WildcatRock

"got back on the date the Haven...". Date?? Sorry for my poor grammar. I have a new phone and the auto spell corrector thing is driving me crazy. I meant to say we got back on the ship AFTER the Haven closed....

If you eat at the Haven pool deck the menu is the same while the Haven restaurant is open. After it closes they have a menu with casual food. In Cayman we got back on the ship date the Haven restaurant closed at 2 pm and Cindy had a hot dog and fries and I had a Caesar wrap. Going to The Emirates is on my bucket list....

Squid!! How ya doing?!

OK, point of clarification here, I mistakenly posted my review under my wife's cruise critic name as someone forgot to log out of their cruise critic account when she was done with her review.....Or, I guess I forgot to make sure I logged into my account. Man Card Kent...Man Card....

He Said Review - Embarkation Day

First I need to apologize in advance for whatever length my review(s) may end up being. Last year I became Wildcatrock "Tolstoy" due to the length of my "He Said" review. I can't help it, I love cruising and telling people about my cruise experience. I'll attempt... I said...attempt...to keep my comments shorter as we have a lot of territory to cover. Also, I doubt you'll see any photos in this review. Sorry, but we do take a lot of photos...of fish...we're love snorkeling. So we have pictures of fish...a lot of pictures..of fish..but I love it. Anyhow, on to Embarkation Day on the Getaway.

Embarkation Day:

We were led on to the Getaway before noon and taken to one of the mid-ship elevators that was reserved that day for Haven passengers. NCL apparently wants to ensure Haven passengers have easier access to the Haven on Embarkation Day - nice touch. We made it to the Haven, or should I say to Heaven. Amazing. Holy cow, OMG, beautiful. If you've never been in The Haven on the Getaway it is simply incredible. For me it became a cruise within a cruise. The Haven lounge is on deck 16 and contains the Concierge Desk, Haven Bar (or should I say my home away from home), the Haven restaurant, pool that is surrounded by chairs and loungers, two Jacuzzi's, a sauna room, and bathroom. Surrounding the Haven in 3 sides are the various suites. Up above on deck 17 is a very spacious area with loungers surrounding the pool deck below, another area with loungers and clam shells (which are awesome for naps after climbing Dunn's River Falls, more to come on that), with a forward area containing loungers for those who like to smoke (this is the smoking allowed section).

We were introduced to our Concierge, Virginia Brotherton, who did a wonderful job taking care of us. Virginia and her staff were very accessible, friendly, and very quickly took care of any request we had during our cruise. Many kudos to Virginia for being wonderful to us all week long. It was not long after meeting Virginia that I met my best friend for the cruise, the lead bartender Evelyn. She is probably the best bartender I've ever known. She crafted excellent drinks, had a wonderful smile, and an even warmer personality. She quickly learned that my favorite drink is Jack Daniel's and Diet Pepsi which she quickly labeled as my best friend. Every time I saw her she would ask if I was ready to see "my friend". And coincidentally, every time she asked me if I wanted to see my friend, I DID!! Wow, what are the odds....

A little side note here. We had the UBP and yes, we had to pay sales tax while the ship was still in Miami. When you order a drink they will have you sign the receipt and it will show the cost of the drink and the sales tax. Don't freak out though as you're only paying the sales tax. Yes, I know, the receipt shows the cost of the drink, but you're not paying for the drink, just the sales tax. Man, people were freaking out when they saw that but chilled out when it was explained to them that they were only paying the tax. I also believe we paid the sales tax at GSC the next day. And I think that was it as far as sales tax goes....but I was spending a lot of time with my friend and the details got a little cloudy.....

Had a nice sail away party in the Haven that was attended by some ship officers including the Hotel Dir, and the Asst Hotel director. Champagne and snacks were provided.

We had the UDP so we hit Le Bistro for din din. My appetizer was the ice cream cone looking things. My main course was the lobster tail. Here's another editorial for you...the Lobster tail is one of 3 up charge items on the menu that costs $9.99 more. NOT IF YOU HAVE THE UDP. It didn't cost me any more as it IS covered under the UDP. Perfect.

After dinner we walked around decks 6-8 and checked out the shopping area (my hands were in my pockets holding on to my "Man Card" which prevents me from 'shopping'), walked through the casino (OMG, the smoke was incredible - I'm not being judgmental here, smoke if you've got 'em, I made the choice to walk through the casino, but holy cow is it smoky). I think we then walked outside on deck 16 and checked out all it has to offer, then went back to the Haven bar for a long while, then called it a night.

I want to comment about the Haven Bar. It become our central area. We met many people and made many new friends. Cruisers (Eddie and Rich and their wonderful DW's who were from Marco Island - wonderful people) and crew (Evelyn our wonderful bartender; Nathan who was a Jr bartender; Kalai, the Matre D of the Haven restaurant, and several other crew members). We gravitated to the Haven bar at night time to see this wonderful group of people.

