Suite Smackdown – Who does it better? Celebrity Retreat vs. Norwegian Haven!

[Seany527]

I recently experienced a sailing on the Celebrity Edge in the Retreat area. My only other suite experiences have been with Norwegian in the Haven. Prior to booking the Retreat, I looked for information on how the two cruise lines delivered their product. While I found plenty on information, I wasn’t able to find any which offered a direct comparison of the two. Having been in the Haven, I knew what to expect and I knew if the price I was paying offered a good value. With the Retreat, I was venturing into the unknown but I still wanted to try it.

In the posts to follow, I will compare the different areas and services offered and put the two lines head to head to find out who offers a better product and value and which I would book again in the future.

A disclaimer to this before we begin: Cruise ships have always changed offerings, but more so now than ever. One would expect to see differences between cruise lines but there are also differences even within the same brand. For example, some Norwegian ships do not offer an exclusive "Haven" restaurant. On Celebrity, few ships have a unique, dedicated Retreat Sundeck. Your overall experience is going to greatly depend on which class of ship you are booking. And even then within the same class of ship, there could be some differences as well.

For the sake of this comparison, we will be look at the newest, in-service class of ships; Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus class and Celebrity’s Edge class.

As we go along, feel free to share some of your experiences or ask any questions you have about the suite experience.

 

As we go along, feel free to share some of your experiences or ask any questions you have about the cruise lines exclusive areas.

[Seany527]

The booking process and included perks

Booking your cruise either in Norwegian’s Haven or Celebrity’s Retreat is relatively identical except for the actual software itself and I wouldn’t necessarily give the edge to one over the other.  I also wouldn’t book a cruise solely on the pre-cruise experience but there are some key differences.

Each line reaches out to their guests prior to their sail date.

 

As a guest of the Haven, you will receive a welcome letter and luggage tags before your sailing.  The welcome letter gives you a shoreside contact number for any pre-cruise requests.

 

Retreat guests will also receive luggage tags prior to sailing.  Guests will also receive a welcome survey asking about some of your preferences for the cruise. Questions on the survey include “what temperature do you want the suite upon your arrival?,” “how many additional clothes hangers would you like in the closets?,” “how about the number of sheets on your bed?” and things of the like.  

 

At the time I am writing this and for the foreseeable future, both lines include some additional perks to all of their guests.  The chart below outlines those benefits on a traditional 7 day cruise with 4 ports of call for two people. Haven guests do not receive added or additional perks compared to standard cabins. A Retreat booking takes the standard perks and provides an additional or added benefit compared to those booked in a standard cabin. 

 

Perk	Norwegian – Standard Cabin	Haven	Celebrity- Standard Cabin	Retreat
Internet	250 Minutes	250 Minutes	Unlimited (No Streaming)	Unlimited Streaming
Specialty Dining	2 Meals	2 Meals	N/A	N/A
Alcohol	Standard Drinks	Standard Drinks	Standard Drinks	Premium Drinks
Shore Excursion	$50 per port	$50 per port	N/A	$300 per suite
On Board Credit	N/A	N/A	N/A	$300 per suite
Gratuities	N/A	N/A	Included	Included
Airfare	Free for 2nd Guest	Free for 2nd Guest	Occasional Discount	Occasional Discount

 

Those sailing in Owner’s suites in the Haven or upper level suites in the Retreat do get some additional amenities than listed in the chart above. These sometimes include the minibar or included dining in specialty restaurants but, for the average suite guest, these additions are not included.

 

As you can see, Retreat guests receive many additional perks compared to those sailing in a standard cabin.  For those in the Haven, the perks remain the same.  Each cruiser needs to evaluate the perks and see if there is an added benefit.  Some people would see no value in streaming internet, while others will see that as a huge plus.

 

For me, as much as I like the gold luggage tags in the Haven, this round goes to the Retreat. Celebrity customizes the experiences more than their competitor and overall the additional perks offer a cost savings.  Whether I actually was given additional clothes hangers, I do not know, but the thought is there.

