Suite Smackdown – Who does it better? Norwegian Haven vs. Celebrity Retreat!

[Calvin]

On 9/22/2021 at 4:21 PM, Seany527 said:

The Winner

 
So who does a better job? Is there a better value between the two brands? It’s not an easy answer but I hope the information above will be helpful to you when making a selection.
Personally, with a choice between the two, I would choose the Haven over the Retreat. The Haven wins in both overall experience and value. Here’s why...

I believe Celebrity already does an amazing job and excels at service and food throughout their ships and in their main dining rooms. Moving from a traditional cabin to a suite offers little overall benefit. The experience is already so refined, it’s difficult to improve upon. Of course, everything always has room for some improvement but overall, Celebrity gets it and provides a great cruise vacation no matter what price you pay or what room category you sail in.  I don’t see the additional perks Celebrity is offering in the Retreat as added value because I already enjoy the overall brand experience so much.

With Norwegian, comparing the traditional cabin to a suite, there is a huge step up. Norwegian also offers a good overall product but they do have more areas they can improve upon. Personalized service, food preparation and the like have always been enjoyable but when you move into the Haven, the cruise experience is taken to the next level. But, their true selling point is their ship within a ship experience.  You can have the choice to stay within the Haven complex with a limited number of guests, never venturing out until your cruise is over. If you do want to leave to attend a show or play trivia, the option is there for you, and that’s what cruising with Norwegian is all about…doing what you want, when you want to.  I guess that’s why they call if “Freestyle” cruising. 

 

I hope you enjoyed this comparison.  If you’ve sailed between these two lines, I’d love to hear what you think as well.

 

I just wanted to echo the sentiments of others who say great job! This is exactly the kind of article I happened to be looking for and I thank you for going into so much detail. I'm hoping to have the same choice soon but I have only been on The Haven in NCL, so I was trying to compare the two. Yours is not the first comparison I have seen that suggests Celebrity's main dining room menu it's already very good so there is not a huge appreciable difference between the regular MDR and the Luminae. Either way, thank you for your time!

[scooter6139]

I'm waiting for a new comparison of more similar ships, Edge class Retreat to Prima Class Haven.  AND when it comes online, the new Princess Sun Sphere class Signature Collection (as they are finally getting into the Ship within a Ship idea).  

[scooter6139]

On 2/14/2022 at 8:17 PM, regjr13 said:

I’m sorry but this person has obviously never sailed on Celebrity and definitely not in the Retreat of the Edge class ships. The comparison could not be more off as you are NOT comparing like ships or classes. NCL is on the level with Royal Caribbean not with Celebrity. Different sizes of ships, different amenities.
I don’t even know where to begin

 

Thanks for your opinion, but no need to be boorish about it.  🙄

[kelleherdl]

On 9/22/2021 at 8:13 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

Thanks for the comparison. It would also be interesting to see where MSC Yacht Club lands in the bunch. There's also the Suite Neighborhood on Wonder Of The Seas.

 

B4B cruise, anyone? 😉

Let’s let them fight over Haven and Retreat and keep Yacht Club to ourselves. 😀