Seany527

The booking process and included perks

Booking your cruise either in Norwegian’s Haven or Celebrity’s Retreat is relatively identical except for the actual software itself and I wouldn’t necessarily give the edge to one over the other.  I also wouldn’t book a cruise solely on the pre-cruise experience but there are some key differences.

Each line reaches out to their guests prior to their sail date.

As a guest of the Haven, you will receive a welcome letter and luggage tags before your sailing.  The welcome letter gives you a shoreside contact number for any pre-cruise requests.

Retreat guests will also receive luggage tags prior to sailing.  Guests will also receive a welcome survey asking about some of your preferences for the cruise. Questions on the survey include “what temperature do you want the suite upon your arrival?,” “how many additional clothes hangers would you like in the closets?,” “how about the number of sheets on your bed?” and things of the like.  

At the time I am writing this and for the foreseeable future, both lines include some additional perks to all of their guests.  The chart below outlines those benefits on a traditional 7 day cruise with 4 ports of call for two people. Haven guests do not receive added or additional perks compared to standard cabins. A Retreat booking takes the standard perks and provides an additional or added benefit compared to those booked in a standard cabin. 

Those sailing in Owner’s suites in the Haven or upper level suites in the Retreat do get some additional amenities than listed in the chart above. These sometimes include the minibar or included dining in specialty restaurants but, for the average suite guest, these additions are not included.

As you can see, Retreat guests receive many additional perks compared to those sailing in a standard cabin.  For those in the Haven, the perks remain the same.  Each cruiser needs to evaluate the perks and see if there is an added benefit.  Some people would see no value in streaming internet, while others will see that as a huge plus.

For me, as much as I like the gold luggage tags in the Haven, this round goes to the Retreat. Celebrity customizes the experiences more than their competitor and overall the additional perks offer a cost savings.  Whether I actually was given additional clothes hangers, I do not know, but the thought is there.

I recently experienced a sailing on the Celebrity Edge in the Retreat area. My only other suite experiences have been with Norwegian in the Haven. Prior to booking the Retreat, I looked for information on how the two cruise lines delivered their product. While I found plenty on information, I wasn’t able to find any which offered a direct comparison of the two. Having been in the Haven, I knew what to expect and I knew if the price I was paying offered a good value. With the Retreat, I was venturing into the unknown but I still wanted to try it.

In the posts to follow, I will compare the different areas and services offered and put the two lines head to head to find out who offers a better product and value and which I would book again in the future.

A disclaimer to this before we begin: Cruise ships have always changed offerings, but more so now than ever. One would expect to see differences between cruise lines but there are also differences even within the same brand. For example, some Norwegian ships do not offer an exclusive "Haven" restaurant. On Celebrity, few ships have a unique, dedicated Retreat Sundeck. Your overall experience is going to greatly depend on which class of ship you are booking. And even then within the same class of ship, there could be some differences as well.

For the sake of this comparison, we will be look at the newest, in-service class of ships; Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus class and Celebrity’s Edge class.

As we go along, feel free to share some of your experiences or ask any questions you have about the suite experience.

As we go along, feel free to share some of your experiences or ask any questions you have about the cruise lines exclusive areas.

I recently experienced a sailing on the Celebrity Edge in the Retreat area. My only other suite experiences have been with Norwegian in the Haven. Prior to booking the Retreat, I looked for information on how the two cruise lines delivered their product. While I found plenty on information, I wasn’t able to find any which offered a direct comparison of the two. Having been in the Haven, I knew what to expect and I knew if the price I was paying offered a good value. With the Retreat, I was venturing into the unknown but I still wanted to try it.

In the posts to follow, I will compare the different areas and services offered and put the two lines head to head to find out who offers a better product and value and which I would book again in the future.

A disclaimer to this before we begin: Cruise ships have always changed offerings, but more so now than ever. One would expect to see differences between cruise lines but there are also differences even within the same brand. For example, some Norwegian ships do not offer an exclusive "Haven" restaurant. On Celebrity, few ships have a unique, dedicated Retreat Sundeck. Your overall experience is going to greatly depend on which class of ship you are booking. And even then within the same class of ship, there could be some differences as well.

For the sake of this comparison, we will be look at the newest, in-service class of ships; Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus class and Celebrity’s Edge class.

As we go along, feel free to share some of your experiences or ask any questions you have about the suite experience.

As we go along, feel free to share some of your experiences or ask any questions you have about the cruise lines exclusive areas.

23 minutes ago, funatseascott said:

We are doing the happy dance as we were upgraded to the Celebrity Suite!!  Woot woot.  We didn’t unpack earlier hoping we would get lucky.  The staff moved everything for us so all good.  Darker now so not the best pictures, but here is our CS.

Did you have to pay or was it free??  Lucky you!

6 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

Her popularity must be waning, according to a recent post, the occupancy for the last several cruises was les than 33%. I can't believe that number is anywhere near the number they were shooting for.

This is amazing. Not only does Kate McCue captain a vessel but she is also responsible for marketing, advertising and securing bookings. Wonder if she gets a commission? 

