tomberly

It definitely helps reduce the time you have to wait in customs.  We just received our cards 2 weeks ago.  You can apply but may not have enough time to complete the process before you travel.  There are very few Global entry interview centers that are currently open with available appointments.  We live in North Carolina and had to fly to Miami airport to get an interview appointment as that was the closest to us that was open.  
 

You apply, then get pre approved.  That can take several weeks.  Once pre approved you can then schedule an appointment for your interview.  We were told at the interview appointment that we had been approved and our card came in the mail a few weeks later.  
 

If you get pre approved I think you can also complete your Global Entry interview when you return to the US.  I don’t know exactly how it works or if it cuts down time on your Customs wait.  
 

If you decide to do it you will want to start the process immediately.  

189 days. Getaway London to Lisbon Portugal 

3 hours ago, Grandmafreddie said:

Hoping to put lounges on balcony

Unless someone makes a special exception, you will not be able to put lounges on your balcony.  There is very little space and it is not that easy to get them to and from different balconies.  

Enjoying your review.  My husband and I will be on the Getaway August 8 from London to Lisbon, Portugal.  

8 minutes ago, complawyer said:

tomberly: this past summer,we flew from los angeles to london and stayed in london for 3 days. we arranged a shuttle to pick us up at our london hotel and drive us the the port in southampton (about an hour and half trip) we looked up shuttle services on google. it was slightly under 300.

Thank you, I think this is the direction we are leaning towards.  We are looking at international Friends day tours.  They offer London hotel to Southampton hotel transportation. We are going to be in Southampton for 2 days before we leave for our 10 day cruise that ends in Lisbon, Portugal 

6 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

If you are happy using the train then it is by far the best way of getting there from London. Direct train from Waterloo and it is much cheaper than taxis or transfers (unless you can get a good deal on a large group).

 

Easiest would be a taxi or transfer, but it is very expensive.

 

Some people add a trip to somewhere like Stonehenge to transfers.

Thank you 

Any suggestions on transportation options for London to Southampton? 
We will be traveling from the United States to London, where we will be staying for 4 days.  We are looking for a way to get from our London hotel to our Southampton hotel, where we are planning to stay for two days until our NCL cruise. 

8 hours ago, wolft927 said:

so between the difference in cruise fare plus the gratuities on my 9 night cruise was about $500 PP. so average the cost of a drink at $7.00, if i have more then 8 drinks per day ( which I absolutely do on vacation lol) it is worth it. but if you are a 2 drink a day person free at see beverage is a waist.   

Most drinks on a cruise are much more than $7 

32 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

The OP has a HI. It used to include Spa access and Haven access when it was a H9. Now, it just includes Haven access.

 

 

Unfortunately, neither I nor anyone that I know of has made a full list of which staterooms have the pole and which do not for this ship. I'll keep looking but if the info isn't out there, please report back after your cruise.

I will be happy to report back about it, only 341 days to go 😁

7 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

Video of Getaway 14132, right next door.

 

 

Thank you for the video.  One of the reasons I am looking for specific information on 14134 is because I have read that some of these cabins have a floor to ceiling pole in the middle of the room in front of the jacuzzi. There is conflicting information on google about which cabins have this and which don’t.  I appreciate the information that has been shared. 

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

H9 Spa Suite, right?

 

 

It’s actually listed as a HI on my invoice.  It is called 

The Haven Penthouse Suite with Balcony

• STATEROOM: 14134
• DECK #: 14
• CATEGORY: 
• APPROX SIZE: 309 Sq Ft
• VIEW: The Haven

2 hours ago, Dcoy said:

Google can be your friend. Do a search, many photos. 

I was asking for a bit of assistance from anyone who may have stayed in this cabin.  I am smart enough to do a google search before I posted this.  I was looking for recent first person experience rather than the conflicting information on google about this cabin.  
 

We were scheduled on the Viva August of 2023.  That cruise has been canceled by NCL because the new ship will not be ready in time.  We have chosen to take NCL’s offer to move us from the Viva to the Getaway; they choose the cabin in the same category.  Today I looked at my summary for this trip and can now see my new cabin number😁. We have been assigned cabin 14134, which is a Haven penthouse.  I am looking for any photos or information for this cabin. I would like to know if it still has the jacuzzi tub in the room after the 2019 update and if it has a pole in the middle of the room near the jacuzzi.  Any information would be greatly appreciated.  

10 minutes ago, seasidemama said:

Wondering if this is an option for regular and or suite/haven cabins?

If you are in a suite or The Haven that comes with a butler, the answer is yes.  You contact your butler for this.   For a regular cabin you have the option to order from the fixed room service menu. 

On 9/4/2022 at 1:07 PM, wolft927 said:

But I can not upgrade pre cruise just one person?

I was able to upgrade just my husband on our upcoming August 2023 cruise.  When I clicked on the upgrade I only checked the box next to his name.  I was able to checkout and pay for just him.  

