NCL's Haven vs. Oceania

Hello,

We are looking to book a family vacation - a European cruise, my brother and I are late 20s and my parents are both 60 and fairly active.

I sailed on Norwegian last year with a friend and we got to take a quick peek at The Haven on the Getaway, and thought it was incredible.

Has anyone here had any experience with NCL's Haven and can provide a comparison between Oceania and The Haven, in terms of cabins, service, food, entertainment, amenities, etc? I'm a bit concerned we might be bored on a small ship, given that we're looking at possibly sailing in October. We are looking at the 2-br family villa and honestly the bathroom itself is enough to sell me on it (:hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes:) but I'd love to hear what others have to say who have experienced both!

Thanks!

Unless you are "serious foodies" I suspect that you will be happier in NCL's Haven - especially you and your brother as you are in your 20's.

There is very little to entertain people in their 20's on Oceania - especially if you are on an R ship.

I liked the Haven well enough for the cabin but the only place I enjoyed the food on NCL was in their Teppanyaki restaurant and you can't eat there every night .

Also, NCL is a very different ambiance and experience from Oceania once you leave Haven - and you will :D

Can you entertain yourselves or do you need ship's entertainment? If the latter, go with NCL.

In my book the entire O ship is a haven.

We have experience with both and have future cruises booked on both. We will cruise on Oceania for the type of itineraries that NCL doesn't offer. While food is better on Oceania, I disagree with the prior statement that the best food on NCL is in the hibachi restaurant Teppanyaki. We think it has among the worst food on NCL. Horribly salty...and to boot the restaurant is so noisy that I refuse to eat there again. But food is a matter of personal taste.

We are both 70 and find that cruising on Oceania can be boring at times. Entertainment on NCL is far better. I can't imagine someone in their 20's being happy on Oceania for very long.

I will admit that while cruising on one of the large NCL ships we use the facilities in the Haven and the spa as much as possible in order to avoid the areas of the ship that are overcrowded to the extent we can.

In my book the entire O ship is a haven.

A great way of putting it. Agree 100% :):):)

Thank you all!

Definitely some things to consider. I thought the only really disappointing food on our NCL was at O'Sheehans. The sushi bar was absolutely delicious and just about everything we had in the MDR was pretty good too. I still think about the beef carpaccio.

I think the reason we're considering The Haven on NCL is exactly because "the entire O ship is a haven" and we like the idea of having an upscale personalised experience while still having the amenities and entertainment of a larger ship. I just wanted to put out some feelers to see if the experience in The Haven is comparable to that on Oceania, the rest of the ship notwithstanding.

We are also considering a sailing on Azamara, if anyone has some insight there as well!

Thanks again :)

I've also cruised on Azamara, although not very recently, so my opinion might not reflect current conditions on that cruise line. Based on the experience I do have in my opinion Oceania is better.

There is no special treatment on Oceania like there is in the Haven with separate dining & escorts to the shows etc..

Azamara has the same R ships as Oceania probably the same lack of entertainment

I think NCL would be a better fit for you & your family plus you can get a 2 bedroom suite which Oceania or Azamara do not have

JMO

Do your parents (who are paying) have an itinerary in mind? If it's a vanilla Western Mediterranean, you are probably better off on NCL (keeping in mind that those itineraries are very exhausting and entertainment isn't that important - the port time will wear you out.)

On the other hand, Oceania offers some itineraries that are not available on NCL. It also offers more port to port (rather than round trip itineraries). Those itineraries allow you to explore the beginning and ending port cities in more depth.

Do your parents (who are paying) have an itinerary in mind? If it's a vanilla Western Mediterranean, you are probably better off on NCL (keeping in mind that those itineraries are very exhausting and entertainment isn't that important - the port time will wear you out.)

 

On the other hand, Oceania offers some itineraries that are not available on NCL. It also offers more port to port (rather than round trip itineraries). Those itineraries allow you to explore the beginning and ending port cities in more depth.

LOL a fair assumption.

