Norwegian Encore Haven: What You Get, What It Costs and Whether It’s Worth It

Last updated: October 2, 2026 :: Written by Mike Nelson | Adventures by MJ :: Reviewed by Sue Nelson, Travel Advisor

Quick Answer: The Norwegian Encore Haven is a keycard-controlled suite complex forward on decks 17 and 18, with its own restaurant on deck 18, its own lounge on deck 17, and a courtyard pool under a retractable roof. Encore is a Breakaway Plus ship, so the Haven here is the classic enclosed-courtyard layout rather than the open aft sundeck you get on Prima Class. The part most people miss: several Haven suite categories on Encore sit as low as deck 9, well outside that courtyard, and you book the same Haven benefits from either place.

Key Takeaways: Norwegian Encore Haven

• The Haven complex on Encore sits forward on decks 17 and 18, with the Haven Sun Deck on deck 19. The Courtyard is on deck 17, the Haven Restaurant is on deck 18, and the Haven-exclusive Horizon Lounge spans both, according to Norwegian’s Encore What’s On Board page.
• Not every Haven suite is inside the Haven. Norwegian’s Encore deck plans put the aft-facing and forward-facing Haven penthouses on decks 9 through 15. Same benefits, different walk.
• Encore has a Haven Restaurant, which is not true of all fifteen ships offering The Haven.
• Norwegian currently lists the onboard service charge at $25.00 per person, per day for The Haven and Suites, for all guests 3 years and older. It is subject to change, and it does not tip your butler.
• Haven and Suite guests with butler service pay neither the $9.95 room service convenience charge nor the $4.95 breakfast fee.
• Norwegian restricts Sun Deck access to ages 16+. That is the primary Haven-specific age restriction the company publishes. Its general pool and hot tub rules still apply inside the Haven.
• Splash Academy on Encore is on deck 5 while the Haven Restaurant is on deck 18. Worth knowing before you book with a toddler.

---

Sue and I have been asked about the Norwegian Encore Haven more than any other single ship in our Haven at Sea community, and the questions are almost never the ones the brochure answers. People do not ask what a butler does. They ask whether their suite is actually inside the courtyard, whether the restaurant is open when they want to eat, and whether the whole thing is worth the difference in fare. This guide answers the Encore-specific version of all of that, using Norwegian’s own published pages for anything you can hold the company to.

If you want the general version first, our NCL Haven first-timer’s guide covers the concept across the whole fleet. This one stays on Encore.

How to Read This Guide

Every claim in this post is labeled so you know what you can hold Norwegian to and what is just what usually happens.

Two label sets run through the article.

Cost labels

• Included :: no separate fee, and the item is normally complimentary in that category
• Possible charge :: the food, drink, pressing or service may cost extra, and a crew member arranging it does not change that
• Ask first :: availability and policy vary by ship and sailing, so confirm before you commit

Source labels

• Published policy :: quoted from Norwegian’s own pages, with the link and the date we checked
• Commonly available :: widely reported and consistent across sailings, but not published or guaranteed
• Our own experience :: what Sue and I have personally seen, offered as one household’s data point

If you are ever unsure who to ask about any of this once you are onboard, just ask. You are not going to get in trouble for asking the wrong person. The Haven team will point you in the right direction.

Quick Voice Search Answers: Norwegian Encore Haven

What deck is the Haven on Norwegian Encore?

The Haven complex sits forward on decks 17 and 18, with the Haven Sun Deck on deck 19. Norwegian’s Encore What’s On Board page lists the Courtyard on deck 17 and The Haven Restaurant on deck 18, with the Haven-exclusive Horizon Lounge spanning both decks.

Is my Haven suite actually inside the Haven?

Only if you booked a courtyard category. Norwegian’s Encore deck plans place the aft-facing and forward-facing Haven penthouses on decks 9 through 15, outside the keycard-controlled courtyard, with full Haven access anyway.

Does the Encore Haven have its own pool?

Yes. Encore is a Breakaway Plus ship, so it has the enclosed forward Haven Courtyard with a retractable roof, a pool and two whirlpools. It is a quiet pool, not a waterslide situation.

