New to NCL Haven

[Plato123]

We normally cruise on Celebrity in Retreat suites, and will be trying NCL on the Joy in the near future.

We have booked a Haven Penthouse suite and got the Free at Sea Plus package.

We would like to know the similarity or differences between what we should expect and what we are used to on Celebrity in Celebrity suites.

Also we enjoyed Luminae on Celebrity for a departure day lunch (rather than the buffet).  Would the Haven restaurant (or others) be open for lunch on departure day? 

 

Thanks.

[ryarger]

The Haven restaurant will definitely be open for launch on embarkation day. A concierge should lead you from the terminal straight up to the restaurant when you board (after giving you a tour of the Haven).

 

I’ve never sailed Celebrity but I’ve heard the Retreat is quite comparable to the Haven with some saying one is better and others saying the other is better.

 

I do know that as a line, Celebrity is a step up from NCL so I’d expect the Retreat to be at least as good as the Haven. That said, the Haven is pretty amazing and few people come home unimpressed.

[dexddd]

They won't bring drinks under a package to room.

 

From most of the posts I've seen over the years, Haven gets the nod over Retreat.

[9tee2Sea]

I sailed Haven on Bliss for the first time earlier this year.  I really enjoyed the Haven Observation Lounge.  They had some very nice snacks thru-out the day ( very continental style breakfast, lunch finger sandwiches and evening snacks).  The best part of the Observation Lounge was the fancy push button specialty coffee machines.  Im not a cappuccino drinker, but I really enjoyed the ones that came out of that machine.  Haven't cruised Celebrity, but this was just my observation as a first timer in Haven

[Seas2mountains]

The Haven restaurant will be open for lunch on embarkation day. They are also open every day for lunch whether in port or at sea which I know is different than how it is in Luminae on Celebrity as it is only open when at sea or on embarkation day.  The breakfast, lunch and dinner menus will be the same every day in the Haven but there might be some specials offered for dinner. We were given the option to order off the MDR menu in Luminae but that option isn't available in the Haven without giving 24 hour notice to ask for a special food request. We can find dinner options we like on the Haven menu and mix it up with having specialty dining reservations. 

Our only experience on Celebrity which was in a Retreat suite was on Reflection in the past month. While we have had a few Haven suites, we have not experienced the Haven on the Joy or on ships with a Horizon lounge. We liked the self-serve refrigerators in Michael's Club to grab waters to take back to our room or to take off the ship. You will have to get bottled water at the bars and they will not be stocked in the cabin by the butler. 

 

That is good that you got the Free at Sea Plus package as it will give you similar wine options that you may be used to with Celebrity - if you are a wine drinker.  The wifi speeds on Reflection seemed to be faster than what we have experienced on NCL ships.

 

The snacks offered in the Retreat embarkation lounge in Fort Lauderdale were definitely better and of higher quality than we have experienced in the Haven embarkation areas in New York and Miami. 

 

Your Haven butler will bring you daily treats such as a cheese tray, gummy bears, M&Ms, canapés, sandwiches with chips, chocolates, cookies, mini-desserts, tortilla chips and salsa, and more. You should give your butler your snack preferences when you meet him or her on the first or second day. My husband asks for a daily cheese tray and I ask for tortilla chips or potato chips.

The buffet on NCL closes early at about 9pm or 9:30pm so if you are a late night snacker, keep this in mind. The Local/O'Sheehan's is open 24 hours or close to 24 hours or you can always order off the room service menu. We thought the buffet on Celebrity had more options and seemed to be of the same or higher quality than NCL. 

 

If you use the solarium on Celebrity, you may consider getting thermal spa passes as the Haven pool area may have many kids. The thermal spa area on the Joy is newly added this year and may be a little different experience than the thermal spas on the larger NCL ships.

 

We liked the Celebrity Retreat experience so much that we booked four cruises on Celebrity in the Retreat in 2025. We are still very happy with NCL and are very excited for our upcoming NCL cruises.

 

Have a wonderful cruise! I hope you share about your experience on NCL Joy.

 

[Plato123]

1 hour ago, Seas2mountains said:

The Haven restaurant will be open for lunch on embarkation day. They are also open every day for lunch whether in port or at sea which I know is different than how it is in Luminae on Celebrity as it is only open when at sea or on embarkation day.  The breakfast, lunch and dinner menus will be the same every day in the Haven but there might be some specials offered for dinner. We were given the option to order off the MDR menu in Luminae but that option isn't available in the Haven without giving 24 hour notice to ask for a special food request. We can find dinner options we like on the Haven menu and mix it up with having specialty dining reservations. 

Our only experience on Celebrity which was in a Retreat suite was on Reflection in the past month. While we have had a few Haven suites, we have not experienced the Haven on the Joy or on ships with a Horizon lounge. We liked the self-serve refrigerators in Michael's Club to grab waters to take back to our room or to take off the ship. You will have to get bottled water at the bars and they will not be stocked in the cabin by the butler. 

 

That is good that you got the Free at Sea Plus package as it will give you similar wine options that you may be used to with Celebrity - if you are a wine drinker.  The wifi speeds on Reflection seemed to be faster than what we have experienced on NCL ships.

 

The snacks offered in the Retreat embarkation lounge in Fort Lauderdale were definitely better and of higher quality than we have experienced in the Haven embarkation areas in New York and Miami. 

 

Your Haven butler will bring you daily treats such as a cheese tray, gummy bears, M&Ms, canapés, sandwiches with chips, chocolates, cookies, mini-desserts, tortilla chips and salsa, and more. You should give your butler your snack preferences when you meet him or her on the first or second day. My husband asks for a daily cheese tray and I ask for tortilla chips or potato chips.

