regjr13

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.

To start, embarkation on the Celebrity Edge in the Retreat, there is a completely separate elevator that takes you from the main entrance (in the terminal) directly to a 2-level private area where your Retreat Concierge will greet you and offer you beverages, food and the like before escorting you to the ship; very similar to that of the Haven. But as mentioned, no private elevator on Celebrity to the Retreat area. 

The Retreat is different from the Haven as NO suite is behind a locked door like that of the Haven. The Haven has a complex with around 50 suites (Encore which we were on Dec 2021) behind the locked door and the others are scattered through out the ship. We were in an aft facing Haven PH on NCL Encore for a back to back. It was on deck 15 aft and the Haven lounge was on deck 16 forward. It was a long walk, but we didn’t mind it. 
Sun decks on both Retreat and Haven, a toss up to me with a slight edge to NCL for shaded areas and Celebrity slight edge (No pun intended) the Retreat had an outdoor full service bar, with food and lots of staff to bring drinks around.
The Retreat, hands down blows The Haven out of the water when it comes to food in Luminae. The Haven restaurant had the same menu for 14 nights while we were on the ship whereas, Luminae changed the menu every day. 
All water, top shelf alcohol, wine selections…Celebrity hands down wins again. Look at the basic wine selections on NCL and compare that with Celebrity. NO comparison. 
Both the Haven and the Retreat rooms offer daily snacks delivered to your room. In both the Haven and the Retreat we received things like chocolate covered strawberries, prawn with cocktail sauce, sandwiches, desserts, etc., delivered daily. 
Where NCL wins…ENTERTAINMENT and I do like the overall feel and look of the Haven Bar area better…Hands down NCL wins here. (Pictures of each posted below Celebrity Edge Retreat Lounge first pics in grey color and NCL Haven Second) 
For overall ship…Celebrity Edge class wins.

Traveling with family with kids and want to be in an enclave away from the masses…NCL Haven it is. When traveling solo, with my spouse or adult friends…Celebrity wins. 
At the end of the day, it comes down to what you enjoy most. Celebrity is a bit pricier on most sailings, but to not be knickled and dimed on basic things like water in your suite, higher level wines, gratuities, in port drink charges, etc., I would pick Celebrity Edge class ships. 

Great information. My TA talked us into upgrading to Aqua for our September sailing. Slightly higher price, but well worth it to get spa access and Blu access.

Excellent review! I wasn't even slightly interested in going on the Carnival Dream, and still not, but your review was amazing. Great photography. If you are ever in the European cruise market. Let me know, we may be on a ship with you.

Thank you for taking the time to post these amazing photos. I will be on the Carnival Magic in September and I am truly looking forward to it. Thanks again!

We are going on the Carnival Victory at the beginning of March, and had that very dilemma when booking.

 

We took the Early Saver, and have been able to drop the price for OBC twice using the current Military rate (hubby Keith was Navy).

 

Have a great trip!

 

Wendy

I would always suggest the early saver rate on Carnival sailings for sure.