Typical NCL Haven cruiser. Looking for Retreat tips

[adamnoone]

Hey all. I am cruising on the Ascent 12/10/23. This is my first X cruise. I have been on RCL, NCL, and CCL. The past few cruises have been on NCL in the Haven. I cancelled my Viva Haven suite and I am now staying in a Retreat suite this go around. I know what to expect on NCL so I'm looking for tips, hints, or "tricks" in the Retreat. Any and all info from Haven/Retreat cruisers is welcomed.

 

Thank you,

~Adam

[Cap_D]

While simple, we have found just don't hesitate to ask (or share your wants, if/when asked by crew).  Book Eden at least once.  Plan strategically for lunch on sea days, as Eden Cafe and Luminae only open for lunch on sea days.  

[39august]

However, a limited lunch menu is available on port days in the Retreat Sun deck.  Perks vary by type of suite, so if you specify what suite you have booked, you may get more responses. 

[ashleyriley]

Thank you to the OP for starting this thread. I had similar questions about the Celebrity perks. Our last three cruises have  been on NCL in the Haven. Obviously we like the product, but wanted to try Celebrity Retreat. We are booked in a Sky suite on the Beyond. Will our butler escort us to shows and on and off the ship when in port? I always enjoyed seeing the Haven butler waiting for us and being able to bypass the line to get back on the ship in port. Do we get daily snacks delivered? Can you make special requests in Luminae that aren't on the menu? We had a suite in the Haven proper, is it a much different experience with the majority of suites being outside of the Retreat area on Celebrity? Thanks for any insight. 

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

On 7/12/2023 at 7:08 PM, adamnoone said:

Hey all. I am cruising on the Ascent 12/10/23. This is my first X cruise. I have been on RCL, NCL, and CCL. The past few cruises have been on NCL in the Haven. I cancelled my Viva Haven suite and I am now staying in a Retreat suite this go around. I know what to expect on NCL so I'm looking for tips, hints, or "tricks" in the Retreat. Any and all info from Haven/Retreat cruisers is welcomed.

 

Thank you,

~Adam

Not knowing which stateroom you are in, I can say that if you have elected an EV or IC, I believe that you will find a (positively) memorable experience.

 

If, in fact, you are in one of these staterooms, no "tricks" will be required. Your service should be adequate in itself.

 

Make a request, get results, if asking is even required.

 

Not Cunard QG Q1 or Q2, but close.

[CruiseCrew123]

@ashleyrileyNo you won’t be escorted anywhere ! On evening Chic nights there is a limited amount of reserved seating for suite guests and if not busy with other guests your butler will be there to greet you. There is no separate Retreat line to get back in the ship . We were not given snacks but our friends were - so I think it totally depends on the butler .  
 

You would need to discuss any dietary needs with the maitre d as they will obviously need to know if any allergies etc and work with you to ensure they are met. They have the daily changing menu plus the everyday ‘basic’ menu 

 

Apart from the very high end suites all rooms are in ‘general population’ 

Edited July 14, 2023 by CruiseCrew123

[Lighthousepointdream15]

You will not get the ship with in a ship feel that you get in the Haven. The biggest difference is that the dinner menu changes in Luminea every evening while it stays the same in the Haven. I once had a pasta dish that was served with shrimp switched out with chicken. Once when I mentioned to the chef that I really missed the meatball entree that Celebrity used to serve, he hunted down the menu and had it ready for my dinner two days later. 
 

You will get priority tender service if you have a tender port. 
 

As mentioned you get seating in the theater on elegant evenings but unlike the Haven where you go to the Haven lounge to be escorted, your butler will be in the theater. 
 

the Retreat has tea every afternoon which is a lovely touch.  They serve lovely sandwiches, scones and small desserts. 
 

While they serve drinks in the retreat there is no physical bar like in the Haven. There is a bar on the sun deck. 
 

I hope this helps. I enjoyed both experiences. I have sailed in a suite in M, S and E class with a sailing on the Beyond.  I recently sailed in a suite on the Prima.  Both are different in different ways. 
 

Enjoy your cruise!

[adamnoone]

Thank you to all that responded. I am in a MC Sky Class Suite. Everything else was sold out. Although I enjoy the "ship within a ship" feel, I am looking forward to exploring and enjoying the entire ship. I do enjoy the Havens prior disembark/embark at ports, but I'm sure that wont ruin my upcoming cruise. I admittedly don't use my butler very often. My reason for staying in the Retreat is for better dining and  less crowded areas to unwind and relax. 

[ashleyriley]

52 minutes ago, adamnoone said:

Thank you to all that responded. I am in a MC Sky Class Suite. Everything else was sold out. Although I enjoy the "ship within a ship" feel, I am looking forward to exploring and enjoying the entire ship. I do enjoy the Havens prior disembark/embark at ports, but I'm sure that wont ruin my upcoming cruise. I admittedly don't use my butler very often. My reason for staying in the Retreat is for better dining and  less crowded areas to unwind and relax. 

