Haven Cost

[roger001]

We've done quite a few suite cruises in the past.  However, as all of this resumes, thinking about booking a Haven on the Bliss for a 7 day cruise.   I see Haven prices on that ship and others all over the place.  Realizing this is very subjective, what do you consider a reasonable Haven cabin cost, just standard room with balcony, not an Owners Suite?   

[Sthrngary]

Your question is impossible to answer during covid.  To many factors.  Reduced capacity, increased demand, itinerary,  location of Haven Suite (Inside or outside Haven Courtyard).  

 

In 2019 for the Thanksgiving cruise on the Getaway out of New Orleans, we got a Haven Spa Suite out side of the Haven Courtyard for $2,100.00 per person.  Easy call on that cruise.  The Bliss is a newer more updated ship.  Logic tells you the per person will be higher, much higher.

 

I look at the prices all the time.  All I can say at this time is any Haven Suite at as close to $3,000.00 a person as you can get.  This will most  likely mean not peak cruising. As I started my response saying.  To many irons in the fire in todays market.  I hope that helps you in some way.

 

Cruise well.

[graphicguy]

24 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Your question is impossible to answer during covid.  To many factors.  Reduced capacity, increased demand, itinerary,  location of Haven Suite (Inside or outside Haven Courtyard).  

 

In 2019 for the Thanksgiving cruise on the Getaway out of New Orleans, we got a Haven Spa Suite out side of the Haven Courtyard for $2,100.00 per person.  Easy call on that cruise.  The Bliss is a newer more updated ship.  Logic tells you the per person will be higher, much higher.

 

I look at the prices all the time.  All I can say at this time is any Haven Suite at as close to $3,000.00 a person as you can get.  This will most  likely mean not peak cruising. As I started my response saying.  To many irons in the fire in todays market.  I hope that helps you in some way.

 

Cruise well.

Agree with everything.

 

My threshold has always been $2,200/pp and under for ANY Haven Suite.  Above that?  I can cruise in the Retreat on Celebrity ships for less.

 

$4,500 for a Haven Suite, regardless of category is about as high as I go.

 

Rates have been wildly fluctuating on Haven since start up....sometimes changing day-to-day.  Not sure of what the algorithm they use for pricing (which is probably the way they want it), but it's certainly the opposite of consistent.

[luckyinpa]

if you have freedom. epic this december has 2900 for the 2 BR. get em while they are hot

 

that being said haven is insanely expensive this year. even more than my last christmas cruise. which should be the high bar in costs.

 

all this being said, i think a courtyard on bliss should be 3K because of the tiny bathroom but you are paying for location.  ive seen pricing on breakaway for over 5K for it. thats nuts.  ill go elsewhere for now

[Sthrngary]

3 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Agree with everything.

 

My threshold has always been $2,200/pp and under for ANY Haven Suite.  Above that?  I can cruise in the Retreat on Celebrity ships for less.

 

$4,500 for a Haven Suite, regardless of category is about as high as I go.

 

Rates have been wildly fluctuating on Haven since start up....sometimes changing day-to-day.  Not sure of what the algorithm they use for pricing (which is probably the way they want it), but it's certainly the opposite of consistent.

I recently wrote a response to indicate Haven Pricing.  It is just the same as hotel pricing.  If the hotel is fully booked, the price is higher.  If they have low bookings, the prices are lower.  The example I used was the two types of Haven Two-Bedroom Family Villa's.  The small vs. large balcony.  The Large Balcony should always be more expensive.  Yet on an Upcoming Joy Cruise, the large balcony is less expensive.  So I wanted to see how many cabins were available in both categories.  The large balcony had double the cabin's available.  BINGO.

 

This same think holds true with all cabins.  It is not priced by a human, it is priced by a computer program.  When the same cabin on a Thanksgiving Cruise is less then on the week before or after thanksgiving, you know there is a booking issue.  

 

Now to make matters worse, add in folks canceling due to the new Covid variant, new regs on everything from masking to testing, 60% capacity of lower on initial cruises.  So many things are effecting pricing.  The best thing we can do is simply look at the prices.  

