Ben and Davids YT Review of Haven on new Ship

[WestCoastDeb]

YouTube just rolled out a feature too where AI will generate a title for the video for the creator. I wonder how much this plays into the more clickbaity titles -- the creators still have to chose to use it but I can see it having an effect. 

[chill6x6]

From my prospective they did get a few things right...

 

1. I've never been at a Haven bar and got really good to great service.  Usually a little on the slow side, a little on the not so friendly side, and probably a little on the understaffed side.

2. They are completely correct about the Haven menu. Being able to dine at included specially restaurants saves them.

3. Highest service frees in the business I believe. Why AREN'T the concierge and butler included? They sure do deserve it. Of course their base pay may be such that they don't depend on gratuities.

4. It WOULD be great if the Haven area had a little live entertainment at least occasionally. Some strings, a guitar, a piano...something to improve the ambiance.  

 

But on the other hand...

 

1. I'm not really sure one can beat the Haven price for those wanting a more upscale experience based on what IS included.

2. Maybe they don't have a lot of suite experience. No suite experience is perfect and differ between cruise lines. I've done Celebrity, Royal, HAL, and NCL, several times in their top suites. No suite experience is perfect or even what they could/should be. All have things they do great and then things that aren't so good.

3. I have generally been satisfied with the Haven product. 

 

 

[RocketMan275]

54 minutes ago, chill6x6 said:

3. Highest service frees in the business I believe. Why AREN'T the concierge and butler included? They sure do deserve it. Of course their base pay may be such that they don't depend on gratuities.

How much do you think the DSC should be increased to include the Butler and the concierge?

[chill6x6]

8 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

How much do you think the DSC should be increased to include the Butler and the concierge?

So Celebrity's product resembles NCL product the most probably.  Celebrity's retreat DSC is $21/d/pp. NCL Haven DSC is $25/d/pp. How about for starters $4/d/pp out of that $25? 

[zackarykeef]

4 hours ago, chill6x6 said:

1. I'm not really sure one can beat the Haven price for those wanting a more upscale experience based on what IS included.

2. Maybe they don't have a lot of suite experience. No suite experience is perfect and differ between cruise lines. I've done Celebrity, Royal, HAL, and NCL, several times in their top suites. No suite experience is perfect or even what they could/should be. All have things they do great and then things that aren't so good.

3. I have generally been satisfied with the Haven product. 

 

 

You should try MSC Yacht Club. Clearly by the OP’s username, they’re an MSC fan. I’m an NCL fan by and far, but I don’t think any suite class tops Yacht Club. The pricing is MUCH more affordable (almost a steal tbh), and literally everything is included, down to the thermal suite. Even the elevators (on the entire ship, not just in Yacht Club) work just for you and take you to the floor you want without stopping when you swipe your card. I’ve had butlers literally push through steerage to make way for us. Hands down the best value and the best suite class overall IMO.

[RocketMan275]

11 hours ago, chill6x6 said:

So Celebrity's product resembles NCL product the most probably.  Celebrity's retreat DSC is $21/d/pp. NCL Haven DSC is $25/d/pp. How about for starters $4/d/pp out of that $25? 

You're cherry picking.  Compare all celebrity pricing.  

[skittl1321]

The Civitavecchia one bothered me, because it seems like it is well known that the port is NOT Rome proper; how could it be, Rome is not a coastal city. That was click bait thumbnail 100%.    (That said, I have a Europe cruise soon, and one of the ports is "Paris", and the actual port is MUCH further from Paris than I thought it would be- looks like nearly 3 hours to get there, I was expected an hour or so; needless to say, we will not be going to Paris, and my daughter is pretty disappointed. I should have done more research, so this Rome video might help people (except since it doesn't say Rome in the title, maybe not...). 

I felt like their Haven review was reasonable, but I've never sailed in the Haven. It did seem like it just did not meet their expectations, and I think it is fair to share that. 

