Haven on NCL Getaway

[browcha]

 

We usually travel on smaller ships and are a bit nervous we will like the feel of the larger ships. Is the Haven worth it to have the quieter area? Does it get crowded and hard to find space within the haven areas as well? Looking for the pros and cons to the bigger ship and if we should splurge on Haven. 

[DeltaOne]

If you're nervous about the feel of a larger ship then you definitely should get the Haven.  You'll have the best of both worlds where you can venture out in to the general areas of the ship and then retreat to the Haven if/when you need some peace and quiet. 

 

We've done the Haven twice on the Breakaway and we LOVED the peace and quiet of the Haven.

[brookie848]

If you have not done the Haven on another large ship, you should be happy with the Getaway's Haven. However, if you want a better large-ship Haven experience, choose any of the bigger ships besides the Getaway/Breakaway. Those Havens, while nice, are considerably smaller than the Havens on the other large ships.

 

The Getaway restaurant definitely gets crowded, but the bar/sundeck area should be okay. Although how quiet those areas are are solely dependent upon the people on the sailing with you.

[bigreckster]

We were on the Getaway Haven in Jan. and the pool/deck area was never crowded...in fact there were very few people there giving you an almost"private" area to enjoy!   The Haven dining room was excellent and the bar staff very accommodating.  Everything about the Haven experience was positive and after 40+ cruises on Celebrity and other lines, we're booked again in Jan. on the Escape for another cruise!  Enjoy!

[tomservo]

We did a 4 day Bermuda cruise in the Haven on the Getaway, and with the exception of a few groups (super drunk girls trip types), it was pretty empty. There was a wait for breakfast once, but otherwise not bad. Have you done suites on NCL before?

[browcha]

8 hours ago, tomservo said:

We did a 4 day Bermuda cruise in the Haven on the Getaway, and with the exception of a few groups (super drunk girls trip types), it was pretty empty. There was a wait for breakfast once, but otherwise not bad. Have you done suites on NCL before?

We have done regular balconies on the Sky and Gem and did an aft penthouse suite on the Dawn. Loved our large balcony.  We will miss that on the Getaway but hoping the Haven deck areas will make up for it. 

[GA Dave]

We did a seven day Haven on the Getaway last September.  We never waited for a table in the Haven restaurant and had a window seat almost every time.  We also felt that we had the upper sun deck to ourselves most of the time (see below).

It all depends on what time of the year you travel.

[tomservo]

23 minutes ago, browcha said:

We have done regular balconies on the Sky and Gem and did an aft penthouse suite on the Dawn. Loved our large balcony.  We will miss that on the Getaway but hoping the Haven deck areas will make up for it. 

 

Our Haven suite on the Getaway was an aft suite, I highly recommend it, although others prefer to stay in the Haven proper. I think it's worth trying once, especially if you can get a good price for it. We enjoyed our stay at the Haven, but are only willing to pay a certain premium for it. If it helps, here's my review of our Getaway Haven stay.

 

 

Edited August 5, 2019 by tomservo

[BostonGal35]

we have stayed in Haven on Getaway, Escape, and Gem.  The Getaway was the best experience so far in terms of service.  Gem service was excellent as well, but the lack of a dedicated restaurant and bar is why it isnt our #1.  we would not pay for Haven on a smaller ship.  like a PP, tho, the pricepoint has to be right for us.  we are going for i believe $2100pp in Haven on Breakaway in December.  personally we'd never pay more than $2500pp but everyone is different.

[Bootman4U]

"Crowded" in the Haven restaurant or do you mean FULL?  BIG difference IMO. Crowded is what that buffet in the rear of the ship gets if you do not show up early.

 

The Haven is what it is..it costs more and IMO is worth more.

[Momma Rene]

We booked the Haven for our 50th Anniversary.  I was wondering about the show seating.  Does the concierge arrange the shows and seating?  How does that work?  Thanks!

[browcha]

On 8/7/2019 at 1:18 PM, Bootman4U said:

"Crowded" in the Haven restaurant or do you mean FULL?  BIG difference IMO. Crowded is what that buffet in the rear of the ship gets if you do not show up early.

 

The Haven is what it is..it costs more and IMO is worth more.

Agree.  That is one of the reasons we would be looking to book...is to avoid the crowds on the rest of the ship.  I don't mind waiting for a table if the Haven restaurant is busy.  I am more curious about the Haven pool area.  Is it crowded and difficult to find seats. 

[browcha]

On 8/5/2019 at 9:01 AM, GA Dave said:

We did a seven day Haven on the Getaway last September.  We never waited for a table in the Haven restaurant and had a window seat almost every time.  We also felt that we had the upper sun deck to ourselves most of the time (see below).

It all depends on what time of the year you travel.

Thanks!  That is exactly what i was looking for.  To see how busy the pool deck would be.  We are thinking early January so I imagine it would be a bit busier.  

[AFsouth]

We have had the Haven on Getaway (twice), Escape, and Bliss.  Never experienced crowds at any of the venues.  Like the previous posters stated, sometimes we were the only ones present at the pools and sundecks.  The Haven is worth it to us!

[MaryZ]

On 8/7/2019 at 4:46 PM, Momma Rene said:

We booked the Haven for our 50th Anniversary.  I was wondering about the show seating.  Does the concierge arrange the shows and seating?  How does that work?  Thanks!

 

They have seating for Haven guests reserved for shows.  It's off to the left side.  They open it to everyone approx 5 minutes before the show starts so you would want to be there sooner than that.

For comedy shows etc held in other venues, nothing special.  Just like everyone else, you make a reservation when on the ship.  The concierge can do that for you. 

We make as many reservations as possible before we cruise, even when in Haven.   The concierge can always help you change them if you'd like. 

[NayRN]

I’ve sailed the Getaway Haven three times - two times in an Aft PH on deck 9 (which I prefer)  and once in the Haven proper. I wouldn’t hesitate to sail on her again; no wait for the restaurant and no loud, crazy people in the courtyard. The only gripe I had was the Haven bar - I could never get close to it when I wanted to due to the same group of people standing around it for hours....but that wouldn’t stop me from sailing on her again.  I’ll sail aft and  just run down the aft stairs to deck 8 and utilize the Prime Meridian Bar!!