Marylebone37

Search around a little on Cruise Critic and you'll find a lot of information... Getaway cabin types/counts:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=651&pgtype=cabins

I've posted this in another thread but it is buried in a thread with a title that could make it difficult to locate. So I thought it would be valuable to create this new thread with a more appropriate title.

Have cruised many times (40-something) on most of the linesout there, from luxury like Silversea and Seabourn all the way “down” toCarnival. None of the cruises reallydisappointed when you consider value for the price paid. Same goes for my very first time last week onNCL (in a Haven Spa Cabin on the Getaway) on their Western Caribbean run.

The Haven was absolutely wonderful with very little to nitpick about. Yes, it was a bummer thatthe Haven menus were the same all week for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner.Changing them up a bit would be my biggest suggestion for improvement. The food quality, service (bar &restaurant), and ambience were all outstanding! Spa suite cabin was also wonderful with a large, comfortable space allaround. And it was exceptionally wellmaintained by our room steward, Bradley, on Deck 14.

Speaking of exceptional maintenance, for a ship that is 4years old (and I believe before any major dry dock has occurred) – I was amazedat how everything looked so pristine. Usually after a year or two, you start to see scrapes, scratches, andnormal wear and tear all around. Not onthe Getaway! I will consider travelingagain on NCL purely because of the superlative cleanliness of the ship and thedetailed focus on staff and passenger hygiene throughout. I just LOVED the fact that you were alwaysgreeted at a restaurant’s entrance with hand sanitizer (either from anautomatic dispenser or in many cases, by a live crew member with a spraybottle). There were real sinks with soapand auto-dispensing paper towels near the buffet spaces we visited. You could get your food and then easily washyour hands and clean up properly before eating vs. MAYBE using the handsanitizer for a second time.

We dined at 5 of the specialty restaurants for dinner – andI would rank them in this order from best to very good: Cagney’s, Le Bistro, Moderno, La Cuccina, andTeppanyaki. Never had anything thatwasn’t at least very, very good. On theexcellent end was the Veal Chop in Cagney’s, Filet Mignon at Le Bistro, and thesalad bar at Moderno.

Also tried the main Buffet for lunch a few times and it wasenjoyable with nothing to complain about (remember it’s a buffet on a ship with4,500+ passengers – and set your expectations based on that!). O’Sheehans was good too for lunch with ahappening bar crowd overlooking the various entertainment options in theAtrium. Haven guests are permitted todine at Margaritaville for “free” on embarkation day – it was good but this wasperhaps the least favorite meal of the trip. Finally, I would highly recommend the once-per-cruise Indian buffet forlunch at Moderno on the final sea day. Yummy and so well presented, complete with Indian greetings at the doorand some wonderful Indian music to set the mood.

We did not book any excursions, as this was a trip to enjoyThe Haven amenities and escape the brutal cold in the mid-Atlantic region ofthe US this year. If you don’t bookexcursions to get out and see the sights, the ports are more or less a bust IMHO. Cozumel was fun with lots of shopping asusual – been there before, done that. Did not get off in Costa Maya because of steady rain all day. Roatan was, in a word, crappy, at least inthe immediate environs of the ship/dock. Harvest Caye was VERY well done, and is the only stop on this itinerarythat I would look forward to a return visit to.

On the entertainment side – we loved Burn the Floor andMillion Dollar Quartet and highly recommend both. Didn’t attend anything else, other than itwas always nice to hear live music at different venues around the ship atdifferent times of the day.

The Mandara Spa/Thermal Suite was “free” to use as a perk ofstaying in a Spa Suite. It was very niceand clean with a large bubbly pool, hot tub, and various warm rooms (like asauna, salt etc.). It was only reallycrowded on the first sea day. If you’reinto these sorts of amenities – I really can’t recall a nicer and larger spaceon any ship that I’ve sailed on. As forthe Spa Treatments – well, they just didn’t have their act together. I booked an appointment for 10am one day andwhen I showed up, they told me the technician was “tied up in training” so wehad to re-schedule. Booked 3pm for thenext day – and guess what, the technician was again a now-show. This has never happened on any of the othercruises I’ve been on. Not sure whathappened, but hopefully it was just a one-off (or two-off) experience. I did end up getting the treatment (hourslater) – and they did NOT charge me for it. A nice gesture I suppose, but didn’tmake up for the hours of wasted time that I reserved in my daily schedule overthe course of two days. Chalk it up tobad Spa Management.

