52marv

Weelv2cruise,

 

You are more than welcome to look at the rest of the photos! Thank you for your interest. When I'm not cruising I trace my family history. The dinner from 1913 was hosted by my great grandfather in honor of Civil War Vets, including his own father. I'm not so sure I would have been brave enough to eat the bear or possum!

Miksilver,

 

We love Royal, but the suite life on NCL beats Royal hand over fist. Our cruise equation:

 

In a suite = NCL on Getaway or Breakaway

 

In a regular Cabin (since we are Diamond) = Royal.

 

Have a wonderful time!

Hi,

 

With older family members, I would stay in the suites adjacent to the Haven for the convenience. We just got off our second trip in the Getaway Haven; this time we were a group of 11. One of our families stayed in a forward Penthouse, the rest of us were in the Haven. The forward penthouse family loved the extra space, but agreed it was nice to be closer to the Haven amenities. Either way, it's an awesome cruise and Adrien, the concierge, and the Haven staff are so nice!

 

I've posted these tips before, but it's easy to put them here for you. Have a wonderful time!

 

My family of four (Mom, Dad, 17 & 13 year old) stayed in the Haven. It was great, but I have a lot of non Haven tips too.

 

Get to port @ 11am. With older family members go to Terminal B: there is less walking to get onto the ship.

 

As soon as you are through security look for priority suites room on the left. They will then take you to special waiting room for suites where they have snacks and drinks. You get escorted on ship 1st.

 

You can have anything in the Haven restaurant, even if it's not on the menu. We are an allergy family and the staff went out of the way to create substitutions for my daughter. A friend orders eggs benedict with steak for breakfast in the Haven as her version of steak and eggs. We try not to get crazy with ordering unobtainable things, but the staff, continually surpassed our notion of what was possible.

 

Haven Restaurant Desert: Brownie with Macadamia Nut Ice Cream it’s delicious.

 

If you want MDR food, they will deliver it to you in the Haven or your room. We asked to have MDR menus placed in our room at the start of the cruise.

 

Use the Pre-concierge service. NCL will email the name of the Pre-concierge. They will do whatever you ask, we arranged for spa appointments, food & drink in room, empty mini fridge or fill it with what you like, afternoon tea. Ask the pre-concierge, through email before you go, to put bed toppers on the kids room beds. It makes it a bit more comfy.

 

Adrien and the other concierges are fantastic. They escort you to the front of the line when disembarking at islands and on the last day right off the ship. No lines ever. They escort you to front of line for Illusionarium dinner magic show. They can get you reservations for any restaurant, show, spa excursion (except last night, Cagney's was booked solid)

 

The Haven has reserved seating in the theater on the left side about ten rows from the front, so you don't need to go early (they release Haven seats 5 minutes before the show). It's good seating, although if you want to sit in the center of the theater, go early.

 

Illusionarium Yes they do you have to check in 25 min before the show in the Haven lounge & the Concierge then takes you down in the service elevator to directly outside of the doors on entering you pick whatever table you want.

 

The Concierges, Butler and Steward, Sharon, go way above and beyond in making your cruise special. I arranged to have chocolate chip cookies and gummi bears in the room when we arrived the first day and our butler, Lani, kept them coming all week.

 

 

Every afternoon @ 4 pm she delivered chocolate covered strawberries, canapés (salmon, shrimp, brie, prosciutto) sandwiches (your choice) and chips. If we had wanted something else, she would have brought it.

 

The Butler pays attention to what treats you like and then brings you more. I always ate the grapes in the fruit bowl, so he started doubling & tripling the grapes!

 

You can also ask the Butler to have something waiting for you after an excursion such as peanut butter and jelly, salami, ham, bologna and turkey sandwiches.

 

The Butler can bring the cheesecake brownie from Osheehan’s.

 

You can ask for chocolate croissants to be delivered every morning at 7:30 AM (except the last morning), so I could enjoy one with my early morning cappuccino.

 

The Butler can bring pots of decaf and regular coffee and a pastry tray, and a fruit tray every morning before 7am

 

You can have had breakfast, lunch dinner delivered to your suite by the Butler with no charge since you are in the Haven.

 

The Butler delivered DVDs for my daughter.

 

On the sun deck, Nathan and other deck stewards bring around cookies, fruit skewers, cold towels, little cups of smoothies, drinks. They can move umbrellas, and try to do anything to make you happy and comfortable.

 

You can have breakfast lunch and dinner in the Haven Restuarant, where there is sit down service and a breakfast continental buffet OR you can eat outside, on deck, which I preferred. This was my view at breakfast every morning:

 

 

There is a Lavazza pod machine is in your room. The butler leaves pods for coffee or tea. It's excellent coffee. Has steam wand and pitcher, its easy to steam milk for cappuccino or latte.

 

At breakfast in the Haven, there is regular coffee outside and French Press coffee in the dining room.

 

On sea days I sat on the upper deck of the Haven Sun Deck overlooking the ocean.https://www.flickr.com/photos/21740531@N07/13582200165/

 

The seats against the railing have an unobstructed view, but they felt very hot to me.https://www.flickr.com/photos/21740531@N07/13582600124/

 

 

I personally preferred to sit in the blue chairs at the end of the third row back against the white sunshade with a red umbrella to my left. No matter where you sit, you can see the ocean.

 

The suite has high powered binoculars on the bookshelf in the living room.

 

During the cruise the Concierge meets you each morning to facilitate (secret passage) getting off ship. Met us onshore to get us on tender. Always check with concierge for the plan on port days. They meet at different places to escort you off.

 

On the last day, there is early suite walk-off disembarkation through the Concierge.

 

Since you're in suite tip butler and concierge. Go to Guest Services get voucher to give to them and have it charged to your onboard account. I know you can't use OBC for the DSC but I think you can use it for butler and concierge.