[booklady26]

I think we should also add MSC's Yacht Club to the comparison. While we have yet to sail in the Retreat, we have done both the Haven and the Yacht Club and MSC is far better in just about any category you could name in our opinion. I'd like to know how the YC compares to the Retreat from people that have done both. 

[jelayne]

I’ll b interested in your comparison.  In the past we haven’t sailed Norwegian as we prefer lines that don’t cater to children and avoid the mega ships.  

[mafig]

13 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I’ll b interested in your comparison.  In the past we haven’t sailed Norwegian as we prefer lines that don’t cater to children and avoid the mega ships.  

I've always wanted to try the Haven.  However, I kept reading reviews where some cruiser's experience was ruined by large families letting their children run wild.  Not on all ships /sailings obviously, but I was afraid to take the gamble.  Celebrity doesn't cater to children and most of the  suites on MSC's Yacht Club aren't that large.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Your chart neglects to mention that guests in upper level suites on Celebrity get unlimited specialty dining at no extra charge.

 

I also think that MSC's Yacht Club should be included in this comparison.  Based on my experience with MSC's YC, those who had previously cruised in Haven found YC's offering to be superior.  It would take a lot to get me to consider boarding an NCL ship.

 

Based on my experience in suites on Celebrity and MSC's Yacht Club, I offer the following:  Celebrity wins hands down for food and service in the restaurants.  That is YC's weak point.  YC wins hands down for their suite lounge and pool deck.  YC wins for the standard suite cabins--I've not experienced the upgraded version on MSC.  Celebrity's higher-end suites are hard to beat.  For the rest of the ship experience, in my view Celebrity is better.  MSC and NCL are just too large.  Too many screaming children.

[Guest Olivers Mom]

47 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

I recently experienced a sailing on the Celebrity Edge in the Retreat area. My only other suite experiences have been with Norwegian in the Haven. Prior to booking the Retreat, I looked for information on how the two cruise lines delivered their product. While I found plenty on information, I wasn’t able to find any which offered a direct comparison of the two. Having been in the Haven, I knew what to expect and I knew if the price I was paying offered a good value. With the Retreat, I was venturing into the unknown but I still wanted to try it.

In the posts to follow, I will compare the different areas and services offered and put the two lines head to head to find out who offers a better product and value and which I would book again in the future.

A disclaimer to this before we begin: Cruise ships have always changed offerings, but more so now than ever. One would expect to see differences between cruise lines but there are also differences even within the same brand. For example, some Norwegian ships do not offer an exclusive "Haven" restaurant. On Celebrity, few ships have a unique, dedicated Retreat Sundeck. Your overall experience is going to greatly depend on which class of ship you are booking. And even then within the same class of ship, there could be some differences as well.

For the sake of this comparison, we will be look at the newest, in-service class of ships; Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus class and Celebrity’s Edge class.

As we go along, feel free to share some of your experiences or ask any questions you have about the suite experience.

 

As we go along, feel free to share some of your experiences or ask any questions you have about the cruise lines exclusive areas.

The older shirts were "remodeled" to have Havens and Retreats- The newer ships were built with the facilities in the plans thus you have the older Haven ships for NCL with no restaurant ( no where to put it). For example on the NCL jade- some of the cabins designated as "Haven- were just suites that were there all along and are not on the private floor but you have access to the private flooor with the pool hot tub etc but there is no private restaurant. we are to sail in January on the NCL Jade which we have sailed before in what was then a Penthouse Suite and which is now part of the Haven Penthouse designation.

 

[George C]

36 minutes ago, booklady26 said:

I think we should also add MSC's Yacht Club to the comparison. While we have yet to sail in the Retreat, we have done both the Haven and the Yacht Club and MSC is far better in just about any category you could name in our opinion. I'd like to know how the YC compares to the Retreat from people that have done both. 