Finally – a word about embarkation and disembarkation. Embarkation was not well done in Miami. No organization with people loaded into avery small, warm room, seemingly called in random order to approach the 2(sometimes 1) attendant dealing with check in details. The “priority escort” to the ship was also amess – with a large group of us being rushed from point A to point B to point Cand then squeezing by the large line of other folks to approach **********. The entire process took atleast 75 minutes – not horrible, but I was expecting a more organized andrefined Haven embarkation process. Onthe flip side, disembarkation was a breeze. We did self-assist with our own luggage. After arriving at The Haven lounge around 8:00am, we were whisked to aprivate elevator straight to the front of the line at the gangway, in a cab by8:15, and at the airport by 8:40. Trulythe fastest and most efficient exit from a large vessel EVER!

So there are my thoughts and short review. Happy to answer any other questions and ifyou’re considering traveling on the Getaway in The Haven – it gets an A gradefrom me! We’ll be back on NCL for sure!

Hi -if you order room service in the haven (especially breakfast) do you pay for the food? I know there is a delivery fee. Does anyone have room service menus.

 

 

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You do NOT pay for the "complimentary" food aboard in The Haven nor do you pay a delivery fee. Just ask the Butler and he will get you what you want and when you want it. As far as the Speciality restaurants go, you do pay for the food (or make use of a dining package). No delivery fee. Again, the Butler will handle this for you.

You asked - so here are my comments from our first time on NCL (and in The Haven) last week...

 

 

Have cruised many times (40-something) on most of the linesout there, from luxury like Silversea and Seabourn all the way “down” toCarnival. None of the cruises reallydisappointed when you consider value for the price paid. Same goes for my very first time last week onNCL (in a Haven Spa Cabin on the Getaway) on their Western Caribbean run.

 

The Haven was absolutely wonderful with very little to nitpick about. Yes, it was a bummer thatthe Haven menus were the same all week for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner.Changing them up a bit would be my biggest suggestion for improvement. The food quality, service (bar &restaurant), and ambience were all outstanding! Spa suite cabin was also wonderful with a large, comfortable space allaround. And it was exceptionally wellmaintained by our room steward, Bradley, on Deck 14.

 

Speaking of exceptional maintenance, for a ship that is 4years old (and I believe before any major dry dock has occurred) – I was amazedat how everything looked so pristine. Usually after a year or two, you start to see scrapes, scratches, andnormal wear and tear all around. Not onthe Getaway! I will consider travelingagain on NCL purely because of the superlative cleanliness of the ship and thedetailed focus on staff and passenger hygiene throughout. I just LOVED the fact that you were alwaysgreeted at a restaurant’s entrance with hand sanitizer (either from anautomatic dispenser or in many cases, by a live crew member with a spraybottle). There were real sinks with soapand auto-dispensing paper towels near the buffet spaces we visited. You could get your food and then easily washyour hands and clean up properly before eating vs. MAYBE using the handsanitizer for a second time.

 

We dined at 5 of the specialty restaurants for dinner – andI would rank them in this order from best to very good: Cagney’s, Le Bistro, Moderno, La Cuccina, andTeppanyaki. Never had anything thatwasn’t at least very, very good. On theexcellent end was the Veal Chop in Cagney’s, Filet Mignon at Le Bistro, and thesalad bar at Moderno.

 

Also tried the main Buffet for lunch a few times and it wasenjoyable with nothing to complain about (remember it’s a buffet on a ship with4,500+ passengers – and set your expectations based on that!). O’Sheehans was good too for lunch with ahappening bar crowd overlooking the various entertainment options in theAtrium. Haven guests are permitted todine at Margaritaville for “free” on embarkation day – it was good but this wasperhaps the least favorite meal of the trip. Finally, I would highly recommend the once-per-cruise Indian buffet forlunch at Moderno on the final sea day. Yummy and so well presented, complete with Indian greetings at the doorand some wonderful Indian music to set the mood.

 

We did not book any excursions, as this was a trip to enjoyThe Haven amenities and escape the brutal cold in the mid-Atlantic region ofthe US this year. If you don’t bookexcursions to get out and see the sights, the ports are more or less a bustIMHO. Cozumel was fun with lots ofshopping as usual – been there before, done that. Did not get off in Costa Maya because ofsteady rain all day. Roatan was, in aword, crappy, at least in the immediate environs of the ship/dock. Harvest Caye was VERY well done, and is theonly stop on this itinerary that I would look forward to a return visit to.

 

On the entertainment side – we loved Burn the Floor andMillion Dollar Quartet and highly recommend both. Didn’t attend anything else, other than itwas always nice to hear live music at different venues around the ship atdifferent times of the day.