 

Allow me to add.  If we want to do a Luxury Brand, look at those prices also.  You might just find yourself a bargain while waiting for the Haven prices to level or come down.  Some times a little patience goes a long way. 

 

Cruise Well.

[graphicguy]

2 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

I recently wrote a response to indicate Haven Pricing.  It is just the same as hotel pricing.  If the hotel is fully booked, the price is higher.  If they have low bookings, the prices are lower.  The example I used was the two types of Haven Two-Bedroom Family Villa's.  The small vs. large balcony.  The Large Balcony should always be more expensive.  Yet on an Upcoming Joy Cruise, the large balcony is less expensive.  So I wanted to see how many cabins were available in both categories.  The large balcony had double the cabin's available.  BINGO.

 

This same think holds true with all cabins.  It is not priced by a human, it is priced by a computer program.  When the same cabin on a Thanksgiving Cruise is less then on the week before or after thanksgiving, you know there is a booking issue.  

 

Now to make matters worse, add in folks canceling due to the new Covid variant, new regs on everything from masking to testing, 60% capacity of lower on initial cruises.  So many things are effecting pricing.  The best thing we can do is simply look at the prices.  

 

Allow me to add.  If we want to do a Luxury Brand, look at those prices also.  You might just find yourself a bargain while waiting for the Haven prices to level or come down.  Some times a little patience goes a long way. 

 

Cruise Well.

I actually looked at Viking.  I compared their fares to the Retreat on Celebrity, which I cruised last month.  Similar pricing.  But, I have a colleague who finished a Viking cruise recently.  He and his wife liked it.  But, they said it seemed the most entertaining activity on board was getting a bit inebriated and passing out by 9:30 p.m.  I don't have any issues with those who do that.

 

Nothing wrong with those who are looking to lounge about on their cruise and having cocktails all day.  I just want more to do.

 

I'm sailing on the Encore leaving this Saturday for Alaska.  I put in some upgrade bids for the Haven.  But, the availability seems sold out one day, and there are cabins available the next.  Go figure.

 

But, that speaks to your point about people cancelling, not being able to cruise depending on COVID tests, etc.

[Sthrngary]

3 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I actually looked at Viking.  I compared their fares to the Retreat on Celebrity, which I cruised last month.  Similar pricing.  But, I have a colleague who finished a Viking cruise recently.  He and his wife liked it.  But, they said it seemed the most entertaining activity on board was getting a bit inebriated and passing out by 9:30 p.m.  I don't have any issues with those who do that.

 

Nothing wrong with those who are looking to lounge about on their cruise and having cocktails all day.  I just want more to do.

 

I'm sailing on the Encore leaving this Saturday for Alaska.  I put in some upgrade bids for the Haven.  But, the availability seems sold out one day, and there are cabins available the next.  Go figure.

 

But, that speaks to your point about people cancelling, not being able to cruise depending on COVID tests, etc.

As my below signature states, I just did Crystal Cruises to the Bahamas out of Miami.  It was extremely reasonable pricing and they provided a discounted upgrade to a penthouse with a butler.  A few interesting things were learned.  

1. There is a difference in personalized service from a Mainstream vs. Luxury Brand.  Consider the entire ship the Haven from a personalized service standpoint.
2. There is a difference on everything being included in the original fare like gratuities, drinks in cabin's, specialty dining, ect.  
3. There is a difference with the quality of the food especially in the main dining room. Food quality is big on luxury brands.

All that sound fabulous doesn't it.  Then you get the entertainment which simply does not compare to NCL, Royal or Celebrity whom have much higher budgets.  Then you loose the live music on the main pool deck, games, or most anything that has a level of energy.  Finally you have some long time brand cruisers that make an ass out of themselves which was much more apparent because of the very low guest count.  

 

Conclusion, I realized, my very favorite cruising experience was:

1. A Larger vs. Smaller Ship for the shows, activities and options.
2. A Ship-within-a-Ship concept like Haven, Retreat or Yacht Club.  It allows for some craziness with a private area to go back too. 

