Norwegian Cruise Haven – Breakaway’s Luxury Suites

Norwegian Cruise Haven suites have been the most advanced upgrade for passengers with NCL looking for a more elevated cruising experience. As a long time cruiser of Norwegian Cruise Line (some 10 years), I have seen the company go through changes and upgrades on their ships overtime. It was inevitable that the Norwegian Haven would come to fruition because a younger generation is now after luxury experiences as much as the older generations.

This was my second time cruising on the Norwegian Breakaway but the experience was entirely different. I had the opportunity to stay in the Norwegian Haven, which is a luxury enclave, or “ship within a ship” as NCL would call it. If you are not familiar with the Norwegian Cruise Haven, the concept is that you have a private area perched atop the ship that was designed for those who book NCL Haven only rooms.

Staying in the Norwegian Haven is an exclusive experience for those looking for elevated luxury on their cruise.

Benefits of booking a Norwegian Cruise Haven room:

• Priority embarkation/disembarkation – no waiting in lines
• 24 hour butler – a phone is given to you in your room that you can take anywhere on the ship to contact them
• Dedicated concierge inside the Haven Courtyard
• White tablecloth in-suite dining
• Evening turn down service
• Priority restaurant and entertainment reservations
• Exclusive access to The Haven Courtyard area with private pool, sundeck, hot tub and fitness area
• Sparkling wine, bottled water and fruit on embarkation day (For 2-Bedroom villa, Courtyard Penthouse, Spa Suite, and Penthouse only)
• Mini-bar and deluxe coffee/espresso/cappuccino machine
• Special Haven Menus
• Grab and go breakfast items including parfaits, diced fruit in a martini glass, fresh pastries and gourmet meats
• Treats delivered to your suite each evening
• Invitations to an exclusive breakfast and lunch
• Invitations to exclusive cocktail parties
• Cocktail party with ship’s officers
• Bliss Collection by Norwegian pillow-top mattress
• Fine linens, feather duvet and pillow menu
• Plush bathrobes, slippers and oversized bath towels
• Luxury bathroom products

The extended benefits of booking a Norwegian Cruise Haven room truly change the experience of your cruise. Having been on 10 cruises, this one was entirely different but I still received the same service that I have come to love from Norwegian.

From the moment I arrived at the pier in New York, there was staff for the Norwegian Haven waiting to take me to a private check-in, where afterwards I could enjoy food and be the first to board. In the Haven lounge, I met with the concierge staff that would be available during the cruise for NCL Haven guests only.

Once on the ship, my room was ready and waiting for me. There was a bottle of champagne on ice, chocolate covered strawberries and fresh flowers awaiting my arrival. Technically there were a few bottles of champagne because of my Gold Latitudes status as well.

Norwegian Cruise Haven Courtyard Penthouse Suite with a Balcony:

For this 14 day cruise I checked into a Norwegian Cruise Haven Courtyard Penthouse Suite with a Balcony. The room was located within the enclave of the Haven where key card access is required to get in. Within the courtyard is a private pool, deck, sunning deck, bar, concierge, and restaurant, therefore are exclusive to Haven guests only.

Room Features:

• Room: 328 sq. feet
• Balcony: 58 sq. feet
• Bliss Collection by Norwegian pillow-top mattress
• Fine linens, feather duvet and pillow menu
• Plush bathrobes, slippers and oversized bath towels
• Luxury bathroom products – Bvlgari
• Bathtub/shower combo
• 2 closets
• HD TV
• Dining set for 2
• Lavazza Coffee machine
• Mini Bar and glasses for most drinking occasions
• Love seat sofa that folds out into a bed
• Extended room service menu – at no cost
• Movies on the TV were free

What I loved about this Norwegian Haven room was the extra space – and believe me – every foot matters when you are on a cruise, the much larger luxury bathroom that had a bathtub and vessel sink with 2 faucets, the ability to make my own espresso or cappuccino, in-room dining, the room service selections were abundant and included, and the balcony chairs and table were a step above the other rooms. By that I mean cushioned seats and they were a bit bigger.

The balcony views I found to be much better as well since I was on a higher floor of the ship, giving me a wider view.

