Seas2mountains

We also cruised Getaway Haven with Alex. We agree with you - he is calm, professional and remembers to follow-up. We definitely appreciated him.

@YVRteacher as previously stated, I love your live reviews. Thank you for taking the time to share all the fun details about your experience and all the funny things your Dad says. I picture my Dad saying similar things before he died of Covid in April 2020. He loved cruising, too. We haven’t been on a ship with Leo, but did you get to hear D’Revelation or the other smaller venue performers? We have really liked D’Revelation on previous cruises. We don’t tend to step foot in the theater so I wasn’t sure if you had a chance to hear the other performers who aren’t in the theater.

We have been on 4 NCL Alaska cruises in the past 7 years. I agree with The Bird that Glacier Bay is so much better than Dawes Glacier (if the ship can actually get close to it). For Glacier Bay, a Park Ranger gets on the ship early in the morning and you will see several glaciers in the park throughout the morning until after lunch. For Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier, while it is beautiful in the passage getting to the glacier, on both attempts we did not get very close to the glacier and turned back. Passengers who were on an excursion got to see more and were able to get closer. If you plan to go back to Alaska on future cruises, either will allow you to sample Alaska. But if this is the only time you will get to go and can afford the extra expense (watch for prices to drop before final payment), I’d choose the cruise with Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier if Glacier Bay isn’t an option.

We were on the Getaway in the Haven in mid-September. @cruiseny4life was on the cruise before ours and let us know in a live review about ordering shrimp cocktail “off menu” for dinner. They will ask how many shrimp you want. @cruiseny4life it looks like you are having an amazing start to your cruise! Love the photos and updates! 😁 Is there any way you can find out what is going on in Syd Norman’s with the band and if there is one this week? There apparently wasn’t one last week. I know on our September cruise, the band played maybe 3 out of 10 nights. Now there are several posts on CC about Syd Norman’s with many guesses about the plans for the venue. Thank you if you have time to get info on this! Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

@BirdTravels has a very detailed live review of Prima including the thermal spa. if you go to post #88, you will see that Bird mentioned the jets in the thermal spa warm pool are now working.

@Ohio boomer has a live review on the Epic and posted a daily with two music events tonight in the Cavern Club. @CruzinMel has a live review on the Escape and I’m sure can give an update. And @cruiseny4lifehas a live review on the Getaway starting today and can maybe get more info?

Bon voyage! Thank you for taking the time to share the details. I’m looking forward to your updates. That is too funny about two in your party forgetting swim suits. Lol. I’m also curious about how all goes with your no show Mom vs. doing a cancelation. Have a wonderful vacation!!

Loving your review as usual! You absolutely did the right thing at Teppanyaki. I’m sorry to hear you and your Dad were put in that awkward situation. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

We did try MSC Yacht Club before Covid. We have been on 17 NCL cruises in the past 7 years for reference and will likely not cruise again on MSC. We liked the food during the day but honestly the Haven restaurant was better IMO especially for dinner. Night time snacks on MSC were disappointing but some people on our cruise loved the high tea service each afternoon. The lounge area was beautiful and while they did bring in nightly entertainment, we like going to entertainment options on NCL better. We were not fans of the other entertainment options on MSC. The MSC thermal spa while it was nice, it seemed more crowded than NCL thermal spas. We loved the outdoor grill on the Yacht Club pool area for breakfast and lunch. Their outdoor pool area is much better than the older NCL ship Haven areas. I highly recommend trying MSC Yacht Club to see if you like it. Some former Haven cruisers prefer it and don’t go back to the Haven. And some like us tried it but won’t go back on MSC. We have been meaning to try Celebrity but keep going back to NCL for various reasons. We have also tried Princess and HAL but likely won’t cruise with either of them again.

I’m really looking forward to your review, @cruiseny4life! I wish my husband and I were getting on the ship after your cruise ends like in September. Are you in the Haven again? If so, enjoy being spoiled by the amazing Haven staff. We enjoyed the off the menu shrimp cocktail and the yummy lobster tails with dinner. So jealous. Lol. Sounds like you do have a great husband to spend time with your Mom this week. Have safe travels!