The buffet on NCL closes early at about 9pm or 9:30pm so if you are a late night snacker, keep this in mind. The Local/O'Sheehan's is open 24 hours or close to 24 hours or you can always order off the room service menu. We thought the buffet on Celebrity had more options and seemed to be of the same or higher quality than NCL. 

 

If you use the solarium on Celebrity, you may consider getting thermal spa passes as the Haven pool area may have many kids. The thermal spa area on the Joy is newly added this year and may be a little different experience than the thermal spas on the larger NCL ships.

 

We liked the Celebrity Retreat experience so much that we booked four cruises on Celebrity in the Retreat in 2025. We are still very happy with NCL and are very excited for our upcoming NCL cruises.

 

Have a wonderful cruise! I hope you share about your experience on NCL Joy.

 

Thank you.  This was useful.Our favorite Celebrity ship is the Reflection and your comparisons  of it to NCLs ships was interesting.  My wife will be very happy that she can get daily potato chips and gummy bears while I will enjoy the tortilla chips and salsa!

[DorothyB]

29 minutes ago, Plato123 said:

  My wife will be very happy that she can get daily potato chips and gummy bears while I will enjoy the tortilla chips and salsa!

I was in a haven suite last year and was unable to get potato chips.  After I asked for them and was declined, several hours later or maybe the next day I decided to order a sandwich that came with chips from the room service menu.  Then I found out that the ship had no chips!!  I am bringing either chips or potato sticks on the next cruise with me.

[cruiseny4life]

52 minutes ago, Plato123 said:

Thank you.  This was useful.Our favorite Celebrity ship is the Reflection and your comparisons  of it to NCLs ships was interesting.  My wife will be very happy that she can get daily potato chips and gummy bears while I will enjoy the tortilla chips and salsa!

 

21 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

I was in a haven suite last year and was unable to get potato chips.  After I asked for them and was declined, several hours later or maybe the next day I decided to order a sandwich that came with chips from the room service menu.  Then I found out that the ship had no chips!!  I am bringing either chips or potato sticks on the next cruise with me.

We have had the same thing happen to us. There were chips on Pr1ma last November, but prior to that on Getaway in 2022 and 2023, we were unable to find them. I don't remember what happened on Joy.

[Sand and Seas]

 

6 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

I sailed Haven on Bliss for the first time earlier this year.  I really enjoyed the Haven Observation Lounge.  They had some very nice snacks thru-out the day ( very continental style breakfast, lunch finger sandwiches and evening snacks).  The best part of the Observation Lounge was the fancy push button specialty coffee machines.  Im not a cappuccino drinker, but I really enjoyed the ones that came out of that machine.  Haven't cruised Celebrity, but this was just my observation as a first timer in Haven

 

The Haven on Joy also has a wonderful Horizon Observation Lounge.  Nice & quiet most of the time.  We loved getting the 'mini' Banana Banoffee  or 'mini' Raspberry cheesecake desserts to take back to our fridge for a late night snack.   You could also get a variety of salty/sweet snack items to make your own trail mix.

 

Also loved that fancy specialty coffee machine!  The attendant is usually around and can teach you how to make the best frothy hot chocolate too😋

[cruiseny4life]

5 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

Also loved that fancy specialty coffee machine!  The attendant is usually around and can teach you how to make the best frothy hot chocolate too😋

Or...fix it when you break it...multiple times. Not saying it was me, but yea....🎶"It's me. Hi. I'm the problem!"🎶

Edited June 17 by cruiseny4life

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Or...fix it when you break it...multiple times. Not saying it was me, but yea....🎶"It's me. Hi. I'm the problem!"🎶

Yet another crisis that we don't have to struggle with in steerage! 😎

 

Us men in steerage don't need no stinkin' "fancy coffee."  We drink it blacker than a moonless night.

 

Extra credit for who I just quoted.  (this is a really easy one)

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Us men in steerage don't need no stinkin' "fancy coffee."  We drink it blacker than a moonless night.

 

Extra credit for who I just quoted.  (this is a really easy one)

"and more bitter than Hell itself."

[complawyer]

we were on the star  this past april, and also no potato chips

[nhtravels]

We had chips on the Encore in Jan (and the Horizon lounge had them daily on the Joy in October).  They were my go-to for afternoon snack with a cocktail "treat".

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

"and more bitter than Hell itself."

The good Dale didn't add that.....

[The Traveling Man]

11 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

The good Dale didn't add that.....

Sorry, I never have read the original work, so put the blame for my error squarely on Mr. Google's shoulders.

[erisajd]

On 6/17/2024 at 3:51 AM, Plato123 said:

We normally cruise on Celebrity in Retreat suites, and will be trying NCL on the Joy in the near future.

We have booked a Haven Penthouse suite and got the Free at Sea Plus package.

We would like to know the similarity or differences between what we should expect and what we are used to on Celebrity in Celebrity suites.

Also we enjoyed Luminae on Celebrity for a departure day lunch (rather than the buffet).  Would the Haven restaurant (or others) be open for lunch on departure day? 

 

Thanks.

I just posted a large post on what it was like to be in the Haven for a week - might want to get your questions and more answered there 0 

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Sorry, I never have read the original work, so put the blame for my error squarely on Mr. Google's shoulders.

Hah!  I learned something on the internet today.  The quote I was referring to was evidently an actor in a TV show quoting some character "Godot," without the entire quote.  Thanks for educating me!