The Ultimate Guide to The Haven - Norwegian Cruise Line's Luxury Experience - Part I

If you enjoy luxury cruising, you'll want to listen to this episode!

Shannon Bednarova, host and creator of A Lady Well-Travelled shares her experience about her luxury cruise on the Norwegian Encore, focusing on The Haven experience.  She and her two friends spent a week on the ship and enjoyed the ports of Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Harvest Key, Belize. She purchased this cruise as a gift and hoped it would turn out to be as nice as the Vacations To Go Cruise Representative promised.  Listen to find out if the experience matched what was represented!

She gets specific about the embarkation process, decor, staterooms, indoor pool, amenities, services, dining, crew, artistic touches that add to the cruiser's enjoyment. and her overall impressions of the cruise environment.

She does not spend one minute speaking about the hairy legs contest by the main pool, singing off-key karaoke in the country western bar, playing Bingo or attending the "I Love Elvis Review" in the ship's theatre.  As a matter of fact, she couldn't tell you if they had any of those things going on, but they probably had all of that and more on the ship as well!

Helpful links:

Luxury Cruises: The Haven by Norwegian | NCL

DISCLAIMER: All opinions, recommendations and experiences shared on this podcast are solely those of the creator and/or her guests.  Please do your own research and consult the appropriate professionals before making any decisions based on content shared on this show. 