Can I bring my kids into the Haven on Encore?

Mostly yes. Norwegian publishes no minimum age for the Haven Courtyard, courtyard pool, Haven Restaurant or Haven Lounge. The Sundeck is the exception at 16 and up.

How much extra does the Haven cost on Encore?

The fare difference varies by sailing and category, so there is no fixed number. What is fixed is the service charge, which Norwegian currently lists at $25.00 per person per day for Haven and Suites.

Do I still pay for room service in a Haven suite?

No. Norwegian’s own wording exempts Haven and Suite guests with butler service from the room service convenience charge, and Haven and Suites orders are not subject to the service fee.

Words You Will See and What They Mean

These are the terms that show up on Encore deck plans and in Haven conversations, defined plainly.

Term	What it actually means
The Haven	Norwegian’s keycard-controlled suite complex, with its own restaurant, lounge, courtyard and staff
Breakaway Plus	Encore’s ship class, shared with Escape, Joy and Bliss. It uses the enclosed forward courtyard layout
Haven Courtyard	The private pool deck under a retractable roof, forward on decks 17 and 18
Haven Sundeck	The open-air deck above the courtyard. Norwegian restricts it to ages 16 and up
Horizon Lounge	A Haven-guest lounge on Encore listed across decks 17 and 18
Category code	The two-character code on the deck plan (H2, H5, HE, HG) that tells you exactly which suite type you booked
Courtyard category	A Haven suite physically inside the complex, so you walk out your door into it
Freestyle Dining	Norwegian’s no-assigned-seating, no-fixed-time dining concept. There is no formal night
Speedway	Encore’s two-level go-kart track, listed on decks 18 and 19

What Is the Haven on Norwegian Encore?

The Haven on Norwegian Encore is a private suite area with its own restaurant, lounge, courtyard pool and dedicated butler and concierge staff, accessible only to guests booked in a Haven category.

Think of it less as a VIP room and more as a home base. You still use the rest of the ship. You still ride the Speedway and eat at the specialty restaurants and sit in the theater with everyone else. The Haven is where you go when you want the ship to be quiet for an hour.

Encore entered service in 2019 as the fourth and largest Breakaway Plus ship, and Norwegian lists her at 3,958 guests at double occupancy with 1,735 crew. She is a big, loud, extremely fun ship. The Haven is the counterweight to that, and on Encore it is a real one, because Encore is one of the eleven ships in the fleet with a dedicated Haven Restaurant.

Where the Haven Sits on Encore, Deck by Deck

The Haven complex is forward on decks 17 and 18, but Haven suites are scattered across seven decks of the ship.

This is the single most useful thing to understand before you book, and almost no article says it out loud. On Encore there are two very different Haven experiences depending on which category you pick.

The suites inside the courtyard

Norwegian’s Encore deck plans put the Premier Owner’s Suite, the 2-Bedroom Family Villas and the Courtyard Penthouses on decks 17 and 18, inside the complex. You walk out of your suite and you are in the courtyard. The restaurant is a staircase away. If your mental picture of the Haven is a private compound, this is the version you are picturing.

The suites that are not in the courtyard

Norwegian’s Encore deck plan places the Aft-Facing Penthouses with Large Balcony (HB) on decks 9, 12 and 15, the Aft-Facing Penthouses with Balcony (HC) on decks 10, 11, 13 and 14, and the Forward-Facing Penthouses (HG) on decks 9 through 13. The Haven Penthouse Suite (HI) sits on deck 15 only. You get every Haven benefit, the same butler, the same restaurant, the same courtyard access. You just take an elevator to get to it. The aft-facing balconies on those categories are, in our opinion, some of the best balconies on the ship, so this is a genuine trade rather than a downgrade. But it is a trade, and you should know you are making it.

We call the deck breakdown below the Adventures by MJ Encore Haven Deck Map, and it is the reason we recommend people check their category code before they check their square footage.

Every Haven Suite Category on Norwegian Encore

Norwegian’s published Encore deck plans list nine Haven categories, each with its own two-character code.

Booking by category code rather than by suite name is the fastest way to avoid a surprise. Occupancy figures below come from Norwegian’s Haven page.