 

Cabins are usually not ready after lunch but you can drop your hand luggage in the cabin and lock valuables in the safe.

 

Crowds gather in the three-deck atrium — with its giant video screen — to play "Deal or No Deal," compete in trivia contests, see movies, etc.

 

Letters will be delivered to your room for events. Suite party is very nice, they offer tray of drinks but its open bar if you want.

 

Lack of electrical outlets in your cabin: bring along a power strip. We brought power strips for our room and the kids room and are glad we did

 

Ocean Blue on the waterfront- the Lobster roll, very good. crab tostada. Lobster Roll from Ocean Blue on the Waterfront for lunch WOW! ($10) Steak Tartar and Dover Sole in Ocean Blue for dinner AMAZING! ($49)

 

If you go to Moderno be careful of that salad bar. It's fantastic, but it will fill you up fast and you have 11 kinds of meat to sample. They're all great, and they are quite free about giving you seconds and thirds! Have the roasted pineapple at Moderno, it's great!

 

If you ask your waiter you can get deserts from Cagney’s in Maderno and the fried bananas from Maderno for her desert in Cagneys’

 

Moderno excellent and well worth $20 cover charge. Le Bistro is good too but for the same price Moderno was a bit better value [Le Bistro had escargot which I love but other lines offer this for free in the MDR so I was sad NCL only has it in the pay restaurants]. You can't go wrong with either but if you only do 1 cover charge restaurant on the trip I would pick Moderno.

 

O'Sheehans: nice breakfast; limited eggs, delicious French toast. A basket of pastries on the table. Never crowded. Wings, fish & chips are great, try chicken potpie. Corn Beef Cabbage Soup amazing! Buffalo Wings, Burger, Corn Beef sandwich. Bar menu not as large as sit down restaurant side ask the bartenders to get something from the restaurant side and they obliged with a smile. They post the restaurant menu right by the reception podium at the restaurant. prime rib dinner on the 1st night. Monday evening was prime rib night in O’Sheehans, they also had rib bight and fried chicken night. Ice cream menu, you pay extra but the sundaes are yummy.

 

The Noodle Bar has a limited menu, but the Chef, who was very pleasant to speak with, said you can mix and match and change the menu items if you don’t see what you want. We thought Shanghais was EXCELLENT they do dumplings, egg rolls, noodle dishes. It was so good we went three times.

 

Flamingo Grill great choice for breakfast. Buffet style. Never crowded; always able to find a table. Made to order omelets, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, different types of egg sandwiches, fruit, pastries, bagels/rolls, lox, etc. No oatmeal - have to go to the buffet for that. Favorite spot for breakfast. Lightly used covered open-air lunch and breakfast spot. It’s on 16 I think aft nice little out of the way spot. pre-made egg mcmuffin type sandwiches, but also bagels, fruit, croissants and they do eggs/omelets to order. Never crowded great view. Just go up one flight from the Garden Café on 16 aft It was ok, we prefered the Haven breakfast

 

Go hungry to the Tepanyaki Restarant: It's good and they serve a LOT of food

 

Don't miss the gelato stand out on the boardwalk. They change the flavors every day or so. Keep an eye out for the Cappuccino flavor. Wow!

 

Sugarcane's Mojito bar deck 8. Mojito flight a bargain at $15: 6 different types served in 2 ounce tasting glasses.

 

Best MDR service to be in the Manhattan Room and their everyday menu is different [and a bit better IMO] than Taste or Savor even though the daily specials are the same in all three. Getaway practices Freestyle dining, meaning there's no early or late assigned seating, and reservations are not allowed in the complimentary dining rooms, except for Haven passengers through concierge

 

Improved deserts since the last time I sailed with them. The German cake on the first day was awesome; the queen's dessert was also very good.

 

The Svedka Icebar is very cool there is a $20 cover it includes 2 drinks so the price is not much more than buying two drinks at a normal bar.

 

Have an MBtini. Bartender Julioi now on Getaway. Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka, Frangelico, splash of cream served in an ice cold martini glass. Right before serving, have them pour a shot of Bailey's down the side so it sits at the bottom. TO.DIE.FOR.

 

Drink a PALOMA, it's a more tart version of a mojito

 

The Humidor wonderful place to unwind after dinner with a smoke and good company. Old time ocean liner type feel with leather seats and dark colors.

 

All the specialty restaurants (Cagney's, Le Bistro, Moderno favorites) (varying cover charge, with discount/wine on first night only)

 

Lobster Tail from Carlo's Famous Bake shop YUM! a nice touch...best cannoli

 

Deck 17 Forward Sundeck (way forward) cabana loungers and always lightly attended and quiet even on sea days. Pass Vibe and keep going and there's clamshells and loungers. Bar servers walking around.

 

Waterfront Port side near tradewinds shop best place to enjoy view no obstructions.

 

Norwegian Getaway's sports deck also is home to a bungee trampoline.

 

Don’t miss the free fall slide. Purple slide is the fastest; yellow slide is slower. When you do the free fall slide be sure to either wear nose plugs or hold your nose; when you hit bottom water comes hard and fast from everywhere. Water slides, were pretty fun. Did these early (11:30AM), never thought the lines were too long. The longest we waited was for The Plunge, which was about 20 minutes. Part of the issue with that slide is that you need some sort of vest to get on it. When you are done, you are actually expected to go back up the stairs and return the vest. Slides are fun once or twice.

 

Pools are too small for such a large ship. Hot tubs always packed in the mornings. We only went into the pool in the late afternoon/early evening (after 2PM until about 5PM); by then, both had much fewer people and more loungers available. The main pool has a neat wave feature every few minutes, which was fun. It is a little over 6ft deep.

