Norwegian Jade Review
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This was my first Norwegian cruise. I was advised by a friend and my travel agent to choose a different line. However, I read about The Haven and wanted to try it. There was only one Courtyard penthouse suite left, so my TA grabbed it at my insistence. It was cabin 14514. There's another post on this site discouraging readers from booking that particular cabin because of noise. I was quite worried about that, but it was all for naught. The cabin was perfect. My husband was supposed to go with me, but he got sick at the last minute. I hadn't taken out insurance since it was just a four day cruise. I'm not sure why I thought that made a difference, but I did. Lesson learned. Since I couldn't get our money back, I decided to go on the cruise by myself. I said good bye to my soul mate, not at all sure I was doing the right thing. Well, it turned out to be the best thing ever. It was like a rejuvenating visit to a relaxing spa. The Haven is like a ship within a ship. I rarely left floor 14, the dedicated Haven floor. On that floor was a wonderful outdoor lounge area with comfy chairs, a small pool, a whirlpool, exercise room, food and drink, and a large sun tanning area up a few steps. You needed to use your room key to access the 14th floor. Even on the elevator, you had to insert your room key above the number 14, or the elevator wouldn't take you there.
I ate only in the speciality restaurants (excellent) since they were included for Haven guests, but I heard the food in the regular restaurants was quite good. There were two performances each night for the entertainment in the big theater. One at 7:30 and one at 9:30. That's the first time I've encountered two showings on a cruise, and for me it was perfect. I'm an early to bed person, so the 7:30 was perfect. The ship offered a wonderful thermal spa experience. $137 for the entire cruise allowed me access to the thermal spa every day, consisting of a steam room, a sauna, an ice cold pool, a regular whirlpool, a reflexology spa with jets and bubbles up to my neck, and thermal lounges to relax on. It was like another world in there. It was a very large area with walls of windows looking out to sea. I see I'm running out of space here, but I'm sure you can tell I had a wonderful experience. I finished one book and started another. I emailed each day with my hubby. I rejuvenated myself, plain and simple. I felt like baby bear in The Haven. It was 'just right.' I have 3 more Norwegian Haven experiences booked.
Cabin Review
Courtyard Penthouse with Balcony
The cabin was perfect, especially for one person, although it would work for two people, as well. The bedroom and bathroom are combined, but the space is large. The shower and toilet are separate. There's a large picture window over the tub which was visible from bed, so every morning I watched the sun come up. There were two sinks and a huge sit down vanity area. The living room only had a sofa for seating which was different than what I'm used to, but it was fine. The deck is small, but the chairs were very comfortable, even though they didn't recline. I spent time each day on the deck. Combined with the living room was a small area with a table and three chairs. The room had a pod coffee maker and a mini stocked fridge. Individual temperature setting in the living room area and in the bedroom area. Temperature was perfect all the time. The towel animals were precious. I even brought home the little mouse made from a washcloth.