I did in-room dining several times because I had a table, it was easy and I liked to be lazy on sea days. There is an extended Haven menu for room service and there is no charge.

My room was on the 15th floor and had a door down the hall with direct access to the spa and gym, which was nice since I had a thermal spa suite pass (you can either book a spa room with access or buy a thermal spa suite access pass for the duration of your cruise). So many sea days and nights I spent winding down in the hot tubs, sauna or just relaxing on the heated chairs overlooking the ocean.

*Highly recommend getting the thermal spa access – it was such a great place to relax.

NCL Haven: The Restaurant: 

The restaurant that is exclusive to Haven guests IS the best restaurant on the ship. I know this because I have dined at all of them on previous sailings and the food is just a cut above the rest. In fact, I ate 90% of my meals on board in the Haven restaurant .. on a 14 day cruise – that good! To be honest, I think the restaurant alone is worth booking the Haven for and that’s without adding all the extra upgrades!

I want to be fair though – the food on the ship is good everywhere, I just found it to be an elevated dining encounter in the Haven.

*Note: the menu for each of the 3 daily meals never changed. There was a new dinner special each night, but otherwise did not change.

Breakfast:
Breakfast IS my favorite meal of the day .. why? Because I love bacon and croissants. My absolute favorite breakfast dish in the Haven restaurant was the huevos rancheros and I did not try it until my last day. Take note, try it the first day!
*The Haven restaurant has a small buffet of meats, cheeses, cereals, yogurts, fruits, danishes, breads, etc for you to take as you please and has menu items in addition.

Lunch:
After discussing with fellow cruise guests, I would strongly argue that lunch was the best meal for the restaurant. I must have eaten the goat cheese galette 7 times and the prosciutto and mozzarella salad was just divine.

Dinner:
With the exception of a couple nights, I ate here for dinner every night. And every night I always ordered the butternut squash soup with duck confit and the slow roasted pork belly.

NCL Haven Butler:

During the duration of the cruise I had 2 butlers, one of them worked from 8am-8pm and then the other covered the overnight shift. Both butlers were incredible. Essentially they were a direct line to take care of all your needs on board, should you have any.

I remember telling the butler when I got on board that I loved souffle and towel animals .. and he delivered, literally.

Butler Features:

• Private phone to use throughout the ship that they would answer & assist
• Direct line for room service – and would deliver white tablecloth dining in room
• Delivered daily treats to the room
• Took care of reservation, spa, or any other requests
• Delivered anything you request
• Left daily fruit

Haven Suites Concierge: 

Easily one of the most beneficial perks of booking a Norwegian Cruise Haven room, because they are going to treat you like royalty for the duration of your trip. Having a dedicated team that is inside the Haven Suites (and rarely a line to speak with them) – that escorts you priority off the ship, takes you to priority seating at shows and assists you in every possible way you could imagine, was essentially like having a team of people working to make sure your trip was the best it could be.

Imagine your wedding day and you have everyone around you working with and for you, that is what Haven Suites royalty is like on board.

Norwegian Cruise Haven Courtyard Area:

The courtyard was one of the driving reasons I wanted to be in a Haven room on a 14 day cruise. This ship is newer and holds a lot of people and this specific itinerary and had about 8 sea days in total. Having this extra space to go to where it seemed no one ever was, gave me somewhere to go and relax outside of my room that was private.
The courtyard area had a pool, 2 hot tubs, private sun deck, inside deck with chairs, beverage station, bar, restaurant, lounge, private spa rooms exclusive to Haven guests, and the concierge desk. In addition, staff were always present with beverages and ready to assist in anything.

Overall:
Loved the upgraded luxury experience of the Haven and all the bells and whistles it came with. There was no detail missed in this experience of the Haven Suites – every staff member in the Haven knew me and all the other Haven guests by name and face and always greeted us with lovely smiles, therefore I would recommend this cruise to anyone! I have cruised in every level of room categories now with Norwegian and this was by far my favorite – but most importantly, every cruise I have been on with NCL has been just as great and in different ways. The one major thing I would note about this cruise in the Haven compared to all other cruises outside of it was that I spent most of my time on board in the Haven, and that is because it was simply a marvelous experience.

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**Disclosure: I did partner with Norwegian Cruise Line but as always, opinions are entirely my own