RCL Star Class vs. NCL Haven

[Hutcha]

 

First off, I know it’s not a strict apples to apples comparison. The typical Haven room can be had for much less than the typical Star Class room. However, given some variables, that cost difference can quickly be reduced, or overcome.

I’ll start this thread in both the Norwegian and Royal groups. I don’t have any great status on either line, so I can be somewhat neutral. Some background on me; I’m married with five kids. I’ve been on about 15 cruises, and last year was my first in anything above a balcony. Sorry if this is a long read. I’ll give my review of each, and then compare the two at the end. First, I’ll start with a copy of the NCL review I wrote.

 

NCL - Bliss

 

The Cabin 

We were in an Aft Facing Penthouse on the Bliss, #13906. The room was great! Plenty of storage. Large master bath, with 2 vanities, a large soaking tub and separate shower. The living room felt larger than what the pictures portrayed. The balcony is why you book this room. Being on 13, we had the smallest of the balconies in this category. That being said, it was still plenty big. It had 2 full size loungers, a table and 2 chairs, and a small cocktail table with 2 additional chairs. There was enough room to put the 4 chairs at the table and have a meal.

  

The Haven

The Haven was a great experience, and we'd do it again, for the right price. We paid about $6k to book this room. It was originally over $7k, but we had a few price reductions. The ship was at 1/3 capacity, but the haven was booked to 100%. It never once felt crowded. The most people in the restaurant were during the embarkation lunch and disembarkation breakfast. Even then, it was about 75% filled. During most dinners, there were never more than 7-10 tables occupied. 

 

The food in the restaurant was ok. We were not blown away by it. It felt inconsistent. The first night, I had prime rib and lobster tail. It was fantastic. The last night, I had it again, and it came out drenched in a thick gravy (not au jus) that was absent before. The much talked about pork chop was dry. I was told they prepare it well done, so I ordered it med-well. Should have gone medium. My wife had several things she just plain didn't like. We're not picky people, and we didn't send anything back. Breakfast was really good. The French press coffee was great for me, but a little too strong for my wife. They had a nice selection of pastries, parfaits and fruit on the buffet. We only did lunch on embarkation day. The staff here was outstanding. They went above and beyond on every visit. They made the restaurant the experience it should have been. 

 

The bar was amazing. Great craft cocktails. Very personable bartenders. They did magic and card tricks, and kept everyone very entertained. We had a lively bunch that would go there every night, and the bartender would just start lining up random shots for everyone in sight. As many as 14 at a time. On the 2nd night, the bartender started talking about a wheel of drinks he was going to put together. On night 4, it showed up. You'd spin it, and whatever shot it landed on, that's what he'd line up. I found that the liquor selection was very good, but there was nothing there that was exclusive to the Haven. There were 3-4 other bars that had a lot of high end stuff as well. We did pay for the premium plus package. The Haven bar is good for the extras. The syrups, infusions and the smoke machine.

 

The courtyard was very nice. Never more than 15% occupied. There were plenty of opportunities to have the pool or hot tub to yourself. There were a couple of very well behaved kids that would frequent the area. The sundeck was great! Occupancy ran about 50-75% on the nicer days. Plenty of options for seating, in and out of the shade. There are two large hot tubs up there that rarely had anyone in them. Bar service up there was never lacking. It did take a little longer, because the server had to go down two levels and aft to the main Haven bar to get your drink. I had a burger up there that was the best on the ship. My wife got one later, from the buffet, and it didn't compare.

 

The concierge was nice and attentive, but we didn't use him for much. We had a billing issue, from the embarkation lunch, that he straightened out. Once, he saw us walking into the main show. He flagged us down, and showed us to the reserved seating, which we didn't use. 

 

The Horizon Lounge was nice and spacious. It was one of the more crowded spaces in the Haven. Great area to take in the sights, and a must have on a cruise like Alaska. They had a nice selection of food and snacks out, and the coffee machine pumped out some nice java. 