 

Pool is saltwater. It hurt my eyes and I could feel it on my sinuses

 

If you want to use pool, find lounger on deck 15. If you want the slides, stay on deck 16. That’s where the entry is. Slides do not empty into main pool.

 

Ropes course so much fun! NOTE: wear closed toe shoes. Line up at 9:30 for the 10:00 opening, can definitely be a long wait. Waited max 30 minutes. Plank is scarier than it looks, skipped it first time because it was so cold and windy up there! You can stay as long as you like, but don’t! Be considerate of the other people who are waiting to try below.

 

The zip line is short but fun; not always open, so don’t take your chances by waiting for the last sea day, aim for peak mealtimes to get on the ropes course: around 12:30PM or 1PM.

 

Mini golf always full. NCL should really regulate play. Only so many balls and clubs, and we just saw kids running around all over the place, not playing golf, but not giving up the equipment either. We waited ten minutes.

 

Climbing wall open at 2pm, line 20 deep almost immediately every time. Only open one or two sections of the wall at a time, even though it looked like there were at least 3 levels of difficulty. Only one staff member

 

If you are up early go to the Jacuzzis in Spice H20. We went around 8am and had the whole thing to ourselves for almost an hour!

 

If you want to be at Spice H20 for the fireworks go early. They close it when it gets to a certain capacity. fire works. The best seats in the house are on the sun deck on deck 17 - directly above/next to vibe. Not only did we get to see our own fireworks but apparently the Disney fantasy that left st Maarten shortly after we did was doing fireworks as well so the ships co-ordinated with each other and Disney did theirs first followed immediately by NCls. Unfortunately not everyone realized Disney was also shooting off the fireworks so many missed that part. We were up high enough to see it all.

 

Spice H20 really was a haven for us. Plenty of loungers and adults-only until 6PM. half the loungers were empty… coincidentally, the ones in the shade! No sight of any kids there, even though the arcade and teen lounge is nearby. Water in the little fountain area was cold, why I never saw anyone using it.

 

Samba dance classes, salsa, swing, tango and Meringue. Nice that in the Bliss lounge they played music to practice the dance to for the next hour after the class, i.e., the Salsa Power Hour, the Swing Hour

 

Parties each night in H20. Loved being outside dancing all ages made it much more fun. Unlike an indoor dance club that attracts the younger crowd, these dance parties were a blast and our kids could join us on the dance floor. Glow party was a complete blast as was the 80's dance night that features fireworks. NOTE: The day of the glow party look at your freestyle daily, you can decorate your own t-shirts with glow paint for free in the Grammy Experience venue. Shirts were free as was the activity. Made the night! We also enjoyed grabbing a drink before of after dinner each night at one of the outdoor bars.

 

Trivia at 9am and 5pm in the Atrium in front of the big screen

 

In SPA give you are card to fill out when you go in for the treatment. For YEARS I have written on the card "no sales" and have not had a problem since then.

We sailed in a 2 bed 2 bath family suite on the Getaway and had a wonderful time. My daughter has allergies to Shellfish, Fish, Avocado and Tree Nuts.

 

We let NCL know about the allergies on the Access Form and in response to the Concierge letter.

 

The maitre d' in the Haven Restaurant, who's lovely and extremely helpful on the Getaway, was notified and contacted us ahead of time. When we arrived she sat down with us to arrange my daughter's meals for the first day, in the Haven and at every venue on the ship. Every day at breakfast, or at our leisure, she met with us to pre order dinner. She brought us the menu from the restaurant we wanted for that day and then she called the chef at that restaurant and had everything ready when we arrived. Any thing is possible and NCL is very proactive about protecting your allergy person.

 

Enjoy your trip!

For 5-6 year olds I'd recommend RCCL's Allure/Oasis or Freedom class ships. The kids clubs are better and more flexible for young kids and the activities are more fun. I also find the service better on RCCL, unless you are staying in a NCL Haven suite on Breakaway or Getaway. There's also more to do on those ships for families with kids that age.

 

I like NCL for teens. It's equally as good as RCCL for that age group and the Haven suites and service are much better than RCCL

 

Have fun!

You are more than welcome browniegirl. I cut and paste good ideas, add my own and then put it all together so it can help other cruisers get the most out of their vacation.

 

Other cruisers have helped me a lot.

 

Have a great time on your cruise!

Hi Count,

 

I second Annmeat. I am Diamond on Royal and I love the Royal experience, but the suite experiences do not match up at all. NCL's Haven is head and shoulders above Royal's suites.

 

Royal PRO: free alcoholic drinks in concierge lounge between 5:30-8:00 pm and free sodas and cappuccino in concierge lounge. better room layout in grand suites, better suite balconies, better ship ambience and activities overall, especially on Oasis class ships.

 

NCL PRO: 2 Private Haven decks with 1 plunge pool, 2 hot tubs, sauna, cabanas, shaded and sunny padded loungers, private indoor dining room for breakfast-dinner: better than breakfast & lunch in Portofino on Royal, private outdoor dining on deck, private bar (drinks extra charge) 3 full time dedicated concierges for the Haven, as opposed to 1 part time on Royal, butlers(similar to the concierge on Royal) and stewards for each suite, much better suite bathrooms than on Royal, more in room treats and services brought to your room by your butler, more restaurant choices, theater shows better than Royal, although there is nothing to compare to the diving show on the Allure & Oasis.

 

My family choice is: if sailing in a suite, choose NCL on ships with a Haven. If not sailing in a suite, choose Royal.

Mearsfansinboise,

 

I spoke to the pre cruise concierge and asked him for the treats and he told me strawberries were extra. I think I saw them on the list of things you could order in the romance package. If you see something on the NCL website, they can put it in your suite, but there may be an extra charge.

