Getaway 1/14/18-1/21/18 Review: Haven, Birthday, and Scuba

Never done a review before, but first time for everything, yeah? This was my second NCL cruise, the first one was last year on the Escape where we stayed in a mini-suite. Since this was for my 30th birthday, we decided to go all-out and stay in a Forward-Facing Penthouse Suite!

Ports

Honduras:

In Honduras we did the NCL two-tank scuba dive tour. The equipment was acceptable, but definitely a bit old/well-used. Interestingly, the tour company didn’t include any snacks (but did have fresh water); fortunately, I came prepared with some boxes of cereal from breakfast. The tours we did were gorgeous: Romeo’s Elbow and Mary’s Place. Mary’s Place was stunning; my husband said it was possible the best dive he had ever done. Just gorgeous coral and a really fun tour!

Belize

I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t super interested in Harvest Caye. It’s a very manufactured island; beautifully manicured and obviously fake. However, there is a large beach and pool which is great since the pools on the Getaway are tiny! We didn’t do any excursions, just mostly walked around and then hung out on a mostly-empty ship, which was nice!

Costa Maya

Here, we did the NCL Kohunlich & Dzibanche Ruins Combo. There was a 2.5 hour drive to the first ruins, then 45 minutes to the second, then two hours back to the ship. We were late getting off the ship for clearance, and so we ended up being late to the ship for all aboard (but since we booked through NCL, the ship was held for us). We barely got to see the ruins at all; they were gorgeous, but I just wish we had more time! So while I would totally do the ruins again, I’d probably do them through an actual trip to Mexico instead of trying to fit it all in on a cruise excursion. I had also wanted to check out the local wares, but since time was cramped we weren’t able to, which was disappointing.

Cozumel

Here we did the NCL two-tank dive; while Roatan was the prettiest dive, these dives had the best wild life! We saw two enormous turtles, a nurse shark, an eagle ray, and five lobsters. It was pretty spectacular; would definitely dive again! I’d have to check my log book to remember where the dive spots were (if I don’t unpack, that means I’m still on vacation, right??). The equipment here was much nicer, and they did have snacks offered between dives. Afterwards, we wandered the town a bit and bought some crafts and amazing tequila (there was one store we went to that had tastings, and we got this amazing almond tequila and vanilla tequila).

Productions

Cirque Dreams and Steam

The food was classic wedding fare; I know people complain about the food here, but the fact of the matter is when you’re trying to serve a hundred people at the exact same time, this is more or less what you’d get. The filet mignon was “medium to medium-rare.” I had a perfect medium-rare steak that was great, but my husband had an okay medium steak. But we’re not really here for the food! While dining, the performers are walking around in very elaborate and gorgeous steam-punk styled costumes, and the actual performance was phenomenal! Two aerial acts, an equilibrist, some juggling, various acrobatics, and the tiniest cyr wheel act I have ever seen. My only complaint is I wish the woman on the cyr wheel had more time--she was amazing!

Burn the Floor

So this is a bit embarrassing; we were so exhausted that my husband and I fell asleep halfway through! However, the dancing was phenomenal (for what we saw of it!) Would definitely recommend, and I wish I had a chance to see it again while awake!

Million Dollar Quartet

This was absolutely fantastic! All the performers were amazing, and the fact that the music was live by the performers really made the show stand out. Highly recommended!

Specialty Restaurants

Teppanyaki

It’s hibachi, and if it’s good hibachi, then it’s the same as hibachi everywhere. We had done this on the Escape as well, and the food continues to be tasty and the chefs continue to be fun. We had the filet mignon and shrimp and they were great, as always. Do recommend.

Cagney’s

I had heard such great things about Cagney’s, but honestly we were quite disappointed. The crabcake and pork belly appetizers were nice, but nothing to write home about. The steaks were a downright disappointment. I had the filet mignon while my husband had the porterhouse; I’ve never had a more tough filet mignon in my life (and it was medium-rare). We’re honestly a bit baffled as to how this happened. We had the raspberry creme brulee desert and it was okay. Would not recommend.

