THE HAVEN ON NCL | IS IT WORTH IT???

In this video we recap our time in The Haven on the NCL Encore. We cover everything from the food, to the Haven amenities, to the staff, and our overall experience. We will answer for you that question everyone wants to know, is it worth the money to cruise in the NCL Haven.
Here is the link to our room tour: • THE HAVEN ON NCL ENCOR...
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[@jjmpj]

Great, honest review, thank you!

[@NavigateWith]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed!

[@LifeWellCruised]

Sounds really nice - heading on Norwegian next & good to hear the details on your experience

[@NavigateWith]

Thanks for watching! Have a great cruise!

[@spink273]

Thanks for your honest review

[@NavigateWith]

Thank you for watching!

[@southernchristopher2680]

I stayed in the Haven on the Breakaway on my very first cruise after winning the upgrade bid. This experience spoiled me for all cruises since that first one. I have two adult sons and we all love the quiet of the Haven area as a break from the chaos of the rest of the ship. We also had breakfast most days in our suite before heading out to whatever the day had planned and that was a great way to start each day. The cost of the Haven is a factor and I agree completely with Nate that bidding for an upgrade is the best way to go. Thank you for the excellent review.

[@NavigateWith]

Thank you for your thoughts! We are so glad you enjoyed our review. The Haven is great, but got to weigh in the cost for sure!

[@terijones4357]

My husband and I bid on an upgrade on the Encore in our first cruise. We want to sail again and am worried we won’t be able to upgrade so inexpensive as this last Covid times. The Haven is wonderful. 😊

[@dennisalexanderreilly8624]

Great review. This past November, I bid for an upgrade on the NCL Epic and basically paid 3k to get a Haven Spa Balcony cabin. For me, it was worth the money, as the Haven cabins had all been remodeled in 2020 lockdown, and if you are familiar with the Epic, you know how ugly the standard balcony cabins are. My very first time sailing in a Haven suite, and the experience was well worth it. The service was impeccable, I had to find things for my Butler to do, as I'm not high maintenance myself. I had the same disappointing experience with the Haven Grill on ordering a grilled cheese sandwich, only to be told I would need to give advance notice. Seemed silly on a menu item so simple to make. I do get it, they can't just whip up items that easily but I was also paying 6k total for this exceptional service experience. No regrets at all however on everything else.

[@NavigateWith]

Great to hear about your experience as well. We think you bring up some great points NCL can think about incorporating into The Haven!

[@somebodynoticed]

Thank you for talking about the accessibility

[@NavigateWith]

Thank you for watching, we are here to help!

[@tonykirk6935]

We found out near the end of our cruise in January in the Haven on the Encore that we could get food outside on the sundeck! it was a nice touch, wish we would have known earlier but hay! we enjoyed the service, and the staff was amazing and very tentative, the Haven restaurant was great we could order as many lobster tails as we wanted but 2 was plenty! The Mix Bar between the Savor and Taste was great, we had great service from the bartenders, and it was a great meeting point! your reviews are Prity spot on! The roof on the Haven pool was not opened very often even with great weather. Haven bar was always busy in the evening, but they knew what you wanted so by the time you got served it was ready! Thanks for a great review! We are booked again same room Haven Spa Room on Jan 15th, 2023! happy travels!

[@NavigateWith]

Thank you for adding your experience. Enjoy your next cruise!!!

[@tonykirk6935]

@@NavigateWith Thank you!

[@patrick8128]

What kind of food was available?

[@nadiathomas4342]

The thing about the upgrade is you have to be invited to bid by email. And there’s still a chance of not getting it depending on your bid. Seems like once you get invited, the invites appear for all cruises. At least I’ve been invited more than once. Love the Haven!!

[@NavigateWith]

Yep. We are getting invites for our upcoming cruise, but we are going to stick with our balcony!

[@coralicabada5816]

I just confirmed a cruise for May 2025 - This has been very helpful ..My 1st Cruise ....

[@NavigateWith]

Glad it was helpful! Have a great cruise!

