Upscale Cruising!

While we have cruised many times, this was my first cruise on Norwegian. This was also the first suite that we have ever booked (typically get balcony cabins). 

First off, getting a Haven suite on a Norwegian ship is different from other cruise ships. Right after you drop off your luggage, you meet with a cruise member who escorts your party right to a representative who gets you your cruise card (snacks and beverages are available at the same spot). Once you have your card, you are escorted past the crowds and onto the ship. You get shown to the Haven deck, with the private bar, pool, and dining area. Meet the concierge staff, your butler, and others. Then you are escorted to you room; it was amazing! Despite costing twice what we normally pay for a cruise, it might have been worth it.

We had an aft facing Haven suite. We were concerned it would be noisy, but that was not a problem. In/out of port was a bit louder, but not bad. The view from the huge balcony was great. This was by far the nicest cruise cabin we have ever been in (or even seen... and we have seen some suites that our friends booked on Carnival and RCCL).

Dining was a treat on Norwegian. While we did use the Haven restaurant a number of times, our package included the dining package so we could eat at four of the restaurants on board. Even if we did not have the dining package, the cost for going to those restaurants was negligible.   We dined at the Le Bistro (French), Ocean Blue (sea food), Cagnay's Steak House, and La Cucina (Italian). All the food was amazing. This cruise had the best cruise food that we have ever experienced. 

We were a little disappointed about the beverage package that came with our suite (that I believe Norwegian charges $80 a day per person for). No bottled water and no coffee drinks. I will say all the alcohol drinks are premium, but not including bottled water and coffee seems cheap. On Carnival, you can get bottled water, coffee, and even milk shakes... and for just $50 per day. What I will say that I like about the beverage package, they just swipe your card and give you the drink; nothing to sign (only exception is when you are in certain ports and tax is charged). It would also be nice if they served Coke products instead of Pepsi. 

I wish they had some Internet packages on the ship that were comparable to Carnival. Carnival has very affordable options (including a week long social media package for $25 so you can communicate with others back home or even use WhatsApp messenger on the ship). The iConcerige app for communicating was not good; don't pay the $9 per person to use the messaging aspect of the app. The app was okay for the other features though. Our cruise package included some Internet time, but not in a manner that could be used regularly. 

Norwegian is very different from our RCCL and Carnival cruises. This was cruising, for us anyway, that bordered on luxury.