[Liljo22]

6 minutes ago, skittl1321 said:

The Civitavecchia one bothered me, because it seems like it is well known that the port is NOT Rome proper; how could it be, Rome is not a coastal city. That was click bait thumbnail 100%.    (That said, I have a Europe cruise soon, and one of the ports is "Paris", and the actual port is MUCH further from Paris than I thought it would be- looks like nearly 3 hours to get there, I was expected an hour or so; needless to say, we will not be going to Paris, and my daughter is pretty disappointed. I should have done more research, so this Rome video might help people (except since it doesn't say Rome in the title, maybe not...). 

I felt like their Haven review was reasonable, but I've never sailed in the Haven. It did seem like it just did not meet their expectations, and I think it is fair to share that. 

Is it the Anthem OTS cruise?  Its about a 2 1/2 hour train ride and you are in port for 14 hours so I wouldn't give up on Paris so easily.  

[lgdesign]

2 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

The Civitavecchia one bothered me, because it seems like it is well known that the port is NOT Rome proper; how could it be, Rome is not a coastal city. That was click bait thumbnail 100%.    (That said, I have a Europe cruise soon, and one of the ports is "Paris", and the actual port is MUCH further from Paris than I thought it would be- looks like nearly 3 hours to get there, I was expected an hour or so; needless to say, we will not be going to Paris, and my daughter is pretty disappointed. I should have done more research, so this Rome video might help people (except since it doesn't say Rome in the title, maybe not...). 

I felt like their Haven review was reasonable, but I've never sailed in the Haven. It did seem like it just did not meet their expectations, and I think it is fair to share that. 

Completely agree with you re: their video about Civitavecchia... a little advanced research would have made a lot of things very apparent.  We've transferred from the port to Rome both by train (when we were younger and dragging our bags through the port and streets was more feasible) and now these days by private transfer due to mobility issues.  Different strokes for different folks and tons of info available.

 

And while it's fair to share their views of the Haven, I also feel like a number of their complaints came from an ignorance of how things work in the Haven in general, the differences between the Haven on other NCL ships vs. this new class of ships... and between the Haven and other cruise lines' version of the Haven. 

 

Basically, they needed to read themselves some "Sthrngary"   

 

They made some poor choices (grossly overpaid, sailed kid-heavy season and also sailed on one of the first sailings of a new ship – always fraught with issues) and were simply uninformed about what their Haven suite included creating some unhappy surprises... these were mostly avoidable.  After some very easy googling, how does anyone not know ahead of time that the Haven Restaurant menu does not change?  It has been that way across the fleet for many years.  A number of their complaints are "on" them as there are plenty of Haven Prima reviews and information out there to help them know what to expect.  I know one of them didn't know he was sailing in the Haven til he got there so it was up to the guy doing the surprising to educate himself to get the most out of his expensive plans.

 

So while they did have some legit gripes and seem like pleasant enough, well intentioned guys, I very much doubt I'll be looking at any of their videos in future as I feel their judgment is not the best and they could have avoided a good deal of their disappointments and bad surprises.

Edited October 4, 2023 by lgdesign

[skittl1321]

It's clear they did the advanced research on Rome though- they did a fabulous (and cheap) self-tour utilizing the train. It was just a click bait title on the video. 

Haven, I agree, their expectations were just set for a different product. Still, I can see why they might have those expectations when they are paying more than what they have paid for small ship luxury lines. But they were just expecting a totally different product than what NCL offers.  

I highly recommend them though. IMO, they are typically one of the top cruise channels out there. They have only recently gotten into more luxury experiences (likely because they can now afford it as their 'business' is bringing in money for them to do it.)

[david_sobe]

On 10/2/2023 at 1:21 PM, Liljo22 said:

I usually like Ben and David's videos but this one and the one they posted yesterday kind of irked me.  They are basing the cruise off the pricing of the first sailing which is always higher than future cruises.  I could have gotten an Owner's Suite on my Prima cruise for $9k for 4 of us. Same goes for The Shiplife who complained about paying $6,500 for a standard balcony for two and then upgraded to a club balcony.  