 

As far being in the Haven with kids, here are tips I wrote last year after being in the Haven with my teens. Have fun!:

 

My family of four (Mom, Dad, 17 & 13 year old) stayed in the Haven. It was great, but I have a lot of non Haven tips too. Have fun on your cruise!

 

 

You can have anything in the Haven restaurant, even if it's not on the menu. We are an allergy family and the staff went out of the way to create substitutions for my daughter. A friend orders eggs benedict with steak for breakfast in the Haven as her version of steak and eggs. We try not to get crazy with ordering unobtainable things, but the staff, continually surpassed our notion of what was possible. The staff in the Haven is wonderful.

 

If you want MDR food, they will deliver it to you in the Haven or your room. We asked to have MDR menus placed in our room at the start of the cruise.

 

Ask the preconcierge, through email before you go, to put bed toppers on the kids room beds. It makes it a bit more comfy.

 

Anoop and Noemi, the concierges are fantastic. They escort you to the front of the line when disembarking at islands and on the last day right off the ship. No lines ever. They escort you to front of line for Illusionarium dinner magic show. They can get you reservations for any restaurant, show, spa excursion (except last night, Cagney's was booked solid)

 

Use the Pre-concierge service. NCL will email the name of the Pre-concierge, ours was Arthur Paris and he was wonderful. They will do whatever you ask, we arranged for spa, food & drink in room, empty mini fridge or fill it with what you like, afternoon tea.

 

The Haven has reserved seating in the theater on the left side about ten rows from the front, so you don't need to go early (they release Haven seats 5 minutes before the show). It's good seating, although if you want to sit in the center of the theater, go early.

 

Our butler was Rodney, he was wonderful. I arranged to have chocolate chip cookies and gummi bears in the room when we arrived and he kept them coming all week. Every afternoon @ 4 pm he delivered chocolate covered strawberries, canapés (salmon, shrimp, brie, prosciutto) sandwiches (your choice) and chips. If we had wanted something else, he would have brought it.

 

Lobster night is in the Buffet on the 2nd day on Getaway. Instead, on that night, @ 6 pm Rodney delivered two plates of lobster tails to our suite, perfectly cooked. My son and husband were amazed. They will also get you Lobster that night in the Haven restarant

 

Other people had breakfast, lunch dinner delivered.

 

Rodney delivered DVDs for my daughter.

 

On the sun deck, Oliver & Mary, the deck stewards bring around cookies, fruit skewers, cold towels, little cups of smoothies, drinks.

Anoop and Noemi are the Concierges. Rodney is the Butler and Ahmed is the Steward and they all go way above and beyond in making your cruise special. I asked for chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered strawberries and gummi bears to be waiting in the room for the kids on the first day, and they brought this:

 

 

Also, lobster night is in the buffet, not the main dining room. Ask Rodney to bring lobsters to your room @ 5-6 pm. My husband and son raved about how well cooked they were. Rodney pays attention to what treats you like and then brings you more. I always ate the grapes in the fruit bowl, so he started doubling & tripling the grapes!

 

This was my view at breakfast every morning:

 

 

On sea days I sat on the upper deck of the Haven Sun Deck overlooking the ocean.

 

The seats against the railing have an unobstructed view, but they felt very hot to me.

 

 

I personally preferred to sit in the blue chairs at the end of the third row back against the white sunshade with a red umbrella to my left.https://www.flickr.com/photos/21740531@N07/13582255693/ No matter where you sit, you can see the ocean.

 

Oliver and Mary, the Deck Stewards are amazing! They are constantly offering smoothies, cold towels, fruit skewers, moving umbrellas, anything you want.

 

Every single staff member in the Haven is outstanding, the best cruise staff I have ever met. You are going to LOVE it!! The room even has high powered binoculars on the bookshelf in the living room! Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you. In the meantime, here are the Haven/Ship tips I culled from CC before I went that worked for us. My personal experience is in italics:

 

GETAWAY HAVEN CRUISE TIPS

 

Get to port @ 11am. Go to Terminal C. As soon as you are through security look for priority suites room on the left. They will then take you to special waiting room for suites where they have snacks and drinks. You get escorted on ship 1st.

 

Anoop Bhanu is the Concierge. Consummate professional and a very nice man. No matter what we need, always there to assist. Assistant, Ram and third member of the Concierge team, Noemi, also very helpful all week.

 

There is early suite walk-off disembarkation through Anoop.

 

Anoop met us each morning to facilitate (secret passage) getting off ship. Met us onshore to get us on tender. Always check with concierge for the plan on port days. They meet at different places to escort you off.

 

Rodney, our Butler, brought chocolate chip cookies, gummy bears and peanut M&Ms. He asked what we would like waiting when we returned from excursion and showed up with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (We actually had salami, ham, bologna and turkey). Brought cheesecake brownie from Osheehan’s. Delivered DVD's and CD's; afternoon tea We pre-ordered lobster tails as appetizers in our room at 5:30 PM on the second night--the night that the buffet serves it, and they came exactly as ordered, hot and perfectly cooked, except our butler gave us double what we had ordered. We asked that menus from all the restaurants be in the cabin, to make it easier to choose when ordering room service. Asked for chocolate croissants to be delivered every morning at 7:30 AM (except the last morning), so I could enjoy one with my early morning cappuccino. Butler brought us a pot of decaf, two pots of regular, a pastry tray, and a fruit tray every morning before 7am

 

Valet served breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks everyday of our cruise in the courtyard including a relaxed last breakfast on the day of our disembarkation. Courtyard valet will serve breakfast in the courtyard earlier that day as well.

 

Butler brings treats every day @ about 4pm. Ask what you can request or be surprised. We always had fresh fruit, canapes, gummi bears & cookies for kids

 

Don’t miss breakfast & lunch in the Haven, quiet, peaceful and high service, if you want something just ask its made to order right there. Butler will bring to room but I’d rather have there in the Haven.