Thank you for listening!  I welcome your feedback and suggestions or you simply let me know if you are enjoying the show. You can reach me at Shannon@ALadyWellTravelled.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Hello, and welcome to A Lady Well Traveled. I'm your host and creator, Shannon Bednarova, and I'm delighted that you've joined me today. If this is your first time tuning into the podcast, I talk about ways to help you transform your travels into a less stressful, more meaningful experience that you'll remember for a lifetime. I often have guests on the show who share my love of travel and who can give you their expert guidance on journeys you may wish to take in the future. Now, sometimes I fly solo and today is one of those days. Now, if you follow me, you'll remember that I did a review of the Vacations to Go website and their 90-day ticker during episode 29, which was two weeks ago. I took a chance and purchased a cruise on the Norwegian Encore in their exclusive enclave, which is called The Haven. So today, in this episode, I'm going to tell you about my cruise and if that chance I took paid off for my friends and me. I'm calling this episode the Haven Experience because that's what it was, an experience. It started from the minute I made my reservation and paid for the cruise. Now, Norwegian cruise lines began by welcoming me by email and sending me communications almost immediately in the days that followed before the cruise. They invited me to join their online cruise portal, which gave me access to all the activities, excursions, dining venues, spa, and all the other information I would need for the cruise. I signed up and began using it almost immediately. The Norwegian cruise portal also had a countdown to cruising checklist, and that was very handy because it had a to-do of all the items that you needed to complete before your cruise date. I would get email updates about health and sanitation across the fleet, reminders about check-in and arrival times at the port, passport and visa requirements, reservation confirmations, destination port updates, and the like. I appreciated the steady flow of communication because I never had to guess if something was completed on my end or on their end, because they kept me updated every step of the way. Norwegian also sent a nice packet to me by snail mail, luggage tags, boarding passes, and information that I would need for the sailing date and plenty of time for me to have it ready for the trip. Now they asked me to pick a specific time that we wanted to arrive at the port and to adhere to that time closely. I'm sure if you've ever cruised before, you know what a zoo it can be at the cruise terminal. So obviously they're trying to make embarkation a lot better for everyone. So we chose 11 a.m. as we were flying into Miami the night before and staying at an Airbnb near the Miami cruise port. And that obviously would allow us some breathing room in case our flight was canceled and if everything went well, we could sleep in and get an Uber to the cruise port and then get on board with plenty of time. The next morning after we got there, we called an Uber, we jumped in, and we went to the port so we could arrive on time. Now, if you've never been to the Miami cruise port, it's a sight to behold. It really is. It's known as the cruise capital of the world because the port of Miami embarks and disembarks passengers through 10 gigantic terminals. The cruise port hosts 22 different cruise lines and its home port to 70 different cruise vessels. It can accommodate up to 10 megaliners at one time. That's really something. So most of the big cruise lines have their own specific branded cruise terminals, and Norwegian is one of those. So we were driven right up to the ship terminal by our friendly Uber driver, and it's an extremely busy area where there are hundreds of private cars, taxis, Ubers, and buses that are all discharging passengers and all of their luggage. And everybody is trying to get into the terminal and get in line and get on board all at the same time. Now the scene outside the terminal looks like complete and utter chaos to the untrained eye, but there's really a method to the madness. There are porters outside waiting to pick up your luggage, and they understand exactly where you're supposed to go on ship based on your luggage tags, which are, by the way, sorted by color. They've got your stateroom number and the floor of the ship on them. And the porters have worked there so long they know the luggage tags and probably your location on the ship a lot better than even your cabin stewards do. Our luggage porter was a very friendly gentleman. And when he saw our luggage tags, he even got more friendly. He loaded all of our luggage onto his trolley and he said, Ladies and gentlemen, follow me. Don't you dare go over there where everyone is standing in line. You're in the haven. You're special. I don't know what that means, but hey, we followed along. He led us through and around all this big crowd in front of the throngs of people waiting in line on the other side of a roped-off pylon. So we got into this small counter with a sign that said the haven. And it wasn't real impressive. It was just kind of like a stand-up counter, and there was nobody there. So when we arrived, we waited about 30 seconds, and then a representative of Norwegian cruise lines came to the stand and welcomed us to the ship. He then escorted us into the ship terminal and we began our check-in process. We walked past a bunch of other passengers who were checking in and waiting in line. And he also put us on a separate elevator which whisked us right to another check-in desk where we were given our stateroom keys and welcome information. There was no waiting in line whatsoever. All of the crew's personnel were very helpful and friendly. We were then escorted up a flight of stairs to this very impressive and expansive reception area with gigantic windows and all this comfortable seating with lots of sofas, easy chairs, and tables. And it was kind of like this really big airport lounge. Out of one side, you could see the ship because it was all these windows. And then on the other side, there was a balcony that you looked down on the floor below, and you could see all of the other passengers checking in and waiting in very long lines. We were like the only people in this huge area. We were then invited to help ourselves to a gorgeous breakfast brunch service with coffee, teas, juices, water, pastries, tea sandwiches, and cookies. And it was wonderful. We were like, wow, this is great. So we helped ourselves and had a little bite to eat. And then our wonderful gentleman that was escorting us came back, and