Review: Yacht Club Divina vs Haven NCL Getaway

[jacksonx]

Quick concierge-level room review here.

 

Background:

 

We took the Divina YC May 2017, compared to the Getaway Haven May 2016.

 

I've done probably around 10 NCL cruises (1 haven, 1 in the step down, and a bunch of random others), a few RC's, and 1 Princess. This was my first MSC.

 

Embarkation:

 

YC:For us, a BIT disorganized with YC- likely because the family 2 places ahead of us had about 50 (???) bags and a bunch of people- probably about a 20 minute delay to going from the very hot tent to the inside of the building; at the entrance, security was also confused about why we were "cutting" until the butler explained it to them. Once in, it was great- a butler takes you right through customs and to a lounge where he makes you mimosas. A few minutes later, another Butler takes you through another level or two and right into the ship.

If it wasn't for that family ahead of us, this likely would've been very smoothe. (To be honest- something about that family seemed a bit... "off"... They brought boogie boards on board (??) among other things.)

 

Haven: They walk you into a lounge where they process you. You then sit down and have some non-alcoholic drinks until they're ready to bring you on board. A little less chaotic (again: The tent had a 20 minute delay- Haven they walk you right to the smaller lounge.)

 

I'd give the advantage to the YC- although slightly disorganized, the butler did a great job getting us through and getting us alcohol almost immediately.

 

Lounge:

YC: HUGE. Very nice. Nice tables and chairs throughout. Nice bar at the front; I think it was open 20 hours a day- you can get any sort of drink you can think of, and the butler will bring it right to you. They also had a nice buffet which was changed and restocked throughout the day. They had a very nice high tea service which we did once (in retrospect, we'd probably do it daily) all done with white glove service. At evenings, there was a live piano player, and sometimes a violinist.

Unbelievably nice and serene.

 

Haven:

Small. There was a small bar. They took your card for drinks every time you went there (see below on NCL's Haven alcohol policy. Ugh.) Not in the same class, by any stretch of the imagination

 

Private Pool:

YC: Wow. It's a beautiful, "Yacht-like" deck with a fairly large pool. There is constantly someone there moving the water away to keep the deck clean. There is a small buffet, which is restocked. There is also butler/waiter service; they will bring you burger-type foods- GREAT for the kids. They absolutely loved this. The butler kept bringing my kids "virgin" drinks throughout the day. We got tons of Miami Vices and other fun drinks throughout the day- no one ever hassled us for a card- you're in the Yacht Club, it's all included.

Complaint: No shade! The chairs (and there are a LOT of them) are all out in the sun. Easy fix: Put some umbrellas out! Or, get some cabanas, like NCL has.

 

Haven: Pool is about 1/3 the size. Tiny lounge chairs in the "shallow" part, which was nice.

Both had 2 hot tubs.

There was a small buffet as well as a cooler with water you can help yourself to. Butlers came from the lounge bar, I believe- there wasn't a separate bar here.

The chairs were nice here- they had cabanas which could be used for shade.

 

Restaurants:

YC: You had to walk to the other side of the ship- kind of weird, but it gave us an opportunity to see the rest of the ship which you might not otherwise take advantage of- one evening, we walked through 3 separate live music acts. Wow!

This was a very nice restaurant--- with a VERY weird view- right in front of you is the "adult" pool- would you like your lobster with a side of man-boobs? :o

Weird design decision there.

However, food overall was excellent- no reason to eat in any of the "specialty" restaurants- meals were unique every lunch and dinner- breakfast was the same every day, but they had pretty much anything you could ask for. Service was spectacular, and our kids loved Jose's magic tricks.

The fresh pasta was great, and the lobster was the best we've ever had at sea. During lunch, there's a guy who stands in the middle of the restaurant making pasta- he will bring a bowl out to the table- this was great as well!

Other than the VERY strange sight from the outside, it was amazing.

 

Haven: Nice restaurant. However, EXACT same food every day. When we were on it, there was a lobster dish every single meal. Lobster was more like "crawfish" compared to what we had in the YC. I assume NCL wanted you to eat in the specialty restaurants.

 

Rooms:

YC: This was barely a minisuite in size. It was nicely appointed, however. The bathroom had the WEIRDEST (European?) bath I've ever seen- you can't really take a comfortable shower; water temperature was either freezing or scolding, and there was no curtain or divider, and the water got everywhere. You also had to hold the nozzle to bathe yourself- strange design decision.

The butler was wonderful, and brought you snacks and drinks throughout the day, and stocked the mini fridge with whatever you wanted. We probably got 5-6 bottles of San Pellegrino each day, as well. You can also order pizza from the pizza restaurant- an absolute must at least once on the trip.

The TV was small and had a lot of weird channels; my kids liked the cartoon ones, so that's all that mattered. There was pay per view, but strangely it wasn't included, and you had to pay for each one if you used it.

 

Haven: 2 Bedroom family suite. Big and beautiful. Huge tub with floor to ceiling windows for a view of the sea. 3-4 TV's with free unlimited pay per view. No free mini bar or drinks- butler will bring you snacks- lots of gummy bears (no gummy bears on MSC for some reason?)