I love YC , I also love Celebrity retreat , I would give the edge to YC , I love it’s just one area , you do not need to leave YC to get to there pool and lounge, YC had live music from about 5 to 11pm with different musicians playing for a hour or so then replaced by another,  suite lounge is also much nicer and drink package is included. Only edge class has a pool in the retreat area. I do give celebrity a edge in the suite dinning room Luminae. Price on YC is very reasonable compared to celebrity suites. Another minor point is captain had complementary picture taken with everyone, had a couple of nice conversations with him, never saw ships captain in retreat area and there was zero entertainment there.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

14 minutes ago, George C said:

I love YC , I also love Celebrity retreat , I would give the edge to YC , I love it’s just one area , you do not need to leave YC to get to there pool and lounge, YC had live music from about 5 to 11pm with different musicians playing for a hour or so then replaced by another,  suite lounge is also much nicer and drink package is included. Only edge class has a pool in the retreat area. I do give celebrity a edge in the suite dinning room Luminae. Price on YC is very reasonable compared to celebrity suites. Another minor point is captain had complementary picture taken with everyone, had a couple of nice conversations with him, never saw ships captain in retreat area and there was zero entertainment there.

 

Guess it depends on the captain, George.  Captain Kate spends a lot of time in the suite lounge on Celebrity.  Sometimes she even brings Bug along.

[jelayne]

58 minutes ago, George C said:

I love YC , I also love Celebrity retreat , I would give the edge to YC , I love it’s just one area , you do not need to leave YC to get to there pool and lounge, YC had live music from about 5 to 11pm with different musicians playing for a hour or so then replaced by another,  suite lounge is also much nicer and drink package is included. Only edge class has a pool in the retreat area. I do give celebrity a edge in the suite dinning room Luminae. Price on YC is very reasonable compared to celebrity suites. Another minor point is captain had complementary picture taken with everyone, had a couple of nice conversations with him, never saw ships captain in retreat area and there was zero entertainment there.

I don’t recall any sailing when we were in a Suite on X when the Captain wasn’t in the Retreat Lounge at least once and normally 3-4 times on a 14 day sailing..  That may have changed since the restart of cruising. 

[George C]

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Guess it depends on the captain, George.  Captain Kate spends a lot of time in the suite lounge on Celebrity.  Sometimes she even brings Bug along.

Maybe it was because of Covid she wasn’t that visible on our cruise in early July .

[hcat]

Interesting thread for those who have tried or want to try both. We do not sail in suites and  have enjoyed many cruises in AQ Class with BLU and Persian Gardens/ thermal suite. Our first suite on Reflection is coming up soonl

 

We are mostly loyal to  X , then Royal C  and one on QM 2 ( very pleasant).

The Norwegian  ships and  experience as reported do not hold any  interest for us and wonder if they  are really comparable?? Dining, service, varied music and a modern ambiance ( a step up from mostly casual ) are the main factors for us. Do not need exclusive....just a great ship and cruise!

 

EDGE was outstanding in all regards.

[pdanza22]

Hi, we are thinking about booking a suite on Celebrity Reflection.  Does Reflection have a pool at the sundeck area?  From what I read (if I read correctly),  it does not.

[canderson]

10 minutes ago, pdanza22 said:

Hi, we are thinking about booking a suite on Celebrity Reflection.  Does Reflection have a pool at the sundeck area?  From what I read (if I read correctly),  it does not.

Think it was originally scheduled for 2023, but of course, all bets are off now.

