Why would you pick a Haven suite on NCL over a luxury cruise line?

[Tapi]

Hi:

 

Looking for opinions from people who’ve experienced luxury cruise lines as well as “ship within a ship” concepts, like NCL Haven or MSC Yacht Club. I’m currently looking at a Canada/New England itinerary from Quebec City to New York. 
 

Norwegian Joy and Explora I have almost identical itineraries. The cost of a Haven Forward Penthouse Suite on NCL is almost identical to the cost of an Ocean Terrace Suite (entry level category) on Explora Journeys, so I’m torn with the decision. 
 

Part of me wants the Haven experience while having access to a larger ship with tons of activities and amenities, and part of me wants a full luxury cruise experience on a smaller, more intimate and sophisticated ship. 
 

For those of you who’ve found yourself making this choice, what did you choose and how did you reach that decision? I’ve sailed on MSC’s Yacht Club but I don’t have any experience with all suite luxury lines like Explora is marketing itself to be.

 

For what it’s worth, it’s only my wife and I, to celebrate our 20th anniversary. 🥂 
 

Thanks for your input. It’s greatly appreciated!

Edited April 1, 2023 by Tapi

[brookie848]

We are not luxury cruise people, but we want the perks of the Haven. We don't want to have to dress up at all, we don't want the fancy food.

 

We like skipping some lines and we love having our own restaurant and pool area. We like exploring what is available on the ship and talking to all the different kinds of people we meet on NCL ships.

 

I'm not saying we would never do a luxury cruise, but we would have to drastically change some things that make cruising fun for us and we're not ready to do that yet.

[Tapi]

9 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

We don't want to have to dress up at all.

Thanks for your input. You do bring up something that I hadn’t given much thought about. Attire.

 

Over the years, I’ve become less interested in dressing up. I bring a jacket, some long sleeve shirts and one tie in case I have to dress up a tiny bit, but I’m not into full blown formal affairs. I need to check their dress code. 

[goldmom]

We have done Haven and Oceania.  I prefer the Haven.  We didn't find the food to be any better than on NCL, except in the specialty restaurant.  We found we like the layout of the suites better on NCL.  We enjoyed the smaller ship size on Oceania, but found entertainment and the Casino lacking and the Concierge unhelpful.

I realize others have had better experiences on the premium lines, but we were disappointed.  We were also on one of the older ships which may have contributed to our experience.  Our favorite thing on Oceania was the specialty coffee bar!

[WillCruiseForMoney]

Explora is a new Cruise line that has yet to sail, so a big unknown how they will do.  They are owned by MSC, not sure if that is good or bad.  

 

It is an unknown.  If it were me I would wait until they have been sailing for a while.

 

I agree with goldmom as I also recently tried Oceania - prefer Havan

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by WillCruiseForMoney

[mtrancher]

Because I'm familiar with NCL and it works for me. My 1st cruise with NCL was on the Star in 2000. I booked a room below the sun deck so we wouldn't have to use the elevators. I did not realize it came with concierge services (we had a partially obstructed port window, so  not a fancy room). Our concierge was fabulous and made the trip for us. At that point I realized I the value of extra services and have always booked rooms with concierges. Then the Haven came along and it offers a lot more. They continue to improve the service and I think the price is increasing as well.

 

Having the Haven allows us to participate in far more activities without having to plan ahead as much. The atmosphere of the ship is likely younger and NCL ships have a lot of different activities; enough to keep us busy. Finally because the Haven is a subset you do get special treatment which I think may be negated on a luxury liner. We rarely stand in a line and do get priority for tickets. Since a luxury liner offers it all to all their guests, I wonder if lines can albeit short can be more prevalent.

 

I suppose at one point, such as what you are facing the cost of a true luxury liner will be the same for an itinerary for which I am interested. And it's likely I will take the plunge and give it a try, but I think that's a couple years down the road for me.

 

Good luck on your choice, I suspect your vacation will be fantastic regardless of which choice you make; after all getting aboard a ship and having a staff work to make your days perfect is always enjoyable regardless of what name is on the ship!

[BirdTravels]

21 minutes ago, Tapi said:

Thanks for your input. It’s greatly appreciated!

 

I think that you answered your own question. While you get the perks of being a suites guest in the Haven, you also have access to contemporary, "fun" activities and entertainment of a big ship catering to the mid-class passengers. 

 

We are older (... o.k. we're old) and are platinum members on Cunard and have spent time sailing in their Grill class suites which still have the magic of First Class from the days when a ship was for transportation and not "cruising". But we would still take a Haven room over Cunard. And unless you are in a Star class cabin on Royal, their suite services are really really poor. 

 

If you can drop a little more cash, having a room in the Haven complex will make your experience that much more magical. Yeah, you are going to spend more money for a smaller room, but being able to walk out of your stateroom into the Haven Lounge or Horizon Lounge is worth the money and loss of space. 