This change will have no impact on our choice to cruise with NCL. We tend to reuse our towels for 2-3 days and don’t accumulate much garbage. The sheets don’t need to be changed for a few days. inflation exists and prices for all products and services are increasing. Why are some acting so alarmed that the cruise industry is doing what restaurants and hotels are doing? Hotels are not always providing daily service.

Excellent review! It’s great to read that you and your Dad are having so much fun! To use up the onboard credit, how about a massage or spa service? Specialty dining? We tend to use the onboard credit as soon as we board by waiting until we are on the ship to get unlimited Wi-Fi. Photos?

@Sthrngary created a great thread on this topic. We have done the Plus upgrade on the last two cruises in June 2022 and September 2022. We found value in trying wines we might not have tried without the package and definitely took advantage of ordering San Pelegríno and cartons of water throughout the day and evening. My husband enjoyed trying premium spirits. We have done the FAS + upgrade for our next cruise.

Thank you for your wonderful review, @CoffeeGoddess! The Bliss is also one of my favorite NCL ships, too, for some of the same reasons you mention- OL and the District. The entertainers in the District are so much better than the tip hungry piano entertainers in Dueling Pianos on Breakaway and Getaway. I’m so glad to read that you had a great cruise! Thanks for the photos and details. The hat and sword purchase is so funny - I hope you enjoy having both.

Bon voyage, @YVRteacher! I love your reviews and am excited to hear all about your cruise. I appreciate the photos and recommendations in San Diego. Enjoy that first drink. I hope embarkation is smooth and easy.

Thank you, Bird, for another great review! We typically use the jetted areas of the thermal spa the majority of the time when we use the spa pass. Is the pass worth it for the other features? It seems so disappointing compared to the thermal spas on Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class of ships. Are there new spa features offered to compensate for the loss of the jetted areas / bubbles?

I’ll let a solo traveler comment on the cabin decision. Here is a link to the Specialty Dining package add on costs. We do typically pay extra for this every cruise. Once the cruise is booked, there will likely be an option to add 2 SDP meals at a much lower rate than what is listed on this link: https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/dining-packages I think you can find lounge chairs in the pool area that are in the shade. If you don’t want to be near the pool, there are comfortable seating areas on the waterfront that may be in the shade and protected by the sun depending on the time of day, side of the ship and sun location. We prefer shaded areas too and have not had any issues finding shaded areas.

Sky x 3 Sun x 2 Jewel x 4 Pearl Dawn Jade Breakaway Getaway Bliss Encore x 2 planning Escape and POA in 2023

They are. They tend to be less desirable than the BA category due to the location on the ship as most except deck 8 are the most forward balcony cabins. That’s why they are priced less than BA. Many of the deck 8 BF cabins are above the the theater. Location, Location, location may matter to some people!

@Let Me Travel! and @janice2348 We have cruised out of Seward two times - most recently this past June. We booked the train on our own from Anchorage after flying in the day or several days prior. If you book the train on your own, it will leave from Anchorage at 6:45am and gets to Seward at 11:20am. If you can fly in earlier, the Major Marine tour in Seward and the town itself with nearby Exit glacier and the Sea Life Center were very much worth it! I think Seward is my favorite cruise port of all due to the beautiful scenery. Have wonderful cruises!

It is very walkable if 1/2 mile isn’t a problem. If you like to have time on the ship like we do, you can arrive to the cruise port at 10:30 or 10:45 and will be among the first of guests to arrive.

We have done this two times in Seward and most recently in June 2022 with both times our stays were at Harbor 360. You can easily walk from Harbor 360 to the cruise port If walking about a half mile with luggage isn’t a problem for you. We got to the cruise port both times at about 10:30am or 10:45am. They started check-in at about 11am. We were able to give our luggage to the porters before 11am. Both times, we were the first two guests to board. The ship will be empty until about 5pm when other guests arrive from the train or other excursions. If you have a bit of time in Seward, we highly recommend Major Marine tours for the day before the cruise.

@JamieLogical thank you for your excellent review! I enjoyed reading all about your experience and the photos. I especially liked you daily drink summary. 😁

@graphicguy Thank you for another great review! Thank you for taking the time to share the details and photos. Have a great last evening and safe travels home.

This is brand new for NCL. It started today. 🙂