19 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Seems X is taking a more cautious approach perhaps?  

I don’t know. I thought maybe since X and Carnival would be docking at the same pier that was the issue but then a few days later in Nassau we docked next to Carnival Magic.  

This happened to the Edge sailing 9/4. We were notified a couple weeks before sailing that Costa Maya was cancled but I noticed the Carnival Mardi Gras was still allowed to dock there on the same day the Edge was suppose to. 🤔

56 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

How much did it cost you?

I think $3 and chance for one scoop and $7 for 2 scoops. 

I thought classic members got 1 free scoop but away...

Flash back one month ago on the equinox and the icecream on that cruise was hands down some of the best icecream I’ve had in my life. 

Just got off the Edge today and I was shocked to see some of my favorite flavors like Peanut Butter and Caramel were only offered in gelato form, directly at the buffet.  I know Icecream and gelato are two different things, but overall concept is the same and to charge for it when within the same case other flavors are free, it’s just tacky. 

I feel your pain Jamie. Their communication and messaging since COVID has been terrible. I would have continued to sail with NCL for years to comes but now I’m 3 cruises into Celebrity since June and I’m not looking back. 
 

I do miss NCL, a lot, but I’ve lost all respect for the company. One of the most recent cruises from St. Maarten on Celebrity sailed with less than 300 guests. NCL would have canceled that cruises faster than you could blink your eyes, but not Celebrity and that really speaks volumes to them as a company. 

Be happy that they didn’t cancel your entire cruise, like they did to me. 

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Cool! That is great news!! You are going to have such a great time. If you want a cool place to sit in the theater where you get a table and have a great view, while having a nice separation from other folks, picture where Statler and Waldorf would sit (on deck 5) in a theater! If someone is already sitting there, the same setup is on the other side as well. 😎

 

I love your secret tips. I sail on Saturday!

1 hour ago, patty1955 said:

I'm having trouble adjusting to a different mind-set with Elite+. I keep wanting to check for ways to earn more points but I know we'll never make Zenith so there probably isn't any point.

Don’t say never. The way Celebrity has been handing out points, I was able to make it to Elite in just 3 cruises. Doesn’t seem fair to the people who had to work hard and sail many nights for it, but I do/will appreciate the benefits. 

3 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

GeorgiaPeach posted the picture below I just marked it up with her description.

 

I remember this. GeorgiaPeach was volcano red about the boarding process. 
 

Just curious...what makes someone VIP...like a wedding or something?

No other venues are limiting guests. Wonder why the lounge would. It’s rather large. 

1 hour ago, zaxanon6 said:

Currently on Millennium; it's nearly 9a on an at sea day.

2.6Mbps down, 0.5Mbps up. It's useable for browsing but images load slowly.

Surf or stream?

Wonder what happened in 4 weeks? I was on in early August and I’m willing to say it was the best food I ever had on a cruise. 
 

I do agree the selection in the buffet is lacking and I wish there were some other options for lunch time but overall I can’t complain. 

5 hours ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Wifi is fine. I’m streaming you tube videos regularly. Every once in a while it’s slow but we are at sea!

 

Anne is just enjoying her vacation. Hung out with her at Retreat sail away yesterday. 

Contradicts post #22

3 hours ago, hcat said:

I have a few more pics if anyone is interested

Yes. Post please

1 minute ago, countess5 said:

Ken

I have said this before, you have been a mountain of information and interaction of experiences! Do you realize you have #421 now #422 post on this thread? 

You have been an outstanding cruise buddy and when we board on Saturday I will “try” to remember all you have shared. 

Enjoy your night and your last full day. 

We are with you being retired and able to cruise or do what ever we want to do! 🤣

 

Blessings to you and the DW! 

 

Cheers! 

 

Seriously...Ken has been a wealth of information. Every time he mentioned something of interest I would make a mental note. Thanks for all your hard work doing this! 

Ken, you have been on the Edge for a lifetime now. Is this the first case of covid since you’ve been on the Edge?

Looks like Host Anne is another victim of Celebrity’s really poor wifi. 
 

With only 270 guests (wow, btw) how slow will the internet be when capacity is at its max? They really need to do something about it. 

If Celebrity starting sailing at 100% capacity September 1, is there even that strong of demand? What’s the Edge at this week, 30%?

It’s going to be though getting use to crowded ships once this is over. Any word on how many passengers for the next cruise?

2 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Airbnb is the way to go these days. My son has been doing this for the past two years. He is in Cabo now with 2 friends and rented  a 4 bedroom condo on the beach with an infinity pool luxury master suite rooftop patio and balconies for $120 a day total so it's costing $40 each. The women also arranged transportation for them and she arranged a chef to come and prepare a gourmet rooftop dinner for them for $100.  Last year he rented an Airbnb in St Thomas after his Hawaii trip was canceled due to covid.  This is something I'm considering until cruising becomes less of a hassle. 

Thank you for sharing your son’s story.  I hope he enjoys his 4 bedroom condo on the beach with an infinity pool luxury master suite rooftop patio and balconies.