Ocean Blue

On the Escape, Bayamo was our favorite restaurant, so we had high hopes for Ocean Blue. It was certainly good, but not worth the $15 upcharge to the Specialty Dining Package. While I could see us doing it again, we wouldn’t use the dining package, we’d just pay a la carte (it comes to about the same a la carte as, say, Le Bistro). I don’t recall what my husband had for the appetizer, but I really enjoyed the lobster bisque. I also don’t recall what we had for the entrees, but they were also very good. This was where we went for my birthday, so instead of desert we had the cake that was presented to me for my birthday; I’ll talk about that later. Would recommend, but not on the dining package.

Le Bistro

We were wow’d by Le Bistro on the Escape, and this time was the same. The food is incredible; I had the french onion soup, lamb (medium rare), and creme brulee. My husband had a salad, filet mignon, and creme brulee. Honestly, their creme brulee is the best we’ve ever had, and we went back again another night just for desert! The lamb was fantastic; I know some people complain about the portion sizes, but while they were small compared to most restaurants, it was still a meal, and we were already pretty full from eating so much all week! Highly recommend.

Steak

Because we had a filet mignon at numerous places, here’s my steak ranking! Each was filet mignon was ordered medium-rare.

• Le Bistro
  
• The Haven Restaurant
  
• Teppanyaki
  
• Cirque Dreams & Steam
  
• Cagney’s
  

The Haven

The Suite

So we stayed in a forward facing penthouse suite on the 10th deck. If we were to do this again, I think I’d want to spend the extra money to stay in a penthouse suite instead just so we didn’t have to walk so far to get to and from our room! Also, we felt like we really had to pack for the day if we were going to hang out in the Haven, instead of having the luxury of popping over to our room if we forgot something like those in the penthouse suites could. The reason we originally picked the forward facing suite was for the extra space; we liked the idea of having a separate living area, which we did use to invite friends over to play card games. It was also nice if one of us wanted to take a nap and the other didn’t; the other could just read in the living area. However, if we stayed in the penthouse, then one could nap while the other hung out by the pool or in the lounge, so as long as we weren’t planning on having guests then it wouldn’t be a problem. The deck is the size of a normal deck, but it was really windy this week so we didn’t use the deck much. The butler was very nice and frequently checked on us; if he gave me any more of his business cards I could probably fill a book! But we never had much need for him, which I almost felt bad about. The bedroom has so much closet and cabinet space that our clothes fit very comfortably. The bathroom was amazing; I liked having the vanity, and while we never took baths the tub was incredibly useful for rinsing off my wetsuit and personal scuba gear. The shower was a bit odd in that the showerhead was in the middle of the long side, as opposed to the short side of the space, but it didn’t bother me as much as I expected.

The Haven Decks

The pool is tiny; it’s about 4’ deep and not very large, but it’s nice to hang out in to cool off. There are also loungers everywhere (on that main deck and on the upper deck) which was great; I remember always struggling to find a lounger by the main pool on the Escape, and I’m sure the Getaway is no different.

The Haven Bar

Prior to NCL, I had done a Disney cruise; there was one bar that we frequented, and the bartenders really got to know us. That was something I had missed when I was on the Escape last year, and something I gained in the Haven. The bartenders don’t rotate (outside of their shifts, and you always knew who was working when), and they really got to know you and your tastes, and would mix up fun drinks that were off the menu. The environment was also very sociable; we met lots of interesting people from various places. Definitely one of my favorite places on this trip.

The Haven Restaurant

There is both outside and inside dining; outside dining is different than inside for lunch. For breakfast you can have a plated meal or do the small buffet, which is nice if you want something smaller. My biggest regret is possibly not eating at The Haven Restaurant more, especially for dinner. The lamb here was fantastic, and we enjoyed everything that we ate here. Also, the coffee served was phenomenal!

Birthday Celebration

So something interesting I learned; your birthday cake is 100% dependent on where you go for dinner. When we were at Teppanyaki, someone at our table was celebrating a birthday and got what looked like a corner of a sheet cake for their cake. A friend who also had a birthday had something else at Cagney’s (though I can’t remember what), and at Ocean Blue I had this amazing chocolate mousse cake that is also available in The Haven (though of course this one was much bigger, since all the birthday cakes were bigger). So if you are celebrating an occasion on NCL, restaurant choice matters!

