PaulInPGH

We’d initially booked a midship balcony cabin for this cruise. However, our travel agent recently began participating in the NCL Upgrade Advantage program, so for the first time we were offered a chance to bid on a cabin upgrade prior to sailing. Having never done the Haven before, and because this cruise was booked as a celebration of my wife’s new job, we decided to go for it and we placed two bids on Haven cabins. We bid fairly aggressively ($1000 per person), which was in the middle of the “fair” bid range. Even at that price, we ended up saving $1500 off the list price. We were thrilled.

Now, there are a lot of fantastic perks that come along with the Haven, but it would be worthwhile even if you just got the fantastic cabin! Our Spa Suite, despite being the smallest of the Haven cabins, was by far the nicest cabin we’d ever seen. It was spacious and modern (with hardwood floors), a long, if narrow, balcony, an in-room jetted tub (right next to a window, so you can look out on the ocean while you relax), and the most comfortable bed I’ve ever encountered. Oh, and I almost forgot, the very large shower was amazing.

We weren’t too hungry, so we decided to head back to the Haven lounge to grab our first drink of the trip rather than sit at Margaritaville and wait. We also stopped by the concierge desk and made a couple changes to our dinner reservations, which was very quick and easy.

Much to my surprise, when we ordered our frozen drinks at the Haven bar, they came with paper straws! We actually brought our own straws on this cruise but never used them. It was strange, though, since there was absolutely no consistency as to when a paper straw would be provided. Both at the Haven bar and at others around the ship, sometimes you’d get a straw, other times you wouldn’t. Regardless, it was nice to avoid the challenge of slurping a strawberry daiquiri out of a cup sans straw.

After our ceremonial first drink, we made our way back to Margaritaville. We were quickly seated, and we enjoyed a tasty free lunch of nachos, conch fritters, and my favorite Volcano Burger. Oh, and a couple of delicious Five O’Clock Somewhere drinks ended up on our table, as well.

We finished lunch at about 1:40, which was right when staterooms were opened. We crossed the ship and headed down to deck 14 to explore our Haven Spa Suite.

We took seats in the Haven lounge and were offered some pink lemonade. The concierge, Hanno, gave everyone a brief welcome to the Haven, and he told us about some available options for lunch. This included the Haven restaurant which opened at noon, and Margaritaville, which he informed us would be free of charge for Haven guests for that first afternoon. He also indicated that staterooms were already available, so we could drop off our carry-on luggage before finding lunch.

However, our stateroom was a Haven Spa Suite and therefore was outside the Haven proper. When we walked down to check it out, we realized that only the staterooms in the Haven area itself were ready, so we had to wait until all staterooms were ready later in the afternoon before checking out our fancy new digs.

Undeterred, we decided to take advantage of free Margaritaville, as we’d really enjoyed it on our Escape cruise last September. We got there just before noon, and we were told that they would be opening shortly. We took a seat and waited…and waited…and waited some more. Eventually, my wife went back to ask when we could be seated, and we were then informed that they wouldn’t be opening until 1:00.

Day 1: Wherein we discover the joys of the Haven.

On Sunday morning, we took an Uber to the port, arriving at about 10:20. We had a little miscommunication with our driver, who spoke only Spanish. When we attempted to tell him we needed Terminal C, he instead heard terminal si, which I’m sure was confusing. After some trial and error, plus some help from Google Translate, we circled around and made it—well, he brought us to Terminal B, anyway, and rather than try more futile discussion, we opted to simply walk the remaining distance to the correct terminal.

The check-in area for Haven guests is to the left upon entering (after passing through the security check). The woman examining boarding documents looked at our papers for a long while, seemingly doubting that we were indeed Haven guests. Maybe we looked too disreputable, I don’t know. In any case, after double-checking our cabin number and confirming that yes, that is a Haven room, she allowed us in the small Haven check-in area.

Check-in was very fast, as you would expect, and we were quickly escorted from the check-in area up to the boarding area, where we were asked to take a seat until the ship was ready for boarding. We sat in the boarding area from about 10:45 until about 11:15, at which time we were escorted on to the ship and straight up to the Haven!

Us and Pitbull.

The pineapple stage at the Ball and Chain.

Pre-Cruise: A Terrifying Flight and A Couple Nights in South Florida

I’ve detailed in previous reviews my fear of flying. I admit it’s irrational, but something happened on our flight to Fort Lauderdale that kicked my fear up to a whole new level. Soon after the initial climb-out, our plain took a sudden, unexpected nosedive. This was not turbulence, but a distinct downward dive. There were screams, obscenities, and the woman sitting next to my wife buried her head in my wife’s shoulder and screamed “oh, God! Oh, God no!” It was…horrifying. We got no explanation as to why this happened, but I devoutly hope it will never happen to me again.

We somehow managed not to die, and we eventually landed in Fort Lauderdale. Because I’m originally from South Florida, we stayed with my family rather than in a hotel.