 

Since you're in suite tip butler and concierge. Go to Guest Services get voucher to give to them and have it charged to your onboard account. I know you can't use OBC for the DSC but I think you can use it for butler and concierge.

 

Cabins are usually not ready after lunch but you can drop your hand luggage in the cabin and lock valuables in the safe.

 

Crowds gather in the three-deck atrium — with its giant video screen — to play "Deal or No Deal," compete in trivia contests

 

Lavazza pod machine is in your room, butler gives pods for coffee or tea. It's excellent coffee. Has steam wand and pitcher, its easy to steam milk for cappuccino or latte,

 

Letters will be delivered to your room for events. Suite party is very nice, they offer tray of drinks but its open bar if you want.

 

Lack of electrical outlets in your cabin: bring along a power strip. We brought power strips for our room and the kids room and are glad we did

 

Haven Restaurant Desert: Brownie with Macadamia Nut Ice Cream it’s delicious. In the Haven Restaurant you can order the Eggs Benedict along with the filet from the steak and eggs for your own "perfect" version of steak and eggs!!

 

Ocean Blue on the waterfront- the Lobster roll, very good. crab tostada. Lobster Roll from Ocean Blue on the Waterfront for lunch WOW! ($10) Steak Tartar and Dover Sole in Ocean Blue for dinner AMAZING! ($49)

 

If you go to Moderno be careful of that salad bar. It's fantastic, but it will fill you up fast and you have 11 kinds of meat to sample. They're all great, and they are quite free about giving you seconds and thirds! Have the roasted pineapple at Moderno, it's great!

 

If you ask your waiter you can get deserts from Cagney’s in Maderno and the fried bananas from Maderno for her desert in Cagneys’

 

Moderno excellent and well worth $20 cover charge. Le Bistro is good too but for the same price Moderno was a bit better value [Le Bistro had escargot which I love but other lines offer this for free in the MDR so I was sad NCL only has it in the pay restaurants]. You can't go wrong with either but if you only do 1 cover charge restaurant on the trip I would pick Moderno.

 

O'Sheehans: nice breakfast; limited eggs, delicious French toast. A basket of pastries on the table. Never crowded. Wings, fish & chips are great, try chicken potpie. Corn Beef Cabbage Soup amazing! Buffalo Wings, Burger, Corn Beef sandwich. Bar menu not as large as sit down restaurant side ask the bartenders to get something from the restaurant side and they obliged with a smile. They post the restaurant menu right by the reception podium at the restaurant. prime rib dinner on the 1st night. Monday evening was prime rib night in O’Sheehans, they also had rib bight and fried chicken night. Ice cream menu, you pay extra but the sundaes are yummy.

 

The Noodle Bar has a limited menu, but the Chef, who was very pleasant to speak with, said you can mix and match and change the menu items if you don’t see what you want. We thought Shanghais was EXCELLENT they do dumplings, egg rolls, noodle dishes. It was so good we went three times.

 

Flamingo Grill great choice for breakfast. Buffet style. Never crowded; always able to find a table. Made to order omelets, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, different types of egg sandwiches, fruit, pastries, bagels/rolls, lox, etc. No oatmeal - have to go to the buffet for that. Favorite spot for breakfast. Lightly used covered open-air lunch and breakfast spot. It’s on 16 I think aft nice little out of the way spot. pre-made egg mcmuffin type sandwiches, but also bagels, fruit, croissants and they do eggs/omelets to order. Never crowded great view. Just go up one flight from the Garden Café on 16 aft It was ok, we prefered the Haven breakfast

 

Don't miss the gelato stand out on the boardwalk. They change the flavors every day or so. Keep an eye out for the Cappuccino flavor. Wow!

 

Sugarcane's Mojito bar deck 8. Mojito flight a bargain at $15: 6 different types served in 2 ounce tasting glasses.

 

Best MDR service to be in the Manhattan Room and their everyday menu is different [and a bit better IMO] than Taste or Savor even though the daily specials are the same in all three. Getaway practices Freestyle dining, meaning there's no early or late assigned seating, and reservations are not allowed in the complimentary dining rooms, except for Haven passengers through concierge

 

Improved deserts since the last time I sailed with them. The German cake on the first day was awesome; the queen's dessert was also very good.

 

The Svedka Icebar is very cool there is a $20 cover it includes 2 drinks so the price is not much more than buying two drinks at a normal bar.

 

Have an MBtini. Bartender Julioi now on Getaway. Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka, Frangelico, splash of cream served in an ice cold martini glass. Right before serving, have them pour a shot of Bailey's down the side so it sits at the bottom. TO.DIE.FOR.

 

Drink a PALOMA, it's a more tart version of a mojito

 

The Humidor wonderful place to unwind after dinner with a smoke and good company. Old time ocean liner type feel with leather seats and dark colors.

 

All the specialty restaurants (Cagney's, Le Bistro, Moderno favorites) (varying cover charge, with discount/wine on first night only)

 

Lobster Tail from Carlo's Famous Bake shop YUM! a nice touch...best cannoli

 

Dragon Roll and Godzilla Rolls from Wasabi very good (a la carte)

 

Deck 17 Forward Sundeck (way forward) cabana loungers and always lightly attended and quiet even on sea days. Pass Vibe and keep going and there's clamshells and loungers. Bar servers walking around.

 

Waterfront Port side near tradewinds shop best place to enjoy view no obstructions.

 

Norwegian Getaway's sports deck also is home to a bungee trampoline.