 

The Butler

Thanks to @Sthrngary, and all of the information he put out, I had a good idea of what to expect. My summation of the butler is that he's your personal waiter. He'll bring breakfast, lunch and dinner to your room, and set it up on a white tablecloth. Inside or outside. What did we use him for? We gave him what snacks we wanted and they were always there (plus some extra ones). He set up breakfast one morning when we had to be off of the ship early. It was nice opening the bedroom door at 7 to find it there and ready to go. On 3 of the nights, he picked up our deserts for us, and one night a special requested diner for my wife, who was a little seasick. We had the minifridge emptied out, and a pitcher of ice tea and orange juice in there. He was mostly good about keeping them filled. He was very nice and very attentive. 

 

 

 

Overall Impression

The Haven was really nice, but it did not blow me away. I would do it again, for the right price. I think NCL nickels and dimes the passengers too much. At the prices they want you to pay for the Haven, it should include more. They need to let your butler bring you drinks and include the mini fridge if you have the drink package. This is very cheap on their part. I can have a great meal in my cabin, but no wine to accompany it? I cannot imagine paying $18-22K for a DOS, only to have them suck more money out of me for internet, drinks, tips, and more

 

 

Royal Caribbean – Harmony of the Seas

 

The Cabin

We were in an A1, Spacious Aqua-theater Suite. It was myself, wife and 5 kids (14-22). The cabin was nicely appointed, but not as luxurious as some of the other Star class suites. It was very large. It had a full bath in the hall, a nice master bedroom with a large bathroom, and a 2^nd bedroom that could be made up with 4 beds (2 upper, 2 lower). There was a dining area with a small table (sat 4), and a large living room with seating for about 8. The balcony was enormous! I think it was 850 sq/ft. It had a table with 6 chairs, sun loungers, chairs on the sea side, a bar at the railing with bar stools, and mounted binoculars. In the room there was a Lavazza machine, and mini fridge stocked with your choice of soft drinks, water and beer.

Suite Areas

There were really only two areas that were specific to suite guests. They had a suite sun deck that had its own bar, hot tub and lots of places to sit. Next, was Costal Kitchen and the suite lounge. This was where the suite only restaurant was, and it had a bar and lounge area in the other half. I thought the food was very good. I had the best filet of my life here. The bar and lounge were very nice and functional. Great place to grab a drink and hang out, but not too lively.

 

The Genie

This is what sets Star class apart. On this ship, there were only 10 Star class cabins. To serve these cabins, they have three genies. If there is anything you need done while you are on board, the genie will take care of it. There is not another person on the ship that you would need to contact. They are your one stop shop. They contact you a few weeks out, to get an idea of your preferences. What drinks you want in the cabin, snacks, dining times and preferences, special occasions being celebrated and so on. When you show at the pier, the star class team will whisk you through the check in process. Once done, they contact the genie to come and escort you onto the ship. We were the 2^nd family to board.

 

They give you their WhatsApp number, so you can contact them when ever you need something. They sat down with us and provided a printed schedule for the week. On this were all of our dinner reservations, shore excursions and shows we were going to see, along with anything else like spa appointments. They take care of all of your room service needs. If it is available on the ship, you can get it delivered (minus bottles of alcohol or wine). Below are some pictures of what we had.

 

The genie will usually meet you at the restaurant at your reservation time, and see that you are seated right away. For shows, they block off the best seats ahead of time, and meet you outside to escort you to the seats and call over a person to take your bar order. To get off the ship in port, they meet you at your cabin, or place of your choosing, and escort to the front of the security line. If you are celebrating anything, the genie will decorate your cabin and have a special cake made. They arrange special tours, set up in suite cocktail parties, will meet you at attractions like ice skating to escort you to the front, and will set up just about anything within their power. Towards the end of the cruise, the genie leaves a personalized gift for each person in the cabin. I’d estimate the value of our gifts at $15-40 for each gift.

 

Included with Star Class

Almost everything is included with a star class cabin. The drink package, gratuities (not including the genie), internet for each person, specialty dining (to include any upcharges), unlimited laundry and dry cleaning, behind the scenes tours, classes that have a charge (cupcake making, etc.), front of the line privileges on flow rider and the zip line, and Starbucks (beverages only).

 

Overall Impression

Star Class blew me away. I wish I could afford it every cruise. We have one booked in June that cost us less than $10K for four of us. I’ll add a few more for $600 each. The level of personalization is insane. Having drinks delivered with snacks or meals is hugh. You can even have a standing Starbucks order delivered every morning. The Genie is amazing. Not having to worry about extra charges is really nice. Even if they don’t have something available on the ship, the genie will go out of their way to source it for you.