[pdanza22]

Just now, canderson said:

Think it was originally scheduled for 2023, but of course, all bets are off now.

thanks for the info, we have our eye on an aft Sky Suite, but not sure if we should pull the trigger yet (it's Mediterranean Aug, 2022)

[goldsmip115]

Hands down, Celebrity suites.  Have been in many suites, including top suites, on NCL pre Haven and then twice post Haven.  Where do I begin?  No complimentary laundry even in top suite whereas on Celebrity in a RS and PS it is unlimited for guests in the suite.  There is NO comparison between the Haven restaurant and Luminae.  Haven restaurant menu is always the same for breakfast lunch and dinner.  We ate dinner all but one night in the specialty restaurants. None were complimentary. The only one that was a cut above an Olive Garden or Outback was the seafood restaurant.  I recall that being excellent and ala carte pricing.  The pool in the Haven was tiny and kind of a joke.  Not deep at all.  The hot tubs were always occupied by loud drinkers and tons of kids in the Haven.  No liquor was included on my two sailings even in the top suite.  The butler was no where near the caliber of Butlers on Celebrity.  There was a coffee machine in the suite that used pods. In spite of asking and asking every day we could never get more than 3 of the dark brew pods.  Also no complimentary internet.
 

NCL suites……been there, done that.  And I haven’t even commented on the suite experience pre Haven. Don’t get me started on that.

[booklady26]

2 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

Your chart neglects to mention that guests in upper level suites on Celebrity get unlimited specialty dining at no extra charge.

 

I also think that MSC's Yacht Club should be included in this comparison.  Based on my experience with MSC's YC, those who had previously cruised in Haven found YC's offering to be superior.  It would take a lot to get me to consider boarding an NCL ship.

 

Based on my experience in suites on Celebrity and MSC's Yacht Club, I offer the following:  Celebrity wins hands down for food and service in the restaurants.  That is YC's weak point.  YC wins hands down for their suite lounge and pool deck.  YC wins for the standard suite cabins--I've not experienced the upgraded version on MSC.  Celebrity's higher-end suites are hard to beat.  For the rest of the ship experience, in my view Celebrity is better.  MSC and NCL are just too large.  Too many screaming children.

 

Food is very subjective. This past week I almost booked a suite on the Edge. The 20% off sale had the price only a little higher than the YC and I was really excited about it. Before I took the plunge, I looked at Luminae menus and there was very little that appealed to me. I'm pretty adventurous about food, but I found the menus too "exotic" for me. Never had that problem on MSC whose menus have a very Mediterranean flair.     

 

I was also very disappointed in the Retreat Sundeck menu. No comparison to the YC's lunch buffets on the Pool Deck - grilled fish, carving station, grilled lamb chops & steaks, pasta station, even lobster at least once during the cruises that we've been on. Only the salad bar leaves a lot to be desired. 

 

I do agree about the kids, even in the Haven. I've never really found that to be an issue in the YC. However, outside of the YC it's a different story. Not only a lot of kids but just way too crowded in general. We only leave the YC for the shows (which are outstanding)  and the casino (which have only limited non-smoking areas as opposed to X's totally non-smoking). 

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, pdanza22 said:

Hi, we are thinking about booking a suite on Celebrity Reflection.  Does Reflection have a pool at the sundeck area?  From what I read (if I read correctly),  it does not.

The ships that were built before the Edge will not have a pool at the Sun Deck they are adding a hot tub when they revolutionize the ships.  

[Seany527]

Check in Experience

Your cruise check in at the pier is going to depend greatly on your port of embarkation. Both the Haven and the Retreat offer separate check in areas for their guests. From my experiences, what’s different between the two lines is how cruisers move through the terminal. Once past security, Haven guests wait (if there is any wait at all) in a smaller, shorter queue to check in. With Celebrity’s Retreat, guests arrive and are asked to take a seat in the waiting area. The shore side check-in team will come to you and process your reservation.

Both lines offer you snacks and drinks while you wait to board the ship. The majority of the check-in process is relatively the same. Depending on where your cruise starts, you may or may not have different security lines, but overall the general idea is the same.

However, not having to wait in a line to check in and shoreside coming to you at your seat rather than waiting in a queue to check in, gives The Retreat the win in this category. 

[Seany527]

3 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

Your chart neglects to mention that guests in upper level suites on Celebrity get unlimited specialty dining at no extra charge.