Haven category on Encore	Code	Deck(s)	Sleeps up to	Inside the courtyard?
The Haven Premier Owner’s Suite with Large Balcony	H2	18	8	Yes
The Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa with Large Balcony	H5	17	6	Yes
The Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa with Balcony	H6	18	6	Yes
The Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Large Balcony	HE	17, 18	3	Yes
The Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Balcony	HF	18	3	Yes
Haven Penthouse Suite with Balcony	HI	15	2 to 3	No
The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Large Balcony	HB	9, 12, 15	4	No
The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Balcony	HC	10, 11, 13, 14	4	No
The Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony	HG	9 to 13	4	No

Category codes and decks come from Norwegian’s published Encore deck plans, checked September 9, 2026. Norwegian does reassign codes between refits, and Encore last had one in 2024, so pull the live deck plan for your own sailing before you deposit.

If you want the full fleet-wide version of this, our Haven suites explainer covers what each category includes across every ship.

The Haven Restaurant on Encore, and What It Serves

Encore has a dedicated Haven Restaurant on deck 18, primarily reserved for Haven guests, and that is not something every Haven ship offers.

Eleven Norwegian ships have a dedicated Haven Restaurant: Bliss, Breakaway, Epic, Encore, Escape, Getaway, Joy, Prima, Viva, Aqua and Luna. The four Jewel Class ships offer The Haven without one, and Norwegian’s own wording is worth quoting because people get it wrong: “Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner in The Haven Restaurant or designated specialty restaurant (dinner service not available on Jewel Class ships).” So Encore guests get all three meals in the Haven Restaurant. Included.

Norwegian does not publish Haven Restaurant hours fleetwide, so we are not going to invent them. Ask your butler or concierge on day one, screenshot the answer, and stop thinking about it. Ask first.

Ordering a specialty restaurant meal to your suite is a different thing. Norwegian’s Haven page lists “In-suite dining delivered from Speciality Dining restaurant (Cover charges apply).” The applicable cover charge, taxes and fees may be charged for each guest ordering, so confirm the total with your butler before the order goes in. Possible charge. Norwegian currently lists specialty cover tiers at $60, $50 and $40 depending on the restaurant, plus taxes and fees.

One thing we have learned the hard way and will say plainly: soufflé does not travel. Some things are better eaten where they were made.

Your Butler, Concierge and Room Service on Encore

Your butler handles the suite. Your concierge handles the ship. The line between them is a rule of thumb, not a rulebook.

Requests inside your suite, meaning food, coffee, pressing, unpacking help and the small stuff, would normally go to your butler. Reservations, show tickets, shore excursion questions and disembarkation logistics would generally go to your concierge first. There is real overlap, and on a busy Encore sailing whoever is standing in front of you will usually just sort it out. Our butler and concierge breakdown goes deeper if you want it.

Room service on Encore

Here is the part worth putting in your notes app. Norwegian’s cruise fare page states the room service convenience charge is “not applicable to continental breakfast selections until 10:00 hrs or to The Haven and Suite guests with butler service,” and the room service FAQ says orders placed by Haven and Suites guests “are not subject to the service fee.” So you pay neither the $9.95 order charge nor the $4.95 breakfast fee. Included, no service fee. Individually priced items still cost money, and a 20% gratuity and beverage service charge applies to non-complimentary beverages.

The detail nobody publishes: Norwegian’s room service menu states service runs “from 6 pm day of embarkation, 24 hours a day” with disembarkation-day service until 9:00 a.m. Room service is not available at lunchtime on embarkation day. Plan your first meal accordingly.

About tipping the butler

Norwegian’s gratuities page is explicit that “certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge.” Your $25 per person per day does not reach your butler. Norwegian publishes no required amount. In our Haven at Sea community poll, 85 percent of respondents tipped their butler $20 to $29 per day. That is community feedback, not a Norwegian recommendation.

Our own experience, one morning on one ship: Sue missed the breakfast window on the Encore Sundeck, went back to the suite expecting to sort something out, and her usual breakfast was already set up and waiting. That is not a Norwegian policy and we would never tell you to count on it. It was one morning, one ship, one very good butler.

