We cruised twice on Celebrity (Apex,transatlantic, Sky Suite on Retreat, Oct. 2021 and this time on Beyond on a 10 -day Caribbean on Sky suite) and twice on NCL ( Prima, transatlantic, on Haven, Sep. 2022 and Norwegian Joy,on a 15-day Panama canal cruise in Feb 2023, also on Haven) and we can honestly say that hands down, NCL's Haven, overall, has the best service and food and is totally worth the money. Having your own elevator, your own butler, and reserved seating at the theater must be a perk that Celebrity does NOT have. It's not worth paying all that extra $$$$.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Compared to NCL's Haven, Celebrity's menu changes daily and can be too "exotic" for my husband ( you can ask for the regular that's off the menu) while NCL's Haven restaurant's menu does not change but they add the special (or specials) for the day. NCL's Haven restaurant does offer Surf and Turf daily so hands-down, they have the best food, in our opinion.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The shows at Eden were fantastic and Elements (the final show) was outstanding. Matt Johnson was very entertaining. House band was exceptional. Wish they can just have their own exposure on stage with their own singer. They need performers and performances like these. Other than that, we could care less. Also, we had to go to the theater and Eden 30 mins before the show to find good seats. If Retreat guests can't have reserved seats, is it really worth spending an extra $$$ ??
Children's Programs
Cruised as a couple
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Our waiter at the Luminae, Rozi, was the only person we were very fond of during the cruise. We did have the head butler, George, check on us on the 3rd day and he set up a very nice birthday surprise for my husband in our cabin. That was very sweet. Other than that, it looked like it was under staffed. You hardly see any servers in the theater and the general areas. Captain Kate was awesome,very engaging to the cruisers and so is the cruise director, Shawna.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was beautiful
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
I knew what to expect when we booked the Sky Suite so the size was not an issue. However, there was a musty smell and we had to request to have it steam-cleaned. The drain on the tub was also clogged though they did fix it when we asked them to.
Ship tip
If you are thinking of booking a Sky Suite in the Retreat, you will not get your own butler. Instead, you'll have a "head butler" who's in charge of multiple Retreat cabins.
Never been fan of The Retrear even is Top Notch but has flaws I would say that Yatch Club from MSC is far better on top notch
Maybe if you choose Aqua Suite could be on a better experience
Thank you for your Haven vs Retreat comments. We really like the Haven and will be trying the Retreat this summer. We picked celebrity based on the itinerary.
Glad you had a good time. We've never stayed in the Haven when we cruise with Norwegian as it is very expensive. And we aren't even in the cabin that long we are always out and about on excursions. I am glad that you enjoyed it and everybody says it's very nice. We have never cruised with Celebrity Cruise Line. We have been to all the ports that you've been to. But we did not miss any ports because the weather was fine.
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