Now everyone has to choose what is best for them.  I loved my Crystal Cruise for what it was designed for.  Quite, Luxury, Personalized Service and Food.  Just what the doctor ordered.  Now I want Exciting, Shows and Activities.  Nice to have a choice. 

 

Cruise well everyone. 

[Yinster]

This is an open question. What my magic figure will be different to the next person. It might be close but it could also be world's apart. 

 

You need to consider what price you pay to give you value for your money 

 

My story of the haven is luck. I'm lucky never to sail below haven level in NCL but I won't pay any more than I want. The first NCL we did in 2013 we were originally in a balcony. As the weeks got closer to the sailing, the price dropped so we upgraded by £1000 to get a Haven spa. It was a no brainer. Spa passes, haven facilities and also all free at seas including specialty dining every night ( not 2 per 7 day cruise). It would have cost more if we bought those things separately. 

 

Tats not to say we won't sail below Haven. We don't mind an ocean view. The price must be right

[luckyinpa]

an example of bad value: BA to bermuda end of october is 6500 each for the courtyard (i spent around 7 K on bliss on christmas for THREE people in 2019. and bliss is def better than BA.  bermuda likely wont recover for a while and things like buses dont run and even banks have short hours. how much tourist stuff will be open? the balcony at 700 is totally worth it but 13K for that courtyard room is just awful. 

 

that same 6500 gets you owners suite with large balcony on the new prima for a week. which would you take for 6500? 🙂

[Yesimapirate]

1 hour ago, luckyinpa said:

if you have freedom. epic this december has 2900 for the 2 BR. get em while they are hot

 

that being said haven is insanely expensive this year. even more than my last christmas cruise. which should be the high bar in costs.

 

all this being said, i think a courtyard on bliss should be 3K because of the tiny bathroom but you are paying for location.  ive seen pricing on breakaway for over 5K for it. thats nuts.  ill go elsewhere for now

I'm on that cruise.   Upgraded from a Haven Penthouse to a Family Villa and saved $1,800!

[Seany527]

For a 7 day cruise, as others have said I think the most I would feel comfortable paying would be about $3,000 per person, including the taxes, etc. 

 

That turns out to be about $430 per night. For me to go above that, it would have to be a very special cruise or a unique itinerary. 
 

I have an upcoming sailing on the Breakaway and the cheapest rate is just over $600 a person. I would love to be in the Haven for that cruise but being that it’s 14 nights, that price is way outside my budget. There are about 40% of the rooms still open so I’m praying my “good” or “strong” bids get accepted. 

[Seany527]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I'm sailing on the Encore leaving this Saturday for Alaska.  I put in some upgrade bids for the Haven.  But, the availability seems sold out one day, and there are cabins available the next.  Go figure.

 

But, that speaks to your point about people cancelling, not being able to cruise depending on COVID tests, etc.

Fingers crossed your bid is accepted!! Hopefully those “sold out” cabins are actually open and just tied up from people doing mock bookings. 

[Sailing12Away]

The best pricing we've ever gotten on a cruise is the one coming up in May 2022 that we haven't taken yet. That's in a MA on the Star, for $260/pp/day. (*correction, $240 - forgot about the 10% off we were able to add on which dropped the price even lower)

 

The best Haven pricing we've scored was an H4 on the Epic for $325/pp/day.

 

The worst Haven pricing we've booked is coming up on the Prima in an H4 for $1100/pp/day.

 

To each their own. We have a ballpark guide where if we see something for <$500 we consider it a good deal. Between 500-1000 is typical (depending on the ship and cabin), and beyond that it needs to really be justified to pull the trigger. Prima with a private hot tub on the balcony to watch the Northern lights in Iceland is justified in our book.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Sailing12Away

[FLcruisergrl]

I don’t have a price. I will only sail in the Haven on NCL and what I’m willing to pay is based on how badly I want to sail and my budget/how long I have to pay it off. We bid on an upgrade for our first Haven and got a really good deal, I think less than $2k pp. But, that was on the Epic and was the year of Irma/Maria, so the cruise lines and islands were hurting. We’re paying approx $3500 pp for our Prima cruise, if I’m remembering correctly. But, it’s a new ship and we have a year before final payment is due.

