First time Getaway/Haven questions

[johnlatte]

We are sailing on the Getaway on a Western, next summer to celebrate my girls 16th birthdays. We are pretty familiar with the NCL suite life on the smaller ships (Sun, Dawn, Jewel POA), but decided to go all in and book in the Haven. We are looking forward to having the less crowded spaces and extra perks that the Haven brings. But since this is our first time and our first time on the Getaway, I have some (okay a lot) questions. Hopefully I can get some good feedback the pros. Thanks in advance for helping plan this special trip.

 

 

 

Can illusionarium be booked through the Concierge or Pre-Concierge? If not, can it be booked online and what is the window for doing so.

 

 

Do I need to book other shows/dinner in advance or can the Concierge do that for me? Typically I let them know what restaurants and what times and let them do the rest. We usually sit in the concierge section for shows, is there anything different we have to do on the Getaway?

 

 

Is having access to the Haven courtyard better than a Vibe pass? I really want to try the Vibe, but it there isn’t a lot of difference, then I don’t need to spend the $$.

 

I've read that the Haven pool, at times, can be overrun with kids and that it gets loud and disruptive and isn't well patrolled by NCL..True?

 

How’s the Entourage on the Getaway for the teenagers? Both of my girls are turning 16. Neither have been big on the clubs since they were little. (They’ve been cruising since they were 7). They usually go once and never go back. They really don’t have a problem entertaining themselves, but I really would like for them to participate more and branch out a bit more socially.

 

I've read reviews that say LaCucina isn't very good on the Getaway. It is one of our favorite restaurants on the ships. Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

I know how tipping works for the butler and concierge, but is their other staff in connection to the Haven that should be considered for tips?

 

 

We rarely book excursions through the ship as we don’t like the herding aspects. I like going off and doing our own thing or using private vendors. We got the $75 excursion credit as a perk. Any outstanding excursions offered by the ship for stops in Roatan, Costa Maya or Cozumel? We love beach days and snorkeling from the shores. I’d rather not leave $300 of credit on the table (I’m cheap like that), but if the ship’s excursions aren’t worth it, then I will start researching alternatives.

 

 

 

Thoughts on Harvest Caye being ready by July? I know that they say February(?), but are things on track?

 

 

Thanks again for any helpful feedback!

Edited July 19, 2015 by johnlatte

[thirdeastshak3]

We're sailing on the GA next May and have similar questions do I'll be following the answers to your post. We can't wait!

[dexddd]

We were on the BA so can generally answer a few. The Haven pool on GA/BA is tiny. If you had ten people in the pool, it would be full. Don't waste money on the Vibe if you have the Haven sun deck area IMO.

 

Entourage is open the first day and it is the only time when adults can go in (or at least it was when we went). You can sign up the girls. Our DD was 15 at the time and met new friends and had a great time. They had things going on each night. They had a couple pool nights where the teens had exclusive use to the main pool area at 10 p.m.

[cruisebie]

We are sailing on the Getaway on a Western, next summer to celebrate my girls 16th birthdays. We are pretty familiar with the NCL suite life on the smaller ships (Sun, Dawn, Jewel POA), but decided to go all in and book in the Haven. We are looking forward to having the less crowded spaces and extra perks that the Haven brings. But since this is our first time and our first time on the Getaway, I have some (okay a lot) questions. Hopefully I can get some good feedback the pros. Thanks in advance for helping plan this special trip.

 

 

 

Can illusionarium be booked through the Concierge or Pre-Concierge? If not, can it be booked online and what is the window for doing so.

 

 

Do I need to book other shows/dinner in advance or can the Concierge do that for me? Typically I let them know what restaurants and what times and let them do the rest. We usually sit in the concierge section for shows, is there anything different we have to do on the Getaway?

 

 

Is having access to the Haven courtyard better than a Vibe pass? I really want to try the Vibe, but it there isn’t a lot of difference, then I don’t need to spend the $$.

 

I've read that the Haven pool, at times, can be overrun with kids and that it gets loud and disruptive and isn't well patrolled by NCL..True?

 

How’s the Entourage on the Getaway for the teenagers? Both of my girls are turning 16. Neither have been big on the clubs since they were little. (They’ve been cruising since they were 7). They usually go once and never go back. They really don’t have a problem entertaining themselves, but I really would like for them to participate more and branch out a bit more socially.

 

I've read reviews that say LaCucina isn't very good on the Getaway. It is one of our favorite restaurants on the ships. Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

I know how tipping works for the butler and concierge, but is their other staff in connection to the Haven that should be considered for tips?