 

Finally – a word about embarkation and disembarkation. Embarkation was not well done in Miami. No organization with people loaded into avery small, warm room, seemingly called in random order to approach the 2(sometimes 1) attendant dealing with check in details. The “priority escort” to the ship was also amess – with a large group of us being rushed from point A to point B to point Cand then squeezing by the large line of other folks to approach **********. The entire process took atleast 75 minutes – not horrible, but I was expecting a more organized andrefined Haven embarkation process. Onthe flip side, disembarkation was a breeze. We did self-assist with our own luggage. After arriving at The Haven lounge around 8:00am, we were whisked to aprivate elevator straight to the front of the line at the gangway, in a cab by8:15, and at the airport by 8:40. Trulythe fastest and most efficient exit from a large vessel EVER!

 

 

So there are my thoughts and short review. Happy to answer any other questions and ifyou’re considering traveling on the Getaway in The Haven – it gets an A gradefrom me! We’ll be back on NCL for sure!

APOLOGIES for the displayed typos... I don't know what happened with Cut and Paste from Word!! Ugh! Also I was referring to the Gangway where is shows the series of asterisks.

Few questions as we are sailing in a Haven cabin on Getaway in the upcoming weeks:

 

1. Can you use the provided phones to call other rooms or is it just to contact your butler?

2. Are there Haven sections in the theater for each show? Would be nice to not have to arrive too early for good seats.

3. Any other perks/recommendations for first time Haven customers? What types of things does the butler do?

4. Could you post a copy of one/two Freestyle Dailies?

 

Thank you!

1. I'm sorry I don't know. I presume you are talking about the cell phone provided in each Haven cabin. Never used it honestly. Now that I think about it, I never used either the bedside phone either for the entire cruise!

2. Yes, that is a great benefit I forgot to mention! The reserved seats are on the left side all the way down front. Do note, however, that they remove the "reserved" signage and blockage about 5 minutes before showtime, which allows anyone to move into this area. So I would recommend arriving about 10 minutes before showtime at the latest.

3. Never used the services of the Butler! I booked the restaurants and shows in advance online, didn't order room service, and didn't feel the need to engage the Butler's services at all. Yes, he did leave canapés each afternoon - but that's about all he did for us. Nothing negative at all to say about the Butler - he was SUPER nice, but we're just not the "Butler-type" guests I suppose.

4. I'm sorry, I left all the Dailies and other paperwork in the cabin upon departure. You will be delighted with the very detailed schedule of activities, music, entertainment, dining specials, and other odds and ends happening each day. Loved the surprise element each evening reading about what's going on the next day.

You asked - so here are my comments from our first time on NCL (and in The Haven) last week...

Have cruised many times (40-something) on most of the linesout there, from luxury like Silversea and Seabourn all the way “down” toCarnival. None of the cruises reallydisappointed when you consider value for the price paid. Same goes for my very first time last week onNCL (in a Haven Spa Cabin on the Getaway) on their Western Caribbean run.

The Haven was absolutely wonderful with very little to nitpick about. Yes, it was a bummer thatthe Haven menus were the same all week for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner.Changing them up a bit would be my biggest suggestion for improvement. The food quality, service (bar &restaurant), and ambience were all outstanding! Spa suite cabin was also wonderful with a large, comfortable space allaround. And it was exceptionally wellmaintained by our room steward, Bradley, on Deck 14.

Speaking of exceptional maintenance, for a ship that is 4years old (and I believe before any major dry dock has occurred) – I was amazedat how everything looked so pristine. Usually after a year or two, you start to see scrapes, scratches, andnormal wear and tear all around. Not onthe Getaway! I will consider travelingagain on NCL purely because of the superlative cleanliness of the ship and thedetailed focus on staff and passenger hygiene throughout. I just LOVED the fact that you were alwaysgreeted at a restaurant’s entrance with hand sanitizer (either from anautomatic dispenser or in many cases, by a live crew member with a spraybottle). There were real sinks with soapand auto-dispensing paper towels near the buffet spaces we visited. You could get your food and then easily washyour hands and clean up properly before eating vs. MAYBE using the handsanitizer for a second time.

We dined at 5 of the specialty restaurants for dinner – andI would rank them in this order from best to very good: Cagney’s, Le Bistro, Moderno, La Cuccina, andTeppanyaki. Never had anything thatwasn’t at least very, very good. On theexcellent end was the Veal Chop in Cagney’s, Filet Mignon at Le Bistro, and thesalad bar at Moderno.