 

Don’t miss the free fall slide. Purple slide is the fastest; yellow slide is slower. When you do the free fall slide be sure to either wear nose plugs or hold your nose; when you hit bottom water comes hard and fast from everywhere. Water slides, were pretty fun. Did these early (11:30AM), never thought the lines were too long. The longest we waited was for The Plunge, which was about 20 minutes. Part of the issue with that slide is that you need some sort of vest to get on it. When you are done, you are actually expected to go back up the stairs and return the vest. Slides are fun once or twice.

 

Pools are too small for such a large ship. Hot tubs always packed in the mornings. We only went into the pool in the late afternoon/early evening (after 2PM until about 5PM); by then, both had much fewer people and more loungers available. The main pool has a neat wave feature every few minutes, which was fun. It is a little over 6ft deep.

 

Pool is saltwater. It hurt my eyes and I could feel it on my sinuses

 

If you want to use pool, find lounger on deck 15. If you want the slides, stay on deck 16. That’s where the entry is. Slides do not empty into main pool.

 

Ropes course so much fun! NOTE: wear closed toe shoes. Line up at 9:30 for the 10:00 opening, can definitely be a long wait. Waited max 30 minutes. Plank is scarier than it looks, skipped it first time because it was so cold and windy up there! You can stay as long as you like, but don’t! Be considerate of the other people who are waiting to try below.

The zip line is short but fun; not always open, so don’t take your chances by waiting for the last sea day, aim for peak mealtimes to get on the ropes course: around 12:30PM or 1PM.

 

Mini golf always full. NCL should really regulate play. Only so many balls and clubs, and we just saw kids running around all over the place, not playing golf, but not giving up the equipment either. We waited ten minutes.

 

Climbing wall open at 2pm, line 20 deep almost immediately every time. Only open one or two sections of the wall at a time, even though it looked like there were at least 3 levels of difficulty. Only one staff member

 

If you are up early go to the Jacuzzis in Spice H20. We went around 8am and had the whole thing to ourselves for almost an hour!

 

If you want to be at Spice H20 for the fireworks go early. They close it when it gets to a certain capacity. fire works. The best seats in the house are on the sun deck on deck 17 - directly above/next to vibe. Not only did we get to see our own fireworks but apparently the Disney fantasy that left st Maarten shortly after we did was doing fireworks as well so the ships co-ordinated with each other and Disney did theirs first followed immediately by NCls. Unfortunately not everyone realized Disney was also shooting off the fireworks so many missed that part. We were up high enough to see it all.

 

Spice H20 really was a haven for us. Plenty of loungers and adults-only until 6PM. half the loungers were empty… coincidentally, the ones in the shade! No sight of any kids there, even though the arcade and teen lounge is nearby. Water in the little fountain area was cold, why I never saw anyone using it.

 

Samba dance classes, salsa, swing, tango and Meringue. Nice that in the Bliss lounge they played music to practice the dance to for the next hour after the class, i.e., the Salsa Power Hour, the Swing Hour

 

Parties each night in H20. Loved being outside dancing all ages made it much more fun. Unlike an indoor dance club that attracts the younger crowd, these dance parties were a blast and our kids could join us on the dance floor. Glow party was a complete blast as was the 80's dance night that features fireworks. NOTE: The day of the glow party look at your freestyle daily, you can decorate your own t-shirts with glow paint for free in the Grammy Experience venue. Shirts were free as was the activity. Made the night! We also enjoyed grabbing a drink before of after dinner each night at one of the outdoor bars.

 

Trivia at 9am and 5pm in the Atrium in front of the big screen

 

Illusionarium Yes they do you have to check in 25 min before the show in the Haven lounge & the Concierge Hostess then takes you down in the goods lift to directly outside of the doors on entering you pick whatever table you want.

 

In SPA give you are card to fill out when you go in for the treatment. For YEARS I have written on the card "no sales" and have not had a problem since then.

Seacookie,

 

You're going to have a great time. Many previous posters gave you excellent advice on curing the physical symptoms of sea sickness and Mearsfansinboise gave you a great way to handle the fear.

 

My 78 year old mom had similar fears, so my teens made her a cardboard sign that read: "Please Rescue Our Gam 1st!" and told her to pack it in her suitcase in case of emergency. Then they told her they had a helicopter on standby to pluck her off the deck if need be. It made her laugh! She loved it and it made her feel better about her fears.

 

During her first cruise she found she enjoyed the motion of the ship, it lulled her to sleep. There was only one really "bad" night from her perspective. We were eating dinner and there was a lot of motion. After dinner, she told us she must be drunk because she couldn't walk straight. We had to remind her that she didn't drink!

 

Go have a great time, my mom loves cruising now and she couldn't have had a better first trip.

Congratulations!

 

You can ask to have the fridge emptied so that you can bring your own bottled water and Coca Cola products and put them in there. Just put your bottles and soda in an extra suitcase and put an NCL luggage tag on it. Give it to the porter at the curb and it will be delivered to your suite.

 

For arrival day we asked for chocolate covered strawberries (extra $), chocolate chip cookies and Gummi Bears to be in the room when our kids walked in. Kids LOVED it!

 

Best Wishes and bon voyage!

You'll have a blast on Getaway. I'm Diamond on Royal and I love ther product, but NCL's Getaway and Breakaway are a lot of fun, and my husband and son like freestyle as they don't have to dress in suits for dinner. Both cruise lines offer a good product. I find the service more consistent on Royal, but my Getaway cruise had excellent service

We picked the Getaway 2 bedroom Haven suite on the same floor as the Haven pool so my husband could walk out of the room and directly into the Haven. His knees are bad so we wanted to limit stairs. Luckily, it was quiet throughout the Haven, so it didn't matter which floor you were on. Both floors are great, if stairs are not an issue, you'll be very happy.