During the cruise we didn't see any shows, we ate dinners, walked around the ship, then returned each night to the Haven, to the bar, to drink, commiserate, and have fun with our new found friends. The Haven literally became a cruise within a cruise for us. We spent A LOT of time in the Haven. Loved it. Loved every minute of it, and will sail on the Getaway again, in the Haven. It's worth the money. Trust me.

The one negative for the cruise for me was the noise we heard nearly every morning of the chairs and loungers on deck 17 being moved. We were in cabin #16710 which is a Haven Penthouse suite. Now, in all honesty, we had read on Cruise Critic about these noises in the morning, and yes, we heard it. Nearly every morning, early, 6ish(?). It was our early alarm clock. We will stay in this cabin again? Nope, we'll stay a couple cabins towards aft where there aren't loungers and chairs above that are being moved. But, that's my only gripe from the cruise, and it didn't diminish my experience, just a little heads up for you.

So, that's Embarkation Day with a few editorial comments. I'll be back tomorrow with my review of our ports of call...and boy did we have fun....good night!!!

This review is so me and my wife! We started in 2009, have been on the Star, Pearl, Jewel and Spirit. We sail in suites as well. We will be on the Sky 2/22 in B1 9078 and Getaway 2/28 in Spa suite 14730!

 

AJ

Shut the front door! We were in that stateroom for our Sky cruise!! You'll enjoy it. It's right in the middle of the ship, nice size balcony, quick access to the food decks above and the happening decks below.

Looking forward to reading more of the dual perspectives. Curious as to which car service you used as we're fling into FLL as well.

We use GroundLink.

He Said Review: Miami and Pre - Embarkation:

I'm a big believer in dressing for your destination when you fly which is why I showed up at the airport on Fri, Nov 27th in a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals whilst a freaking winter storm was occurring in good ol' KC. Hey, I'm flying to Miami where it's going to be sunny, warm, and humid - why would I want to have jeans, long sleeve shirts, and of all things, a coat on?? We boarded the plane and waited 40 minutes while it was de-iced. Always an interesting experience.

Our flight arrived in Ft Lauderdale on time (thank you Mr. Pilot for speeding) as did our reliable car service. We arrived at the Intercontinental and found out we'd been upgraded at no charge to a suite. Sweet. Hung out at the hotel for a little bit then hit out favorite spot, Bayside, which is just a couple block walk from the Intercontinental. Had dinner at Mambo Cafe, got the bill, holy cow, I forgot how expensive Miami is. Err, I should say, how expensive the drinks are. Jeez.

I'm a proud carrier of the official "Man Card" which means it's against all that I stand for to "go shopping". I do need to admit though that Bayside has a store that sells soccer merchandise. And me being a fan of REAL FOOTBALL, what us Americans call "soccer", I had to go check it out. To my immense surprise I found a scarf for my beloved Arsenal F.C. GO GUNNERS!! Yup, I bought it with my "Man Card" in hand.

I really love South Beach. Don't know why as whenever I walk up Ocean Drive there's a sign flashing above me that says TOURIST. The next day, Saturday, was no exception as I was wearing my Panama Jack hat, shorts, Margaritaville T-Shirt, and bleached white KC skin. But man do I love South Beach. Had lunch at La Baguette which is one of the cafes that lines the Drive and enjoyed the weather and people watching. Got the bill...again...what is it with the cost of drinks in Miami. I am a firm believer that Miami needs to offer an Ultimate Drinking Package.

Pre - Embarkation was awesome. Left the hotel at 10:15 and was at the port a little after 10:30 and into VIP check in. OMG is the Getaway huge. I mean freaking HUGE. Especially to us as we've only sailed on Jewel class ships and the Star. I mean, this ship is HUGE!! I was worried about what our upcoming cruise was going to be like as we checked in and were escorted to the waiting area a little before 11 am. I was pleased though that it only took us roughly 40 +/- minutes to leave our hotel, get checked in, and be in the waiting area to board the ship. I remember standing in the waiting lounge looking at the ship amazed at how big she was but excited that I was about to spend a week on board her.

At roughly 11:45 it was time to board the Getaway. But that will have to wait for the next "He Said" review post.....

I thank you all for your time in making replies. You have made me feel much better about me choosing this cruise as our next adventure.

Great! That's Cruise Critic in action. Enjoy the cruise!!

I wouldn't worry about the reviews. You can find reviews from people who didn't like the Spirit but also from people who do like the ship. We did our first back-to-back cruise last month spending a week on the Getaway then hopping on the Sky for a 4-day cruise. Now that's a big difference going from the big, new, and beautiful Getaway to the aging, small Sky. We loved BOTH cruises. And had seen both positive and negative reviews of the Sky. My suggestion is research the Spirit on NCL's website (layout, restaurants, bars staterooms, etc). Then if you like the itinerary and the cruise price, give her a try. My personal belief is that your cruise experience is what you make of it. The reviews are great as they give us info but shouldn't keep us from trying the ship.

Does anyone know who the current Concierge is on the Sky?