Also tried the main Buffet for lunch a few times and it wasenjoyable with nothing to complain about (remember it’s a buffet on a ship with4,500+ passengers – and set your expectations based on that!). O’Sheehans was good too for lunch with ahappening bar crowd overlooking the various entertainment options in theAtrium. Haven guests are permitted todine at Margaritaville for “free” on embarkation day – it was good but this wasperhaps the least favorite meal of the trip. Finally, I would highly recommend the once-per-cruise Indian buffet forlunch at Moderno on the final sea day. Yummy and so well presented, complete with Indian greetings at the doorand some wonderful Indian music to set the mood.

We did not book any excursions, as this was a trip to enjoyThe Haven amenities and escape the brutal cold in the mid-Atlantic region ofthe US this year. If you don’t bookexcursions to get out and see the sights, the ports are more or less a bustIMHO. Cozumel was fun with lots ofshopping as usual – been there before, done that. Did not get off in Costa Maya because ofsteady rain all day. Roatan was, in aword, crappy, at least in the immediate environs of the ship/dock. Harvest Caye was VERY well done, and is theonly stop on this itinerary that I would look forward to a return visit to.

On the entertainment side – we loved Burn the Floor andMillion Dollar Quartet and highly recommend both. Didn’t attend anything else, other than itwas always nice to hear live music at different venues around the ship atdifferent times of the day.

Finally – a word about embarkation and disembarkation. Embarkation was not well done in Miami. No organization with people loaded into avery small, warm room, seemingly called in random order to approach the 2(sometimes 1) attendant dealing with check in details. The “priority escort” to the ship was also amess – with a large group of us being rushed from point A to point B to point Cand then squeezing by the large line of other folks to approach **********. The entire process took atleast 75 minutes – not horrible, but I was expecting a more organized andrefined Haven embarkation process. Onthe flip side, disembarkation was a breeze. We did self-assist with our own luggage. After arriving at The Haven lounge around 8:00am, we were whisked to aprivate elevator straight to the front of the line at the gangway, in a cab by8:15, and at the airport by 8:40. Trulythe fastest and most efficient exit from a large vessel EVER!

So there are my thoughts and short review. Happy to answer any other questions and ifyou’re considering traveling on the Getaway in The Haven – it gets an A gradefrom me! We’ll be back on NCL for sure!

Having just left the Getaway yesterday in a Haven Spa Suite - I can say without hesitation that it is MOST definitely worth the price to upgrade. Loved the ship overall, but oh my, how wonderful it was to return to the Haven and the team serving you there. Bid what you are comfortable with and cross your fingers.

Just off Getaway today. First time on NCL (and tried the Spa Suite). Had a Fabulous time!!! Overall, I was SO impressed! Let me know if you have any other questions.

I would like to know can you still request a bowl of Peanut m&ms? DID NOT SEE THIS HAPPEN

Do they still hand out fruit skewers around the Haven pool deck? DID NOT SEE THESE, ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T SPEND ALL THAT MUCH TIME AT THE HAVEN POOL DUE TO PRETTY BAD WEATHER THE WHOLE WEEK!

Are there still treat areas where they have pasteries cookies and candies in various places in the Haven? THEY HAD PASTRIES OUTSIDE IN THE MORNING AND SOME CAKES OUTSIDE IN THE AFTERNOON. DO NOT RECALL ANY CANDIES ANYWHWHERE (inside or out).

Yes, Vibe has Hot Tubs. The Haven Hot Tubs were out of order for a few hours on several days ("maintenance issues"), so we were allowed access to the Vibe tubs if we wanted to. Did not take them up on that offer, though.

OMG - a small group from that Sh###### Country. Good Luck! You will have a blast... amongst the friendliest and fun-loving people on the planet! Cheers!

I know it's not necessary to tip extra, but I know these hard working bartenders appreciate a little extra with each drink if their services warrant it. Question: is it better to leave a buck or two in cash, or just handwrite that extra gratuity on the paper check/slip? Just concerned that they may not receive the full amount if adding it to the check vs. cold hard cash. Appreciate your thoughts.

We had a really bad experience on SD 1 post-dry dock in 2014. My comments on that disaster are in another thread - but it was a truly awful experience as a first-timer on SD. How disappointing to hear that they still don’t have their act together. Makes me feel so sorry for the crew who have to endure such poor program management time and time again.

Hello - also doing the same thing leaving on the early morning (10/31) flight to LHR. Other than arranging transport, does one have to pre-clear/pre-authorize this early disembarkation with any department and/or person at Azamara or RCCL *in advance of sailing*? Thank you and happy to share transport as well if that helps.

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts and this excellently written review!

How was the cleanliness & ship condition overall (and Haven)? Also, what did you think of the Courtyard area in the Haven? What exactly is in that area? Thanks again!

