NCL's Haven vs Azamara

[MerDub]

Hello,

 

We are looking to book a family vacation - a European cruise, my brother and I are late 20s and my parents are both 60 and fairly active.

 

I sailed on Norwegian last year with a friend and we got to take a quick peek at The Haven on the Getaway, and thought it was incredible.

 

Has anyone here had any experience with NCL's Haven and can provide a comparison between Azamara and The Haven, in terms of cabins, service, food, entertainment, amenities, etc? I'm a bit concerned we might be bored on a small ship, given that we're looking at possibly sailing in October. We are looking at the 2-br family villa and honestly the bathroom itself is enough to sell me on it (:hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes:) but I'd love to hear what other have to say who have experienced both!

 

Thanks!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Not a direct answer, but we sailed on NCL Pride of America last fall in a suite [not the Haven] and we found that even the specialty restaurants on NCL don't compare to the main dining room on Azamara. Also our Butler on NCL was not trained as a butler, so she added very little value. The Haven looks very nice, but there will be times when you have to leave it, and then you will be on NCL -- I fear the contrast would be too jarring. The beauty of a line like Azamara is that everybody gets the great food and service all the time.

[AllisonJames]

I have been on NCL a few times with my young adult children (not The Haven though) and Azamara with my husband. My kids are 20 and 24 and they wouldn't really like Azamara because they want action and fun, late nights. On our last family cruise (Princess) they were in the nightclub for most of the night! Yes, Azamara's food is better and the service is better, but the veranda cabins are not very large and Azamara does not have the overall activities, entertainment and options of a large ship. And if you like formal nights, glitz and dressing up Azamara is not the choice for you. If it was me, for a multi-generational family trip, I would choose The Haven. You won't find many young people on Azamara.

[gskimmel]

We used to sail the Haven but the quality of the NCL product depended where we were. In the Haven, it was great. In the non-Haven areas, not so great. Since then, we've switched to Azamara and love the product. But if you are looking for activities and things to do while on the ship then NCL is a better fit for you. Azamara shines in the destination. When we are at sea, we tend to read or lay around the pool so the activities are not important to us. Food and service will be much better on Azamara but you may get bored for the lack of activities.

 

 

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