 

Comparison

I know most would compare The Haven to Sky class. Like I said at the start, it’s not a strict “apples to apples” comparison. For the same price, hands down, I’d go with the Haven over Sky class. The Haven also gives that ship within a ship feel that is absent on Royal. The reason I wanted to compare the Haven to Star Class is for those that are looking for an extra level of service, are considering the more expensive rooms in The Haven, or are traveling with multiple people.

 

PRICE

I know prices can vary dramatically between the two. You can score The Haven for two, on a 7 day cruise, for under $5K, and you could pay $30k for two in Star Class. So, I picked a random week to compare. The first week in June, 2024. Four adults. An older Breakaway class vs an older Oasis class. Both sailing off of the east coast.

On NCL, a 2-bedroom Haven suite was $13.9K. On RCL a 2-bedroom Star Class suite was $16.3K. The NCL cruise included the drink package plus tips for 4, two specialty dining meals for two and 150 minutes of internet. For a comparison I added 2 nights of specialty dining for the 2 that had it already, 4 nights dining for the two that didn’t ($550 total), internet for 2 so all 4 have access ($315), and gratuities ($700). That brings NCL up to about $15.5K. That doesn’t include charges for thing like dinner add-ons, laundry, etc.

I hope this was helpful for those looking to cruise in a suite in the future. Let me know If you have any question.

 

Happy Sailing!!

 

 

 

Pics from the Bliss

 

 

 

Pics from Harmony

 

[Yinster]

Thank you for your review. 

 

When we first sailed with NCL I was lucky and got a Haven Spa suite for £2000pp for 9 nights. Having done that, we never sail NCL unless we can get a Haven cabin within our budget. We have been lucky since I have never paid more than £2000 for 7 nights. We love the product. Also it has meant we are now platinum (RCL diamond level) having only sailed 5 times with points double and one time tripled 

 

We are now trying a grand one bedroom suite with RC on our next cruise. Previously only having been in an oceanview which we don't mind. I know we don't get the genie but we are low maintenance and never really needed the concierge or butler on NCL 

 

Have you tried MSC yacht club?  We did that last October and it is very good. Plus the price is considering lower than RC and NCL. Other thing is MSC will status match you too

[PompeySailor]

Thank you for your insight, this kind of review is what we look for when we want to dip our toes trying something new 👍🏻

 

We really need to try The Haven, it’ sure is in the future, we enjoyed a quick sailing on PRIMA and liked the product

 

We found the Retreat (Premium Suites) on Celebrity leaps and bounds better than Star Class

 

We also find the Yacht Club on MSC to be better than Star Class

 

Star Class was an after thought and until Royal has the Suite neighborhood on Icon up and running, it is way overpriced compared to the other lines IMO

 

Star class was nice, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t really wow like Celebrity Retreat and value for money MSC YC can’t be beat.

 

Happy Days!

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by PompeySailor

[BirdTravels]

Very nice review. Thank you!

[Hutcha]

19 hours ago, Yinster said:

 

When we first sailed with NCL I was lucky and got a Haven Spa suite for £2000pp for 9 nights. Having done that, we never sail NCL unless we can get a Haven cabin within our budget.

I will only sail NCL if I can get a Haven suite in the future. The exception might be to try out the Prima class. In my view, they take way too much ship away for the Haven complex. That's great for Haven passengers, but not so much for those in steerage. My other complaint with NCL is the amount of premium deck space that's taken away for revenue generating things like the racetrack, laser tag and the vibe.

19 hours ago, Yinster said:

We are now trying a grand one bedroom suite with RC on our next cruise. Previously only having been in an oceanview which we don't mind. I know we don't get the genie but we are low maintenance and never really needed the concierge or butler on NCL 

From my review, you can see that I really didn't use my butler or concierge much on NCL. That being said, I LOVED the Genie. Having the best seats in the house reserved, morning Starbucks delivery, doing things off menu like having an Indian buffet set up on the balcony, the list goes on. I can't imagine doing Star with just me and my wife, unless the price was right. A lot of times, it's not much of a jump from Sky to Star. Especially when you take into account things like the drink package and specialty dining. I'd really like to do the 4 bedroom villa with a group.