Just booked this cruise in The Haven earlier today for mid-January. Will be curious to read about your thoughts on how good (or not) The Haven actually was. Any recommendations (must do or avoid) also appreciated. Welcome home.

Could not find a definititive answer, so appreciate a reply from anyone who knows for sure.

Also, have the SE suites been renovated at all recently - or are they in the condition of what one would find on an older vessel?

Thank you from an NCL newbie.

Is that really accurate... 2 Discoverer travelers in the same cabin = ONLY ONE laundry bag per 7 nights?

Anything goes, really. Think super casual and comfortable expedition wear. Some (most?) folks don't even shower and re-dress for dinner, particularly if their excursions are running late.

Whoa! Slap me! Yes, I've watched Titanic. Pop Poms ready? Ra, Ra, Hey, Hey - Sea Dream is here to stay! Such cheerleaders here.

JES4845 - don't get me wrong - the crew on board a couple of years ago worked their you know what’s off all voyage long to make us unfortunate passengers as comfortable as possible. As I mentioned, they were so embarrassed at the "state" and condition of their vessel - and that passengers were allowed to board in the first place. My comments were in no way intended to disparage the crew... they were VERY good.

Regarding Jim's point... I'm not so sure I agree. In the event of a dangerous event, I'd much prefer to be on board as new a ship as possible - with the latest and greatest technology regarding alarm systems, fire detection systems fire protection systems, piping/plumbing, doors, water supply/pressure, general build materials etc. It's kind of like moving into a high-rise building built in the 80's vs. something that was built in the last few years. There are exceptions to everything of course, but I think a new-build would generally be a safer bet in an emergency than an older, aging building.

Just my thoughts... these ships are oldies and one definitely rolls the dice when booking - and these points are just some things that prospective travelers should assess before booking and decide what's important to them.

So very glad to read that no one was seriously injured in this incident. This whole thread reminds me of the worst experience I've ever had on 30 cruises. It was a couple of years ago aboard SD I. It is detailed somewhat in this thread - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2138509 - beginning in Post #6. Just an awful experience! Aside from the fantastic food, this ship was a joke then and ready to be retired 2 years ago, especially given the price point. Definitely not worth the gamble.

Just a tip on the laundry. Our Butler was not aware of the "free" RS laundry service. We had to call the Michael's Club concierge to get that sorted out. If you get any pushback,the Concierge will be able to assist. We used laundry a total of 4 times: twice with coupons and twice with the RS perk. Coming home today with an entire large case of CLEAN clothes and just a small amount of dirty stuff. Now that is what I call Modern Luxury! :). It is also worth mentioning that the laundry team did a great job - very clean and a very light fresh scent.

We really UNDER utilized the Butler. About all we asked him for is daily morning coffee and some pastries (and an omelette a couple of days) and to keep the large Evian waters stocked regularly. It was our first time on a large Celebrity ship in about 10 years (having strayed mostly to Seabourn). I must say we really enjoyed getting OUT of the cabin, chatting with people from all around the world, getting our exercise, dancing in the Sky Bar and Qasar, having some wonderful spa treatments, and taking advantage of all of the ship's other offerings. The suite was of course overly spacious and a delightful, over-the-top luxury (and Luminae was indeed superb in EVERY respect!)... But we ended up not hanging out in the suite that much for the various reasons mentioned. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and our next cruise will definitely be on a large (probably Celebrity) ship. The Eclipse and her staff get a HUGE thumbs up from us!

Just off the Eclipse today and stayed in a RS (Ireland/Iceland itinerary). The only for-fee dining that was not included was the British Pub menu available late afternoons in the Passport Bar on Deck 3. All others answers mirror our experience, but if you have any other questions - feel free to fire away!

I would recommend against a humpback non-flexible case - and was in the same room type as you will be. A large (even extra large) case that can squash down even just a little bit will fit fine under the bed.

I've cruised just one time with Lindblad (earlier this year) to Antarctica. For about the past month or two, every other day (or maybe every third or fourth day in some cases) - some kind of brochure or letter from Sven arrives in an attempt to entice future bookings. Has anyone else noticed this? Do I really need 2 or 3 mailings a week? It's frankly annoying and a complete waste of paper - especially for a company that prides itself on caring for the environment. I wonder how much of this collateral is being recycled or simply dumped in a landfill somewhere. Some of this stuff is very high quality and slickly produced - so I'm sure it's not cheap. Their marketing budget must be at an all time high. I've cruised with practically every line out there - and the volume of mail from them doesn't even come close to the barrage of mailings I am getting from Lindblad lately. Hmmm…. I wonder what's going on at HQ? Kind of makes me suspicious.