On Saturday, we drove down to Miami to visit with some additional family and stay closer to the port in order to get an early start on Sunday. We had lunch at a fun Cuban fusion restaurant in Little Havana called Doce Provisions. It was a little more Cuban hipster than I was expecting (when I think Little Havana, I think of classic Cuban dishes), but we trusted the locals and enjoyed a delicious meal. The Cuban sandwich was very good, as was the chicken and waffles. For me though, the standout was the chorizo croquettes—a spicier version than the ham and cheese original.

We then took my 83-year-old grandmother to a Cuban bar on Calle Ocho called the Ball and Chain, where we drank mojitos and listened to a fantastic combo play live music on a stage that looks like a sliced open pineapple. We also saw a carving of Pitbull out front—very Miami.

Up next: Day 1 – Haven (or is it Heaven).

Well, I’d thought I wouldn’t be writing another review for a while, as we’d cruised to Bermuda not so long ago. Then, my wife got a new job, and we decided to take a couple weeks to celebrate before she starts the new adventure. That’s how we ended up booking a last-minute 7-night cruise on the Getaway for the week of January 6.

As you’ll see from my signature, I’m a habitual review writer. They tend to be long, but hopefully fun, and tend to contain way more pictures of food than is strictly warranted.

Again, it was just my wife and I on this cruise (the way we like it). We’re in our mid-thirties (soon to be late-thirties). This was our fifth NCL cruise overall and our second on the Getaway. This cruise was special since it was our first cruise in the Haven—spoiler alert: it was awesome! The cruise was fantastic, and I’m looking forward to sharing it. I’ve written this entire review in advance (as I’ve been a bad boy in the past and failed to finish a couple reviews), so I will be posting it in chunks as I find the time pre/post work.

With that said…onward!

Hi all. Just won my very first bid; extremely excited! We've cruised on NCL 4 times previously, but this was our first bid experience due to our TA not participating until recently.

We booked the cruise (Getaway leaving this Sunday, Jan. 6) about two weeks ago - very last-minute. We got the offer to upgrade about two days after we booked.

We originally booked a midship balcony (BB). I put in two bids for a Haven Spa Suite (H9) and a Haven Courtyard Penthouse (H5). The minimum bid was $400 for each category. I bid $1000 PP for each cabin type and won the Spa Suite! Got the notification email today, 3 days prior to the cruise.

All told, we'll be sailing in the Haven for the first time for about $1500 less than what it would have cost to book the cabin outright. Yay.

Cheers.

My two weeks were very different. The first week was spent with adult friends and the second was with my sister and her 4 year old. It was like night and day. Ive been to Bermuda several times so went with the flow with the adults. My sister played in a cas sponsored golf tournament the second week so I had my niece most of the time in Bermuda. We enjoyed a glass bottom boat snorkeling tour which was perfect for her and swam with the dolphins at the dockyard (lame compared to my other dolphin swims but perfect for a 4 year old). I spent most of my sea days in the Vibe. It was my 13th and 14th time sailing on the Escape and I cant say enough about the quality of service (obviously). Im actually sad that the Escape left Miami as it was my go to ship but am not a big fan of the NYC crowds on ships but most importantly plan my cruises around sunshine. (I live in NJ and am not knocking NYC residents but find that there are usually large groups sailing out of NY combined with all the cas guests out of Atlantic City and it makes for a different crowd than Miami) I eat at specialty dining and am a “plain” eater so cant get into a food review. I enjoy my cocktails and am not a gambler. I just cant say enough about the level of service on this ship.

 

 

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Thanks for sharing; you have definitely got pretty much all of us beat on Escape experience!

It's funny, because I am a very plain eater myself. You wouldn't know it by how much I post about food, but I've always been very picky, and it kind of drives my wife nuts. I've slowly gotten better over the years, largely thanks to traveling. I seem to be more open to trying new things when I'm out experiencing new places and local foods, more so than when we're just eating at home.

Cheers.

Thanks for the review. I sailed with you as it was my second week of a btb. Was fun to read a different perspective.

 

 

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I hope you enjoyed the double cruise! Any particular favorite things from the trip you'd like to share? I'm always interested in hearing what other people liked or disliked about a cruise.

Cheers.

That's how Di Fara's pizza is supposed to be cooked. Dominic uses a very high temperature pizza oven for the crust. Your "overcooked" is his specialty. I live within walking distance and the lines around the shop are insane when he is open. L&B is also terrific but a totally different style of preparation.

That makes sense. I know plenty of people love it, but it just wasn't for me. That's the great thing about NYC though--there's enough fantastic pizza for everyone to find the one that suits them.

Excellent review! Thank you for posting it!

 

My wife and I were also on this sailing and we had a blast!!!

Thank you. I'm glad you guys had a great trip, as well. Any particular favorite things/meals/experiences from the trip?

Cheers.

Great review!

Thanks very much.

Cheers.