when we were ready to go, he escorted us onto the ship along the main gangway. We got on board and went into a small reception area, and we were welcomed by yet more wonderful attendants who offered us a flute of champagne, which we were happy to take. So with our bubbly in hand, we again rode a private elevator up to the haven, which was on the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth floors of the ship. So we stopped by the concierge desk just to see where that was and to ask a question about our upcoming scuba trip that we had reserved, and then we went on a quick tour of the haven. We saw the lounges, the indoor pool, and the two-level promenades that surrounded the pool that were complete with deck chairs and lounges, pillows and throws, tables for drinks and dining or playing cards. We walked outside on the 19th deck and saw the hot tubs and the cabanas. Our state room was actually on deck 18 midship. So I want to tell you a little bit about the decor of the haven, because I think that's very, very important. I was impressed because there was an easy elegance to it. It wasn't opulent, trendy, or trying too hard to impress. The public spaces made a lot of use of natural light. There were large windows where it was appropriate. There was warm lighting, and a lot of pretty artistic lighting features. There was added some sophistication and some quiet ambiance. And there was also some nice use of wood and glass. It was very muted, done in tones of cream, white, bronze, and browns. Some areas also that were public areas incorporated touches of blue, teals, and grays. And they weren't garish at all, but they were very soothing, and they had really nice sofas and chairs that invited you to take a seat and get comfortable. The pool area furnishings were all done in teak, blues, whites, and creams that were very easy on the eyes and just very, very inviting. Now our stateroom, I'd like to talk about that. We had a two-bedroom, two-bath family suite with a balcony. When you walked into the stateroom, there were beautiful mirrors on the wall that of course added to the space, a lovely dining table with four chairs, and across from the dining table was a coffee and a tea wet bar complete with an espresso machine, and an assortment of coffees and teas, a full set of all kinds of glassware, cups, everything you could need, and a gorgeous fruit basket that was full of fruit, and also a welcome bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne that was on ice for us. Across, as you continued to walk into the living area, was a big sofa and a coffee table, and across from that was a giant flat screen TV, a storage center, and a writing desk and stereo. You continued out onto the balcony, and we'll get to that later. But off of the main living area were the two bedroom suites. First I'll talk about the master. There was a gorgeous master bedroom with a king size bed. It had beautiful wood cabinetry that was all beautifully finished with tons of storage, a big vanity with a mirror, a great big wall-mounted television. There was a very nice, huge two-vanity bathroom that had a floor-to-ceiling window in the shower, which was separate from the bath, a giant picture window next to the jetted tub, and a separate toilet area that was enclosed in etched glass for privacy, which was a very nice touch. My friends who were staying in the master suite, because remember this was my gift to them, they enjoyed this master suite immensely, and they were so sweet they also let me use the jetted tub, which I enjoyed a lot. The other bedroom, stateroom, was a smaller stateroom, and that's where I stayed. And it had a sofa which converted into a single bed. It had a television with plenty of that beautiful cabinetry. And it also had a makeup vanity and a desk with a mirror, very nice lighting, and a big closet and plenty of storage. It also had a smaller bathroom that had a shower, a toilet, and a vanity that was plenty big for my needs, and it worked perfectly for our trip. High quality linens, pillows, bathrobes, and slippers were available in both staterooms for everybody's enjoyment, and we certainly got our use out of those. Now the balcony space was very enjoyable with two chairs and a table, but it was too small for the size of our suite. We did sit out there quite a bit, especially with our morning coffee, and my friend sat out there a bit and read and worked on her puzzles. But some of the other suites in the haven had larger balconies. And so if you're a balcony person, you may want to consider that when reserving your stateroom, because our balcony was fairly small for the size of our stateroom. So people ask me, what was the most notable feeling or sensation that you got when you visited the haven, when you were staying there? I have to say, cruise ships can be extremely noisy places, sometimes obnoxiously so. The nonstop Bob Marley, Margueriteville, and Red Solo Cup songs that are blaring by the pool, or the activities person that's always on the microphone coming over the loudspeaker, announcing the hairy legs contest for the umpteenth time. You know, those things kind of get old after a while. Also, the steel drum band that is playing every hour on the hour in every lounge on the ship. Some of those things kind of get on your nerves. Now we've all been there. And I think you have to be on your first cruise in your twenties, newly divorced or drunk out of your mind to enjoy those things. Maybe all three, maybe all three at the same time. I don't know. Maybe, maybe that's just me. So it was really a pleasure to experience a complete sense of serenity and restfulness while we were in the haven. Now I'm not talking about silence or quiet, but it was just an air of peacefulness. Now there certainly was music by the pool, but it wasn't your typical crew sitting by the pool music. It was tasteful, eclectic, and composed of a lot of different genres, and never too loud. You heard things like Sting and Steely Dan, Beck, Moby, Shade, Sinatra, REM, and even some classical music that was thrown in. And it was never in your face, but very enjoyable. People talked, they laughed, they played games, they enjoyed the hot tubs in the pools, they ate, they drank in the lounges in the dining room, but it all seemed to be enveloped in a wonderfully calm and laid-back atmosphere. Now I asked my friends whom I took on the cruise to give me some descriptors of how they felt on the cruise. And I read them what I thought was my impression, and they wholeheartedly agreed, but they also added that it was so comfortable. Everything was very functional, well appointed, warm, and that they felt special when they were in the haven. And I have to agree as well. Now I want