well near autumn or maybe next year but this really helped to made my mind. Wish i could find more solo cruisers like you. Cheers!

[@timatsea]

Thank you so much!!

[@PR-fr6ko]

The dinners in the Haven are very good. Some of the choices included prime rib, filet mignon, lobster tails, lamb, scallops and lobster ravioli. You should have tried it. It is better than mediocre.

[@timatsea]

I agree, I definitely should have. On the first day of the cruise, they did a solo cruiser meet-and-greet and I met some people there. I was the only one in the group in the Haven, and I valued having dinner with them more than going to the Haven restaurant. I'll be on the Prima in September in the Haven again, and I'll definitely give it a try!

[@PR-fr6ko]

@@timatsea The Prima sounds fantastic. Enjoy!

[@Hartflame]

Most excellent. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@timatsea]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@vickibailey6603]

Hi Tim! We are booked for June 2023, so excited!! Thanks for the great videos. Did you feel a lot of movement being so close to the front of the ship? Noise? They have this listed as mid ship and I think they mean deck wise it’s in the middle of the ship. Thanks I’m advance.

[@CraigWiseman]

First, thanks for a really good and in-depth video. It's very helpful. Regarding the Haven... it seems like you didn't need/use the butler, the bar (and Haven bartenders!), and the Haven restaurant. That's fine, but those are some huge, core things that make the Haven worthwhile. Given that, I think it's going to be really heard to evaluate the value of the Haven fairly. Again, thanks for your thoughts and a great video!

[@timatsea]

Hey Craig, thanks for the feedback. I can't disagree with what you're saying. I had planned to actually eat at the Haven restaurant a lot more and maybe do some "private" dining in my room, but I met some people on the cruise that weren't Haven guests and ended up having a lot of meals with them. So that definitely affected my use of the restaurant and butler. I'm not really one who would just call the butler out of the blue and ask for something, so I'll probably never make full use of a butler. Of course, this is only one man's opinion on a light sailing, and traveling alone definitely affected my opinion, but hopefully it will still be helpful to those considering it. I certainly wasn't trying to dissuade anyone from trying it.

[@rgruenhaus]

On the amenities list for my room which is an SN category I saw listed that I only get F&B requests 2X during a 7 day cruise. My cruise on the Jade will be a Panama Canal cruise from Panama City to Tampa FL and a 10 day cruise so im hoping I get one additional F&B requests to eat in the room because they say we have no access to the Haven restaurant or sun deck.

[@rgruenhaus]

No needle when bidding as long as I've been cruising since 2013. Bids win if those bidding are few or they bid less for the same category.

[@dabears1895]

SUPER AWESOME VIDEO..AMAZING DETAIL. WE HAVE BEEN ON 2 ALASKA CRUISES AND IT’S BY FAR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ONE. WE JUST BOOKED ANOTHER ONE FOR JULY ON THE NCL ENCORE. A AFT PENTHOUSE SUITE. THIS WILL BE OUR FIRST TIME USING THE HAVEN SO YOUR VIDEO WAS PERFECT FOR US. THE CRUISE STAFF ARE THE BEST PEOPLE AND HARDEST WORKERS IN THE WORLD. I ALWAYS TIP THEM WELL AND APPRECIATE THEIR HARD WORK. YOUR SO CORRECT WITH SUITES OR BALCONY CABINS FOR ALASKA. WHAT DO YOU GUYS TIP THE BUTLER FOR THE HAVEN PENTHOUSE SUITES?

[@rgruenhaus]

Ocean Blue in my experience was much better than Palomar on the Prima. Your experience with getting numerous appetizers and other selections might have been due to it being near the end of Covid-19 period. Recently I went to Le Bistro and they were VERY strict about only ONE appetizer and one entrée and two sides and ONE dessert. Really irritating because I like shrimp cocktail and soup and a salad then my entrée and dessert.

[@edharris8574]

I wanted to know if there was a balcony above you. In another video (same category) there was a balcony above. Since this is a "Penthouse" that usually means it's the very top? Was this the case?

[@timatsea]

It wasn't top deck by any stretch. I think Penthouse is just a common term for their Haven rooms.

[@vacationmode6286]

we are doing a cruise in august on the encore in Alaska -- do you know about parking at the port? we are driving to Seattle from portland. Also curious what your thoughts are on dress code -- living in portland we just dress for weather. You mentioned not really dressing up. Does the haven dinner have a dress code_ I know you mentioned you didn't try the dinner there but curious how much we need to dress up.

[@timatsea]

Sorry, I have never parked at a port, so I'm not sure about this. NCL is pretty casual with their dress code. They want you to be comfortable. I wore jeans and polos or half-zips most of the time and I didn't really feel underdressed. I think they prefer pants for dinner and no tank tops or things like that, but I doubt they would not serve you.

[@rgruenhaus]

Nespresso coffeemaker not Keurig.

[@jeffjordan4923]

How much did you have to bid to get the upgrade?

[@timatsea]

I think I bid around $1000 if I recall correctly, and since I was a solo traveler, the total was $2000 since it's based on double occupancy.

[@lumixraku]

Why the hot tub located in a shade area? Looks very nasty. It reminds me of rats in corner of trash.

[@rgruenhaus]

Too many KZbin channels talk about the Haven and act like they didn't want to get their money's worth. "Oh I didn't want to bother my butler!" YOU ARE PAYING FOR IT! If I am paying $11k+ for a cruise i want the full service. Nit a diluted butler who has way too many rooms to care for!

[@rgruenhaus]

Please stop saying your experience with half the normal passengers is what to expect! Your images show a ghost ship! If it normally can have 4000+ passengers then at least don't gloss over that to make everything hunky dory. Glorifying a cruiseline because this cruise of yours was an exception sets others up for disappointment on their cruise now that NCL is maxing out capacities onboard!

[@rgruenhaus]

Some of your comments about Norwegian are too general and are NOT the same on all their ships. Children are not a big consideration on the Prima. Very limited activities for children. The water deck had no imagination for children to be excited about.