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We've left money, wallets, jewelry, passports and our tablet in the safes and never had a problem (any cruise/cruise line and hotel) except when I screwed up the code.  In which case we had to be there when they came to reset the code.

Glad I stumbled upon you blog and have now caught up.  Following along will hopefully keep me going until we board the Summit on 2/8/20.  I'm here for the long haul.  Have a great cruise.

OMG, have a wonderful cruise.

Another site is port dot cruisett.  this is the website I always use.

Hi Paul,  following along...I've lurking on some of your past blogs. Love following.

So sorry for your loss. What a beautiful girl

We have sailed mid ship, forward and aft. If you have a tendency for motion sickness, it is said that mid ship is best.  We were on the NCL Getaway all the way forward deck 12 have 1 bdrm Haven and we've been on the Pride of America all the way aft. Most of the other cabins have been mid ship.  We've never had a motion sickness problem with any of our cabins except 1 I had due to heavy seas.  I would sail forward again with no problem and would sail aft in a heartbeat.  We have a corner aft reserved on the NCL Joy for 2/2021.

In 2016 there were 7 of us in cabins 9078, 9080, 9082 & 9084.  Never had a problem with noise at all.  Its also a bit shadier there from the overhang of the pool deck.

We've done 1 11 day & 1 10 day, all the rest have been 7 day cruises.  We do have a 12 day booked for 2/2021. 

Dh has decided 7 days is too short, but I'm still working. 😏

We were on the Summit in Feb 2016. 4 cabins in a row on deck 9 Aqua class. We asked to have the dividers open because 1 of our party was having a birthday.

They did open the divider between the middle 2 cabins, said they usually don't open them for safety reasons.  They were going to close the divider the next day, but never did.

The last cruise we took on NCL was the Getaway to all the usual Western Caribbean islands.  We sailed for the 1st time in the Haven. We had a forward facing (2 rm, i.e. 1 bedroom) cabin on the 12th deck. I booked that cruise with the intention of treating us, (my husband and myself).  After that cruise my husband said whenever we sail NCL again it will be in the Haven.  I have recently booked an aft-facing Haven suite on the Joy for a 12 night in 2021. 

I tend to research as thoroughly as possible and know which cabin we want before I call my TA.  I have yet to receive an email bid for an upgrade. I would rather book the cabin "I want."  We really like embarkation & debarkation as a Haven guest.  We like having the butler available if we need him/her.  We like the restaurant not being overcrowed.  Also, concierge called me the day before we got back to port and asked if we needed to check in with our airline and get our boarding passes. I didn't ask them to do this.

When we have a balcony,  (I've only booked a mini-suite 1 time), we usually spend our time reading on our balcony. We don't want to be among the throngs of people around the pool. But in the Haven there are so many less people, its easy to find a lounger. We do cruise Celebrity & Princess also.  The only other cruise line was to Alaska on Silver Seas's Silver Shadow, I wanted a "small" ship.  It was only 385 passengers. But I do know, it is worth it to us, when we sail NCL to book in the Haven.

I have been reading along.  Wonderful review.  We have never sailed with HAL, but after following along, we will probably give them a try.    Thank you!

When you click on terms and conditions at the bottom of the page, the terms of all the freebies comes up. It also, states terms for specialty dining pkg, internet, etc.

 Ultimate Beverage Package
Applicable to guests 1-2 on the reservation.
Guest must be at least 21 years of age at time of sailing to qualify for the Ultimate Beverage Package. Guests under 21 will receive the soda package. 
Eligible guests are entitled to one beverage per person per transaction. 
Variety of spirits and cocktails, wines by the glass and bottled or draft beer up to $15 USD. Includes fountain soda and juice, and non-alcoholic beer. 
A 20% discount will be given on bottles of wine (champagne and sparkling included) purchased on board.
Offer is not applicable at Harvest Caye bars, restaurants, or venues.
Does not include Starbucks, Ice Bars, room service, package sales, bottled water, ship specific promotions or beer buckets, designated super premium brands (subject to change), bottled wine, mini bar purchases, fresh squeezed juices, Lavazza coffee beverages, wine dispenser, energy drinks or vending machines.
Guest who receive the Soda Package may obtain fountain soda at any bar, lounge or restaurant throughout the duration of the cruise, excluding Harvest Caye bars, restaurants, or venues.
Guest's check may reflect applicable VAT and/or taxes for certain ports or itineraries.
Guest is responsible for 20% gratuities on the retail value of the Ultimate Beverage Package ($19.80 USD per person per day) and/or Soda Package ($1.59 USD per person per day) prior to cruise.
Retail value of Ultimate Beverage Package is $99.00 USD per person per day. Package price is subject to change.
Retail value of the Adult Soda Package is $7.95 USD per person per day. Package price is subject to change.
20% gratuities on the retail value of the Ultimate Beverage Package and/or Soda Package are included when booking through the Australia office. 