to talk also about the service that we encountered while we were in the haven. Our cabin steward was named Pearl, and she was wonderful. She kept our stateroom immaculately clean throughout our stay. She was lovely, professional, and very discreet. Anything that we needed, she took care of for us. We loved Pearl. She was so kind and so nice, and I wanted to give her all the kudos in the world because I couldn't find anything about which to complain. She did an amazing job. Our butler, Mary Jane, was very professional, efficient, and helpful. Any request that we made was promptly fulfilled by Mary Jane. She was lovely. She brought us our coffee every morning, our fruit and pastries if we wanted them, and she'd also deliver us treats like cookies or chocolate-covered strawberries or tea sandwiches every afternoon around tea time. She brought us so much food that we had to tell her to stop bringing so much. We just couldn't keep up. It was delightful nonetheless. Mary Jane also escorted us to a lot of the nice events. If we had dinner reservations, she would come and collect us for the specialty restaurants and escort us there. She would escort us to the captain's cocktail party, which was wonderful. And she always took us right in to the Maitre D, and we were seated immediately. And it was those special touches that really went a long way in helping us have a truly wonderful experience. And Mary Jean, thank you so much because you were so professional and you kept us in line. And it was wonderful. Thank you. Now all the staff in the Haven seemed to know our name and they recognized us everywhere we went. I want to give a big shout out to Roseanne, Marco, and Robert, who are our stewards who took care of us by the pool and the hot tubs. They brought us drinks, food, and they kept our water glasses full so that we could stay hydrated. They brought us extra towels, pillows, even blankets if we got chili. They were fantastic and they deserve a raise. I hope you're listening, Norwegian management. They were wonderful and they just took care of us so, so well. Again, I can't say enough about how fantastic these folks were who took care of every single thing that we needed. I also want to talk about how great it was. Our cabin was located on the same floor as the private dining room. We almost never had to wait in line. And there was only one time I recall where it was extra busy, which was the day we boarded. And that was only one time. It was a lovely dining room, and maybe, just maybe 50 steps from our door to the door of the private dining room. And it was awesome just being able to have that that close to our stateroom. It was fantastic. We were always greeted by someone who was a maitre D or a host or a hostess in uniform, and we would be seated in the lovely private dining room that was only available to passengers who were in the haven. Now the dining room was absolutely lovely. It had an understated elegance to it, again done in creams, whites, bronze tones, with linen and crystal on the table. There was a large row of picture windows that ran down the length of the entire venue so that you could dine and have a lovely view of the port or the ocean as you were cruising. There was also an outdoor dining area if you preferred to dine al fresco. They offered. Oh, an extensive menu, and it was just wonderful. And I'm gonna do a completely separate review of all of the dining options and a review of the menu in another episode of A Lady Well Traveled. It deserves its own separate episode. I also just completely was enamored of the assistant Maitre D of the private dining room. And I'm going to be interviewing her in June. And her name is Gianina Carret. She is from Romania and she's so lovely and professional. And every time we dined, she made us feel so special and would come and visit with us, always with a smile, and always had wonderful stories to tell. And she just did a fantastic job with her restaurant. And I just have to give kudos again to everyone in the restaurant. Occasionally the service was slow, but that was part, I think, of the dining experience was that we would go in there and just be in a different world. And we loved our dining experiences every time we went into the private dining room in the haven. We also dined at the specialty restaurants. There were quite a few specialty restaurants on board, but we only went to three of them. I'm also going to cover those specialty restaurants in more detail in my next review where we cover the food, but we dined at Onda by Scarpeta, which is Italian. We dined at Cagny Steakhouse. And we also dined at Lubistro, which is French. I have to admit, I did not go to the main pool on the boat. I did not get on any of the water slides. I did not eat at any of the other buffets or the main dining rooms. I didn't go to the race car track or sing karaoke in any of the bars. I didn't attend a single show in the theater or the lounges. I didn't go to any of the wine-tasting art shows or cooking classes. I didn't buy a single souvenir in any of the ship stores. In fact, every time me and my companions left the haven, it just seems like we wanted to go back inside and get away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world or the ship. Isn't that crazy? So I think they really did accomplish what they set out to accomplish in creating the haven on board the Norwegian Encore. So was I happy with my cruise and the chance I took? Absolutely. Would I book the haven again? Without a doubt. I would also encourage you to give it a try, especially if you're used to luxury cruising and you want to try something different. You might may find yourself very pleasantly surprised, just like I did. Now I want you, as I said, to tune in again to a Lady Well Traveled for my upcoming review of all of the dining venues on the Norwegian Encore, as well as the review of the private dining room in the Haven before I sign off. In no way was I compensated for this review by Norwegian cruise lines or by anyone who is affiliated with vacations to go or their website. I am giving this review of my own free will, and I'm doing so delightedly. So I wanted to make that statement clear. Thank you so much for joining me today. I so appreciate it. If you have any comments or you would like to reach out to me, I hope you'll do so. You can reach me at Shannon at aladywelltravel.com. That's Shannon at Aladywelltravel.com. And that's traveled with two elves. I'd love to hear from you. Let me know what you think of this show. I also am on Instagram and Facebook, so you can follow me there. As always, God created this big, beautiful world just for you. All you have to do is get out there and see it. And so, until next time, bye-bye.