Why is The Haven so much more than a Suite on Celebrity ?

See this, NCL?

 

You get people into the Haven through upsells who say they will never pay the inflated full price.

 

Is it worth it? As long-time, dedicated NCL suite pax, like me, are looking at other options. I feel like you have taken me, and my dollars, for granted.

 

Used to be, I paid a lot, but felt like the value was there. Yes, there were upsells, but they were initiated by NCL, so it was not an "option for everyone" like it is now. It does change one's perspective. I do not want to book a balcony on the hopes of "winning the haven" without all the promotions... but on the flip side, I feel like NCL's current inflated pricing for booking a full suite is too much a disparity between those who upsell. Perhaps if NCL had slightly raised the prices I would look at it differently.... but it appears NCL wants it both to ways and perhaps takes their established suite customer for granted.

 

MSC gave me a loyalty match. Have cruised X and liked it. And almost cruised Azamara and want to. I thought I was a NCL suite pac for life but now I see myself checking other options.

 

Sigh.

 

 

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Hi which company match and what level ie NCL Plat etc did you match

Refresh my memory, if we booked the Haven 2-Bedroom family villa, does all four people in the cabin get the perks, or just the first two guest?

Trying to figure price difference of booking two balcony vs one 2-bedroom villa. Both son's in the balcony and my self and husband would get the perks (only choose 2). In the Haven, will all four of us get 5 perks?

See this, NCL?

 

You get people into the Haven through upsells who say they will never pay the inflated full price.

 

Is it worth it? As long-time, dedicated NCL suite pax, like me, are looking at other options. I feel like you have taken me, and my dollars, for granted.

 

Used to be, I paid a lot, but felt like the value was there. Yes, there were upsells, but they were initiated by NCL, so it was not an "option for everyone" like it is now. It does change one's perspective. I do not want to book a balcony on the hopes of "winning the haven" without all the promotions... but on the flip side, I feel like NCL's current inflated pricing for booking a full suite is too much a disparity between those who upsell. Perhaps if NCL had slightly raised the prices I would look at it differently.... but it appears NCL wants it both to ways and perhaps takes their established suite customer for granted.

 

MSC gave me a loyalty match. Have cruised X and liked it. And almost cruised Azamara and want to. I thought I was a NCL suite pac for life but now I see myself checking other options.

 

Sigh.

 

 

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Well said Donna. We have many of those thoughts as well. DW and I both got matched at MSC at Black.

We booked Divina for 5 of us in two rooms this summer cheaper than we could do 1 on NCL.

Hi which company match and what level ie NCL Plat etc did you match

MSC will match Platinum members at their highest level - Black. One of the nice benefits is 5% off the room. Took about 10-14 days for DW and I (I did them at different times).

Meanwhile, as a NCL Platinum customer I can't get their Latitudes Dept. to respond to simple email requests so I guess I will have to waste time on the phone with them.

See this, NCL?

 

You get people into the Haven through upsells who say they will never pay the inflated full price.

 

Is it worth it? As long-time, dedicated NCL suite pax, like me, are looking at other options. I feel like you have taken me, and my dollars, for granted.

 

Used to be, I paid a lot, but felt like the value was there. Yes, there were upsells, but they were initiated by NCL, so it was not an "option for everyone" like it is now. It does change one's perspective. I do not want to book a balcony on the hopes of "winning the haven" without all the promotions... but on the flip side, I feel like NCL's current inflated pricing for booking a full suite is too much a disparity between those who upsell. Perhaps if NCL had slightly raised the prices I would look at it differently.... but it appears NCL wants it both to ways and perhaps takes their established suite customer for granted.

 

MSC gave me a loyalty match. Have cruised X and liked it. And almost cruised Azamara and want to. I thought I was a NCL suite pac for life but now I see myself checking other options.

 

Sigh.