The Haven Sundeck and Courtyard on Encore

Encore’s Haven Courtyard is the enclosed forward layout on deck 17, with a retractable roof, a pool and two whirlpools, and the open Haven Sun Deck one level up on deck 19.

This is the Breakaway Plus signature and it is the reason a lot of people specifically pick Escape, Joy, Bliss or Encore over the Prima Class ships. Prima and Viva replaced the enclosed courtyard with a multi-level aft sundeck. Neither is better. They are different rooms, and if you want a heated pool you can use on a cool Alaska sea day, the enclosed one wins.

Norwegian’s Haven page lists “Poolside valet at The Haven Sundeck and Courtyard” and “Access to Sundeck restricted to ages 16+.” That 16-and-up rule is the only published age restriction anywhere inside the Haven. Which specific outdoor areas count as Sundeck varies by ship, so confirm with your concierge on Encore rather than assuming.

Smoking is one of the few Haven questions Norwegian answers directly, and the answer is split by area. Norwegian’s smoking policy states that “smoking is not permitted in The Haven courtyard area, but is permitted in The Haven Sun Deck area (forward) on Breakaway Class and Breakaway Plus Class.” Encore is Breakaway Plus, so that forward Sun Deck area applies. Smoking in your stateroom or on your balcony carries a $250 cleaning charge. Published policy.

Pool rules on Encore are the fleetwide ones. Norwegian’s pool regulations page states “No diapers of any kind (child or adult) are permitted in the swimming pools, whirlpools or jacuzzis, including those marketed as ‘swimmers.'” The same page requires adult supervision for children under 12 in pools and under 16 in hot tubs. Check the signage on your sailing for what supervision is provided.

What the Haven on Encore Actually Costs

The fare difference moves constantly, but the recurring onboard costs are published and you can budget them exactly.

Nobody can quote you a Haven fare in an article, because it swings with season, itinerary, category and how full the ship already is. What we can do is give you the fixed line items so nothing surprises you at the end of the week.

7-night Encore Haven, family of 4

Line item	What Norwegian currently lists	7-night total, 4 guests
Haven suite fare	Varies by sailing, season and category	Check current pricing
Onboard service charge	$25.00 per person, per day, Haven and Suites, all guests 3 years and older	$700.00
Butler gratuity	No published rate	$140 to $203 per suite, per our community poll
Concierge gratuity	No published rate	At your discretion
Room service	$9.95 order fee and $4.95 breakfast fee, not applicable to Haven and Suites with butler service	$0.00
Specialty dining beyond your package	$60, $50 or $40 per person by restaurant tier, plus taxes and fees	Varies
Non-complimentary drinks	20% gratuity and beverage service charge	Varies
Encore Speedway	$15.00 includes a single kart session. Ultimate Speedway Package $199 for unlimited use on a 7-day sailing	$60.00 for one session each, subject to change

Per person, that same 7-night service charge is $175.00. You can prepay it before sailing or have it added to your onboard account. Prepaying changes when you pay it, not whether you pay it. All figures are what Norwegian currently lists and are subject to change, so check the live pages before you budget.

Encore Haven vs Bliss and Joy

All four Breakaway Plus ships share the same Haven layout concept, and Encore is the newest and largest of them.

Ship	Class	Entered service	Gross tonnage	Go-kart Speedway
Norwegian Escape	Breakaway Plus	2015	165,300	No
Norwegian Joy	Breakaway Plus	2017	167,725	Yes
Norwegian Bliss	Breakaway Plus	2018	168,028	Yes
Norwegian Encore	Breakaway Plus	2019	169,116	Yes

The Haven experience across these four is more alike than different. Deck numbers do vary between sister ships, so pull up your specific ship’s deck plan rather than trusting an Encore article about a Bliss sailing. Escape is the one without a Speedway, and she has the Sky Rail ropes course instead, where Norwegian requires guests to be 48 inches or taller to be on the course without a chaperone.

If your decision is really “which Norwegian ship,” not “which Haven,” our best cruise cabin guide works through the balcony and suite math in general terms.