And occasionally missed because of the winds and sea conditions.;)

We just go off the Getaway today and had a FANTASTIC cruise. We did make GSC but spoke with one of the island based NCL employees who said we were the first ship that had visited in over a week. The ship crew told us last week the Getaway's stop at GSC this upcoming week was in doubt. We're going on the Sky tomorrow and are scheduled to stop at GSC Thurs. Right now the weather looks favorable - our fingers are crossed!

Great Stirrup Cay and Grand Cayman are the two tender ports

I am sailing on the Getaway this Sunday for its first Western Caribbean 7 night itinerary. Looking at the weather forecast there will be 20-22 mph winds at each port on the days we are supposed to be there and 60/80% chance rain.

 

At what point to they decide not to tender? Do we just miss all of the ports?

We're on this cruise with you - have you joined the Roll Call? I've been watching the weather too. GSC looks to have winds of around 15 mph so we should be fine, Grand Cayman winds are forecast to be under 10 mph, so we should be fine there too. But, those are long range forecasts and the darn weather can always change. We're in the Caribbean so rain is usually in the forecast every afternoon. No worries though, we'll be in a cruise and will have a great day no matter what!

I will "second!" Samstress's great butler shout out of Roland. He is a friendly attentive butler. We have 6 cruises under our belt since 2009 and all have been suites, from the Aft to the Haven 2 Br to twice in a Garden Villa. As others have posted there is a wide variance to the service and personalized attention you can get from a butler. You are on the right path of asking questions and reading other's experiences before you cruise. This will help you in your expectations.

As for our BEST SERVICE from a butler? It was last year on the Jewel out of Houston the week of Thanksgiving. We were in the Garden Villa and had brought our two sons and my Mother and her husband. The day we were in Cozumel, I had arranged with our butler, ROLAND DALENA to have decorations, snacks and a cake set up in the room for our return. In addition on the day of embarkation, I had pulled Roland aside and asked if there was any way possible that someone from the kitchen could prepare a special pie that we make each year for my husband's birthday. He had arranged for it to be prepared and served in the Villa and this was the highlight of the big surprise for Kent's 50th Birthday. As a thank you, I hand wrote a card and tucked some cash inside with instructions for it to be delivered to the person who took the time to prepare this for us.

Asking for some special snacks, real cream for your coffee, or write-ins for breakfast are not out of the question. If you ask for these types of items and your butler says "NO" then you should speak to the concierge. In my opinion, please also tip for these services a bit more than if you didn't request anything than what they would normally do for you.

I just realized that I posted under my husband's name, but it is I, realcindylouwho that posted this! Oooooooops!

This article explains the NCL higher cruise prices.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-03/norwegian-has-big-revenue-dreams-but-first-is-that-ship-a-little-ugly-

Hi David - thanks for posting this link. I appreciate reading these articles to stay informed on Del Rio's plans for the new NCL. We've been cruising on NCL since 2009 and the product is definitely changing. However, we plan on continuing to cruise on NCL regardless.

Call the pre cruise Concierge and they have the schedule.

Awesome. Didn't know that - thanks!!!

We're on the Getaway Nov 29 - Does anyone know who the Concierge will be?

On the Getaway Nov 29 - any idea who the Concierge will be?

We've only sailed on Norwegian so I have nothing else to compare it to - but for us, the "suite experience" is what keeps bringing us back.

$2300 in airfare for 3 people for a 4 day cruise. :eek::eek: That's heart stopping to me

 

If airfare is that high I'd consider a longer cruise on a newer ship; may as well maximize that flight cost. 7 days or more. Trust me...Freeport and Nassau ain't worth it!

Yup, thought about that - it's a cruise with our youngest kiddo during their college spring break. Looked at a longer cruise out of Miami, TX, Tampa, etc. Airfare sucked pretty much any where we went - thank you Kansas City International Airport! We may have been able to wait to book airfare but having never flown over spring break we didn't want to risk missing out on flights. Decided to go with the 4 day Sky out of Miami as we can have some fun in Miami the day before and thought we'd have a great time on the Sky. It's amazing - we've never cruised on the Sky before and have two cruises planned on her. And we're really looking forward to them!!

We paid $479 pp for two people for our first ever Sky cruise in 50 days (in a B1). We feel we got a great deal. Went ahead and booked a suite (SE) on the Sky for 3/14 for 3 people and paid $3600. I thought that was high until we paid for our airfare from KC which cost us $2300. Obviously our price is higher as we're going over spring break. I guess my point is that yes, prices are higher but people are paying it. We're suite cruisers (except for this years Sky cruise) and the amount we're paying for our 2016 Sky cruise will be the 2nd most expensive cruise we've ever taken. And it's only a 5 day cruise. But...we paid the price so I guess NCL's strategy is working.

One??

What I get from these emails is that NCL will pay for the cost to cancel the flights if you choose to book a replacement cruise with them. However, since you cancelled and didn't rebook, they aren't paying the fees.

If you purchased airfare through NCL and the cruise is cancelled and you don't rebook a cruise does NCL reimburse you for the airfare? What's their policy?

Did you purchase trip insurance?