Celebrity suite, MSC Yacht Club vs. Haven

[bocacruiser101]

I have never sailed with NCL, but have taken several Celebrity Suite cruises and the MSC Yacht Club 3x and enjoyed them tremendously. As many have said once you've had the Suite experience it is tough to go back. That being said for those that have tried any or all; how would the Haven compare ? Is food comparable to Luminae ? Lounge and service in Yacht Club ? TIA for any feeback, much appreciated. 

[bocacruiser101]

Anyone have any feedback for comparison sake ? Interested in trying NCL and just hoping for some feedback. TIA. 

[Two Wheels Only]

I can't help much with the Celebrity Retreat vs.... part but I can give my views on Haven vs. Yacht Club. 

 

From a distance, Haven and Yacht Club are very similar with their take on the "ship within a ship" concept. Both have an exclusive enclave (location differs by ship), exclusive restaurant (location differs by ship), exclusive sundeck (location differs by...you get the idea), exclusive bar, butler and concierge service, occasional ability to commandeer an elevator, priority boarding, priority tendering, reserved area for shows (differs by ship), robes, slippers, umbrella, etc. The "stuff" that you expect when paying extra on a mainstream line. 

 

Some of the differences are with what is included vs. what isn't included when booking Haven vs. the rest of the ship (Suite, Club Balcony, et al) and Yacht Club vs. the rest of the ship (Aurea, Fantastica, Bella). 

 

Yacht Club includes a drink package (Premium Extra).

Yacht Club includes Spa access.

Yacht Club includes wi-fi with the option to upgrade to a better package. 

Yacht Club menus change daily for lunch and dinner. 

Yacht Club has a rather limited number of stateroom types but does include interior staterooms (depends on ship).

 

Haven has the option of taking a drink package (Premium Beverage Package) and only paying the additional service charge of 20% based on the price ($109pppd) of the package so figure $21.80 extra per person per day. There's also an option to upgrade to the Premium Plus Beverage Package for an additional $29pppd plus $5.80pppd for the additional service charge. 

 

Haven only includes Spa access if booked in a Haven Spa Suite. People in other suite types would have to pay like everyone else for Spa access. 

 

Haven includes wi-fi with the option to upgrade to a better package. 

 

Haven menu doesn't change. 

 

Haven has a large variety of stateroom types that can accommodate from 2 to 8 passengers (depends on ship). 

 

 

 

For service, Yacht Club butlers seem to interact more with the guests vs. Haven butlers. This can be a good or a bad thing depending on what a guest prefers. Haven concierges seem to have more pull to get things done throughout the ship vs. Yacht Club concierges.  

 

Lounge vs. Lounge, it would depend on the ship. Some NCL ships have a forward facing lounge within the Haven and some do not. Some MSC ships have a lounge that has access to outside directly from the Yacht Club lounge and some do not. 

 

 

I enjoy both and continue to sail both but I realize that there are some things that MSC does better than NCL and there are some things that NCL does better than MSC as far as the "ship within a ship". 

 

Just like with Celebrity's Retreat, a lot depends on the ship. The Retreat on the EDGE class is different than The Retreat on a Celebrity ship that had a Retreat area added later. Which NCL Haven ship are you considering?

 

[sargemrs]

Two wheels only,

Pardon the hijack but could you give a quick comparison between Haven and Grand Suites on Royal Caribbean?

[bocacruiser101]

Thanks TWO, for the excellent feedback.