1 hour ago, clgaryguy said:

I was thinking that 20% discount is not really a discount moving from the Viva to the Getaway. The Prima and Viva are different classes of ships than the Getaway.  The price we are paying is about 20% more than a regular cruise....What do you think?😀 I really don't know what to do.  As someone else mentioned, how can we make a decision on the cruise if you don't know the ports. 

I hear what you are saying. Defiantly a risk and a different class of ship.  For us, we already had a really good discount on the Viva because of our Epic cruise being canceled.  So with another 20% discount we should be getting a really good rate.   You can’t usually combine % off discounts, but in this case if we go with the Getaway we can.  We have been on the Getaway before and we enjoyed the ship.  When it comes to a cruise in Europe, for us the ship is a second thought.  We have a busy port schedule and from our past experience on the NCL Star from Venice we will spend a lot of time off the ship. I do feel really bad about all the people from the Getaway that have been canceled due to the redeployment of the ship to Europe.   Hope everyone finds a new cruise that works for them.  

7 hours ago, LisaDee said:

Does anyone have any more info (itinerary) on the Aug 2023 TA mentioned above or know when it will be available for booking?  I’ve checked my normal online browsing/booking resources including NCL.com and don’t see it.  I assume it’s offline while they give the displaced Viva passengers time to decide whether to rebook on Getaway?

 

We love the idea of using an eastbound TA to travel to Europe and avoid overnight flights / jet lag and a late summer time frame works better for our schedule than the normal spring eastern TAs.

For my canceled cruise August 8th;  they told us that we have to decide which option to take by September 2nd.  They will let us know by September 13th what cabin we got and the planned itinerary if we chose to go with the Getaway.  They are also offering this option to other canceled Viva cruises that were in early July, so unfortunately I don’t think it will be a late summer transatlantic.

1 minute ago, RMS Olympic said:

Tomberly ........Viva sailing Feb 5, 2024 out of San Juan!

As they would say on Hawaiian 5 O......book it Danno.

Just put a coin jar on the kitchen counter...empty all change into it every time you come back from the store😎

 

 

That sounds like so much fun.  I have always wanted to go to San Juan.  Coin jar is the way to go😎

3 minutes ago, RMS Olympic said:

Well I booked the new inaugural sailing on August 26th. I’m a sucker for a maiden voyage. The price was a little less which was a pleasant surprise. Took the night before hotel package considering how problematic air travel is.

plots of luck to everyone else.

I hope you have a wonderful vacation.  Sound like fun to be on the inaugural cruise.  I hope to try the Viva one day.

On 8/16/2022 at 7:04 AM, Ulsteinvik said:

Anyone know what's going on here? A few months ago, NCL canceled the Baltic tours and replaced them with Caribbean tours. A few days ago, an Atlantic trip to Southampton on August 28th was also bookable, which has now also disappeared. Again redeployment?

The Getaway is being redeployed to Europe to cover the postponed Viva cruises.  Unfortunately the NCL Viva is going to be delayed in delivery.  
 

50 minutes ago, checkitallout said:

Just got the notice for July 3 cruise. Very disappointed. I don’t know how you make a decision without knowing the dates and itinerary. I was told that the getaway cruises were canceled to change the itinerary. I guess we can take the chance because we can cancel if we don’t like it. Dates are also important to us. 
we do want to book air with points so need to know soon before flights aren’t available 

After much thought, I think my husband and I are going to roll the dice and go with the Getaway cruise.  We were originally on the Epic which they canceled many months ago.  We booked the Viva because we had a good discount from the canceled Epic cruise.  We don’t know what cabin we will have or where we are going; but we will be in Europe and that’s all that matters to us. We can be flexible with the dates if we need to be.  We are staying in the Haven so I know we will have a fantastic time and a great cabin.  The 20% discount of my original fare is too hard to pass up.  

24 minutes ago, SpacemanSpiff said:

These are the ones that "disappeared" last week from the NCL website, and NCL said they were "sold out," right?

Yes, these are the same cruises.  I am considering taking the Getaway option but I wonder what “comparable itinerary” means.  You have to decide before they say where you are going.  
 

I am wondering if anyone who has had their cruise on the Viva canceled earlier have any information on Itinerary changes?

We have just received an e-mail offering the Getaway as a replacement cruise for my Viva cruise.  Do you know if the itinerary for your July 3rd cruise stayed the same or did it change?  I’m trying to decide what offer to take.  Any information would helpful

This is the second time our Europe cruise has been canceled in the last few months.  

We received the official news today that our Viva Europe cruise has been canceled for August 8-17, 2023. We were really looking forward to checking out a new ship.  We loved the itinerary, staring in London and ending in Lisbon.  Sad we won’t be able to sail on the Viva but we are looking forward to finding another cruise.  Planning is half the fun😁