Overall

We had a great time and were definitely spoiled rotten! We definitely preferred the Escape to the Getaway, so we may not do this ship again (we missed the District Brewhouse and Bayamo!) We enjoyed the Haven experience; my husband doesn’t want to go back, but honestly I could go either way; it was definitely amazing, but it’s also the cost of two cruises! We are definitely considering NCL again for a future cruise, but are also at this point looking at other options (such as MSC, or maybe just a resort for more diving options).

Thanks for reading!

Appreciate your feedback!

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Never done a review before, but first time for everything, yeah? This was my second NCL cruise, the first one was last year on the Escape where we stayed in a mini-suite. Since this was for my 30th birthday, we decided to go all-out and stay in a Forward-Facing Penthouse Suite!

 

 

 

Ports

 

 

 

Honduras:

 

 

 

In Honduras we did the NCL two-tank scuba dive tour. The equipment was acceptable, but definitely a bit old/well-used. Interestingly, the tour company didn’t include any snacks (but did have fresh water); fortunately, I came prepared with some boxes of cereal from breakfast. The tours we did were gorgeous: Romeo’s Elbow and Mary’s Place. Mary’s Place was stunning; my husband said it was possible the best dive he had ever done. Just gorgeous coral and a really fun tour!

 

 

 

Belize

 

 

 

I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t super interested in Harvest Caye. It’s a very manufactured island; beautifully manicured and obviously fake. However, there is a large beach and pool which is great since the pools on the Getaway are tiny! We didn’t do any excursions, just mostly walked around and then hung out on a mostly-empty ship, which was nice!

 

 

 

Costa Maya

 

 

 

Here, we did the NCL Kohunlich & Dzibanche Ruins Combo. There was a 2.5 hour drive to the first ruins, then 45 minutes to the second, then two hours back to the ship. We were late getting off the ship for clearance, and so we ended up being late to the ship for all aboard (but since we booked through NCL, the ship was held for us). We barely got to see the ruins at all; they were gorgeous, but I just wish we had more time! So while I would totally do the ruins again, I’d probably do them through an actual trip to Mexico instead of trying to fit it all in on a cruise excursion. I had also wanted to check out the local wares, but since time was cramped we weren’t able to, which was disappointing.

 

 

 

Cozumel

 

 

 

Here we did the NCL two-tank dive; while Roatan was the prettiest dive, these dives had the best wild life! We saw two enormous turtles, a nurse shark, an eagle ray, and five lobsters. It was pretty spectacular; would definitely dive again! I’d have to check my log book to remember where the dive spots were (if I don’t unpack, that means I’m still on vacation, right??). The equipment here was much nicer, and they did have snacks offered between dives. Afterwards, we wandered the town a bit and bought some crafts and amazing tequila (there was one store we went to that had tastings, and we got this amazing almond tequila and vanilla tequila).

 

 

 

Productions

 

 

 

Cirque Dreams and Steam

 

 

 

The food was classic wedding fare; I know people complain about the food here, but the fact of the matter is when you’re trying to serve a hundred people at the exact same time, this is more or less what you’d get. The filet mignon was “medium to medium-rare.” I had a perfect medium-rare steak that was great, but my husband had an okay medium steak. But we’re not really here for the food! While dining, the performers are walking around in very elaborate and gorgeous steam-punk styled costumes, and the actual performance was phenomenal! Two aerial acts, an equilibrist, some juggling, various acrobatics, and the tiniest cyr wheel act I have ever seen. My only complaint is I wish the woman on the cyr wheel had more time--she was amazing!

 

 

 

Burn the Floor

 

 

 

So this is a bit embarrassing; we were so exhausted that my husband and I fell asleep halfway through! However, the dancing was phenomenal (for what we saw of it!) Would definitely recommend, and I wish I had a chance to see it again while awake!

 

 

 

Million Dollar Quartet

 

 

 

This was absolutely fantastic! All the performers were amazing, and the fact that the music was live by the performers really made the show stand out. Highly recommended!

 

 

 

Specialty Restaurants

 

 

 

Teppanyaki

 

 

 

It’s hibachi, and if it’s good hibachi, then it’s the same as hibachi everywhere. We had done this on the Escape as well, and the food continues to be tasty and the chefs continue to be fun. We had the filet mignon and shrimp and they were great, as always. Do recommend.