 

 

We rarely book excursions through the ship as we don’t like the herding aspects. I like going off and doing our own thing or using private vendors. We got the $75 excursion credit as a perk. Any outstanding excursions offered by the ship for stops in Roatan, Costa Maya or Cozumel? We love beach days and snorkeling from the shores. I’d rather not leave $300 of credit on the table (I’m cheap like that), but if the ship’s excursions aren’t worth it, then I will start researching alternatives.

 

 

 

Thoughts on Harvest Caye being ready by July? I know that they say February(?), but are things on track?

 

 

Thanks again for any helpful feedback!

 

 

I can help with some of your questions:

 

Illusionarium can be booked through the concierge onboard or also online. I don't know about the pre-concierge, but I suspect you can book through them also. If you have the UDP, you should get a discount (20 or 25%, I forget which). What is nice about booking through the concierge is that you will be escorted down to the Illusionarium theatre and seated first. It's a great show!

 

The concierge also can make your reservations for any other restaurant or show. The consideration here is whether so many people have the UDP as a perk that even the concierge has difficulty getting you in. I have read a few reports saying that is the case. Probably more so when the ship is sailing full, but still bears thinking about.

 

The only reason I can think of that you might want a Vibe pass is if you want a kid free area to relax in. There is no pool in the Vibe, but there are hot tubs. Otherwise, I think it's pretty similar to the Haven area.

 

I have read the same thing about the pool & hot tubs in the Haven being over run with noisy kids, but I didn't experience this myself last year in October. I guess this probably depends on who is sailing the same week you sail. No way to really know in advance. The Haven has a large sun deck one flight up from the pool area and there are places to lounge in sun or shade. The bar service was good up there, too. :)

 

I thought La Cucina was very good. I can't claim to be a foodie or anything, but I liked it. I felt like it was a notch or two above Olive Garden.

 

As far as other staff to consider for tipping: there is a Haven butler who will bring meals to the Haven area if you want and Haven bar tending and bar servers. The bar servers also bring around cool towels, fruit skewers, smoothies and the like. There is also a Haven restaurant on the Getaway, open for all three meals per day.

 

Enjoy the Getaway! It will be a wonderful birthday cruise for your girls!

[MandyMommyof2]

We sailed the Getaway two weeks ago and loved everything about it!! Our excursions were booked through NCL, with the exception of us grabbing a taxi and visiting Magen's Bay. My family and I are thinking of taking this cruise next summer too!! We were just discussing it this morning. We decided that the perks of The Haven just was not worth it as we felt our time on the ship was just as well as someone who was staying in the Haven. It would be about $5,000 cheaper for us to just stay in a mid-ship mini suite which we felt was the perfect amount of space for us 4. Getting all the perks right now for booking the Haven is tempting though :D My girls are younger than yours, 12 and 8, but we just do not do the kids clubs either. We sign up and they never go back. I can't wait to hear what others and past Haven members can tell you :)

[Sand and Seas]

Our favorite excursion in Roatan is to Maya Key. They take you by boat to the small island with a nice beach, rescued animals, snorkeling and enjoy a good lunch. You'll see howler monkeys, cougars, cheetahs, sea lions, parrots and more. We have enjoyed this excursion on four different cruises. Our sons enjoyed it too. It's a good family day as there are several things you can do at your own pace while enjoying the beach with lots of loungers in the sun or shade.

[willowvacay]

I have never been to vibe but I think it is similar to haven except no kids and no pool. The pool in haven is very small...so definitely not a place to swim per se but more like a place to cool off. Vibe has hot tubs but no pool. On our sailing on getaway there were kids in haven but most parents were taking care to make sure the kids did not over run the pool area. There are lots of seating areas in the haven area that aren't adjacent to the pool so we had plenty of privacy in haven area. Another perk in haven area is that waiters come around and you can order lunch at the pool area. We loved the haven and the few times we went to the pool area to get in on the "action" it was fun but it was nice to get away from the noise etc and go back to the haven area for some more quiet relaxation.

 

As far as other staff in haven for tips I felt like we tipped bar tenders and waiters at the pool accordingly on the space provided on the receipts for drinks etc. As OP mentioned we tipped butler, room steward, and concierge separately at the end of the cruise.

 

Illusionarium can be booked by concierge and he/she will take you down early for priority seating. It was awesome. Many other shows like legally blonde there is reserved haven seating and the concierge will take you down directly to those too.

 

I don't know about the excursion credits but we had dining credits we didn't use bc we had UDP. Those credits for free dinner at le bistro etc were applied as regular OBC so maybe it's possible your excursion credit will be applied the same? Sorry I don't know that one for sure.

 

You will love Getaway and Haven. We had the most amazing cruise on getaway in the Haven and can't wait to go back. Have a great time!

[johnlatte]

Thanks all, I appreciate the feedback. If there is any think else that I should know/consider please send them my way.