Haven getting too expensive?

[Ktuluorion]

I'm shocked to see that even the basic Haven Penthouse is 4-6k on most sailings now. I'm by no means cheap, but it really seems like the premium that they are placing on these suites has drastically outpaced the value that they provide.

 

Is anyone else in the boat where they would book Haven suites if they were a little cheaper? I'm curious if ultimately NCL will adjust the perks or lower the price. It seems like they are not selling out on most cruises, and people are just upselling for much less.

 

I would imagine the cruise line would prefer to sell suites for 3.5k rather than have people book rooms for 1.5k and upsell for $500.

 

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

[penwah2002]

The Haven suites are worth every penny for us. It's all about what your comfortable spending on your vacation.

[Ktuluorion]

The Haven suites are worth every penny for us. It's all about what your comfortable spending on your vacation.

 

Hmm. Perhaps it's just me that sees the appropriate price point as being a bit lower. I absolutely love the perks, but I'm not sure that I can justify 5 or 6x the price of an inside room for those perks.

 

Unless I can get one for a bit lower, I guess I might have to say goodbye to the suite life for a bit :(

[zqvol]

I would NEVER pay that for the Haven when I can sail one of the luxury lines that are all inclusive for about the same price, but provide much better value.

[dna529]

I agree with the OP. Even the non Haven suites for a family of 4 are 7k total. I just don't see the value here. We had a suite on the Star last year for 3k with all the perks and that was worth it. But at some point I would rather just go on mutiple cruises for the price of one suite cruise.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Hmm. Perhaps it's just me that sees the appropriate price point as being a bit lower. I absolutely love the perks, but I'm not sure that I can justify 5 or 6x the price of an inside room for those perks.

 

Unless I can get one for a bit lower, I guess I might have to say goodbye to the suite life for a bit :(

 

My DH and I were back and forth about booking a Haven Suite. We enjoy the suite life but the price is high for us retired folk. I understand you get a nice private area with a pool and on some ships a restaurant however the price is very high. We are going to book a mini with a large balcony next time out and cross our fingers for an upsell. I hope NCL drops the prices even $1,000 per cabin. we too may be waving bye-bye to the suite life.

[casofilia]

But at some point I would rather just go on mutiple cruises for the price of one suite cruise.

 

We have always been at that point; we are simple people; the boat saves us having to pack/unpack nightly. We see lots of beautiful places; meet lots of lovely people; have plenty of things to do on board; eat well (too well at times) and have lots of places to spend quality time together. The room is just for sleeping at night and napping in the afternoon.

Pay for what you NEED not what you WANT is our motto. Give us a basic fare without all the "sweeteners" and let us decide what else we want to pay for!!

 

Mike

[nkwoman]

For me, we are a family of 5 cruising and the cost of a 2BR on the Haven was not that much more as it was for 2 Balcony cabins- (My kids are teens so the only family room I would do is the 2 BR). If all depends on what you are willing pay. We are traveling in the high season so I didn't want to gamble on doing an up sell since the Haven could sell out. Also- I believe I got a great deal through an online TA which was quite better than NCL direct. It pays to shop around!

[pieshops]

I guess it depends on the ship and time of the year but the last 3 or 4 cruises we have done we have done the Haven and we are booked in a suite on the Star in December for an Asia Cruise (no Haven). We are a family of 4 and our kids are getting older and we have outgrown one cabin. The last 2 and the upcoming Star cruise booking the Haven or a Suite has been less then 1000 more then booking 2 cabins and then we all get the perks.

[Crusin6]

I agree with the OP. Even the non Haven suites for a family of 4 are 7k total. I just don't see the value here. We had a suite on the Star last year for 3k with all the perks and that was worth it. But at some point I would rather just go on mutiple cruises for the price of one suite cruise.

 

 

Jan 2015. $2100 total for 3 pax inside 12 day BA

 

 

Jan2016. $1800 total. 3 pax inside. 10 day gem

 

Oct 2016. $1400 total 2 pax 8 day inside gem

 

 

$5300 for 3 cruises lol

 

 

The smart money goes low mid inside ov...IMHO of course. Lol

 

 

Of course I would take a haven Upsell for maybe $200 more per pax tops just for fun

 

 

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Edited May 11, 2016 by Crusin6

[SaveFarris]

it really seems like the premium that they are placing on these suites has drastically outpaced the value that they provide.