 

 

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to clarify, NCL did initiate the upsell by an email. however, you can call the upsell line without getting the email. but when you call, tehy do ask if you got an email. not sure if matters tho.

but i dont blame you for being angry. id say probably 70% of the haven guests on this sailing were upsellers. the full pricers i spoke to said they booked far out and only ever sailed in teh haven. if you must have a suite and/or haven, then you cant really roll the dice and hope for an upsell. but i definitely see where you are coming from.

this was my second upsell deal, last time was to a non-haven suite. this was way better, but was also more money.

the other side tho is that the upsells do allow people a taste of the haven adn suite life that wouldnt otherwise try it. i myself have been asking for several sails now, "is it worth it"? Now i know what its all about and the value i place on it (again, for us, full price no way is it worth it, upsell deal, sure is).

Refresh my memory, if we booked the Haven 2-Bedroom family villa, does all four people in the cabin get the perks, or just the first two guest?

 

Trying to figure price difference of booking two balcony vs one 2-bedroom villa. Both son's in the balcony and my self and husband would get the perks (only choose 2). In the Haven, will all four of us get 5 perks?

Not under the current promo and most of the recent ones. There was a period of time like Jan. 2015 when they did that - that was when the first rolled out the promos like they run now but that promo included quite a bit more.

I would love to pay less but when I looked at the itineraries for MSC they did not compare to NCL's. NCL has some very good itineraries out of Southampton for 2017. For the Europe sailings in general NCL has better port times too. Yes the price is much higher than the competition but they know they have a better itinerary and so charged and got more $ than the competitors.

I love the Haven on the Jewel class ships when sailing without kids. If with the kids I think it's a waste of money because we are doing a bunch of ship activities and wouldn't use the haven or really even the suite perks.

The hardest part of spending that kind of $ on a cruise is knowing there's a good chance I could get the same cabin if I chanced it and waited for an upsell. To combat this I really think that NCL should offer the suite passengers a discount on any available higher suites and then offer their suite to those in a balcony or MS. Instead they offer the available suites, often only the top ones are left for upsell, to anyone balcony or better. So the guy in the 10k H4 has to pay the same upsell fee as the guy in the 1k balcony.

You don't get cans of soda or bottles of water included in most of the Haven suites. At those prices water bottles and canned soda from the minibar should really be included. To pay 10k for an H4 and still need to pay for each water bottle or Pepsi taken from the room is pretty lame, especially for someone who doesn't drink and has been given a useless UBP. Have all the $15 alcoholic beverages you want but you have to pay $6 for the .25 water ?

Hi which company match and what level ie NCL Plat etc did you match

I used my Platinum on NCL to become Black on MSC. I understand you have to cruise once in 3 years to maintain that level.

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If you are flexible with your schedule, you can book the Haven for less than the MSC Yacht Club. We booked a 500 + sq. ft. two bedroom Haven suite for $3,700 for two.

 

 

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when was this 3700 trip? i monitored haven prices most of last year and nothing came close to that. i think cheapest list price i've seen is 2200ish PP for spa room maybe.

i research trips out of NJ and BALT and i forget which line it was but the the suites on i think it was royal seemed to be much less than haven. or maybe it was celebrity, i forget which.

the drink pack included bottled water too but i guess the question is, do the 'better suites on royal compare to the haven on the breakaway

Refresh my memory, if we booked the Haven 2-Bedroom family villa, does all four people in the cabin get the perks, or just the first two guest?

 

Trying to figure price difference of booking two balcony vs one 2-bedroom villa. Both son's in the balcony and my self and husband would get the perks (only choose 2). In the Haven, will all four of us get 5 perks?

Husband and I are cruising on Feb 4 with another couple in the Haven 2-Bedroom family villa. Only the first two pax in the booking get the Free at Sea offer perks, but all four get the regular Haven suite perks.

Denise

to clarify, NCL did initiate the upsell by an email. however, you can call the upsell line without getting the email. but when you call, tehy do ask if you got an email. not sure if matters tho.