Our first experience with a butler was not on an NCL cruise but a different cruise line.  He & the room steward were wonderful. It was an Alaskan cruise for our 30th anniversary.  We came back from dinner (anniversary night) & he and our room steward had decorated our room, set up a table with a cake and a bottle of champagne.  It was very nice.  We had never said anything to him about our anniversary. So, either he made it his mission to know his people or the cruise line advised the butler of any occasions.  He also polished DH's shoes for formal night (as formal as an Alaskan cruise will get, which wasn't overly formal).

 He was always looking to see if we needed him to do something for us. 

On the other hand, we were on the Getaway in Feb, our butler was very nice, but was didn't use him  as much as we could have.  So, I guess it depends on your wants and needs.  

478 days until we sail on the Epic. Too much time to anticipate our vacation!

Ship - Getaway

Deck - 12

Stateroom # - 12106 Haven forward facing penthouse

Stateroom Category – H7

Starboard or Port Side - Port

Quiet Stateroom? – Very quiet

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - ?

Balcony View - Clear, no real obstructions. It is not a perfectly clear view to the extent of a normal balcony. There is an angle slightly enclosing the forward seat on the balcony. Great if 1 person wants shade and the other does not.

Balcony Size? - Small but adequate. We went up to the haven sundeck. Used the balcony for morning coffee, usually.

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? -

Any specific problems with this cabin? -

Any other comments? - It was great. So bigggg. So much storage space. Didn't use 1/2 of it.

n

Nope. Take old ones and throw them away. Have new ones waiting when we get home. And no dirty laundry :D

What an idea!!! DH would love it!

Thanks for your review. We board next Sunday the 25th. Have a Haven forward facing suite on the 12th deck. Can't wait. I know I won't be able to go back to a balcony after the haven. We'll have to see DH's reaction for future cruises.

19 days to go!!!!!!!!

We have done both, the Breakaway in Sept to Bermuda and Silverseas to Alaska. Alaska is a must no matter what ship you take. We went in mid June. We took Silverseas for the size of the ship (380 passengers) vs whats on board. The weather was great. Slight chill in am & warmer in the afternoons.

In my opinion, both destinations are a must.

I'm very glad I happened upon your "semi" live. Loving all the details and pics. We'll be boarding 2/25 and have a forward facing haven suite on deck 12. Can't wait.

Paul, enjoying your review. We are thinking of booking a Med cruise in 2019 so you are definately helping.

Thank you.

I always get trip insurance. I used to get it because my parents were elderly, so just in case we had to come home in a hurry. Well, we never had to use it for that reason. 1 year my dh took sick. I had to cancel everthing. Luckily we got back everything, except the cost of the insurance, naturally. I'll never go on a trip without it.

Also, since we live in the northeast and usually cruise or go on "major" trips in the winter (got to get away from the cold) we've been leaving either the day before or 2 days before. Too many times there have been snow storms right after we've left or the next day. We left out of Boston 1 yr. We were the last flight out due to a snow storm. I cherish my vacations too much to miss them.

A couple of years ago we went on a cruise with my brother & fiance. We went down 2 days before to enjoy the San Juan before the cruise. Luckily we did...he left his passport in the seat pocket of the 1st leg of the flight. He realized it after we left the airport on the 2nd leg of the trip. It was great that the airline found the passport and had it sent next day air to the hotel we were staying at. (They had found it early enough that it could be sent the same day). That was a pretty nerve racking experience.

Hi all. DH & I are thinking about playing golf at Runaway Bay when we visit Ocho Rios on the Celebrity Reflection. Has anyone played here? Course condition? We arrive around 10am & leave at 6pm. With distance between port and golf course is there enough time?

Thank you in advance for your help.

We were on the Summit in aqua class in Feb. We had 4 cabins in a row. They would only let us open the partition between the middle 2 cabins and it was only going to be on the day of the birthday celebration. Said it was a safety issue. They never did close it up, tho. So we had balcony length of 2 cabins for 1/2 the trip.