 

 

 

Cagney’s

 

 

 

I had heard such great things about Cagney’s, but honestly we were quite disappointed. The crabcake and pork belly appetizers were nice, but nothing to write home about. The steaks were a downright disappointment. I had the filet mignon while my husband had the porterhouse; I’ve never had a more tough filet mignon in my life (and it was medium-rare). We’re honestly a bit baffled as to how this happened. We had the raspberry creme brulee desert and it was okay. Would not recommend.

 

 

 

Ocean Blue

 

 

 

On the Escape, Bayamo was our favorite restaurant, so we had high hopes for Ocean Blue. It was certainly good, but not worth the $15 upcharge to the Specialty Dining Package. While I could see us doing it again, we wouldn’t use the dining package, we’d just pay a la carte (it comes to about the same a la carte as, say, Le Bistro). I don’t recall what my husband had for the appetizer, but I really enjoyed the lobster bisque. I also don’t recall what we had for the entrees, but they were also very good. This was where we went for my birthday, so instead of desert we had the cake that was presented to me for my birthday; I’ll talk about that later. Would recommend, but not on the dining package.

 

 

 

Le Bistro

 

 

 

We were wow’d by Le Bistro on the Escape, and this time was the same. The food is incredible; I had the french onion soup, lamb (medium rare), and creme brulee. My husband had a salad, filet mignon, and creme brulee. Honestly, their creme brulee is the best we’ve ever had, and we went back again another night just for desert! The lamb was fantastic; I know some people complain about the portion sizes, but while they were small compared to most restaurants, it was still a meal, and we were already pretty full from eating so much all week! Highly recommend.

 

 

 

Steak

 

Because we had a filet mignon at numerous places, here’s my steak ranking! Each was filet mignon was ordered medium-rare.

 

• 
   
  
• Le Bistro
   
  
• The Haven Restaurant
   
  
• Teppanyaki
   
  
• Cirque Dreams & Steam
   
  
• Cagney’s
   
  

 

The Haven

 

 

 

The Suite

 

 

 

So we stayed in a forward facing penthouse suite on the 10th deck. If we were to do this again, I think I’d want to spend the extra money to stay in a penthouse suite instead just so we didn’t have to walk so far to get to and from our room! Also, we felt like we really had to pack for the day if we were going to hang out in the Haven, instead of having the luxury of popping over to our room if we forgot something like those in the penthouse suites could. The reason we originally picked the forward facing suite was for the extra space; we liked the idea of having a separate living area, which we did use to invite friends over to play card games. It was also nice if one of us wanted to take a nap and the other didn’t; the other could just read in the living area. However, if we stayed in the penthouse, then one could nap while the other hung out by the pool or in the lounge, so as long as we weren’t planning on having guests then it wouldn’t be a problem. The deck is the size of a normal deck, but it was really windy this week so we didn’t use the deck much. The butler was very nice and frequently checked on us; if he gave me any more of his business cards I could probably fill a book! But we never had much need for him, which I almost felt bad about. The bedroom has so much closet and cabinet space that our clothes fit very comfortably. The bathroom was amazing; I liked having the vanity, and while we never took baths the tub was incredibly useful for rinsing off my wetsuit and personal scuba gear. The shower was a bit odd in that the showerhead was in the middle of the long side, as opposed to the short side of the space, but it didn’t bother me as much as I expected.

 

 

 

The Haven Decks

 

 

 

The pool is tiny; it’s about 4’ deep and not very large, but it’s nice to hang out in to cool off. There are also loungers everywhere (on that main deck and on the upper deck) which was great; I remember always struggling to find a lounger by the main pool on the Escape, and I’m sure the Getaway is no different.

 

 

 

The Haven Bar

 

 

 

Prior to NCL, I had done a Disney cruise; there was one bar that we frequented, and the bartenders really got to know us. That was something I had missed when I was on the Escape last year, and something I gained in the Haven. The bartenders don’t rotate (outside of their shifts, and you always knew who was working when), and they really got to know you and your tastes, and would mix up fun drinks that were off the menu. The environment was also very sociable; we met lots of interesting people from various places. Definitely one of my favorite places on this trip.

 

 

 

The Haven Restaurant

 

 

 

There is both outside and inside dining; outside dining is different than inside for lunch. For breakfast you can have a plated meal or do the small buffet, which is nice if you want something smaller. My biggest regret is possibly not eating at The Haven Restaurant more, especially for dinner. The lamb here was fantastic, and we enjoyed everything that we ate here. Also, the coffee served was phenomenal!

