Merriem

We have been on 5 cruises on NCL, Royal and Celebrity. We balconies cabins for Royal and Celebrity. For the NCL Escape we won a bid for an AFT Haven Suite. It was beyond wonderful. It was our first experience with a suite and NCL does it very well .

 

 

 

I'd love to hear a comparison between the 3 cruise-lines for their suite/haven amenities. Did you prefer one over the other? Are the prices comparable for what you get? Which is your favorite?

 

 

 

I will post this on the other 2 cruise sites.

 

 

 

Thanks

We are in a Royal Suite on the Solstice right now . I prefer Celebrity. However the Deluxe Owners Suite on The Breakaway was amazing. However once we left the Haven we could not deal with the cigarette smoke. So we will stay with Celebrity

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Honestly I cannot believe that people have nothing better to do than regurgitate this topic over and over.

Get over it.

I have hard gel nails and had one come off on an Alaska cruise. They charged me $22 to only paint the one nail.

I guess you are right. When the other company had the contract I had it done and the price was about the same. Well, they can keep their product for those prices, and then they ad 18% .

We have a Solstice cruise on March 5th with a large OBC. So thought I would check on Botox at Canyon Ranch. I know their prices are high, but I practically fell off my chair when I got an email back. $20 a unit. The going rate in Tucson at a very well regarded plastic surgeon is $12 a unit.

This is not to start a heated discussion on Botox on ships.......but to say that is really crazy. I told her that was nonsense and she said she would tell the spa director.

I don't care if it is a manicure, a massage, but their prices are way out of line.

Fact #1

There is a lot of misunderstanding of what luxury at sea is. An inside cabin on a ship A may provide for higher class cruising experience than a suite on ship B.

Fact#2

The Breakaway is a nice ship. I'll find a higher quality product overall that you would on Celebrity Edge for instance. There is no need to book the Haven on this ship as does not add much to the experience. The most attractive venues are outside the Haven. What makes NCL credit is that the Haven does not limit the cruising experience of other passengers. It's a nice touch of extra comfort but not "elite" to any extent.

Relax and enjoy!

You are kidding. We were in the Haven on that ship, and it was the only decent thing there. The smoke among other things was a health hazard.

It’s not something I really take much notice of to be honest but I do tend to agree that paying a higher price on a cruise should be based on room category alone and we should all dine together unless you want to pay for a specialty restaurant

I totally disagree because you put 1000 people in a dining room it is very loud, and before they had the suite restaurant we ate in the MDR one night. Could not even hear ourselves talk, so we ate every night that in Muranos.

No, reminds me of Titanic where they had the different classes. Keep the upper class away from the rest of us because we are lower than they are. I feel like it is a bunch of rich snots looking down on the masses. (sorry that is the way it makes me feel)

I think you need to grow up and this thread closed.

This whole discussion is based on an incorrect assertion that some passengers are getting something unavailable to others. That is not true since anyone can have these benefits. They just need to pay for them. If you want 1st class benefits then pay for 1st class. Too much of CC is about people wanting things for free or for less than anyone else. Acres of discussion on angling for an upgrade, an OBC for some perceived slight or some cruise line grovelling because the weather wasn’t perfect during the low season.

Don’t book a stateroom if it’s not the one you will be happy to stay in. If you don’t like the food served in a restaurant then don’t eat there.

 

 

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I agree.

We have a Nissan and a Honda. Some people have a Mercedes and and Audi

It is all about choices and where you choose to spend your money.

Nothing about being elite. I am just happy we can travel and enjoy ourselves.

Indeed, but things could get very complicated if people were expected to discuss 'non suite sky suites'.

 

I've seen some similar Seabourn itineraries for similar sky suite prices previously. Some were even cheaper. Hence my original comment.

Like non suite seabourn ALL SUITE. Have a nice day. Need to get packed for Australia.

The ships I looked at were 'all suite'. Their words not mine.

 

Or are you suggesting that a single room marketed as a 'suite' is not a real suite like the 250 sq ft to 300 sq ft Celebrity sky 'suites'? :)

The definition of a suite is a group of rooms to be used together. Technically a sky suite does not qualify. On our upcoming Australia cruise we were in a sky suite, but upgraded to a royal suite at the last minute. We like the space.

You can, or should I say the cruise line can call their cabins anything they want. The standard cabin on Seabourn...we were in a category B. It was one room with a sitting area. The room was nice, but by definition it was not a true suite. There are very few of them. The ship was rather boring, the typical female passenger had too much plastic surgery. The best food was in casual dining room. The main one was average at best. I would give their "suites" a B at best.

I did a mock booking on Seaborn for a 2 week Australia cruise, ours is 16 days. It was $9,999 plus $550 port taxes per person..this was their lowest level cabin on deck 6. No perks. According to my math it is a little over $21000 for two people with no perks.

We did not pay anything close to that, and have all 4 perks, plus unlimited speciality dining. I think this is a no brainer.

thanks for the chuckle from one of those leftist social justice warriors you just labeled. ;p

👍👍👍👍👍👍

You might be surprised. Celebrity have been developing and improving their vision of suite life for a few years now and charging accordingly.

 

If you compare suite pricing against genuine 6* luxury lines Celebrity can actually look poor value.