 

 

 

but i dont blame you for being angry. id say probably 70% of the haven guests on this sailing were upsellers. the full pricers i spoke to said they booked far out and only ever sailed in teh haven. if you must have a suite and/or haven, then you cant really roll the dice and hope for an upsell. but i definitely see where you are coming from.

 

 

 

this was my second upsell deal, last time was to a non-haven suite. this was way better, but was also more money.

 

 

 

the other side tho is that the upsells do allow people a taste of the haven adn suite life that wouldnt otherwise try it. i myself have been asking for several sails now, "is it worth it"? Now i know what its all about and the value i place on it (again, for us, full price no way is it worth it, upsell deal, sure is).

Once upon a time only few received an email or phone call. Calling NCL about it was forbidden.

Never had an upsell. We had friends in the Haven who had us up for lunch. That hooked us.

It is my opinion that under the current system that most would not pay "retail prices" for the Haven and few use the upsell as a bridge to join the group who will book suites exclusively in the future.

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when was this 3700 trip? i monitored haven prices most of last year and nothing came close to that. i think cheapest list price i've seen is 2200ish PP for spa room maybe.

This Saturday. The NCL price was $1899 per person, which came out to appoximately $4,000 for two; but my T/A had "insider prices" which were $1,860 per person for a total of $3,720. For some reason, they had many Haven 2 bedroom suites available on this cruise. I booked late December.

I have only stayed in the Haven on NCL, to me it is well worth the extra. I prefer the Jewel class Havens, the Epic Haven is way too big, although the restaurant is very nice and personal but with a very limited menu, the Breakaway Haven is smaller but very very nice, and the restaurant is better than the Epic's, we had such an amazing time. Looking forward to sailing on the Gem in March.

We have also sailed in the Yacht Club on MSC. Loved it, the restaurant on Divina was the best of any of our cruises.

We thought why not try a 6 star ship where the whole ship is a Haven or YC, so last year we tried Crystal Cruises. We could not fault them, it was a wonderful experience, the service was better than any other ship or cruise line we have been on, but............., the entertainment I wanted was not there. I love a casino but on Crystal it was smaller than the one at home. I gave up when someone was Whooping and Hollering over a 2 dollar win, I went to bed early for the 10 nights, the red wine service at dinner may have had something to do with it. The shows were OK ish, I just prefer a bigger ship. Would sail with Crystal again at the drop of a hat when I get a little older.

Littlelulu I thought the Haven on the Jewel class ships was perfect for little ones. They had the pool, and a big private area to crawl around in. I took 2x6 month old grandkiddies and the Haven was wonderful for them. I also liked the way we could eat at the pool deck with the older grandkiddies without their noise affecting other guests.

Just booked another YC trip on Preziosa going to Svalbard and the North Cape in July. Cannot wait.:)

see this, ncl?

 

You get people into the haven through upsells who say they will never pay the inflated full price.

 

Is it worth it? As long-time, dedicated ncl suite pax, like me, are looking at other options. I feel like you have taken me, and my dollars, for granted.

 

Used to be, i paid a lot, but felt like the value was there. Yes, there were upsells, but they were initiated by ncl, so it was not an "option for everyone" like it is now. It does change one's perspective. I do not want to book a balcony on the hopes of "winning the haven" without all the promotions... But on the flip side, i feel like ncl's current inflated pricing for booking a full suite is too much a disparity between those who upsell. Perhaps if ncl had slightly raised the prices i would look at it differently.... But it appears ncl wants it both to ways and perhaps takes their established suite customer for granted.

 

Msc gave me a loyalty match. Have cruised x and liked it. And almost cruised azamara and want to. I thought i was a ncl suite pac for life but now i see myself checking other options.

 

Sigh.

 

 

Sent from my iphone using forums

well said!

