Haven experience compared to Grand Suites on Royal Carribbean? Comparable?

[sargemrs]

A group of us are trying to agree on another cruise and wonder how the Haven (LOVE) compares with Grand Suites on RC?  Itineraries and dates are hindering us from NCL at this time.

 

Thanks!!

[mdjohn5]

I cannot help,  but I am interested in the responses you get.  I am coming from the other side of the question,  I have been in RC Grand Suites several times and just booked my first NCL Haven cruise.

 

FWIW we have found RC service to be frustratingly inconsistent.   Sometimes it is over the top awesome, and then the next time it seems almost non existent.    We found ourselves drifting more to HA just to get more consistent service,  even though the RC ships have a lot more bells and whistles. 

 

My experience is pre covid so take it with a grain of salt but one issue that stood out on RC was that they had a ton of Diamond passengers.   They tried to give the D+ people the suite perks (happy hour drinks, etc) and it always seemed like a clusterF.   I think maybe they have addressed that with the newer ships and the diamond people having their own space but it left a bad taste with me. 

 

I am Haven Hopeful but time will tell 🙂

 

 

[sargemrs]

I can’t compare either, obviously, but Haven is awesome!  Uncrowned, special treatment….amazing!

[HBCcruiser]

You can only compare the Haven with Star Class on Royal Caribbean (RCI). The Grand Suites do not fall under Star Class - they are Sky Class. Sailing in a Grand Suite (Sky Class) is like being in  a regular NCL Suite. You get priority boarding, early booking, concierge service (pre-cruise and during your cruise), butler service, and you get to eat breakfast in a specialty restaurant. NCL allows you to eat in a specialty restaurant during sea days. ON RCI that is not offered unless you purchase the unlimited dining package. On RCI you also have access to a suite lounge with cocktail hour and some food selections (finger foods and continental breakfast with coffees in the AM). 

 

STAR Class, on the other hand, is another level! I actually think it is better, in some ways, than the Haven. They both have priority boarding and booking, private restaurant, lounge, deck/hot tub area, ect, but with RCI you have a Genie rather than a butler. The Genie will take care of your every need and make sure you get priority seating and access to any show/restaurant, ect. You get escorted on and off the ship (if you want). They will contact you weeks ahead of time to find out your likes/dislikes and they plan special surprises for you onboard. ALSO, with STAR class you get free wifi, beverage package and specialty dining all included. Not so with the Haven. In the Haven you have a butler who brings you snacks daily. They are more like a cabin steward on steroids. Butlers have to take care of more pax than Genies do. I am sure I am forgetting something, but I'd take STAR Class over the Haven any day.  I love them both, but that is my opinion. 

[Peachypooh]

We have sailed in the owner's suite on RCL and numerous times in the Haven on NCL.

Basically the owner's suites are just larger versions of the Grand Suites.

They are not the same experience as the Haven. My husband loved the owner's suite because of the concierge lounge with free drinks and appetizers in the early evening. That said the attention from staff in the Haven is amazing. I had an ongoing problem with cleanliness, non functioning toilet, and scalding hot water in the shower  on RCL that dragged on and on. I doubt that my butler and room steward on NCL would have let it go on and on. I know because we had a toilet issue on my last cruise on the Getaway and it was fixed in under two hours.

[sargemrs]

Thanks for the responses!  Not what I wanted to hear, but needed to I guess!

[mafig]

What ship on RC are you considering.  That makes a difference.

Some of the larger and newer ships have more amenities.  Like their own restaurant.  Private pool deck.  The smaller/older ships give you only breakfast in a specialty restaurant (like HBCruiser stated).

[sargemrs]

On 3/22/2023 at 10:09 AM, mafig said:

What ship on RC are you considering.  That makes a difference.

Some of the larger and newer ships have more amenities.  Like their own restaurant.  Private pool deck.  The smaller/older ships give you only breakfast in a specialty restaurant (like HBCruiser stated).

We’re booked on Allure of the Seas!  Our best Haven was on Norwegian Joy!  Amazing!

[psac]

44 minutes ago, sargemrs said:

We’re booked on Allure of the Seas!  Our best Haven was on Norwegian Joy!  Amazing!

We haven’t been on the Allure, but we’ve done a Grand Suite on the Oasis (sister ship) and the Anthem.   I say the below to set expectations, you’ll still enjoy the cruise!
 

With the Grand Suite, you’ll have access to Coastal Kitchen (CK), which we found to not be as good quality wise as the Haven Restaurant, although the menu changes daily, which is nice. Service on the Anthem CK was great, like better than any Haven restaurant we’ve been in to be honest, but on the Oasis it was meh. So it’s a bit of luck of the draw. One issue is that Royal gives suite perks to their Pinnacle cruisers, equivalent of 100 cruises sailed. If you have a bunch of pinnacles on board, we find they take over the suite areas, and since they sail so much, usually the staff knows them and because of that, gives them preferential treatment, which is kinda cr@ppy to be honest.  We usually buy a few specialty dinners out of pocket on Royal. 150 Central Park was exceptionally good. 

The suite sundeck on the Oasis class ships is nice, but not as nice as the Haven areas, and you have to travel through the public pool area to get to it, so it’s not isolated like the Haven.  The bartender on the Oasis sundeck was great, but drinks aren’t included unless you buy the drink package, which is expensive. 
 

On the Allure, you will get free drinks in the Suite Lounge (connected to CK but not the sundeck), free soda, water, beer and wine from 11-11, and free full bar (no blended drinks) from 5-8. On the Oasis, they also gave us the free suite lounge drinks while sitting at CK, which is right next door.  I’ve seen people say the Allure waiters sometimes do NOT do that, so ask first, and if they say it’s not free, just walk over to the lounge side and get your own drinks!   For us on the Oasis that was enough to not buy the drink package and just get drinks on the sundeck out of pocket. We did buy a water package just to have water in the room. 