Again, thanks for starting this thread.😀 Thanks to those that responded with great insight. I did enjoy the perks of the Haven, especially on our last cruise that was extremely crowded. It will be nice to try the Celebrity experience (in my case the Beyond) and explore the entire ship as well as have the Retreat to relax and dine in. Just like you said. On our last NCL cruise outside the Haven felt so chaotic, long lines and limited seating everywhere. 

[39august]

If you wish any snacks delivered to your suite, just tell your butler what and when. Also, coffee or breakfast in your suite will be delivered by your butler upon request. Anything you wish to have, ask the butler.  If it is possible, they will try to fulfill any reasonable request. 

[bigbenboys]

12 hours ago, ashleyriley said:

Thank you to the OP for starting this thread. I had similar questions about the Celebrity perks. Our last three cruises have  been on NCL in the Haven. Obviously we like the product, but wanted to try Celebrity Retreat. We are booked in a Sky suite on the Beyond. Will our butler escort us to shows and on and off the ship when in port? I always enjoyed seeing the Haven butler waiting for us and being able to bypass the line to get back on the ship in port. Do we get daily snacks delivered? Can you make special requests in Luminae that aren't on the menu? We had a suite in the Haven proper, is it a much different experience with the majority of suites being outside of the Retreat area on Celebrity? Thanks for any insight. 

We were in sky suites in Asia. Our butler escorted us in small groups through custom before X started calling numbers. On tender days we would go to the Retreat and were escorted to the front of the line for tendering. Sometime X puts out the red carpet with a rope for suites guest returning to the ship. Your butler will bring appetizers to your suite if requested. Friends have had small gathering in their suite and the butler will bring in appetizers, wine, soda, water. We were invited to the PH for a party. The food served was from sushi on 5. Neither were charged a fee for their parties. See post #10 for photo of red carpet.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2903514-suite-priority-at-ports/

[C-Dragons]

32 minutes ago, bigbenboys said:

We were in sky suites in Asia. Our butler escorted us in small groups through custom before X started calling numbers. On tender days we would go to the Retreat and were escorted to the front of the line for tendering. Sometime X puts out the red carpet with a rope for suites guest returning to the ship. Your butler will bring appetizers to your suite if requested. Friends have had small gathering in their suite and the butler will bring in appetizers, wine, soda, water. We were invited to the PH for a party. The food served was from sushi on 5. Neither were charged a fee for their parties. See post #10 for photo of red carpet.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2903514-suite-priority-at-ports/

We have had the same “Suite” experiences as you on our X cruises. 

[bigbenboys]

1 hour ago, bigbenboys said:

We were in sky suites in Asia. Our butler escorted us in small groups through custom before X started calling numbers. On tender days we would go to the Retreat and were escorted to the front of the line for tendering. Sometime X puts out the red carpet with a rope for suites guest returning to the ship. Your butler will bring appetizers to your suite if requested. Friends have had small gathering in their suite and the butler will bring in appetizers, wine, soda, water. We were invited to the PH for a party. The food served was from sushi on 5. Neither were charged a fee for their parties. See post #10 for photo of red carpet.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2903514-suite-priority-at-ports/

The info above was not just on one sailing. Customs was in Asia on 2 different sailings. The parties were on multiple sailings. Used the red carpet in the Med and the Caribbean.

[CalTexCruiser]

If you have unlimited specialty dining make full use of it

 

we find Luminae can get busy and a bit hectic at rush hour and enjoy the relative more quiet dining experiences in the specialty restaurants 

[CruiseCrew123]

Have not seen this level of service post covid for standard sky suites 

Edited July 14, 2023 by CruiseCrew123

[angela miller]

I have sailed in Haven 3 times and Celebrity retreat  many more. Enjoyed the Haven but not the rest of the ship. Smell of smoke on several decks was horrible. We thought the bar in Haven was great and restaurant was very good except menu never changed on 17 night cruise. On our last Escape Haven suite several drawers were broken and were not repaired after we requested it.We like Celebrity for a great getaway to the Caribbean. Although lately I have heard several complaints about the food and the service on Celebrity, we were just on a February 2023 in a sunset sky suite, and found the service to be up to par as it has been in the past. We did just sell on Regent in May with a very good price point. We felt it compared better for what we got than Celebrity or NCL. Shop around! 
Enjoy your Cruise!

[ISABELLA]

We just returned from our  first Haven cruise in May. I agree with other posters that Haven experience is very nice ( we will do it again), but exploring the rest of the ship ( Gateway) was not very pleasant - very crowded with smoke smell in some areas. I think X ships are offer a better ambiance overall.