Edited September 27, 2021 by FLcruisergrl

[roger001]

Thanks y’all. Appreciate the thoughts.   

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 hours ago, Yinster said:

Spa passes, haven facilities and also all free at seas including specialty dining every night ( not 2 per 7 day cruise). It would have cost more if we bought those things separately. 

While that may be true, the follow-on question is "would" you have bought all of those separately?  For some, they would really like the seven nights of specialty dining.  For others, the two free (and two more free if platinum) are plenty, as they like to explore the other dining venues as well.  Same with spa passes.  Some are big spa people.  Others wouldn't even use a free pass.  We can probably extend that to the butler.  Some folks just wouldn't use him/her for much of anything.  Others love being "waited" on.  I would be most attracted to the Haven on a ship that didn't have a very good observation lounge but had a nice Haven lounge/observation area.  Not sure if there is such a thing, but there probably is.  😎

[WarfRatWA]

14 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

The best pricing we've ever gotten on a cruise is the one coming up in May 2022 that we haven't taken yet. That's in a MA on the Star, for $260/pp/day. (*correction, $240 - forgot about the 10% off we were able to add on which dropped the price even lower)

 

The best Haven pricing we've scored was an H4 on the Epic for $325/pp/day.

 

The worst Haven pricing we've booked is coming up on the Prima in an H4 for $1100/pp/day.

 

To each their own. We have a ballpark guide where if we see something for <$500 we consider it a good deal. Between 500-1000 is typical (depending on the ship and cabin), and beyond that it needs to really be justified to pull the trigger. Prima with a private hot tub on the balcony to watch the Northern lights in Iceland is justified in our book.

We operate very similarly.  Our Prima booking in H2 is $783/pppd.  I'm feeling pretty good about that one.

[Sthrngary]

20 minutes ago, WarfRatWA said:

We operate very similarly.  Our Prima booking in H2 is $783/pppd.  I'm feeling pretty good about that one.

The Prima is going to be a completely different animal.  Where in the past, the cruise industry had three categories.  Mainstream, Premium and Luxury.  The Prima will bridge the gaps.  Oceania is a Premium Plus however the ship has 1250 guest count at it's highest.  The Prima has over 3000.  

 

Why is this relevant? The smaller Prima compared to the Encore let say, can go where the Encore can't go.  Specifically ports.  The larger guest capacity allows for a higher budget for entertainment.  The ground up design with an emphasis on updating and upgrading guest experience especially with the Haven design, allows kind of a new category different then the above three. 

 

Where currently with Luxury Cruising, it is not as family friendly and quite frankly energetic as main stream cruising.  This seems to be the best of both worlds.  Just like the Encore, the pricing in the first few years is lets say at a premium.  NCL is also getting those fares which tells us the demand is there. 

 

I personally have not booked the Prima.  I am waiting a few years until the price goes down a bit.  What I will do is take full advantage of other ships with Itineraries I have not sailed yet, like the Bliss going out of the west coast.  A Haven suite are going for the low $2,000 in December of this year.  

 

I hope all that makes sense just as a personal strategy.  Everyone does what is good for them. Just a thought on my part. 

 

Cruise well everyone. 

[MoCruiseFan]

On 9/27/2021 at 9:33 AM, roger001 said:

We've done quite a few suite cruises in the past.  However, as all of this resumes, thinking about booking a Haven on the Bliss for a 7 day cruise.   I see Haven prices on that ship and others all over the place.  Realizing this is very subjective, what do you consider a reasonable Haven cabin cost, just standard room with balcony, not an Owners Suite?   

It depends all upon itinerary, sailing length, time of year, etc.  In the one time we did sail the Haven we were very satisfied.

[Two Wheels Only]

2 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

  NCL is also getting those fares which tells us the demand is there. 