 

It's the Free at Sea perks. They've been priced into the room at this point.

[Sissaaaaaa]

I'm shocked to see that even the basic Haven Penthouse is 4-6k on most sailings now. I'm by no means cheap, but it really seems like the premium that they are placing on these suites has drastically outpaced the value that they provide.

 

Is anyone else in the boat where they would book Haven suites if they were a little cheaper? I'm curious if ultimately NCL will adjust the perks or lower the price. It seems like they are not selling out on most cruises, and people are just upselling for much less.

 

I would imagine the cruise line would prefer to sell suites for 3.5k rather than have people book rooms for 1.5k and upsell for $500.

 

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

 

I would not pay that much. Sandals or a luxury line, yes ... but not a mainstream cruise line. Edited - I misread your post. $4k is reasonable. However, lately, the Haven has been much higher! We usually average 5k or a little over on 2 balcony cabins sailing during prime times. There was a time you could sail in the Haven for maybe $1,500 for 2 - maybe a tad higher - during non-peak times. Those days are gone though.

Edited May 11, 2016 by Sissaaaaaa

[sjbdtz]

The smart money goes low mid inside ov...IMHO of course. Lol

 

 

 

Not very smart money at all, if I wouldn't enjoy being in a low mid inside OV as opposed to sailing out of Venice in the front of the ship with a large balcony for entertaining, and 3x the amount of space (not to mention the 4 promos).

 

 

The smart money buys what they want. You want 3 cheap trips.

 

I want 3 expensive ones.

 

 

I guess I don't understand what your point was. That you're smarter than me? I could also buy 3 cheap cars for the price of each of my 2 expensive ones, but I can't drive 6 cars... so what's the point?

 

 

.

[punkincc]

Not going to spend $6,000 plus on a cruise vacation. Could we afford it, yes. But I dont see the value, and I can spend that extra money on a second cruise or any number of other things. We got a great price on an 11 night cruise in a penthouse suite on the POA recently, but that was nothing compared to the price of a Haven cabin on another ship, and for only 7 days. The suite was nice, but we enjoyed a recent cruise in a minisuite with large balcony just as much. We might do the suite life again, but it will not be in a Haven cabin unless the prices really come down.

[david_sobe]

The Haven has really went up in price. There have been countless threads like this over the past year. Its nice but when you get home and consider you could have purchased a new driveway for the house for the same price....it makes me re-consider :eek:

[sctexan]

I would like to see the prices come down on Haven cabins too. I can afford, but can't justify, spending 9 or 10 grand for three people for a week regardless of all the perks. If I were looking at booking two mini suite cabins like some folks do then I might be able to justify the extra. I'm hoping to get an up sell for my cruise but I'm not counting on it.

 

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Edited May 11, 2016 by sctexan

[sjbdtz]

The Haven has really went up in price. There have been countless threads like this over the past year. Its nice but when you get home and consider you could have purchased a new driveway for the house for the same price....it makes me re-consider :eek:

 

But again, it's a function of what you want. Years ago I spent $8,000 as a charity donation to an event including a meet & greet with Elton John. I wasn't even that big of a fan, but the cause was good & what they heck.

 

I justified it as "only 2 months of mortgage payments". So instead of paying the mortgage off in 16 years & 2 months....now it will be 16 years & 4 months. :)

 

 

It's the easiest way to get away with spending for today.

 

 

I've had too many friends die far too young, and not taken the time to enjoy themselves to the extent they could have.

 

I will not make that mistake. Both the driveway, and the mortgage can wait.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[April42749]

For me the Haven is pointless. I really enjoy "the simple life" at the buffet (I don't get these at home) and I'm still capable of finding the theater by myself. The last thing I need is a butler bringing me a bowl of M&Ms in the afternoon.

 

It's not a matter of price; we can afford it. We don't need it and don't want it. I like being with the masses.

 

But, as long as people are willing to pay, NCL will continue to charge.

[Crusin6]

Not very smart money at all, if I wouldn't enjoy being in a low mid inside OV as opposed to sailing out of Venice in the front of the ship with a large balcony for entertaining, and 3x the amount of space (not to mention the 4 promos).

 

 

 

 

 

The smart money buys what they want. You want 3 cheap trips.

 

 

 

I want 3 expensive ones.