We're taking my mom for her 60th birthday, she never expressed ANY interest in seeing Russia, Scandinavia and the Baltics before (actually I think she even said, once upon a time that she had zero interest in visiting Russia and I genuinely doubt she could point out the Baltics on a map) but after hearing about a cruise her friends took, she suddenly wants to go there.

She also wants to go to Croatia, but when I showed her a really great in-depth itinerary for Croatia she was less than impressed that it was only one country. She complains that I've seen so many amazing places and she never goes anywhere haha. It was pulling teeth to get her to come to Prague and Budapest (WHERE?!? IN FEBRUARY?!?!? ) with me a few years back but *surprise* she loved it.

They've never been to Spain or Portugal either, but they have been all over France and Italy, and did a Greek Islands cruise a few years back so I've been tasked with finding a holiday of some sort that doesn't take them to places they've already been. Not the easiest task, and they're the ones who have time restrictions as well so my dates are somewhat limited in terms of when we can go and for how long.

Anyways, the NCL sailing we're looking at is 9 nights on the Getaway, round trip from Copenhagen, calling at Warnemunde, Stockholm, Tallin, Helsinki, and overnight in St. Petersburg. In this case we'd be able to explore Copenhagen for a few days - I've been but no one else has.

The Oceania is 12 nights on the Sirena, Rome to Venice (both places they've been to) calling at Amalfi/Positano, Catania Sicily, Valetta, Corfu, Tirana, Kotor, Split, Ravenna, and Rijeka. With this being 12 nights and their time constraints we wouldn't have time to see anything else before or after. That being said it's a pretty special itinerary, in my opinion, and it's why it made the shortlist. Both sailings have one sea day, and I believe this is unusual, but the Sirena leaves port between 6 and 8 every night, so we will have some time in the evenings on the ship.

I have a feeling we'll end up on the Norwegian this time around and maybe my parents will do Oceania on their own another time when they don't have us younguns cramping their style, it's clearly a line geared towards older passengers. Another consideration is that the season for Med cruising is a little longer than it is for Northern Europe so I think it might be a good idea to take advantage of being able to get away at the end of August in this case. Not to mention the fact that my dad is absolutely not sold on Croatia for some reason.

I did also find a few nice Spain/Portugal itineraries, I've sent them a spreadsheet (my dad LOVES spreadsheets) with 6 different sailings and their ports etc so we'll see what they say about it.

I know NCL is a mass market line and Oceania is a luxury line and overall it's like comparing apples and pitaya. I'm just curious to know how everything in The Haven stacked up against Oceania from some people who have sailed both, especially given that we we need to make a decision sooner rather than later - staterooms fill up fast, especially the good ones!

If you do Getaway...consider flying into Stockholm, spend a few days and then catch a cheap flight to Copenhagen (since you've already been there). The Breakaway itinerary is one that usually tenders into a town many miles away from Stockholm. It cuts time short in a city which is absolutely wonderful and makes things logistically much more difficult. The big ships have difficulty with the Stockholm Archipelago, so its iffy where they port.

OMG, GO ON NORWEGIAN IN THE HAVEN. Beside that Oceania pales.

If you do Getaway...consider flying into Stockholm, spend a few days and then catch a cheap flight to Copenhagen (since you've already been there). The Breakaway itinerary is one that usually tenders into a town many miles away from Stockholm. It cuts time short in a city which is absolutely wonderful and makes things logistically much more difficult. The big ships have difficulty with the Stockholm Archipelago, so its iffy where they port.

Oh good idea! I've always wanted to see Stockholm and when I visited Copenhagen I spent 5 days there so I really did get to see a fair amount of the city. I was somewhat disappointed to see that there have been difficulties with the ships in Stockholm - is this a regular thing with the bigger ships? There had been rumours it was due to there being a shipping barge docked in the one large-enough dock there. I would love to do two days in each city on either end, but we'll have to see what the big boss man says. I'm in a similar situation for Barcelona in that I spent a week there, but I'm the only one who's been, so if we do something out of there and spend a few days it's very much "oh it's such a good city and I can't wait to see it with you BUT ALSO there are so many places in the world can we please go somewhere I haven't been?" ;) Just waiting for my dad to call me back with his final thoughts and feelings.