 

From what I've seen, the H4s on deck 10 (the ones without the hot tub on the balcony) aren't selling like the ones on deck 12 (the ones with the hot tub on the balcony). I suspect that people will be able to upgrade to those deck 10 H4s. They are still great staterooms but I feel for the people who booked deck 10 when they expected what will be on deck 12.

[Sailing12Away]

19 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I would be most attracted to the Haven on a ship that didn't have a very good observation lounge but had a nice Haven lounge/observation area.  Not sure if there is such a thing, but there probably is.  😎

Still a lot up in the air, but so far Prima seems to be meeting those requirements of yours. I hear the September 2023 sailing out of Iceland is going to have a very fun group of people traveling and partying like rock stars 😉 

5 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

From what I've seen, the H4s on deck 10 (the ones without the hot tub on the balcony) aren't selling like the ones on deck 12 (the ones with the hot tub on the balcony). I suspect that people will be able to upgrade to those deck 10 H4s. They are still great staterooms but I feel for the people who booked deck 10 when they expected what will be on deck 12.

I got lucky and booked on deck 12. If I hadn't, I would have either cancelled my reservation completely or at least rebooked in a different category of room. Can't justify the price without that perk for me. 

[Calvin]

On 9/27/2021 at 8:19 AM, Sthrngary said:

As my below signature states, I just did Crystal Cruises to the Bahamas out of Miami.  It was extremely reasonable pricing and they provided a discounted upgrade to a penthouse with a butler.  A few interesting things were learned.  

1. There is a difference in personalized service from a Mainstream vs. Luxury Brand.  Consider the entire ship the Haven from a personalized service standpoint.
2. There is a difference on everything being included in the original fare like gratuities, drinks in cabin's, specialty dining, ect.  
3. There is a difference with the quality of the food especially in the main dining room. Food quality is big on luxury brands.

All that sound fabulous doesn't it.  Then you get the entertainment which simply does not compare to NCL, Royal or Celebrity whom have much higher budgets.  Then you loose the live music on the main pool deck, games, or most anything that has a level of energy.  Finally you have some long time brand cruisers that make an ass out of themselves which was much more apparent because of the very low guest count.  

 

Conclusion, I realized, my very favorite cruising experience was:

1. A Larger vs. Smaller Ship for the shows, activities and options.
2. A Ship-within-a-Ship concept like Haven, Retreat or Yacht Club.  It allows for some craziness with a private area to go back too. 

Now everyone has to choose what is best for them.  I loved my Crystal Cruise for what it was designed for.  Quite, Luxury, Personalized Service and Food.  Just what the doctor ordered.  Now I want Exciting, Shows and Activities.  Nice to have a choice. 

 

Cruise well everyone. 

You just reaffirmed my logical thoughts for the Haven. I think my wife will greatly enjoy the exclusivity and service, while I will greatly enjoy the amenities of a big ship. Frankly, I am mostly looking forward to getting on the ship early, and the Haven restaurant.

[Sthrngary]

13 minutes ago, Calvin said:

You just reaffirmed my logical thoughts for the Haven. I think my wife will greatly enjoy the exclusivity and service, while I will greatly enjoy the amenities of a big ship. Frankly, I am mostly looking forward to getting on the ship early, and the Haven restaurant.

It is truly the best of both worlds.  Something for everyone.  Remember, if you do room service, tell your butler to only use the Haven Restaurant.  As long as it is serving. 

 

Cruise well.

[Calvin]

6 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

It is truly the best of both worlds.  Something for everyone.  Remember, if you do room service, tell your butler to only use the Haven Restaurant.  As long as it is serving. 

 

Cruise well.

Oh, I assumed that the room service menu was the room service menu! Are you saying that if my daughter orders something from room service, it can be made in the Haven restaurant, or are you saying that they could have different offers from that restaurant? I already knew we could have room service delivered during meal times from the Haven (which my wife and I will never do, but my daughter might!)

[BSR]

@Sthrngary  Looking at a Haven courtyard suite on the Bliss.  Do you have a recommendation for a certain cabin to book?