I have only stayed in the Haven on NCL, to me it is well worth the extra. I prefer the Jewel class Havens, the Epic Haven is way too big, although the restaurant is very nice and personal but with a very limited menu, the Breakaway Haven is smaller but very very nice, and the restaurant is better than the Epic's, we had such an amazing time. Looking forward to sailing on the Gem in March.

 

We have also sailed in the Yacht Club on MSC. Loved it, the restaurant on Divina was the best of any of our cruises.

 

We thought why not try a 6 star ship where the whole ship is a Haven or YC, so last year we tried Crystal Cruises. We could not fault them, it was a wonderful experience, the service was better than any other ship or cruise line we have been on, but............., the entertainment I wanted was not there. I love a casino but on Crystal it was smaller than the one at home. I gave up when someone was Whooping and Hollering over a 2 dollar win, I went to bed early for the 10 nights, the red wine service at dinner may have had something to do with it. The shows were OK ish, I just prefer a bigger ship. Would sail with Crystal again at the drop of a hat when I get a little older.

 

Littlelulu I thought the Haven on the Jewel class ships was perfect for little ones. They had the pool, and a big private area to crawl around in. I took 2x6 month old grandkiddies and the Haven was wonderful for them. I also liked the way we could eat at the pool deck with the older grandkiddies without their noise affecting other guests.

 

Just booked another YC trip on Preziosa going to Svalbard and the North Cape in July. Cannot wait.:)

Haven definitely has draws for some families, thus the family suites. Our kids are older. If I travel with my girls and no husband, we are not in the room much to justify the cost. My older girls would have no use for the Haven Jewel class. They want to be where the action is, don't mind waiting in lines, wouldn't take advantage of the suite breakfast or lunch and would much rather be sitting by a pool with a band, music. I can certainly see how it works for some families though - especially those with little ones. My Haven cruises have been solely with husband, just on jewel class and we have really appreciated the quiet courtyard/ship within a ship concept. My kids would think it was a waste of a vacation not to be doing all the ship has to offer/would find the Haven pointless.

I have only stayed in the Haven on NCL, to me it is well worth the extra. I prefer the Jewel class Havens, the Epic Haven is way too big, although the restaurant is very nice and personal but with a very limited menu, the Breakaway Haven is smaller but very very nice, and the restaurant is better than the Epic's, we had such an amazing time. Looking forward to sailing on the Gem in March.

 

We have also sailed in the Yacht Club on MSC. Loved it, the restaurant on Divina was the best of any of our cruises.

We thought why not try a 6 star ship where the whole ship is a Haven or YC, so last year we tried Crystal Cruises. We could not fault them, it was a wonderful experience, the service was better than any other ship or cruise line we have been on, but............., the entertainment I wanted was not there. I love a casino but on Crystal it was smaller than the one at home. I gave up when someone was Whooping and Hollering over a 2 dollar win, I went to bed early for the 10 nights, the red wine service at dinner may have had something to do with it. The shows were OK ish, I just prefer a bigger ship. Would sail with Crystal again at the drop of a hat when I get a little older.

 

Littlelulu I thought the Haven on the Jewel class ships was perfect for little ones. They had the pool, and a big private area to crawl around in. I took 2x6 month old grandkiddies and the Haven was wonderful for them. I also liked the way we could eat at the pool deck with the older grandkiddies without their noise affecting other guests.

 

Just booked another YC trip on Preziosa going to Svalbard and the North Cape in July. Cannot wait.:)

Looking forward to it this summer. Any other Divinia YC tips?

I don't know yet why the Haven is so expensive but the prices has gone up a lot.

 

We planned to cruise on the Epic this summer but after checking the prices we decided to try MSC and their Yacht Club instead. We pay more than $3000 less than for a rather similar cruise in the Haven. (One week from Barcelona.)

For those who have done both, how does MSC compare to the larger and newer (Epic and onward) NCL ships outside of the suite areas? We've been planning to start booking the Haven now that we have a little one, but we really like all the other activities on NCL, so we're unlikely to just stay in the Haven area all the time.