Sailing the Encore Haven With Kids

Norwegian publishes no minimum age for the Haven Courtyard, courtyard pool, Haven Restaurant or Haven Lounge on any ship, including Encore.

Absence of a published rule is the finding here, and we want to state it carefully. No published age restriction is not the same as a guarantee that all ages are welcome everywhere. The Sundeck is 16 and up and that is published.

The Encore-specific thing to know: Splash Academy, Entourage and Guppies are all on deck 5, and the Haven Restaurant is on deck 18. That is Deck 5 to Deck 18, twice a day, possibly with a stroller. Norwegian lists Splash Academy for ages 3 to 12 and Entourage for 13 to 17. Guppies is the infant and toddler program, open play only with no drop-off, and Norwegian’s pages are not consistent on the exact upper age, so confirm it for your sailing.

Encore’s Speedway has a 55-inch minimum height with an 82-inch maximum, per Norwegian’s activity requirements page. Measure at home before you promise anybody anything.

If ship choice for a family is the real question, that is its own decision, and it deserves a conversation rather than a paragraph here.

Is the Haven on Encore Worth It?

For travelers who want a big, busy ship and a quiet place to retreat to on it, Encore’s Haven is one of the strongest versions Norwegian offers.

We are not going to crown a universal best, because the honest answer depends on who you are.

Who we would recommend it to

Couples and families who actively want Encore’s noise, meaning the Speedway, the Aqua Park, the shows, and who also want breakfast somewhere calm. The enclosed courtyard means you get a usable pool on a cool-weather itinerary, which matters a lot on Alaska sailings. The dedicated Haven Restaurant means you usually are not hunting for a table.

Who we would tell to think twice

If you plan to be off the ship in port every single day and asleep by nine, you are buying a courtyard you will not sit in. If your priority is the balcony rather than the complex, one of the aft-facing penthouses on deck 12 gives you a spectacular balcony for less than a courtyard category, with all the same access.

Sue and I sail Norwegian by preference, mostly for Freestyle dining, because neither of us wants to plan a vacation around an assigned dinner time. The Haven is not a velvet rope. It is a home base, and whether the fare difference is worth it comes down to how many hours you will actually spend in it.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Norwegian Encore Haven

Final Thoughts

The Norwegian Encore Haven is, in our opinion, the best argument Norwegian makes for the whole ship-within-a-ship idea. You get a genuinely large, genuinely fun ship, and then you get a door that closes behind you. The courtyard works in weather that would ruin an open sundeck. The restaurant means you never negotiate for a table at 7 p.m. on a busy sea day evening.

But book the category, not the brochure. The gap between a Courtyard Penthouse on deck 18 and an aft-facing penthouse on deck 11 is not a gap in what you are entitled to. It is a gap in how the week feels, and only one of those two is what most people picture when they say “we’re doing the Haven.” Look at the deck map, decide which version you actually want, and then go enjoy a very good ship.

And if you are ever unsure who to ask about any of this once you are onboard, just ask. You will not get in trouble for asking the wrong person.

Planning an Encore Haven Sailing?

We are a husband-and-wife travel advisory, we sail Norwegian by choice, and we run the Haven at Sea community where people ask each other these exact questions every day. If you want a second set of eyes on a category before you deposit, or you just want to know whether deck 12 aft is a mistake for your group, send us a note. No pressure, no pitch. Sometimes the answer is that the Haven is not right for your trip, and we will tell you that too. You can also browse our other cruise and resort guides or join the conversation in Haven at Sea.

---

Written by Mike Nelson | Adventures by MJ | Reviewed by Sue Nelson, Travel Advisor | Updated for 2027

Mike Nelson specializes in Norwegian Cruise Line and The Haven, and co-hosts the Haven at Sea community with Sue Nelson, Travel Advisor. Sue advises travelers on cruise and resort bookings. Together they have sailed Norwegian as a family and continue to sail The Haven.

Inclusions, fees, age rules and venue locations vary by ship, suite category and sailing, and Norwegian may change them at any time. Anything labeled commonly available or first-hand in this post is not a Norwegian guarantee. All published policies were checked against Norwegian’s own pages on September 9, 2026.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products and services we believe may be helpful to travelers.