 

19 hours ago, Yinster said:

Have you tried MSC yacht club?  We did that last October and it is very good. Plus the price is considering lower than RC and NCL. Other thing is MSC will status match you too

 

18 hours ago, PompeySailor said:

We found the Retreat (Premium Suites) on Celebrity leaps and bounds better than Star Class

 

We also find the Yacht Club on MSC to be better than Star Class

I had a suite reserved on MSC World Europa in May, but I just had to cancel it. I want to try the Yacht Club and Retreat. From what I hear it's the next level up from The Haven. I'm on Beyond next month, and Seascape in Sept, but I have normal rooms on those. Don't think I'll try to bid up, because I'm traveling with others.

[Yinster]

If you don't mind NOT having a balcony then check out the yacht club inside cabins. Ok it's an inside cabin but slighter bigger than most and usually even cheaper than the YC balcony. They were designed so that families can have their children in them whilst the adults were in the balcony. But a lot of people have cotton onto this and pay for the Yacht club inside to get the all perks of the yacht club. 

 

Usually to compare price, you could get a large balcony on MSC or you could get an inside YC for the same price. It's a no brainer for a lot of people. 

 

Not my partner, she likes having a balcony so we pay extra

[George C]

43 minutes ago, Yinster said:

If you don't mind NOT having a balcony then check out the yacht club inside cabins. Ok it's an inside cabin but slighter bigger than most and usually even cheaper than the YC balcony. They were designed so that families can have their children in them whilst the adults were in the balcony. But a lot of people have cotton onto this and pay for the Yacht club inside to get the all perks of the yacht club. 

 

Usually to compare price, you could get a large balcony on MSC or you could get an inside YC for the same price. It's a no brainer for a lot of people. 

 

Not my partner, she likes having a balcony so we pay extra

I doubt we will book a inside yacht club, but it makes sense , if I am in yacht club or suite on E class , I will be spending all my time in there outside area with bar restaurants etc. I spent almost no time on our very nice balcony on beyond.

[Hutcha]

1 hour ago, Yinster said:

If you don't mind NOT having a balcony then check out the yacht club inside cabins. Ok it's an inside cabin but slighter bigger than most and usually even cheaper than the YC balcony. They were designed so that families can have their children in them whilst the adults were in the balcony. But a lot of people have cotton onto this and pay for the Yacht club inside to get the all perks of the yacht club. 

 

Usually to compare price, you could get a large balcony on MSC or you could get an inside YC for the same price. It's a no brainer for a lot of people. 

 

Not my partner, she likes having a balcony so we pay extra

Yeah, I noticed that. Likewise, I couldn't get my wife into an inside room.

[Guest phd1003]

Great review. When did you travel on the Star class trip. Have been reading that the Genie's power is dwindling post Covid.

[Broken07]

That hasn’t been my experience. Maybe it’s genie dependent. We had our best Star experience to date post Covid. 

[Broken07]

2 hours ago, phd1003 said:

Great review. When did you travel on the Star class trip. Have been reading that the Genie's power is dwindling post Covid.

 

[Hutcha]

3 hours ago, phd1003 said:

Great review. When did you travel on the Star class trip. Have been reading that the Genie's power is dwindling post Covid.

I was on the Harmony last June. I don't think there was anything he couldn't do. In official communications, the company line was the law. Once you were ono on one with the genie, magic could happen. I'm on the Allure this June, and looking forward to it.

[frank808]

8 hours ago, Yinster said:

If you don't mind NOT having a balcony then check out the yacht club inside cabins. Ok it's an inside cabin but slighter bigger than most and usually even cheaper than the YC balcony. They were designed so that families can have their children in them whilst the adults were in the balcony. But a lot of people have cotton onto this and pay for the Yacht club inside to get the all perks of the yacht club. 

 

Usually to compare price, you could get a large balcony on MSC or you could get an inside YC for the same price. It's a no brainer for a lot of people. 