[Tapi]

2 minutes ago, WillCruiseForMoney said:

 They are owned by MSC, not sure if that is good or bad.  

We’ve done MSC Yacht Club and I enjoyed it. Explora is marketing itself as an “elevated” Yacht Club experience so we’ll see. 
 

I agree. Waiting to see until they actually start sailing this summer to see what the reviews are like. 

[Tapi]

7 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I need to check their dress code. 

I just did. No formal nights and “resort casual” vibe. I can live with that. 😀

[Tapi]

5 minutes ago, mtrancher said:

Good luck on your choice, I suspect your vacation will be fantastic regardless of which choice you make; after all getting aboard a ship and having a staff work to make your days perfect is always enjoyable regardless of what name is on the ship!

Thanks for your input. And I wholeheartedly agree with that last paragraph! 

[Tapi]

5 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

If you can drop a little more cash, having a room in the Haven complex will make your experience that much more magical. Yeah, you are going to spend more money for a smaller room, but being able to walk out of your stateroom into the Haven Lounge or Horizon Lounge is worth the money and loss of space. 

I weighed the two options and I think that I prefer the larger suite over location. When we did MSC Yacht Club, our suite was not inside the complex (forward facing duplex), but we loved the extra space. We were traveling with our kids at that time so the extra space was more crucial, but this time it will only be my wife and I. 

[Two Wheels Only]

I still have an open mind with Explora Journeys and have been following along with them ever since they were first announced. Although they are marketing themselves as a luxury line, they are also marketing themselves as "child friendly" which is important in my case. I'm still waiting for them to begin sailing so that I can read some actual reviews from (hopefully) Yacht Club guests. 

 

14 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

We don't want to have to dress up at all, we don't want the fancy food.

 

This is from the Explora marketing dept./FAQ...

 

What is the dress code onboard Explora Journeys?

 

We don't have a dress code onboard but we suggest an Elegant Resort Casual style.

 

 

How many formal nights are on my Journey, and what type of clothing is worn?

 

There are no formal nights.    

 

 

Are children permitted aboard Explora Journey’s ships? If yes, is there a special rate?

 

We happily welcome our younger guests onboard Explora Journeys. During the usual school and seasonal holidays, we offer a special children's programme for our Little Explorers. As regarding our fares: infants between 6 months and 2 years of age sail for free;  children and young adults up to the age of 18 will be eligible for additional savings of up to 50%.

 

Are there any restirctions for children or any areas where they are not allowed to enter? (their typo, not mine 😁)

Our adults-only areas onboard are the Whiskey bar within the Observation Lounge (where smoking will be allowed), and the Forward Pool area on deck 12.

 

...so it is very much a possibility. I've seen and priced a few cruises that I would book but I won't until...

 

1. The bugs/wrinkles are worked out with a new ship AND a new line.

2. I see how things are onboard as far as the experience.

3. I see how receptive Explora Journeys is to customer feedback with those early sailings. 

[brookie848]

2 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

What is the dress code onboard Explora Journeys?

 

We don't have a dress code onboard but we suggest an Elegant Resort Casual style.

 

Yeah...I don't think my husband would go for Elegant Resort Casual style. He wants to wear shorts to dinner on a Caribbean cruise. He wouldn't bring long pants at all if it wasn't for the fact that we leave from the northeast in the winter.

 

NCL works for us and we'll stick with it for now.

[BirdTravels]

2 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I weighed the two options and I think that I prefer the larger suite over location. When we did MSC Yacht Club, our suite was not inside the complex (forward facing duplex), but we loved the extra space. We were traveling with our kids at that time so the extra space was more crucial, but this time it will only be my wife and I. 

Don't get me wrong. We, personally, book forward facing Haven rooms because they offer more space, a separate living room, at a much lower cost than the smaller penthouse rooms in the Haven complex. Our Haven room last year was in the Haven complex (first time in a while), and were about 10 steps from the Haven bar 🙂 and 15 steps from the Haven restaurant and 15 steps from the Haven pool deck. 

[Two Wheels Only]

3 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

He wants to wear shorts to dinner on a Caribbean cruise.

 

I see no reason why he can't wear shorts. If there is no code and only a suggestion, he shouldn't have a problem. Again, we'll have to see what happens.

[fredflint]

I look at it this it is better to buy the bottom of the top than the top of the bottom.

 

The fanciest Chevy or Buick may cost the same as a Cadillac, but the Cadillac dealer will offer a better overall experience.

  I took a Crystal Alaskan cruise years ago we had a standard outside room (vs Penthouse suite on Celebrity).  But the service and level of detail was far and above the service we would have had from Celebrity.