Thanks!

OMG, GO ON NORWEGIAN IN THE HAVEN. Beside that Oceania pales.

Hahaha well you've sold me. May I ask why?

Oh good idea! I've always wanted to see Stockholm and when I visited Copenhagen I spent 5 days there so I really did get to see a fair amount of the city. I was somewhat disappointed to see that there have been difficulties with the ships in Stockholm - is this a regular thing with the bigger ships? There had been rumours it was due to there being a shipping barge docked in the one large-enough dock there. I would love to do two days in each city on either end, but we'll have to see what the big boss man says. I'm in a similar situation for Barcelona in that I spent a week there, but I'm the only one who's been, so if we do something out of there and spend a few days it's very much "oh it's such a good city and I can't wait to see it with you BUT ALSO there are so many places in the world can we please go somewhere I haven't been?" ;) Just waiting for my dad to call me back with his final thoughts and feelings.

 

Thanks!

You might want to go the port boards and do some research on the hit rate for Breakaway and the big Princess ship doing the itinerary into Stockholm. The Archipelago is tough for the big ships and they might make it through if conditions are right ( and have a berth). But, for the price you might pay for an excursion from the far away port into Stockholm you could easily find a cheap flight to or from Copenhagen for less and see that city so much better. And, that would leave a day to see another side of Sweden...a small town area...when you actually port.

Be aware that the only cost effective way to see St. Petersburg is with an organized tour. So if you are the type of person who is not happy being on a tour guide's leash in cities, perhaps keep that in mind. The lack of leash is probably why we enjoyed Stockholm more than St. Petersburg.

Another thought, if you are planning August...some areas of Spain can have brutal heat in the summer (coming from someone who considers Spain a favorite country). You might want to check websites for average temperatures and make sure everyone is ok with them. I love Seville to death, but I don't know how much I would when it's over 100 Fahrenheit.

Hahaha well you've sold me. May I ask why?

I believe the poster was being sarcastic. Oceania, Crystal and Regent Seven Seas appear to be their cruise lines of choice.

If i were a betting man I'd wager they've never been on NCL in a Haven suite or otherwise.

I believe the poster was being sarcastic. Oceania, Crystal and Regent Seven Seas appear to be their cruise lines of choice.

 

If i were a betting man I'd wager they've never been on NCL in a Haven suite or otherwise.

Someone needs to invent a sarcasm font.

Given the fact that I have had some serious and genuinely helpful replies on other forums from people who have sailed on the luxury lines who did say they think the experience in The Haven was better than Oceania and Azamara and in some aspects was comparable to RSSC and Crystal, I don't think it was unreasonable to think maybe the poster was being serious.

That is not true at all. We have also been on Norwegian MANY times. We have not been in The Haven, but we have had the huge suite on Gem. Norwegian bends over backwards for people in the suites. I have a friend who was in The Haven and loved it. I wish, sincerely, I could find an itinerary that I liked so I could try it myself.

For my opinion, Oceania does not do anything special for people in the named suites. There is ONE little concession, but I am not mentioning it here because I would be flamed.

On Norwegian there is a concierge and a butler for the larger suites and they bend over backwards for you. There was even a special place to sit in the theatre.

I do like Norwegian.

That is not true at all. We have also been on Norwegian MANY times. We have not been in The Haven, but we have had the huge suite on Gem. Norwegian bends over backwards for people in the suites. I have a friend who was in The Haven and loved it. I wish, sincerely, I could find an itinerary that I liked so I could try it myself.

 

For my opinion, Oceania does not do anything special for people in the named suites. There is ONE little concession, but I am not mentioning it here because I would be flamed.

 

On Norwegian there is a concierge and a butler for the larger suites and they bend over backwards for you. There was even a special place to sit in the theatre.

 

I do like Norwegian.