[@dand5829]

Funny you mention the rushed experience at the specialty restaurants. I took my last cruise right before covid and I remember sitting at cagneys and le bistro for like 2+ hrs feeling the service was soooo slooow. I'm gearing up for my first cruise since then and I'm hoping the new rushed service isn't a consequence of staffing shortages. Rushed service wouldn't be good either. Glad to hear you can order anything in the Haven restaurant. I have a gluten intolerance so it's nice they will custom make a meal with advanced notice.

[@NavigateWith]

Dan have a great cruise. Also, make sure you let the host in the Haven know about your food allergy and they will take care of you all week!

[@spidermaninky]

I don't think you're weird for enjoying a leisurely dining experience. One of our favorite land-based restaurants is a 4 hour dining experience (there's an intermission, no joke) but really regardless of what you want, most cruise ship restaurants want you out the door as quickly as possible, they've got maybe 120 seats to satisfy 6,000 people over 7 nights running at 100% capacity the whole time, it's just a game of math. When we stayed in the Haven on Prima, I enjoyed that the private restaurant was large enough to seat everyone in the Haven at once, so I never felt rushed and took as much time as I wanted without any complaint from the staff who didn't need to worry about turning over our table. Plus the food was better, on average, it would just be nice if the menu rotated.

[@NavigateWith]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Agreed, the pace of dinner in The Haven is a plus!

[@thomasservice568]

thats a great review we are sailing on the escape April 9 we planned it a year ago. After it was paid off about 2 months before sailing they dropped the price and cut out one of our stops and offered no discount or refund for dropping the price. so some times it is better to wait till the last minute if you can

[@NavigateWith]

Great point. We always wait till the latest date to make our final payment. You might want to ask if the price has dropped if they can give you an onboard credit, not sure if NCL does that but some cruise lines do.

[@jjmpj]

That happened to me. I will be on the Joy, May 22nd. I planned my cruise 1 1/2 years ago, and thought it was a good deal for the haven. I kept watching the price, and it actually rose about 1,000 per person, but then about a month ago, the price dropped way lower than what I paid. I called NCL, and they offered a future cruise credit of 2,500 per stateroom (traveling with a group of 6). A refund was not possible, as it was past the final balance due date, but I was happy with the FCC offer. I can go on another cruise, yay! I have sailed NCL a few times before, but this is my first time going in the haven. I can’t wait!

[@Cha-y412]

The Haven is 100% expensive but worth every penny of it. We have done 3 Breakaway Encore Joy. Do not book a forward facing Haven suite. The cabin is great. But the walk to the mid ship elevators is long and narrow and if room service carts or other passengrrs are in that narrow hallway it is a nightmare. The Joy was built for the Asian market and did not meet Norweigns expectations so the ship was put into the US Market after a renovation and repositioning. The Joy does not have some of the things that her Sister Breakaway class have. • Joy does not have spa suites • Joy does not have saunas steam rooms, salt rooms. • the Shower headcroom in our mid ship Haven had barely over 6 ft of headroom. Im 6ft 2 and it was close. The Haven has a too many extras and perks for me to list.

[@NavigateWith]

Appreciate you watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@DarthDaddy-cg6ro]

Thanks.

[@NavigateWith]

Thanks for watching!

[@n-da-bunka2650]

We've been on Royal, NCL, Carnival & Disney. Lately we have been disappointed with the Royal experience. Our BEST cruises have been on NCL and we are booked for an upcoming cruise departing London in August. We have put in our bids for a Haven upgrade but based on what we can see as online availability, the odds of "winning" any of those bids appears slim. While we always sail in balcony or suites, we have never had the chance to experience a Haven cabin due to the excessive upfront costs. Our Club Balcony Suite is at $6K for the two of us for nine days including flights. As of this minute (90 days out) a Haven Club Balcony Suite eights cabins away on that same 14th floor would be $13,362 for this particular cruise.

[@NavigateWith]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Really hope you get that upgrade for the Haven so you can experience it! Happy sailing!