 

That said, there are a lot of factors to consider. I looked at Seabourn because it's an all suite ship and looked better value than Celebrity on some similar itineraries. But... I then visited a couple of ports where I saw Seabourn passengers enjoying their excursions. It became immediately apparent to me that I'll enjoy sailing on that line 20 to 25 years from now and I fully intend too! So as I said above, there are several considerations such as demographics etc.

Seabourn is not all suites. Most of them are larger cabins, but not separate rooms. We were in a "suite" on the Odyssey, most of them are about 280 sq ft. Check out their website for the floor plans. It was okay, but I personally prefer the Celebrity suite life....trust me, 6 star luxury lines is a slight joke.

OP, please ignore the sour comments from the very few people who choose to spend their money differently from those who choose suites on Celebrity.

 

Comments suggesting that someone who wishes to book a suite on Celebrity would be better booking with Regent or similar just fail to understand that many really do not want a small ship experience and, heaven forbid, actually like the Celebrity experience but would prefer larger accommodation or additional perks that come with a suite.

 

If you reason for considering the "ship-within-a-ship" experience of the Haven is to avoid unruly children or raucous adults, then be reassured, if you choose a longer cruise on Celebrity you will not experience this. Even on a Christmas and/or New Year cruise on Celebrity, there are more but still relatively few children and these (and the adults) are well behaved. We have cruise on NCL (on a ship without a Haven) and it is a completely different experience.

 

We have also cruised Azamara and would not choose a small ship again when large groups of well behaved, adult guest can make it feel unpleasantly overcrowded.

Well said 👍

Reread my post: I said PREMIUM line like Oceania or Azamara. In any case, putting anything on a Celebrity or NCL ship in the same category as Oceania is ridiculous. Just the difference in food is remarkable.

 

 

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Did you read my post? Sailed on Oceania 3 times in suites. We were not impressed. We book suites on Celebrity and are always pleased.

Silversea is hardly a luxury line. Spent 10 days on them going from Singapore to Hong Kong. We were on the Silver Shadow. Poor food, bad service, ..... spent 10 days on Seaborn..nice, but too small. Regent was fine, no complaints.

How could you ever consider putting Haven and Celebrity Suite in the same category as luxury Regent (or a premium line like Oceania or Azamara)?

 

 

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I personally do not consider Oceania a luxury line. We have sailed with them 3 times in suites. As far as the Haven, it was nice but the minute you leave you are on an NCL cruise. IMHO Celebrity in a suite gives you a great value.

Wow, I am curious what happened on POA, we were considering this for Hawaii as well. Plan B is Celebrity from Vancouver, or HAL round trip from LA. To throw away a 2K voucher, they did something wrong! :eek:

Yes I threw away the $2000 voucher. The ship was "out of dry dock" and looked horrible. We arrived in SFO a day early and then found out the ship was not ready to go. They said they would pay for our hotel the extra night. We were at the Ritz Carlton, and I had a horrible time getting reimbursed, even though they did not put a limit on the amount of the room. We certainly were not going to change hotels.

The smoking, the atmosphere was pretty pathetic. Most people dressed like slobs. It wasn't for us, and we had no intention of sailing with them ever again.

Its too long to go into, but we do not like the product, and I would never go to Hawaii on a ship. They were docked in industrial areas. It was really pathetic, but we did enjoy the french restaurant. Good service and good food......

A total waste of money. If you want to go to Hawaii, pick a nice resort, rent a car, and enjoy

We went on three NCL cruises. The first was on the breakaway in the deluxe owners suite. That was very nice until you walked out of the haven and the mobs of people and smokers was horrible.

Then I found a great deal on a South America cruise, in a suite in the front of the ship, 2 weeks for $7000 total including all the dining, liquor, and tips. We had done that twice before and we had a nice time.

Then the end was on Pride of America after dry dock from SFO and that was really horrible. I think Celebrity does a great job. I walked away from a $2000 voucher after the POA debacle and closed our platinum, status with them.

There is something for everyone, and NCL was pathetic. We will stay with Celebrity

Dumb question?? Why would anyone want to dine in the MDR, when you have access to Laminae.

 

 

 

Rollie

Totally agree

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I searched google for "lax hotels with day rooms" and found plenty of info.:)

Yes I did also, just someone might have used a particular hotel and recommended it. Thanks.

Some of the lounges like United have day beds. That would be the best bat.

No I don't want to sit in the airport from 8:30 am to 11:20 pm, but thanks. There are a lot of hotels around there just thought someone would have had a recommendation.

Thanks for your thought

we are on vacation. If there is a need we will leave a note in the cabin for the other person. AKA gone to the gym.

any recommendations for a hotel with good day room facilities in LAX. We. Are arriving early and have a very late flight to Australia. Thank you

Thank you outstanding post.

We would definitely consider changing cruise lines, but we can't find an itinerary that matches our wants. Holland and Princess both offer the Iceland itinerary but for 14 days. We would like a 10-12 day itinerary. We are also looking at Silverseas and Crystal. Both of those offer the shorter trip.

 

The smoking thing is not a deal breaker for anyone. Just a question I needed answered to have all of the information to present to the group.

 

Thanks everyone for your replies.

We were on Silversea when they did have smoking in the bar. I believe that changed due to complaints. However it is very over rated