Thank you for clarifying! I think The Haven might be our way to go on this one. Given the cabin choices and price point (2-br suite in Haven is really reasonable for 4 people on the sailing we like) and NCL's current promos etc. I think it might be our best choice. I would really hate to go on a family vacation and be BORED. The ports will be most exciting, I'm sure, but I do like a little action at night and I'm mighty good at the ropes course on the Getaway!

Thank you!

I think you'll enjoy the Haven, it just may be a better fit for your family. But "O" does bend over backwards if your in a big suite. We've always cruise in the Owners Suite, and they never say no if you request something. It's enjoyable and a few extra perks come with the suite (just read booklets you get from "O".

Also it's no ones business who pays for the trip. I took my mother and dad on many vacations that I paid for and after my dad pasted I took my mother one one big vacation a year. A cruise or overseas trip-----I paid for them, but didn't tell anyone because it was my business. I was happy to do because I enjoyed being with them and I was lucky to be able to afford it. In fact that poster that said "Do your parents, (who are paying)-that's one reason alone no to cruise "O" if they are on the cruise. But not everyone is like that on "O", I enjoy the ship but I'm a lot older and enjoy this type of a cruise. I glad you can afford the vacation and your doing something for your parents---I'm sure they did a lot for you during the younger years.

Rick

That is not true at all. We have also been on Norwegian MANY times. We have not been in The Haven, but we have had the huge suite on Gem. Norwegian bends over backwards for people in the suites. I have a friend who was in The Haven and loved it. I wish, sincerely, I could find an itinerary that I liked so I could try it myself.

 

For my opinion, Oceania does not do anything special for people in the named suites. There is ONE little concession, but I am not mentioning it here because I would be flamed.

 

On Norwegian there is a concierge and a butler for the larger suites and they bend over backwards for you. There was even a special place to sit in the theatre.

 

I do like Norwegian.

My apologies for the incorrect assumption.

No apologies necessary.

Never judge a book by its cover.

We also sail Celebrity. I have not been on their newest ships, but I am thinking seriously about it.

Celebrity S class ships are beautiful. Their suite class would be prefect for the OP. Separate bar and dining room for suite guests. Also Butler service. I would consider that over NCL. I think O is going to be boring for people in their 20`s.

I think you'll enjoy the Haven, it just may be a better fit for your family. But "O" does bend over backwards if your in a big suite. We've always cruise in the Owners Suite, and they never say no if you request something. It's enjoyable and a few extra perks come with the suite (just read booklets you get from "O".

Also it's no ones business who pays for the trip. I took my mother and dad on many vacations that I paid for and after my dad pasted I took my mother one one big vacation a year. A cruise or overseas trip-----I paid for them, but didn't tell anyone because it was my business. I was happy to do because I enjoyed being with them and I was lucky to be able to afford it. In fact that poster that said "Do your parents, (who are paying)-that's one reason alone no to cruise "O" if they are on the cruise. But not everyone is like that on "O", I enjoy the ship but I'm a lot older and enjoy this type of a cruise. I glad you can afford the vacation and your doing something for your parents---I'm sure they did a lot for you during the younger years.

Rick

Actually Rick, you are very right and I should apologize to the OP. I stupidly read way to much into the initial question.

OP, your parents should be proud to have a very thoughtful and generous child such as yourself. Not many kids in their 20's would be as selfless to take their parents on a European cruise. I am very sorry to have offended.

Actually Rick, you are very right and I should apologize to the OP. I stupidly read way to much into the initial question.

 

OP, your parents should be proud to have a very thoughtful and generous child such as yourself. Not many kids in their 20's would be as selfless to take their parents on a European cruise. I am very sorry to have offended.

All good :) In fairness we're splitting the cost with dad to take mom but he'll be picking up the heftier portion, given that I'm the one spending hours (and hours and hours) perusing message boards and researching ships and lines and itineraries and shore excursions and restaurants and activities and flights and hotels to make sure we get the best value for our hard-earned (worthless Canadian) dollars and have a great trip that suits all of our needs and preferences.