[@pamelamurphy4667]

Hurray for no hats in the dining rooms! Have been on many cruises on many different cruise lines. There is nothing like the Haven. Only wish the two bedroom had two beds and a window in the second bedroom. For my 80th, I took my great grandnephew, his fiancée and two couples who were their friends and my niece. They are still raving about their experiences. Haven has the best restaurant on board and the absolute top in personnel. Well worth it!

[@NavigateWith]

Thanks for watching and sharing your experience!

[@alant40001]

I think the hat thing is an etiquette thing. Not an NCL hierarchy thing. I would never wear a hat in any restaurant; Haven or not. Just my opinion. I’ve stayed in the Haven once. I’d do it again. 😊

[@NavigateWith]

Agreed, always best to remove those hats!

[@vanessacarter6342]

Who the hell wears a hat indoors let alone on a dinning area?

[@trudywright9643]

@@vanessacarter6342 a lot of men/boys who’s parent’s obviously did not teach their children manners! We see it quite often in local restaurants and while traveling, baseball caps, Cowboy hats whatever.

[@nutz79ful]

It is an etiquette thing also a military thing when you enter a building remove your hat. You want all the high end stuff without manners.

[@gpicardias2956]

During war, warships use the mess decks as triage spaces. Come on people!!!

[@chrisgott3456]

I despise hats in dining rooms. A huge plus for me.

[@NavigateWith]

Yep, just be fast to take off those hats!

[@andreabarlowe4551]

thank you for your video! just wondering if you get a Haven room and have the free at sea would you need to get the free at sea premium plus to get the better beverages like say a Starbucks or a more expensive whisky?

[@NavigateWith]

Yes you do need to upgrade your package to get top shelf liquors and Starbucks. Honestly this was one our biggest annoyance with booking a Haven suite, is that NCL still tries to get a few more bucks out of you. In our opinion The Haven should include the premium plus package.

[@markmark8156]

Did you have any problems getting speciality dining reservation? Did the Concierge make your reservations?

[@NavigateWith]

Mark, we were able to make our reservation ahead of the sailing. I believe if you are staying in the Haven this opens up a bit earlier for you. Also, we have heard from friends that when sailing is at full capacity on NCL waiting to get on the ship is a bad idea because a lot folks will have booked ahead.

[@maureeningelsby6202]

Our cruise coming up on the Haven on the Encore in March is only my 2nd cruise, so we are really novices. We booked only 5 weeks from departure. When we booked we got a what I thought was a good value for the money and for being late to book. Can I ask what the size of your room and balcony was and what the amenities were? I am thinking about doing an upgrade and am wondering if I can get a larger room in the Courtyard area.

[@NavigateWith]

Since our room was an accessible room it was larger than some of the other Haven cabins. One thing to try is to search your cabin number on KZbin. With that said, we didn’t spend a lot of time in the room as the Haven public areas are very nice.

[@colinmacdowell1629]

We are soon going on a cruise in a Haven suite. Does anyone know if items from the bake shop are included for Haven guests? We did a Yacht Club sailing on an MSC ship only to find out days later that items at the bake shop there were included!

[@NavigateWith]

Colin no idea on that one, but if you find out let us know!

[@polomichael71]

Royal Caribbean also offers dining packages. The difference is the clientele. NCL are tend to have fewer kids and more adults, which they choose to eat at nicer restaurants. Royal Caribbean clientele are more families, so parents with kids don't care to spend the money for extra dining as kids don't eat much or fancier foods. I have cruised on both NCL and Royal Caribbean many times. Ncl is more grown-up kids and adult themed. Royal Caribbean is more family themed with young kids in mind.

[@NavigateWith]

Makes sense. Thanks for watching!

[@franciscaron5007]

I have to agree with no hats when dining!!

[@NavigateWith]

Agreed, just make sure you are fast to take them off in the Haven dining room 🤣.

[@DarthDaddy-cg6ro]

So which cruise line would you go on instead of NCL?

[@NavigateWith]

Personally so far we really like Royal Caribbean. We think for the value, quality of food, and experiences onboard it is the way to go. But you really have to try other cruise lines to figure out what works best for you.

[@StoneLeafTree]

Do u tip at the restaurant? Thanks

[@NavigateWith]

Tip was included in the fair, but of course you can give an extra tip at the end of the cruise if you want.

