Garden Villa: Monster Suites Found On Norwegian Cruise Line Ships

When it comes to Caribbean cruises, you can find some of the cheapest prices with Norwegian. However, with the same cruise line, you can also experience some of the largest and most luxurious suites on the high seas, as well. The Haven sits atop the Jewel Class ships, mid ship. This area is worlds away from the tiny cabins below. Of course, the price is worlds away, as well.

The Haven Garden Villa

Onboard the Jewel Class ships of Norwegian Cruise Line, on Deck 14, there is something known as the Haven 3 Bedroom Garden Villa that is around 5,000 square feet of living space. About a third of that living space is in the form of a private sundeck.

The above is a typical floor plan of a Jewel Class Haven. The half to the left, starting to the left of the last blue coloured suites, is the twin Garden Villas. The centre area from the staircase back is the shared courtyard, including pool and dining facilities.

The Haven Garden Villas are available only on the Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Jade and the Norwegian Jewel. Each sleeps up to eight and has three separate bedrooms, each with either a King or Queen bed and luxury bathroom.

Each of these suites, that have about four to five times the square footage of the main floor of my house, come with a baby grand piano, a large private deck area and 24 hour butler service. The official square footage ranges from 4,252 on the Pearl and Gem to around 4,900 on the Jewel and Jade.

The interiors of the Haven Garden Villas are separated from the outside world with walls of windows for non-stop views of the ocean. Each comes with complimentary limo service from the pier to the airport at the end of the cruise. Everything about your cruise is VIP priority. Add to that massive amount of space, the private courtyard shared by just you and the few others in the Haven area of the ship. The courtyard has a private pool, fitness area and hot tub.

There is also a private dining area so that you don’t have to feed at the trough with steerage. These features are also available on Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Epic. Those three newer ships just lack the Garden Villas in their Haven area. So, how much? Well, the prices fluctuate depending on time of year, length of cruise and location of cruise. However, anything I sampled came in between $5,000 and $10,000 per person on nothing longer than a 16 night Trans Atlantic cruise.

Check out this video journey through the Garden Villa on the Norwegian Jewel:

Let’s take a quick look at the ships…

Norwegian Jewel

The oldest of the Jewel Class ships of NCL, Jewel has operated since 2005. The ship has a gross tonnage of 93,502 and is 965 feet or 294 metres in length. She has a capacity for 2,376 passengers and around 1,100 crew members. There are 12 decks on board accessible to passengers.

Like all Jewel Class ships, she was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany and is registered out of Nassau, Bahamas. Jewel, and her sisters, can travel at 25 knots (46 km/h or 29 mph). All four ships are classified as Panamax, meaning they are within the maximum dimensions to transit the full Panama Canal.

For 2015, Jewel spends the winter months based in Houston, Texas, running Western Caribbean cruises. On April 18, 2015, she moves to the Pacific Coast via the Panama Canal. Over the summer, Norwegian Jewel is based in Seattle, Washington, running Alaska cruises.

Norwegian Pearl

Pearl shares the exact same dimensions and capacities as Norwegian Jewel. She was built in 2006 and has smaller Garden Villa suites at 4,252 square feet. For 2015, Pearl will winter in Miami, running about the Caribbean. Over the year, she will also spend time transiting the Panama Canal, cruising up the Pacific Coast and exploring Alaska.

Norwegian Jade

Also put in service in 2006, Jade was originally the Pride of Hawaii. In 2008, she left the Hawaiian Islands and was renamed the Jade. During the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the ship acted as a floating hotel on the Black Sea.

Until October, 2015, Jade will be based in the Mediterranean, covering a range of itineraries in Europe. On October 29, she leaves Barcelona, Spain for a 16 night Trans Atlantic repositioning journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Houston, Texas. For the rest of the year, she’ll explore the Western Caribbean out of Houston.

Norwegian Gem

The baby of the Jewel Class, Norwegian Gem began service in 2007. For 2015, Gem will be based in New York City. In the winter months, she will tour the Bahamas, Florida and the Eastern Caribbean. In the summer months, she turns north to explore New England and Canada.