 

Not my partner, she likes having a balcony so we pay extra

This is what I want to do on future sailings with MSC YC, book YC insides. On another note we are not balcony people even sailing with our primary line Royal. We have done 42 nights in YC1 and we rarely use the balcony, well except for drying swim trunks. I would rather spend time in the top sail lounge or on the YC pool deck. I get service up there and it is not that crowded most of the time. Plus the many butlers walking around asking if you need a drink, refill or if we need anything makes it fine for us. 

 

The one drawback is the shower in a YC inside is not as nice as a YC1.  The YC1 shower is second only to the master bath crown loft showers on oasis and allure. That has been the compelling reason we have done the YC1 on all our MSC cruises.

[ajtaylor29]

Thanks for the review! We haven't sailed NCL so i have no comparison there. But we just sailed on Odyssey 2 weeks ago and were lucky enough to Royal Up our Grand Suite to a Grand Loft Suite which was one of only 5 (i think) Star class suites on this ship. Even tho we paid more, it included everything - UDP, drink deluxe drink package, daily gratuities (of course, we tipped more).

 

I have to admit, i was more excited about that 2-story suite on the Aft than i was about the Genie. We're pretty easy going and didn't think we'd really utilize the Genie that much, but boy were we wrong!

Our genie was absolutely amazing!!! As the op described, having everything taken care of - whatever it was - made our cruise so much more relaxing. No waiting in lines for anything. He accommodated last minute changes to our dinner times. We always had drinks and snacks waiting for us when we returned to the room. He brought starbucks coffee and breakfast every morning. He escorted us off the ship in each port. One night we had an NFL playoff game (Cowboys - it was the GOOD game, not the total collapse we had the next weekend!!) and he reserved us a prime table at Playmakers to watch the game!

 

I was so spoiled all week. It really was a great experience, now i'm not sure how i'll travel without it?!?

[Hutcha]

13 hours ago, ajtaylor29 said:

One night we had an NFL playoff game (Cowboys - it was the GOOD game, not the total collapse we had the next weekend!!) and he reserved us a prime table at Playmakers to watch the game!

 

I was so spoiled all week. It really was a great experience, now i'm not sure how i'll travel without it?!?

Star class really is hit or miss for some. I loved it, but if it's just myself and wife, I don't think I'd pay much extra. Glad you had a great time!!

 

A comment on the Cowboys. After 27 years, you finally will be able to see Dallas in the Super Bowl.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

E-A-G-L-E-S ---- EAGLES

 

[EleventyBangBang]

So, it seems like:

 

Sea class = less than Haven 

Star class = on par with Haven

Sky class = better than Haven 

 

Does that about sum it up?

 

[Guest phd1003]

20 hours ago, Broken07 said:

That hasn’t been my experience. Maybe it’s genie dependent. We had our best Star experience to date post Covid. 

Good to hear...I'm sure I will get atleast one request rejection from the Genie.

[HBCcruiser]

5 minutes ago, EleventyBangBang said:

So, it seems like:

 

Sea class = less than Haven 

Star class = on par with Haven

Sky class = better than Haven 

 

Does that about sum it up?

 

Switch Star for Sky. Star has the top service with Genie. 

[Hutcha]

11 minutes ago, EleventyBangBang said:

So, it seems like:

 

Sea class = less than Haven 

Sky class = on par with Haven

Star class = better than Haven 

 

Does that about sum it up?

 

I think you got it mixed up. I fixed it.

 

It depends on the person. Personally, I would put Sea and Sky below Haven. Star Class and The Haven are two totally different experiences. Star can be below, equal or far superior. Depends on what you value. Haven has the ship within a ship concept down pat. You don't get that in Star class, but you get pampered and taken care of better. NCL nickels and dimes you. RCL gives you the whole ship.

[ajtaylor29]

4 hours ago, Hutcha said:

Star class really is hit or miss for some. I loved it, but if it's just myself and wife, I don't think I'd pay much extra. Glad you had a great time!!

 

A comment on the Cowboys. After 27 years, you finally will be able to see Dallas in the Super Bowl.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

E-A-G-L-E-S ---- EAGLES

 

You're too funny. 🙂 Go Chiefs!!!!! (yes, i'm a sore loser). 

[psac]

On 2/3/2023 at 12:12 PM, Hutcha said:

I think you got it mixed up. I fixed it.