 

 

 

Birthday Celebration

 

 

 

So something interesting I learned; your birthday cake is 100% dependent on where you go for dinner. When we were at Teppanyaki, someone at our table was celebrating a birthday and got what looked like a corner of a sheet cake for their cake. A friend who also had a birthday had something else at Cagney’s (though I can’t remember what), and at Ocean Blue I had this amazing chocolate mousse cake that is also available in The Haven (though of course this one was much bigger, since all the birthday cakes were bigger). So if you are celebrating an occasion on NCL, restaurant choice matters!

 

 

 

Overall

 

 

 

We had a great time and were definitely spoiled rotten! We definitely preferred the Escape to the Getaway, so we may not do this ship again (we missed the District Brewhouse and Bayamo!) We enjoyed the Haven experience; my husband doesn’t want to go back, but honestly I could go either way; it was definitely amazing, but it’s also the cost of two cruises! We are definitely considering NCL again for a future cruise, but are also at this point looking at other options (such as MSC, or maybe just a resort for more diving options).

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the review! Can you please tell me who the concierge and Haven restaurant maitre’d is? Thank you!

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Thanks for this update! I’m sailing on my birthday — so glad to know that I need to be mindful of the possible desserts :)

Enjoyed your review.

Keith

We are doing this cruise in April and I JUST booked the Kphinlich and Dzibanche trip - probably wouldn't if I had read this first....oh, well!!

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Terrific review, thanks!

Thanks for your review!

That was very helpful and helps me decide that the Haven penthouse makes more sense than the aft facing suite.

Thank you! Very well done. We are staying on floor 11, forward facing haven suite, so all good information. For some reason, I thought the Haven was in the front of the ship on the Getaway and thus not far from our room. I’ll have to look at the ship layout again. Thanks!

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Thank you! Very well done. We are staying on floor 11, forward facing haven suite, so all good information. For some reason, I thought the Haven was in the front of the ship on the Getaway and thus not far from our room. I’ll have to look at the ship layout again. Thanks!

 

 

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It is forward on GA but the main area is on 16. So if you aren't in the Haven proper you do have to get there. How much that matters to people varies.

Thanks for the review! Can you please tell me who the concierge and Haven restaurant maitre’d is? Thank you!

Hello! I The concierge was Virginia. I don't recall the name of the maitre'd, but he was very nice and super awesome. All of the Haven staff were amazing, and adorable with the kids on board. (All kids were well behaved, for any wondering.)

We are doing this cruise in April and I JUST booked the Kphinlich and Dzibanche trip - probably wouldn't if I had read this first....oh, well!!

You can still change it, if you want! And I mean, it was amazing, but it was a bit rushed; the time allotted just doesn't do it justice. Also the lunch was really pathetic; a slice of ham and a slice of american cheese between two slices of white bread.

You can still change it, if you want! And I mean, it was amazing, but it was a bit rushed; the time allotted just doesn't do it justice. Also the lunch was really pathetic; a slice of ham and a slice of american cheese between two slices of white bread.

I probably will keep it - tbere is absolutely nothing we want to do in Costa Maya otherwise. And who knows if I'll get back that way again? Western Caribbean is it my favorite route, but any day at sea is good!

What did you wear? I was thinking about linen pants if it's buggy.

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Thank you! Very well done. We are staying on floor 11, forward facing haven suite, so all good information. For some reason, I thought the Haven was in the front of the ship on the Getaway and thus not far from our room. I’ll have to look at the ship layout again. Thanks!

Hello! So the Haven is in the front of the ship, but there is no elevator in the front of the ship, so you have to walk all the way to the elevator, then go up to deck 16, then the entrance to the Haven is nearby. The only elevators near the front of the ship are staff only. I've heard that in other ships there are elevators near the front that Haven members can use so it's more convenient? But not here.

What did you wear? I was thinking about linen pants if it's buggy.

I wore jeans, a t-shirt, and an incredibly thin long-sleeved shirt specifically for that reason, and didn't have any problems with bugs.

I wore jeans, a t-shirt, and an incredibly thin long-sleeved shirt specifically for that reason, and didn't have any problems with bugs.

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