 

Yesterday's video had a thumbnail that claimed NCL conned them because their Viva cruise ported in Civitavecchia instead of closer to Rome.  They mentioned in the comments that they know all cruise lines do it but the damage is done before someone even clicks on the video.  

 

BTW...here are the two thumbnails for the Viva videos.

Its called click bait and everyone does it.  None of these videos are harsh like that.  They are NCL cheerleaders like many other vloggers.   So they point out some issues with the Viva Haven.  Its fair and their experience and should not be attacked for doing so.  I dont know about you but I like to hear both good and bad.

[lgdesign]

13 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

I dont know about you but I like to hear both good and bad.

I absolutely like to hear about good and bad too as they did have some legit gripes, but some of things they complained about were entirely avoidable had they done some basic research. 

 

And the fact that the one guy doing the planning clearly didn't research the basics about the Haven before sailing makes me wonder about other lapses of judgment on their part.  They seem like fun guys but they made some obvious blunders that I would not have expected from experienced cruisers/reviewers.

 

Maybe this trip was an anomaly for them...

 

 

 

 

[chill6x6]

13 hours ago, zackarykeef said:

You should try MSC Yacht Club. Clearly by the OP’s username, they’re an MSC fan. I’m an NCL fan by and far, but I don’t think any suite class tops Yacht Club. The pricing is MUCH more affordable (almost a steal tbh), and literally everything is included, down to the thermal suite. Even the elevators (on the entire ship, not just in Yacht Club) work just for you and take you to the floor you want without stopping when you swipe your card. I’ve had butlers literally push through steerage to make way for us. Hands down the best value and the best suite class overall IMO.

I'm not going to lie...I've had a couple booked that I cancelled and I consider them all the time.  The price is very reasonable and many times their itinerary isn't same ole, same ole.  The two main reasons I haven't gone cruising with them is suite balcony size and menu.  Balcony size- looks like it's about the size of a Haven suite which for me is too small.  I like having two loungers on my balcony to have our own private place we can kick back.  Menu- of course I've looked at some of the YC menus. Probably mostly my fault but I don't have much of an Italian, French, Greek, etc palate beyond the standard fare.  

 

I'll tell you what, I'll give them another look! Thanks for the recommendation!

[DCGuy64]

4 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

The Civitavecchia one bothered me, because it seems like it is well known that the port is NOT Rome proper; how could it be, Rome is not a coastal city. That was click bait thumbnail 100%. 

That is hilarious. I can't believe anyone would think a megaship could dock in Rome proper. For heaven's sake. Even Venice no longer allows big cruise ships, you have to go to smaller towns just outside (although cruise lines still bill them as Venice, which is a bit misleading).

[skittl1321]

4 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

That is hilarious. I can't believe anyone would think a megaship could dock in Rome proper. For heaven's sake. Even Venice no longer allows big cruise ships, you have to go to smaller towns just outside (although cruise lines still bill them as Venice, which is a bit misleading).

I don't think they ever actually thought that though. It's not like they got to the port off guard. They were completely prepared with a plan to get to rome, and a google mapped out trip to go to all the sites (I didn't catch if they were, but I think the video was sponsored by google maps.) It was solely click bait to get people to click.  Which is super annoying, so I'm not at all defending the use of "we were conned" but I don't think there was any point where Ben and David thought they'd be dropped off at Rome. They aren't new to this.

[DCGuy64]

13 minutes ago, skittl1321 said:

It was solely click bait to get people to click. 

I subscribe to their channel and I always liked them because they seemed upfront about things. That they're now resorting to clickbait kind of saddens me a bit. I thought they were above that.

[IAcruising]

4 hours ago, david_sobe said:

They are NCL cheerleaders like many other vloggers.  

 

I watch a lot of cruise vloggers. A lot. I have yet to see one "NCL cheerleader". Quite the opposite in my experience.

 

I guess I'm just missing those.

 

[Liljo22]

55 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

 

I watch a lot of cruise vloggers. A lot. I have yet to see one "NCL cheerleader". Quite the opposite in my experience.

