Many travelers returned to cruises this year, some more seasoned cruisers and others first-timers. And since the pandemic and the world’s rebound, many travelers have shown they are willing to save their dollars.
Norwegian Cruise Line has raised its game among luxury cruise competitors with The Haven, which not only features superior cabins, but also a completely improved experience from boarding to disembarkation.
Guests on The Haven can indulge in exclusivity before entering their suites, which are separated from other staterooms on board by an electronically locked door that opens with a key card.
Behind these doors, corridors are lined with dark wood paneling and mood lighting reminiscent of an urban luxury hotel – and that’s by design.
NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer recalled that when NCL went to the designers, the company wanted the cruise ship not to “go,” but to resemble “a high-quality, beautiful hotel or even a residential area.”
“We use many different architects who design the space, and they all have different visions, and then you try to do your best to make sure that when you leave one room that was designed by an architect, and then you go to the next room, which was designed by another architect, that there’s a continuity that doesn’t feel like you’re in two different places,” Sommer explained at a press conference in New York earlier this month. “So I think there are some spaces where we’re going to do better.
Work on those transitions: ” NCL’s newest ship completed this year, Prima, is 965 feet (29meters) aft and holds more than 3,100 guests and more than 1,500 crew in two volumes, making it the first new ship for NCL.
The six-ship class, which will operate between 2022 and 2027, will push the boundaries of NCL Prima cruise design, service, and sustainability.
NCL brought together a consortium of prominent design firms in the Prima class, including Piero Lissoni, Rockwell Group, SMC Design, and Studio Dado. The cruise line has also invested more than $6 million in art, with works by more than 50 world-renowned artists curated and spread throughout the ship’s various cabins, corridors, and even the outdoor sculpture garden.
The price of the cruise includes the porter and butler. The Haven Key Card also comes with priority entry, boarding, show seating and dining reservations. Passengers staying in Norwegian Cruise Line suites do not pay small fees, such as room service fees.
With Norwegian’s ongoing complimentary promotion, Haven cruise passengers receive all promotional benefits, such as an unlimited beverage package, complimentary dining at specialty restaurants, an excursion pass, an internet package, and complimentary cabin selection cruises for the third and fourth passengers. (Passengers in other cabin classes usually only get one or two of these perks.)
The Haven may be of particular interest to digital nomads—and it’s not just the extra accommodations in the cabins (plus all the Wi-Fi). blackboard). Guests at The Haven Hotel have access to a dedicated lounge for work, with its own bar and restaurant, as well as plenty of sofas and a quiet house. The Haven lounge also has its own private, non-public sun deck with an infinity pool.
Sommer further instructed reporters that The Haven opened NCL for additional “multigenerational travel.”
“I think it appeals to a slightly different demographic, a little more affluent and, to some extent, a little older,” Sommer mentioned, describing how customers of these suites tend to pass on their children and grandchildren.
It is difficult to find the right expertise to give everyone in the family time with a high-quality model. So here you get the best of both worlds: the more affluent get a concierge, key card access, a private restaurant, and their own pool, but their kids and grandkids get to go to the water slides and the three-story racing display.
Sustainable cocktails by “The Haven”
Sustainable development is no longer just a measure or goal for such small science-focused expeditions.
Cruise ships-big or small, budget or luxury-have started to renovate or build their ships from the sea to be more environmentally friendly and more sustainable for the natural ecosystems of their destinations.
Of course, when you’re on a cruise, you can have fun, and you can have fun while promoting sustainability.
For example, NCL can boast that Primas is the first sustainable cocktail at sea. Metropolitan Bar is a concept space that makes its own liqueurs and syrups from food waste to create special cocktails.
The drink menu includes the “Primadonna,” which looks like an Old Fashioned but is made with Flor de Caa ECO rum, homemade banana peel syrup, nutmeg and orange peel; and the “Sustainable Spritz,” similar to an Aperol Spritz but made with rosemary-infused vodka, extra champagne, soda water and half an orange wheel.
Another area is methanol. Sommer said NCL plans to test with select ships, but also plans to build methanol-powered ships from day one, rather than modifying existing technology later. Sommer added that NCL has been investigating hydrogen fuel, but there is not enough green stock. He said he expects more progress in this area in the second half of the 2030 decade.