It started with a person meeting us at baggage claim.  My bag somehow missed our flight the person from Crystal contacted the airline and was told it was on the next flight which was about a 30 minute wait.  She contacted another person to come over and escort the rest of the people to the shuttle busses they stayed with us until my bag arrived then walked us over to a shuttle to take us to the ship.  When it came time to get off the boat there were people there to make sure people had someone to help with bags and get you onto the shuttle busses.  Other cruise lines once you leave the ship you are on your own.  Before dinner every night there was a cocktail party with drinks, after the first night the servers knew which food I liked or didn't and they would bring over trays of appetizers that were just what I wanted or similar stuff. they knew no liver stuff after the first night.

 

All of the tours had a crewmember on them to make sure there were no issues and if there was someone from the ship was there.  This was on an Alaskan cruise but was told it was standard for all cruises/ports.

[Tapi]

29 minutes ago, fredflint said:

I look at it this it is better to buy the bottom of the top than the top of the bottom.

 

The fanciest Chevy or Buick may cost the same as a Cadillac, but the Cadillac dealer will offer a better overall experience.

Thanks for sharing your experience. 
 

I guess kinda like buying the smallest house in the nicer neighborhood? 

[purpleally]

2 hours ago, goldmom said:

We have done Haven and Oceania.  I prefer the Haven.  We didn't find the food to be any better than on NCL, except in the specialty restaurant.  We found we like the layout of the suites better on NCL.  We enjoyed the smaller ship size on Oceania, but found entertainment and the Casino lacking and the Concierge unhelpful.

I realize others have had better experiences on the premium lines, but we were disappointed.  We were also on one of the older ships which may have contributed to our experience.  Our favorite thing on Oceania was the specialty coffee bar!

Oceania is premium, not luxury

[gmbhardy]

I sailed 10 times in the Haven and six times in the YC. One issue that’s been discussed on the MSC forum is the concept of exclusivity. When you’re sharing the ship with non Haven, or non YC passengers it’s easy to administer exclusive perks - priority embarkation and disembarkation, priority tendering, exclusive theatre and restaurant seating, etc. But when the whole ship is exclusive how are they going to prioritize exclusivity. I’ve never sailed on any of the high end lines and wonder how they do it to keep everyone happy.

[complawyer]

having booked a haven or regular suite multiple times, it just feels very comfortable, since we know what to expect, what ot look forward to and what to avoid. downside is the menus never seem to change for breakfast or lunch, cant begin to tell you how many times we've had either eggs benedict, or french toast for breakfast, or french did sandwich, shrimp louie salad for lunch.. such suffering, LOL!

 

having checked other cruise lines and their respective itineraries, i go with ncl hands down

[ColeThornton]

27 minutes ago, purpleally said:

Oceania is premium, not luxury

 

What's the difference?

 

Thanks.

[complawyer]

probably amount of dollars needed to sail, and extra goodies/perks, offered

[Tapi]

12 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

What's the difference?

It’s somewhere between luxury and mainstream. It may have some elements from a luxury cruise line but not all of them. Kinda like flying Premium Select on Delta, which falls between Economy class and Delta One.

 

At Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Oceania is between NCL and Regent Seven Seas. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Tapi

[david_sobe]

One error in the original comparison.  A Joy forward penthouse is not even located inside the Haven.  You will be walking everywhere including to the Haven.  There is a reason the pricing is so much lower than other Haven cabins.   The Joy does not even have a thermal spa which is another downer.  When I sailed Encore in an inside Haven cabin, it felt like a luxury cruise line.  Our cabin was steps away from the Observation lounge which was sparsely used which really made it nice to walk there, grab some snacks and watch the ocean.  It felt like part of our cabin.  We were also steps from the Haven pool and restaurant.  All the Haven facilities are just steps outside your cabin.  Do you want to stay at an oceanfront resort or do you want to stay at the discounted hotel 3 blocks away that lets you walk to and use the resort pool and restaurant?
So be careful with comparisons.  Compare apples to apples and not to oranges. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by david_sobe

[Tapi]

23 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

A Joy forward penthouse is not even located inside the Haven.  You will be walking everywhere including to the Haven.  There is a reason the pricing is so much lower than other Haven cabins.  
 

Do you want to stay at an oceanfront resort or do you want to stay at the discounted hotel 3 blocks away that lets you walk to and use the resort pool and restaurant?
So be careful with comparisons.  Compare apples to apples and not to oranges. 

On the sailing that I’m considering, the difference in price between the forward facing penthouse and the courthouse penthouse is about $400pp. 
 

Thanks for the analogy as it paints a clearer picture of what to expect. When we did the outside YC suite on MSC, it didn’t bother me to have to walk to the Yacht Club facilites, but I guess it’s because I got used to it and didn’t have any point of reference.