 

I guess I'm just missing those.

 

I wouldn't call them cheerleaders but EECC Travel will talk about NCL being their favorite and will talk them up a lot.  

[david_sobe]

1 hour ago, IAcruising said:

 

I watch a lot of cruise vloggers. A lot. I have yet to see one "NCL cheerleader". Quite the opposite in my experience.

 

I guess I'm just missing those.

 

Clearly you dont watch them.  They are 90% positive of almost every cruise they take.  They always point out a few things they dont like.  Its crazy that you are so upset because someone posted their experience that may not be yours.

[IAcruising]

46 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

I wouldn't call them cheerleaders but EECC Travel will talk about NCL being their favorite and will talk them up a lot.  

 

Yes, and there's another crazy guy I've watched that's specifically NCL, but he's pretty new, not quite up to what it takes, and is a bit of strain to watch.

 

Still, the term "cheerleader" is a bit over the top, and not all what I've seen.

 

[IAcruising]

41 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Clearly you dont watch them.  They are 90% positive of almost every cruise they take.  They always point out a few things they dont like.  Its crazy that you are so upset because someone posted their experience that may not be yours.

 

Clearly you are mistaken. They are, in general, 90% positive of any cruise line they sail. That's kind if why they cruise.

 

What's crazy is that you assume I am "so upset".  Why would you think that based on my post?

 

[insidecabin]

I suspect they started out booking the cruise as an opportunity to review a new ship which is good for a vlog business, but the move to Haven changed the focus.

 

As they have mainly been budget cruisers the move up puts them a bit out of the comfort zone.

 

One issue highlighted here is more research would have helped but also highlights to get the best from your Haven luxury experience requires far more work than it should do for someone new to Haven.

 

As far as I can tell they are yet to go to the dark side of fully sponsored trips.

 

[InfrequentPNWCruiser]

Here on the Encore in the Haven , with a full ship, the Haven bar has not been busy at all with service on demand at any time. Also we had canned soda ordered as part of room service and didn't get charged for it either. Just not seeing those issues here as raised in that video. However we all know that there is a lot of variance ship to ship. 

[funfetti]

People who post polite and thoughtful negative feedback (whether it's in video form or on these boards) are trying to make the cruise experience better for all of us. We don't have to agree with it, but I don't really get the "they should have known better" school of thought-- if we all know (or "should" know) something is bad, let's encourage the cruise line to fix it!

 

That being said, I'm glad Ben and David went out of their way at the beginning of the video to point out the food variety and quality differences between Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. This is my main complaint about their content, and it made me stop watching them for a while-- I felt like their tastes and values didn't match my own. 

 

They are so positive about their experiences and so measured about anything negative, I assume if they make any mild criticism, in reality, it must have been horrific. Does anyone remember that Margaritaville video that looked like a floating health and safety violation?

[lgdesign]

2 hours ago, insidecabin said:

As they have mainly been budget cruisers the move up puts them a bit out of the comfort zone.

 

One issue highlighted here is more research would have helped but also highlights to get the best from your Haven luxury experience requires far more work than it should do for someone new to Haven.

Totally agree that they were a little out of their comfort zone... nothing wrong with trying something new and commenting on it.

 

That said, I disagree that it takes "far more work than it should" to find out some basic information about the Haven.  A little poking around CC shows that good information is readily available regarding things like the unchanging menu in the Haven and what is and isn't included with room service, etc.

 

I would think that when you're spending the kind of money they did that they would take a little bit of time to find out what they were actually buying.  It's just common sense when you're dropping that kind of cash on a trip.  

 

I appreciate their criticisms where they were legitimate... especially about the understaffing and the kids running a bit amok without being stopped.  These and other things they mentioned should be fixed and addressed.  

 

But basic info about the Haven experience is reasonably easy to find out about ahead of time and they looked silly complaining about obvious stuff they should have known about before setting foot onboard.  It undermines their credibility as reviewers when they don't know the basics.

Edited October 5, 2023 by lgdesign