About us: husband and wife (mid-40s) and 8 yo son, on our 6th cruise, 2nd in the Haven, and 3rd on NCL. We were in an H4 2 bedroom Haven villa on the 15th floor (15108). Our 2nd time on the ship, having been in an H4 on 16th floor previously – we found the 15th floor quieter, and with easy access to the amenities on the 16th floor. The America’s Cup race was in full swing, and we loved every minute of the Cup village, Bermuda, and our time in the Haven. The ship negatives were few, but echoed by everyone on both this trip, and our prior December / Christmas 2016 trip.

STAFF: As always, outstanding, and not just in the Haven. From the buffets, specialty restaurants, casinos, guest services…everyone was happy, pleasant and willing to stop and help. I have heard recently of a downturn in service, but we experienced none of that. There were a few minor things…slower than usual service in non-Haven restaurants, fewer casino staff for drinks, but honestly, some of the nicest folks I have met. Considering how hard the staff works, their cheerfulness is 120% appreciated.

HAVEN: The recurring debate on cruise critic is “Is the Haven worth it?”. For us…no question. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it for us…yes, yes, yes. We literally walked through customs, directed by NCL staff to a special line “Just for my Haven Guests”, to a quiet room where we checked in and sat down for 5 minutes prior to boarding in Group 2 – Group 1 boarded 10 minutes earlier. We arrived at the port at 1100 and were on the boat by 1145. Anoop was our concierge for the second time, and greeted us by name; he is exemplary in all of his functions and truly a gift to NCL. By our second meal, Edgar, the Maitre D’, had already established what we liked to eat / drink (I am a vegan, which can be tricky), and his wait-staff / hostesses (especially Luh, Mai, Elisa and Jacqueline) are treasures who treated my son like a king. Roland and Anoop made sure we never wanted for any information or reservation. Ronaldo our stateroom attendant and Nelson our Butler, along with Edgar, were our vacation heroes – amazing service. They arranged for popcorn for our family movie night, brought me hot pretzels after I made a mention that I loved pretzels and mustard, and kept my son stocked with goodies. They also brought us champagne to the room to celebrate our anniversary with kissing swans on the bed! The Haven itself was spotless, and despite the large number of kids, everyone was well-behaved, having a great time and the family atmosphere was wonderful. The upper decks were much fuller than our last trip, but with the view of Bermuda and the America’s Cup – how could it not be! The final reason for loving the Haven – on our way home from the Haven deck to disembarkation in less than 30 minutes. Read more