Thank you so much for this delightful review! I have thoroughly enjoyed every word, photo, sip and tasty bite of your adventure.

 

I can't wait for you to finish your European review!

Thanks so much; that's very kind. I will post here when I get the Europe review going again!

Cheers.

I looked up your Europe review and loved it[emoji122][emoji3]. A great read and reminded me of the wonderful things we’ve seen.

 

 

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Thank you. I plan on going back and finishing that review soon. I really want to write about Venice, which turned out to be our favorite part of that trip.

Cheers.

No worries. I was trying to figure out comedy shows and Howl at the Moon, mostly. Oh, and Escape the Big Top.

I don't recall anything about Escape the Big Top. Howl at the Moon and the comedy shows alternated nights, I believe, with Howl at the Moon on days 1, 3, 5, and 7. We tried going to Howl at the Moon a couple different times but it was always insanely packed. I'd suggest going as early as you can. We didn't even try the comedy show, but we did see the line was huge, so definitely keep that in mind. At least on the Getaway, it was possible to reserve the comedy shows in advance while onboard, but I don't know if that's the same on Escape.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Paul, What happened to your review in "Our Epic European Adventure: A Review"?

It abruptly ends on page 8 leaving us hanging.

Great review up to this point along with your review on Escape.

Yeah, I feel bad about that. I honestly ended up getting overwhelmed with that one because there was just so much to cover. Writing this review has reinvigorated me, though, so I plan on going back and finishing that one up. Still might be useful/enjoyable to read even a year later. Stay tuned.

Cheers.

Paul, did you save/do you have your dailies from this sailing? We are going on Oct. 14 and I am trying to get an idea of scheduling for entertainment and activities that are defined on My NCL.

I'm sorry, but I don't have them. For some reason, I never remember to do this, I think at least in part because our Dailies take quite the beating as we carry them around all day. If you're wondering about something in particular I can see what the old memory can do, or someone who is better prepared than myself can weigh in.

Cheers.

Paul, thanks so much for your detailed review, can't wait to enjoy the Escape starting Sunday!

 

I noticed you visited the cellar quite a bit. As we also have the unlimited beverage package while being a fan of wine, how many varieties (red or white) did you find to fall under $15 a glass?

 

We're considering bringing some of our own wine but would like to avoid that silly (un)corking free.

 

Also, where would you recommend going on the boat the first day to reserve dining and shows?

 

Much obliged :)

Truthfully, I was a bit careless with our spending on this trip, particularly in terms of wine. I didn't pay much thought to the price of the glasses, other than to avoid the couple insanely priced glasses (you'll see what I mean when you visit). I'd say a good number of glasses were either at $15 or just above, like $17.50. Maybe a third of their offerings were at this level (very rough estimate). There was a good number of glasses at $22.50 (so $7.50 with the UBP), and this was the price point where I found myself drinking most evenings. Sorry I can't be more specific; but I'm confident you'll find something you like at all price points.

For reservations once onboard on day one, head to deck 6, in the small atrium area aft near Le Bistro/Headliners. There was a woman at a computer helping make reservations for all the specialty restaurants. You are supposed to be able to book from your TV in your cabin, but we've honestly never tried this. I'm sure it works fine, but I still prefer the 20th century way of doing things, at least when it comes to food. Enjoy your cruise!

Cheers.

This was a great read. Thank you for taking the time to post.

 

Would you happen to know approximately what time the Escape passes by the Statue of Liberty?

I'm sorry, but I don't know. I was six or so drinks in by that point and completely lost track of the outside world by about 4:00. Maybe someone else who has taken this cruise can share their thoughts.

Cheers.

We had a haunted cabin once too, don't remember the ship, but every night the balcony door would open. I would wake up with wind howling in room and the curtains blowing around. Would wake up my husband and he would get up and lock it again. If it happened during the day when ship was moving would have thought the lock was defective, but only happened very late at night. Was kind of spooky

Now that would scare the crap out of me. I told my wife your story and she agreed that it's spookier!

If I tell my hubby this, guaranteed he’ll want to sail in your cabin! It would make his day. Me, I’d be weirded out like your wife [emoji317]

 

BTW, you’re a good story teller, even if you’re winging it without notes [emoji1360]

 

 

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Thank you. My wife actually took the notes for our Europe trip, and I wish I could just post them here on CC unedited because they're so funny. Unfortunately, they contain way too much profanity.

Cheers.

Thanks Paul! We really appreciate all the time you put into writing this very thorough and fun review. Really love your writing style, sense of humor and all those awesome photos!

 

Hope you are booking your next cruise soon :cool:

Thanks so much; I'll also give my wife your regards, as she's the one responsible for the photos.

We did have another cruise booked--a fantastic-looking 11 night Med cruise from Rome next September. Unfortunately, family obligations combined with my wife changing jobs have led to a lack of available vacation time, so that one's on the shelf, for now. But knowing us, we'll find a way to work a cruise in somewhere in 2019.

Cheers.