[@patrick8128]

One more question please---Were there many children in the Haven? Thanks

[@NavigateWith]

There were a few kids, but this is probably not reflective of how it normally is because of the vaccine requirements (i.e. at the time of sailing young children could not get the vaccine).

[@patrick8128]

Is the Haven appropriate for small children and/or teenagers?

[@NavigateWith]

For teenagers yes and for young children it depends. The outside sundecks are for adults only (16+ and up) and the vibe is quiet and reserved in The Haven. But there are a lot of other places on the ship for children that they might enjoy more.

[@markmark8156]

I love a quick dinner can’t stand sitting for hours.

[@NavigateWith]

There are a lot of options on NCL and I think you just need to tell your wait staff how long you would like your meal to last.

[@classyfiftynine8208]

Hey Colleen: New Glasses ?

[@NavigateWith]

Yep, new year, new glasses!

[@kristynam1497]

What port did you dock out of?

[@NavigateWith]

For our NCL trip it was out of Miami.

[@13Laurba]

Were there any other charges we should be aware of that were not included in the fare?😊

[@NavigateWith]

The only ones we can recall is that the bundled drink package doesn’t include all alcohols so you would have to pay for that if you wanted something specific, the go carts were extra, but that was about it. Of course there seems to be a little bit of an expectation to tip above the paid gratuities at the end but f the cruise, this is completely optional though.

[@jodilynn2767]

Dinner and breakfast in the room is that free in the haven and do they add a gratuity fee to deliver

[@Grovelaar]

How can I bid for an upgrade?

[@NavigateWith]

Right before your cruise (about a month or so) you will get an email that will offer you an upgrade option.

[@Grovelaar]

@@NavigateWith ah ok thank you very much for explaining

[@bruzzie999]

A man should never wear a hat at a dining table.

[@NavigateWith]

Agreed! Nate just needs to move quicker in taking his hat off!

[@nadinekohler9826]

How many suites is a butler responsible for?

[@NavigateWith]

Not sure 🤔, but according to NCL’s website there is always a butler on call. On top of the butler there will be your room attendant and in the Haven there is plenty of staff to take care of your every need.

[@nadinekohler9826]

@@NavigateWithis there on every ship a butler for the guests in suites or only on the ships with The Haven?

[@NavigateWith]

@@nadinekohler9826 so I looked at NCLs site and they mention that they do have butlers for suites with the exception of the Norwegian Joy. You can read about the suites here www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/cruise-accommodations/cruise-suites-and-penthouses. Also, if you need help booking a Haven Suite, Nate can help at www.nywtravel.com . Thanks - Nate & Colleen

[@jeannel7255]

U both r wonderful however the staff is wonderful to all...haven or not!!!

[@NavigateWith]

Agreed, the staff is great!

[@camilo8cheryl]

That sucks! The Encore is not ADA compliant🤦🏻‍♂️

[@NavigateWith]

And the fact that we called to get bed heights and were given bad info. Luckily Nate was able to help with bed transfers.

[@nutz79ful]

An hour and a half for dinner is too long. Also think about how many people are a ship for everyone to take that long you may never get a reservation.

[@NavigateWith]

We have noticed that the main dining room is always pretty fast for that reason. In the Haven restaurant you can take a lot longer for dinner if you want.

[@janetkruth3813]

Too bad manners, such as removing a hat are no longer valued. Not a big deal, and I realize to each their own, but a little sad. Maybe cruiselines need dining rooms divided by style preferences- traditional vs casual. Then everyone can be happy.

[@NavigateWith]

Not a bad idea! Thanks for watching!

[@samcolt1079]

NO ITS NOT WORTH IT. ARE YOU KIDDING ?

[@NavigateWith]

Sam well that was our conclusion unless for a very special occasion and/or if you did an upgrade!

[@bamyth]

The Haven isn't for everyone, hence the cost of exclusivity. If you can't afford it, there are other options and cruise lines. Just my 2 cents.

[@watson1204]

@@bamythCarnival ???