Beckzay,

 

I forgot to mention some things:

 

1. Food on Bermuda is crazy expensive: think $15 US for a Burger King combo. There is no place you HAVE to eat on Bermuda, except perhaps the Swizzle Inn (Swizzle Inn, Stagger Out) http://www.swizzleinn.com/ It's like a dive bar, with bar food, nothing fancy and your kids will enjoy it. After the Swizzle Inn, visit the Crystal and Fantasy Caves for a fun, cool time. Make sure you eat Fish Chowder and Rum Cake at any place while there.

 

2. The public transportation system is cheap and easy to use. We rode busses and ferry's everywhere. Do some research on the various passes to see if you would use them enough to save money. Taxis aren't necessary unless you are in a hurry.

 

3. On the first day, we took a private van tour van to see the whole island. It was fun and we felt it was worthwhile to get a sense of the culture and geography.

Beckzay,

 

I think you'll like the Breakaway better than the Dawn, so the price savings and a newer ship is a win!

 

We sailed in a 2 bedroom/2bath family suite in the Haven on the Getaway and it was perfect for us.

Hi Julie,

 

Welcome. As you can see from my signature, I was loyal to Royal until I sailed in a Haven Suite on NCL's Getaway. I prefer everything that Royal does, except the suite life. NCL does it so much better, that unless other lines retrofit their ships, I don't see how they could catch up.

 

So, if you are going to sail in a suite, then choose a Haven Suite on NCL's Getaway or Breakaway. Outside of the Haven, I find NCL's ships somewhat claustrophobic and the ceilings are low. There is a lack of spaciousness in the public spaces, although I really like their libraries better than Royal's. I miss the Royal promenade, although NCL's Waterfront is really cool, a perfect place to lounge and read a book, or eat a meal in peace with the water. One thing that might make a difference: Royal's concierge lounge offers suite guests free wine, beer, liquor and sodas from 5:30 - 8:30 pm every day. NCL does not offer suite guests a similar benefit, although you get a free bottle of wine or sparkling water on embarkation. We're not drinkers, so this difference doesn't matter to us.

 

If you are not going to sail in a suite, then choose Royal. I'm assuming you are at least Diamond, as are we, so you won't miss the Royal suite perks, as Diamond status gives you similar (although not the same) stuff.

 

Either way, have fun!

Hi dortrust,

 

I love both, but I find that cruises are easier to compare, even across cruise lines, after I read reviews. So I can pick a cruise I've never been on and be pretty sure I'll know what kind of trip I'll have. Vacation time is expensive and hard to come by, so I like the certainty of cruising.

 

All inclusives are so varied, that it's hard for me to know what I will like, even after reading many reviews.

 

Here are my thoughts:

 

If sailing in a suite: the Haven on NCLs Getaway or Breakaway. The itinerary is ok. NCL could tweak it a bit to make the Bahamas port day better for me (i like 8am-5pm) and I like every other sea days. I also find the ship a tiny bit claustrophobic inside, although I adore the Waterfront. However, the suite life in the Haven is amazing. The staff, the physical layout, the perks, it's fabulous.

 

If sailing in any other cabin, Royal's Allure/Oasis and Freedom and Adventure class ships. The suite life on Royal is ok, nothing compared to the Haven. So there's no need for me to splurge for a suite to feel like I'm getting a restful vacation because Royal has created a spacious fun environment, with plenty of public spaces that are relaxing, so that I never feel crowded. I think the entertainment is fun and I love the promenade, Central Park and the Boardwalk, the running/walking track and the buffet.

 

For all inclusives, I have been to some really exceptional places, that are about the same price as a cruise. They don't work well for vacations with my teens, because they want more activity than an all inclusive provides. But for a couples vacation I have found fantastic food, service, beaches and pools and peace and quiet at the following:

 

Excellence Playa Mujeres: Excellence Club, north of Cancun. Wonderful! http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g1229340-d649432-r170456733-Excellence_Playa_Mujeres-Playa_Mujeres_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

 

Paradisus Palma Real: Royal Service, Dominican Republic. Very Good. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147293-d583034-r136096285-Paradisus_Palma_Real-Punta_Cana_La_Altagracia_Province_Dominican_Republic.html

 

Grand Lido Negril. We stayed there 21 years ago when it was brand new and it was fabulous: first rate food, service and setting. Wonderful room, fatastic view. beautiful beach. It went downhill and changed hands, but I hear it's stable now.

 

So what are your thoughts on cruises and all inclusives?

I've done both of these cruises with teens. They loved both.

 

When are you going?

 

If in the summer, pick the Breakaway and save your money. The three days in Bermuda fly by and there is so much to do there, that you won't be able to do it all. The ability to get on and off the ship is very nice. You aren't rushed and you come home very relaxed. Your kids can sleep in and your older family members can come and go as they please.

 

If you are going in the early spring or winter, pick the Getaway, so that your entire cruise is in warm weather. It's fun seeing different islands, but one thing you haven't mentioned is how you feel about getting up at 8:00 am on your vacation. My family is off the ship on port days as soon as the gang ways open. Sometimes, that means I have grumbly teens who want to sleep in, but fall asleep on the beach instead. There is the reverse rush to make sure you don't miss the boat at the end of the day. We almost missed the boat in Jamaica, due to a negligent tour operator and it is highly stressful being a pier runner with everyone on their balcony shouting at you :)

 

Either way, you'll have a great time and you are going to want to take both cruises.

 

Have fun!

We let our then 10 and 13 year olds roam free. That being said, our younger child preferred to meet people in the kids club and spend her time there, supervised, even though she knew she was free to call us to check her out and roam. Our son met kids in the teen club and then spent his days hanging out with his friends playing sports. These are our ship rules that have stood us in good stead:

 

1. Never go into room corridors or any rooms, even ours, on your own, without one of your parents. There have been assaults against children. Stay in the public spaces.