 

Perks:

YC: Free unlimited drinks. This includes everywhere on the ship- including the smoothies in the gym area, which most people didn't even know about- I had one of these every morning after exercising- also nice to have the gym essentially attached to the YC.

Free gellato at both gellato bars- great for the kids. Special area in the shows to sit (not really needed.)

Haven: This I don't get... AT ALL.... For the price you pay, you get almost nothing. You can take advantage of the "promos", and get drink packages. When 6 of us stayed in a family suite, we got 2 drink packages- so 4 of us had to pay for drinks. What's worse, EVERY time you got drinks (even in the Haven), you had to give them your card- fairly low class for what purports to be a luxury experience. They also screwed up our bill several times, charging us for drinks that were purchased by someone on a "drink package". They also had a special area to sit at the shows; however, on the cruise we went on, there was no real show (!!!!) They had a really bad acapella show that was poorly attended, a magic show (that we had to pay extra to see) and a comedy show (which my kids couldn't attend.)

It was nice having free pay per view, though

 

Service:

YC: As detailed above; absolutely spot-on. All the butlers were wonderful- sensing your needs, brining you food and drinks throughout the YC areas; the high tea experience was a nice touch, too. The waiters were wonderful with the kids (and us!)

 

Haven: Good; but a few notches below, without a doubt.

 

 

Overall: The YC experience was certainly more luxurious than the Haven. The Haven had a nicer room, but the constant "nickel and diming" was insulting.

What was even more surprising was that the Haven costs around twice (!!!) the price of the YC. I would say the Haven should be around 30%-50% less than the YC all things considered, and that they should consider making it a more all-inclusive experience.

 

The big problem now is that I love to cruise, and my wife isn't letting me book anything except the MSC Yacht Club! She would consider Haven again (if I got her the drink package), but it's just way too expensive.

 

Another issue is that MSC's website is not great; it's very hard to search for Yacht Club trips- you have to pick random dates/locations and click about a dozen times to try to find if there are any openings.

 

Well, that's a review of the experiences. Overall, we had a great time on both; as we are more "perks" and "service" type people than "tub overlooking the ocean" people, we would definitely give YC 2017 a huge advantage over Haven 2016.

[Beamafar]

Great comparative review!!

 

I've never sailed NCL but I find these comparisons really interesting. I've always felt that MSC's YC is the best value for money at sea at that cabin class and reviews like this re-enforce that view.

[helen haywood]

And the YC restaurant in MSC's new ships will be located in the YC area. Still, as you say, going out and about in the ship (beverages and gelato included!) means you can experience the whole ship and all the music/dance venues!

 

 

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[skivoodoo]

Thank you for your comparison review and I agree 100%. The Yacht Club experience is what we had expected in The Haven, but it never materialized. The staff really made the difference for us!

[Dr. Cocktail]

Great comparative review!

 

I still love the Haven but the prices really are insane. Because of this, we have 4 Yacht Club sailings booked in the next 18 months even though we haven't even sailed once!

 

My only concern raised in your review that has been echoed by so many others is the total lack of shade on Divina.

 

MSC - if you're reading this, how hard is it to buy some umbrellas?!

 

Yes, yes, yes .... you can use the "it's too windy" excuse but if they didn't fly off of the front of Breakaway, Escape or Getaway (both larger and higher ships), they're not going to fly off Divina either!!!

[helen haywood]

It is true there is no shade for lounge chairs on the YC pool area, but there are umbrellas over tables with chairs around them...and the One Pool Bar area is totally covered. If you want to be outside and upright reading, for example. I do think this has been addressed with Seaside.

 

 

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[Dr. Cocktail]

It is true there is no shade for lounge chairs on the YC pool area, but there are umbrellas over tables with chairs around them...and the One Pool Bar area is totally covered. If you want to be outside and upright reading, for example. I do think this has been addressed with Seaside.

 

 

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I appreciate your quick response but I really want to know what MSC's reasoning is here. I am suspicious that they view the addition of umbrella's as "unaesthetic" which may actually be trumping "practical"! I love how the Haven's attendants are always available and eager to help you position your umbrella "just so".

[riclop]

Thanks for the well balanced review.

[helen haywood]

Well, I certainly can't answer as to corporate MSC's decision making processes. But since there will be (at least as seen in mock-ups) cabanas and more shade options on Seaside, I'm happy with that.

 

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

Thank you for the review.

 

I'll be doing my own "Haven vs Yacht Club" comparison when I sail Seaside (first MSC cruise) next year.

 

...and my wife isn't letting me book anything except the MSC Yacht Club!