 

 

 

 

 

I guess I don't understand what your point was. That you're smarter than me? I could also buy 3 cheap cars for the price of each of my 2 expensive ones, but I can't drive 6 cars... so what's the point?

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

My real money goes to my beachfront home on cape cod I just dont need to nor want to spend it on a cruise lol

 

I certainly could afford the haven but the last thing I want is a butler and I always get a great seat in the theater so why would I want the roped off area to the side

 

I like the mdr and interacting with all pax and I always get great loungers one deck up

 

 

Oh and when we sailed into and out of Venice in both 2008 on ccl and 2012 on princess we had great space up on deck and incredible conversations with our 4 kids and great scenery and made memories

 

 

Not doing a Europe cruise in 2017 just a nice long land vacay abroad

 

And really looking forward to enjoying our gem Carib cruise in October...great price on that one too

 

 

Ncl is not good enough for me to drop a small fortune on a their cruises but they fit the bill in what I'm looking for in a cruise....price...itin...convenient embark port... so that basically was my point but I thought I would brag a little anyway. Lol

 

 

 

 

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Edited May 11, 2016 by Crusin6

[AlexandNessa]

I don't mind the price increases if there is a commensurate increase in perks. Lately we've seen downgrades like generic M&Ms, one overworked Haven valet who can't single-handedly manage the needs of everyone in the Haven (lunch/drink orders as an example), family members not sailing in the Haven being offered key cards to join their family in there, etc..

 

Also hate to see cheap Haven upsells as that indicates that NCL didn't find the sweet spot for pricing to begin with.

Edited May 11, 2016 by AlexandNessa

[NancyL2]

It's the easiest way to get away with spending for today.

 

 

I've had too many friends die far too young, and not taken the time to enjoy themselves to the extent they could have.

 

I will not make that mistake. Both the driveway, and the mortgage can wait.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

I so agree....go for it and enjoy life! And I'm in the Haven for my September cruise.

[MMMD]

I wouldn't mind paying the price if every perk was guaranteed & the Haven really was a place to relax.

 

But, our experience on the Breakaway in Oct was terrible.

Since NCL (or anyone) could ever guarantee the type of fellow passengers you will have, every cruise & experience is different.

 

Although we loved our Aft suite & large balcony, the Haven itself was a nightmare (including the restaurant) Screaming children running all over constantly with parents who just sat & ignored the noise. Outside, inside running everywhere. Just wanted to sit by the bar a few nights to have a drink before dinner & left each time. People were lying all over the furniture & floor, yelling back & forth to one another. Some it seemed never moved from the Haven. Whenever we went in, the same large loud crowd was always there.

 

Our Butler was almost invisible. I heard the word no too many times to count. One rough night I simply asked for ginger ale & was told they didn't have any. He never asked if I wanted anything else, just said no. Over & over (and even before the cruise) I told the Butler that we didn't want any seafood as snacks. I made it perfectly clear. What did I get each day? Seafood of some sort.

 

I felt for the almost $6500 we paid for the 2 of us -we didn't receive what was promised. From that bad experience, we've decided to stop cruising for now.

 

Again, the price was fine with me when I booked, but in the end the services were lacking & impersonal. I really felt the staff was stretched over so many suites that not everyone was going to get good service. And if some suite guests are pushy enough, I guess they took up a lot of time.

 

For the prices they charge, I expect the services I paid for without having to complain each day of my vacation. The service should just be there -not something I have to beg for.

 

For us, it wasn't worth the price.

[Burpelson]

Too much on this thread about who can afford what, tradeoffs, etc. This is very personal. Live and let live.

[Coastalbreezes]

I agree with Stephen that life is short so enjoy what you can, when you can.

 

That being said I was pricing Haven cabins for New Year's Eve from Miami and was in sticker shock when I saw the H5's price at $7199 :eek:. Even with my CAS discount that's too high for me.

 

I love to cruise for New Year but will wait and try for a last minute booking.

 

Tracy

[ESBMommie2]

I would find it extremly hard to go back to anything that wasn't a 2 bedroom. with that said we were doing 10 day cruises out of Europe on the EPIC for a great price in the Haven with wonderful perks (3rd- 8th pax free, free UDP and UBP for everyone, free paid grats for 2 people plus $300 in OBC).

 

Now I look at booking the same itinerary and it is 45% more with perks that honestly are worthless to me. For now we did book the cruise but I will watch the price and promos. If nothing fantastic comes along we will cancel and do something else.