 

2. Call me in the room from a ship phone when you get where you are going. If you are leaving a venue, call me again and leave a message.

 

3. NCL has iconcierge which allows you to use your cellphone to call & text on board for @ $7-8 per person during the cruise. It's a wonderful adaption that has given responsible kids more freedom.

 

4. Check in with me at the end of every hour, up until age 13. Then check in at breakfast, lunch and dinner at older ages.

 

5. Port days are family days.

 

6. You have to eat at least one meal a day with your family. And you have to attend one "formal" dinner with the family.

 

7. Be polite and stay out of trouble. I will be stalking you to watch how you behave. Immediate grounding/confined to cabin if I see or hear of any rudeness or bad behavior. My husband and I figured out the places our kids liked to go and introduced ourselves to the staff. We told them to feel free to call us if there was any problem, and told the kids we were doing this. We never had bad reports, in fact, we got compliments on their behavior.

 

8. Use common sense: no drinking, drugs, sex. Home rules apply to ship behavior.

 

My kids are now 14 and 17 and they have never had a problem or caused one. We give them increasing freedom, as we see them handle their freedom well.

My extended family of 20 has sailed both lines in suites and balconies. We like the overall Royal ship experience (stores, layout, gym, activities, kids club) better than Norwegian. However, NCL's suite life is head and shoulders above Royal's.

 

Our family rule is:

 

NCL if we're sailing in a suite, and then only in a Haven suite

 

Royal if we are not sailing in a Suite.

 

You already know how good the Haven experience is. So I'll only describe Royal.

 

When we sailed in Grand Suites on Royal we loved it, because we hadn't yet experienced the Haven.

 

Here's what you get on Royal:

 

Expedited Embarkation

Big room, BETTER LAYOUT THAN NCL, CAN ATTACH REGULAR BALCONY ROOM

Wall of Closets

Big Bathroom

Big Bar Area (no free alcohol)

BIGGER BALCONY THAN NCL

Sit down & Continental Breakfast in Portofino's, as good as Haven

Private lunch area in Portofino's: go get food in Buffet, bring it back, nice, but not as good as Haven

Suite Concierge Lounge all day: Continental breakfast, FREE ESPRESSO MACHINE to make specialty coffee drinks, FREE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS, WINE, SODAS & SNACKS OFFERED 5:30-8:00 pm

Expedited Disembarkation with Concierge escort

SUITE BEACH WITH GOLF CART LIMO & UPGRADED LUNCH IN LABADEE

Reserved seating at pool (NO SHADE, NO UMBRELLAS)

 

So you'll enjoy the suites on Royal, but for the price, you could sail in a balcony and still have a very good time and not feel you were missing much in the way of suite perks. We've sailed out of San Juan on Royal in balconies twice: on the Adventure and the Serenade. The Adventure is a bigger ship, but the Serenade is lovely and it's smaller size lets you go to a wider variety of islands. We loved both ships and the itineraries.

 

Either way,

 

Have fun!

Hi,

 

Take the plunge on the Getaway and you won't regret it. We were in a 2 bedroom Haven family suite, port side, on the Getaway and we don't remember feeling any undue motion in the suite. There was one sea day with heavy weather and huge swells where we felt the motion everywhere on the ship. They had to close the pools because it was unsafe.

 

We are Diamond on RCCL and have sailed in ocean view, balcony, mini suites and suites on Adventure, Freedom, Serenade, and Allure. We enjoy the concierge lounge, eating in Portofino for breakfast and lunch and having priority boarding, disembarking and tendering.

 

That being said, we have sailed balconies and the Haven on NCL and there is absolutely no comparison; NCL's Haven on the Getaway is head and shoulders above the suite program on any RCCL ship.

 

Our family's rule of thumb, if we are sailing ocean view or balconies, no one beats RCCL.

 

If we are sailing suites, it's NCL all the way.

 

I will tell you though, that overall, as nice as the Getaway is, it doesn't have the wow factor of the Freedom or Oasis Class. It's more like the Serenade outdie the Haven. Once in the Haven, though, it's a different, better, experience.

 

Enjoy!

This is a big change, thanks for the heads up!

Wow! Outstanding videos, review and pics!! I shared it with my family as 11 of us will be in the Haven in June. You made those who are reluctant to cruise NCL (we had a bad experience on the Gem) very happy.

 

Thanks!

Thanks so much for posting this in such an easy to understand format. This is exactly what I was looking for! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and thoroughness.

This is an excellent and very helpful review. I like your writing style and your in depth reporting. Your pictures are taken from very helpful vantage points. I look forward to following your writing in the future.

 

You should get paid to do this type of writing, you do a much better job than the CNN or USA today cruise reviews, although they probably would not be willing to pay for your excellent long form reporting.

 

Best wishes and happy sailing!

Your little ones will be fine in the Haven. I saw toddlers and babies and they looked like they were having fun. The parents of younger kids that I saw were vigilant about ensuring that the little kids didn't bother quieter guests. In return, the quieter guests, across the board, were very nice and accommodated the playtime of the little kids.

 

As I said above, the crew is wonderful with kids of all ages.

 

As parents, keep an eye on your children's needs for naps or downtime so that their daily patterns are optimal for them. That way, they'll be well rested and happy and the Haven environment will be a good fit.

 

The Haven is sold to families with kids and those looking for a quiet, spa like experience. Both groups are fine in the Haven when everyone tries to be considerate of the others.

 

Also, my memory of the Getaway Haven is that the baby/toddler playroom is right around the corner from the Haven. I don't know where it is on other ships. The kids pool zone is just outside and down the steps from the Haven as well

 

The rooms were soundproof for us too, no need to worry about the neighbors hearing any fussing.

 

Book the Haven and enjoy with your kids!