The concierges on Royal are fine, but nowhere near as good as the Haven. 

 

That all sounds negative, but I will say the thing we liked about the Oasis (sister ship) over the NCL ships was actually the rest of the ship. There’s a lot to do outside the suite areas, so we actually found ourselves out and about more on the Royal ships, while on NCL we tend to stay in the Haven. It’s just a different experience.  
 

Also the differences above are why the grand suites are usually a good deal cheaper than the Haven. 😁  Enjoy!!

Edited March 25, 2023 by psac

[chill6x6]

12 minutes ago, psac said:

We haven’t been on the Allure, but we’ve done a Grand Suite on the Oasis (sister ship) and the Anthem.   I say the below to set expectations, you’ll still enjoy the cruise!
 

With the Grand Suite, you’ll have access to Coastal Kitchen (CK), which we found to not be as good quality wise as the Haven Restaurant, although the menu changes daily, which is nice. Service on the Anthem CK was great, like better than any Haven restaurant we’ve been in to be honest, but on the Oasis it was meh. So it’s a bit of luck of the draw. One issue is that Royal gives suite perks to their Pinnacle cruisers, equivalent of 100 cruises sailed. If you have a bunch of pinnacles on board, we find they take over the suite areas, and since they sail so much, usually the staff knows them and because of that, gives them preferential treatment, which is kinda cr@ppy to be honest.  We usually buy a few specialty dinners out of pocket on Royal. 150 Central Park was exceptionally good. 

The suite sundeck on the Oasis class ships is nice, but not as nice as the Haven areas, and you have to travel through the public pool area to get to it, so it’s not isolated like the Haven.  The bartender on the Oasis sundeck was great, but drinks aren’t included unless you buy the drink package, which is expensive. 
 

On the Allure, you will get free drinks in the Suite Lounge (connected to CK but not the sundeck), free soda, water, beer and wine from 11-11, and free full bar (no blended drinks) from 5-8. On the Oasis, they also gave us the free suite lounge drinks while sitting at CK, which is right next door.  I’ve seen people say the Allure waiters sometimes do NOT do that, so ask first, and if they say it’s not free, just walk over to the lounge side and get your own drinks!   For us on the Oasis that was enough to not buy the drink package and just get drinks on the sundeck out of pocket. We did buy a water package just to have water in the room. 

The concierges on Royal are fine, but nowhere near as good as the Haven. 

 

That all sounds negative, but I will say the thing we liked about the Oasis (sister ship) over the NCL ships was actually the rest of the ship. There’s a lot to do outside the suite areas, so we actually found ourselves out and about more on the Royal ships, while on NCL we tend to stay in the Haven. It’s just a different experience.  
 

Also the differences above are why the grand suites are usually a good deal cheaper than the Haven. 😁  Enjoy!!

I was going to post almost the same thing you wrote! Good job!

 

I will add...

 

I actually like the CK/SL area better than the Haven lounge/restaurant area.  IDK, the Haven is a little stuffy and staff don't seem to be as friendly.  I like the more casual vibe of CK/SL.  Food IS probably a little higher quality in the Haven restaurant but not a lot of difference IMO. I'm one of those that doesn't think the Haven restaurant has the best food/service on the ship.  For sure the Haven restaurant needs rotating dinner menus.

 

With staying in a GS room service is included.  ALSO items from the MDR menu are included in room service during dinner hours.

 

The priority boarding is about equal.  Royal Caribbean's suite waiting area is nicer/larger than what I've experience with the Haven waiting area.  

 

Getting on/off ship at ports...seeing the Haven staff on the pier and bypassing the line is awesome! Having your own elevator is nice.  Great Haven benefit!

 

Oasis class ship.....though not a suite benefit per se...though the Oasis class ships are larger with more passengers, much less crowding than I just experienced on Escape.  So many entertainment venues that are larger and with MORE SEATING. Several shows I never saw because the venue was small and PACKED even an hour before time.  And BTW, you will have reserved seating at production shows.

 

If you've got a particular question or comparison that you'd like, ask away!  

 

 

 

 

[sargemrs]

48 minutes ago, chill6x6 said:

I was going to post almost the same thing you wrote! Good job!

 

I will add...

 

I actually like the CK/SL area better than the Haven lounge/restaurant area.  IDK, the Haven is a little stuffy and staff don't seem to be as friendly.  I like the more casual vibe of CK/SL.  Food IS probably a little higher quality in the Haven restaurant but not a lot of difference IMO. I'm one of those that doesn't think the Haven restaurant has the best food/service on the ship.  For sure the Haven restaurant needs rotating dinner menus.

 

With staying in a GS room service is included.  ALSO items from the MDR menu are included in room service during dinner hours.

 

The priority boarding is about equal.  Royal Caribbean's suite waiting area is nicer/larger than what I've experience with the Haven waiting area.  

 

Getting on/off ship at ports...seeing the Haven staff on the pier and bypassing the line is awesome! Having your own elevator is nice.  Great Haven benefit!

 

Oasis class ship.....though not a suite benefit per se...though the Oasis class ships are larger with more passengers, much less crowding than I just experienced on Escape.  So many entertainment venues that are larger and with MORE SEATING. Several shows I never saw because the venue was small and PACKED even an hour before time.  And BTW, you will have reserved seating at production shows.

 

If you've got a particular question or comparison that you'd like, ask away!  

 

 

 

 

Thanks SO much!!!!!  I'm sure I'll have more questions as we wait for our cruise in August!!