 

 

Please read full post before commenting---  "Those sailing in Owner’s suites in the Haven or upper level suites in the Retreat do get some additional amenities than listed in the chart above. These sometimes include the minibar or included dining in specialty restaurants but, for the average suite guest, these additions are not included."

 

3 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I also think that MSC's Yacht Club should be included in this comparison.  

I've never sailed with MSC.  That is why this comparison is between NCL and Celebrity.  I would love for you to start a similar thread so I can read about the differences between MSC and the other lines. Let me know when you get started. 

[kenb]

3 hours ago, mafig said:

I've always wanted to try the Haven.  However, I kept reading reviews where some cruiser's experience was ruined by large families letting their children run wild.  Not on all ships /sailings obviously, but I was afraid to take the gamble.  Celebrity doesn't cater to children and most of the  suites on MSC's Yacht Club aren't that large.

I was on the Breakaway during spring break 2 years ago. We had absolutely no issues with children. The Haven pool was always empty. In the Haven dining room the children were pretty much well behaved. Now the rest of ship was pretty much as you would expect during spring break.

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

1 hour ago, Seany527 said:

I've never sailed with MSC.  That is why this comparison is between NCL and Celebrity.  I would love for you to start a similar thread so I can read about the differences between MSC and the other lines. Let me know when you get started. 

 

Well I've never sailed with NCL.  There have been many posts comparing the suite experience on Celebrity with the Yacht Club.  I did one after my first cruise on the Seaside.  So, been there, done that.

[BoundForSea]

My observations aren’t really which is better, rather than which cruise line does the ship within a ship become more pronounced? When we sail YC or Haven there is a huge sigh of relief from getting away from 4000+ people everywhere. The main pool scene on MSC and NCL is just out of hand. Sun decks on YC and Haven, relaxing and enjoyable. 
 

On Celebrity, we sailed Millennium and to be honest, the experience on the ship as a whole and the lack of extreme crowding, etc doesn’t create a need to find your sanctuary in the ship that’s within the ship! We did a b2b in June in Retreat, and I decided despite how great it was, I am completely happy with a Verandah! We sailed Alaska on her again last month in a FV, and we were just as happy and content as we were in June. 

 

I will say this though, the sun deck on Millie ajd Summit (post revolution) is like being on the surface of the sun in the summer. There is NO shade and no ventilation through the glass. It was unbearable and nobody used it both weeks because it was so bad. They need umbrellas and vents in the glass.

 

Basically this is a testament to the overall X product and their experience. They make the mainline experience so great, at least on the Millie and Summit, you just don’t need Retreat! (staterooms and suite space aside of course)

 

*There have been times when I couldn’t get back to YC or Haven fast enough, summertime on BA class from NY or peak season on Seaside from Miami- not so on X. 

 

My DW and I are heading back to YC next week. As much as we’ve really loved being on Celeb this year, we’re really looking forward to being back in YC. I’m completely content alternating cruises between X mainstream and YC. I’m all done with NCL. Celebrity has taken its place for us. Just overall better and a better fit for us now that kids are grown and not vacationing with us anymore (we’re mid 40s)

 

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by BoundForSea

[BoundForSea]

3 hours ago, kenb said:

I was on the Breakaway during spring break 2 years ago. We had absolutely no issues with children. The Haven pool was always empty. In the Haven dining room the children were pretty much well behaved. Now the rest of ship was pretty much as you would expect during spring break.

 

It’s just luck of the draw. Out of NY on BA one summer, the Haven Courtyard was like a huge daycare, I mean you couldn’t hear yourself think, and kids running all over the place. It’s just luck of the draw. Back then we had teenagers and even they were over it. 

Edited September 19, 2021 by BoundForSea

[Hlitner]

What is missing from the comparison is price!  And there are some huge differences.  For us, a big attraction of the Yacht Club was the pricing (used to be $300 a passenger day but now at least $360) which was significantly less expensive then comparable deals on X.  And keep in mind that the YC folks get an entire section of ship (which is protected by electronic doors) which does give a real ship within a ship experience.  

 

Hank