After enjoying our January 2011 cruise on the NCL Jade Holy Lands Cruise which unfortunately was diverted at the last minute from a scheduled visit to Egypt, my wife and I booked the same Haven Cabin in hopes of experiencing the Pyramids in December 2012.

Our dreams of an encounter with the Pyramids were dashed 2 months in advance of the sailing with NCL's decision to cancel Egypt stops starting in December (but they continued to visit Egypt through November). In retrospect, we probably would have found ourselves diverted from Egypt anyway with the political unrest that accompanied the constitutional crisis which developed during our sailing. NCL scheduled substitute stops in Crete and Naples instead of Egypt - and I thought the excursion to Popeii from Naples turned out to be a highlight of the trip.

In any case, we found our beloved Haven Cabin 14010 was exactly as we left it from our January 2011 stay. Between the luxurious and spacious cabin, the relaxing Haven with its retractable roof (mostly closed during the cold December weather), and fine service from our cabin stewards and butler, I could not imagine better accommodations. We have sailed in a PS suite on Princess and found NCL's suites more appealing even without the Haven facilities - dining tables, pod using coffee makers, twin baths, tubs with ocean view windows, spacious baths...the list goes on and on. We liked the view from our balcony although the cold weather prevented extended use. Read more