 

It depends on the person. Personally, I would put Sea and Sky below Haven. Star Class and The Haven are two totally different experiences. Star can be below, equal or far superior. Depends on what you value. Haven has the ship within a ship concept down pat. You don't get that in Star class, but you get pampered and taken care of better. NCL nickels and dimes you. RCL gives you the whole ship.

I agree, after 2 Sky class trips and 4 Haven trips, Sky class doesn’t even come close to Haven (but don’t get me wrong, we’re doing it again soon on the Anthem).  CK is nowhere close to the Haven restaurant.  And the Suite sun decks in the Royal ships don’t come close to the Haven areas, although we haven’t done the Wonder with the different setup, and it looks like Icon is trying to full on compete with the Grove.  And we haven’t done Star class to compare, although it seems that would get the edge. Especially since it comes with unlimited specialty restaurants, so you don’t need to use CK. So it’s probably in order:

NCL “club” suites (very few perks)

Sea Class

——— (big jump)

Sky Class

Haven

Star Class

 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by psac

[Spurschick]

On 2/2/2023 at 3:56 PM, Broken07 said:

That hasn’t been my experience. Maybe it’s genie dependent. We had our best Star experience to date post Covid. 

It goes to show how inconsistent Star Class is. we were in SLS and our genie had 2 other cabins being 2 bed Aqua Suite and and another large multi occupancy suite.

 

We really don’t ask for much as we are quite low maintenance and have sailed Royal a lot, however when we did make a request we always were playing second fiddle to the larger groups she had. 
 

For example she offered an escort to Barefoot beach and asked us what time we wanted to get off. When we said as soon as we dock she said she couldn’t do it then as she was taking another group at that time. As we had Cabana booked we wanted to make the most of our day so in the end she reluctantly agreed to take us with the other group. 
 

Didn’t really strike us as going above and beyond. 
 

I think where MSC excel in this is they have so many butlers onboard, that as soon as you dock they have all the butlers lined up in Top sail lounge. You go in the next butler in line escorts a small group off. And then they return, so there is always a butler available to escort you. They work much more as a team so you never wait for assistance if your butler is tied up with another guest.

Edited February 5, 2023 by Spurschick

[WarfRatWA]

On 2/1/2023 at 10:37 PM, PompeySailor said:

Thank you for your insight, this kind of review is what we look for when we want to dip our toes trying something new 👍🏻

 

We really need to try The Haven, it’ sure is in the future, we enjoyed a quick sailing on PRIMA and liked the product

 

We found the Retreat (Premium Suites) on Celebrity leaps and bounds better than Star Class

 

We also find the Yacht Club on MSC to be better than Star Class

 

Star Class was an after thought and until Royal has the Suite neighborhood on Icon up and running, it is way overpriced compared to the other lines IMO

 

Star class was nice, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t really wow like Celebrity Retreat and value for money MSC YC can’t be beat.

 

Happy Days!

 

We are trying Star Class (and Royal) this June for the first time.  We have done MSC YC, Celebrity Retreat and the Haven.  We prefer the Haven of the three we have tried.  For us, YC is not something we will try again.  The cruise line is just not for us.  We are looking forward to seeing what Royal (and Star Class) have to offer.  

[A&L_Ont]

On 2/2/2023 at 1:36 PM, phd1003 said:

Great review. When did you travel on the Star class trip. Have been reading that the Genie's power is dwindling post Covid.

 

On 2/2/2023 at 4:39 PM, Hutcha said:

I was on the Harmony last June. I don't think there was anything he couldn't do. In official communications, the company line was the law. Once you were ono on one with the genie, magic could happen. I'm on the Allure this June, and looking forward to it.

Like you, we didn’t see lessened service over NYE 2022/243 than our 8 Star sailings pre Covid.  We sail in March and I don’t expect anything to be different than either. 

[Hutcha]

5 hours ago, WarfRatWA said:

We are trying Star Class (and Royal) this June for the first time.  We have done MSC YC, Celebrity Retreat and the Haven.  We prefer the Haven of the three we have tried.  For us, YC is not something we will try again.  The cruise line is just not for us.  We are looking forward to seeing what Royal (and Star Class) have to offer.  

Can you tell me why you prefer The Haven to Retreat? That's next on my list to try, and I'm curious as to why you prefer Haven.