My wife said almost the same thing when I asked her if she would sail in something other than the Haven or Yacht Club. :eek:

[CarrieAP]

This is helpfully relatable for us! We had the fortune of winning an upgraded bid to the Haven on the Getaway in March, so easy to visualize your comparison. We are booked on the Divina for our first MSC cruise in December and so looking forward to experiencing the YC! Oddly did not think I'd like the pampering in the Haven, but got over that quickly haha. Sounds like MSC has hit the mark on YC service so finalizing cruise plans for the spring on the Seaside while it remains affordable. While I enjoyed the Haven experience, oh my, can't justify paying that price. Plus the facility while nice, especially the lounge, seems lacking compared to MSC. The shade though is a concern for me.

 

Thank you for the detailed review!

[dexddd]

Thanks for the review. While our first MSC is just over 4 weeks out, from all I've read your experience sounds like what we will see on our trip.

 

When you mention GA buffet though, that is kind of generous as the little spread they put out in the Haven pool area is more like some cookies and short breads with a dose of gummies and m&ms plus water, a juice, and coffee.

[CoupleUK]

Took a few cruises with MSC over the last year (block booked them in advance).

 

Wasnt that impressed with the theatre shows or the main dining food (thought buffet was 100% better).

 

We are due on B2B Yacht Club in Feb 18, and are really looking forward to it now - thanks for the review.

 

Might then look to book more YC - if only their website was capable of it. :mad:

[cc&jp]

One thing for sure very right : the price of the Haven cabin became very very high with nothing in return. As if NCL wants this place to become extra up class just by the price. NCL thinks the Haven in itself make the deal. And you're right about the Haven restaurant : since 2010 the menu is the same. I've been 6 or 7 times in the Haven : the price went up and not the perks nor the service. But we all know Del Rio wants to make money and doesn't give a **** of NCL cruisers !!

[mafig]

Thank you for your review.

 

 

I thought if you booked the Haven you automatically got a drink package (and a specialty restaurant package too). Am I wrong?

 

What has kept us away from the Haven is, of course, price and also reading about out-of-control children ruining the experience.

 

Thanks, again. We were in the YC last October.

[easyboy]

Thank you for your review.

[Two Wheels Only]

Thank you for your review.

 

 

I thought if you booked the Haven you automatically got a drink package (and a specialty restaurant package too). Am I wrong?

 

What has kept us away from the Haven is, of course, price and also reading about out-of-control children ruining the experience.

Currently, booking the Haven gives a choice of any, all, or none of the current promos. Haven guests are now required to pay the 18% service charge on the SDP and UBP promos. Before, Haven guests got all current promos (including the SDP and UBP) without paying the 18%. Most Haven guests had the SDP & UBP if booking the Haven directly. People who ended up in the Haven via upsell or bid retained whatever promos they had from the original booking.

 

As for out of control kids, it happens less often than people believe.

[NH Cruisers]

I know there must have been kids in the Haven on the Breakaway, I saw them once for 10 minutes next to last day of the cruise.

 

I find it hard to believe the Getaway had no "real" shows, was it a maiden voyage?

[rusky123]

I loved your review, tyvm.

 

I have just returned from another YC cruise, it was wonderful. I had a Haven cruise in April which was really nice but cost 3 times the money for a lot less. The staff on both cruises were lovely and attentive, but NCL IMHO have dropped a lot of perks since they changed the loyalty card status. We used to have meals in the speciallity restaurants for 2 each, now its for one per cabin. We actually took half the tips off our April cruise because they charged us for our guests meals even though they were already paid for. We did tip extra to our pool butlers and room stewards.

Our YC cruise to the Arctic circle was the best of 40+ cruises. The food was the best, the menu changed every day. An extra perk was a gangway just for YC members so if a coach trip got in before you there was no wait. Another first for me was booking a ships tour, which I rarely do,and being escorted to an empty coach 10 minutes before the rest get on. I have just booked a fourth cruise this year with MSC.

[Lou2204]

Great review, thanks! This is only our second cruise, and booked on the YC, so it looks like I'll be spoiled early on in my "career"

[Bra_BE2014]

I appreciate your quick response but I really want to know what MSC's reasoning is here. I am suspicious that they view the addition of umbrella's as "unaesthetic" which may actually be trumping "practical"! I love how the Haven's attendants are always available and eager to help you position your umbrella "just so".

 

Thank you for the review!

 

My theory is Europeans love sun! We have harsh, long winters and even spring and autumn can be pretty cold, depending on the country.

Going on a cruise and staying in the shade is unthinkable for most of us (I'm Brazilian but l live in cold Belgium).

 

A hat and lots of sun screen is all I need, lol (sorry!)

 

 

 

 

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[Beamafar]

Going on a cruise and staying in the shade is unthinkable for most of us (I'm Brazilian but l live in cold Belgium).

 

LOL ............. you're so right, Priscila! :D

[jacksonx]

I know there must have been kids in the Haven on the Breakaway, I saw them once for 10 minutes next to last day of the cruise.

 

I find it hard to believe the Getaway had no "real" shows, was it a maiden voyage?

 

 

The Getaway had a magic show that had a dinner attached that you had to pay for.

There was a comedy show and a dance show I think. There was no "broadway-type" show or nightly show (I think there was one previously.) There was a really bad Acapella show in the main theater a few times that we walked out of after 7 minutes.