Haven on Gateway

[sassycruiser]

Hi

 

Thinking about booking the Haven on the Getaway.  Looking for feedback.  We are experienced NCL cruisers but never in the Haven.  We did do Yacht Club on MSC and loved it.

 

we would be booking the 12/1/24 trip from NOLA.  
 

thank you! 

[Two Wheels Only]

What would you like to know?

 

Which Haven stateroom category are you looking to book?

 

Which MSC ship were you on and which Yacht Club category did you book?

 

Some things, Yacht Club does better.

Some things, Haven does better. 

 

...more info needed... 

[BirdTravels]

54 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

Hi

 

Thinking about booking the Haven on the Getaway.  Looking for feedback.  We are experienced NCL cruisers but never in the Haven.  We did do Yacht Club on MSC and loved it.

 

we would be booking the 12/1/24 trip from NOLA.  
 

thank you! 

You will love the Haven. 

 

@Sthrngary has a popular thread on the topic.

 

[brookie848]

Compared to other ships I've been on (Escape, Epic, Viva), I am not a fan of the Getaway's Haven. I find the lounge/restaurant area to be too small and there is no roof over the Courtyard.

 

However, it is the Haven and still great. It just wouldn't be the first Haven I'd choose.

[sassycruiser]

Hi All

 

we are looking at the Haven Balcony that is not inside the courtyard.  I know that means it is not in the Haven complex but you have access.  For the $400 difference is it worth it to pay to be in the complex.

 

i know the Haven menu doesn’t change.  That is okay.

 

i am interested in knowing - can you get seats by the pool?  Dedicated bar?  Do you get good service if you are not in the actual Haven complex?  Is there nightly entertainment in the Haven?   Can the concierge get you theater, specialty restaurants reservations? 

We sailed 2/24 on the MSC Seascape in an interior Yacht Club cabin.  We loved it enough to book again for March 2025.

 

We are considering this cruise because we would like to spend Thanksgiving in NOLA and then leave on the cruise on Sunday.

 

Thank you for helping me make a decision! 

 

[BirdTravels]

32 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

Thank you for helping me make a decision! 

 

we are looking at the Haven Balcony that is not inside the courtyard.  I know that means it is not in the Haven complex but you have access.  For the $400 difference is it worth it to pay to be in the complex.

About 1/3 of the Haven staterooms are not in the Haven complex proper. We usually book a forward facing Haven for the extra space at a lower cost than the smaller balcony rooms in the Haven complex. We had no issue with trotting up to the Haven, even to get a drink, and use the facilities up there. 

 

i know the Haven menu doesn’t change.  That is okay.

Most people will have at least 2 specialty dinners included with their cruise (we get 4 - 2 Free at Sea and 2 latitudes) so we have absolutely no issue with the Haven menus not changing. 

 

i am interested in knowing - can you get seats by the pool?  Dedicated bar?  Do you get good service if you are not in the actual Haven complex?  Is there nightly entertainment in the Haven?   Can the concierge get you theater, specialty restaurants reservations? 

You are a Haven guest and have equal access to everything regardless of where your room is.

 

The actual pool has limited seating. The second level "inside" sundeck and "outside" sundeck have more space.

 

Your butler service is the same regardless of where your room is. All equally good. 

 

No entertainment in the Haven lounge like you may have had in the Top Sail Lounge. 

 

Work with the Concierge desk on embarkation day to book theater and dining reservations. The Concierge can "oversell" sold out restaurants. But once a restaurant is totally oversold, even the concierge will not be able to get you a seat. We just book our own dining reservations 130 days prior departure (others can start booking 125 days and the majority of guests can start booking 120 days prior to departure - so you get a 10 day head start that you should use). For you consideration, the Captain's reception us usually on the first sea day at 7 pm.

 

There are reserved seats for Haven guests in the Theater. But, like the Seascape, the reserved seats are not the ones that we would pick. So, we just go to the theater early and grab our preferred seats near the front, center. 

We sailed 2/24 on the MSC Seascape in an interior Yacht Club cabin.  We loved it enough to book again for March 2025.

 

We were on the Seascape last month (only in a Jr Suite Aurea). She is a pretty ship. We are in the process of booking a YC room on the Seascape next spring. 

 

We are considering this cruise because we would like to spend Thanksgiving in NOLA and then leave on the cruise on Sunday.

 

Have a great cruise! You will enjoy the Getaway. 

Edited April 11 by BirdTravels

[BirdTravels]

39 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

i know the Haven menu doesn’t change.  That is okay.

 

Thank you for helping me make a decision! 

Pictorial of the Haven menu (there have been a few minor changes since I did this post). 

 

 

[sassycruiser]

Thank you for the responses.  I am going to go ahead and book.  I will book outside the Haven.  I would rather have the extra money.  

[Two Wheels Only]

59 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

we are looking at the Haven Balcony that is not inside the courtyard.  I know that means it is not in the Haven complex but you have access.  For the $400 difference is it worth it to pay to be in the complex.

 

The location for "outside of the complex" can vary by ship. You can determine if the distance will be an issue. Also, balcony size (especially on Breakaway/Getaway) can be an issue.

 

59 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

i am interested in knowing - can you get seats by the pool?

 

Yes, but the courtyard can be cramped (varies by ship).

 

Getaway's Haven doesn't have a retractable roof over the courtyard but the upper and lower levels have space and loungers.

 

59 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

Dedicated bar?

 

Yes (in the lounge next to the courtyard), but getting a seat at the bar can be difficult since there aren't many seats. It's probably better to get your drink to go and sit in the lounge (more comfortable seats), anyway.

 

59 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

Do you get good service if you are not in the actual Haven complex?

 

Butlers rotate their assigned areas so you might get a great butler or you might get a mediocre butler.

 

59 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

Is there nightly entertainment in the Haven?

 

Other than intoxicated empty nesters, not really. 😁

 

59 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

Can the concierge get you theater, specialty restaurants reservations? 

 

Yes. Prepare a list and give it to the concierge on embarkation day. You can also make your own reservations before embarkation day, if you want.

 

 

Edited April 11 by Two Wheels Only

[sassycruiser]

Thank you.   We are in our early 60s so generally we can walk (maybe not after the cocktails).  Love me some people watching on cruises.  The Seascape had a huge percentage of Yacht Club people dressing up for 80s night.  
 

The one criticism of the Seascape Yacht club was that the nightly singer was very hit or miss.  We are fine with going to other locations etc.  

 

We didn’t have a great butler on the seascape.  She was okay but the room steward was excellent and among the best in 20+ cruises.  We aren’t high maintenance but do love the ship within a ship and thought we would take the plunge and do the Haven.  

[chill6x6]

3 hours ago, sassycruiser said:

Hi

 

Thinking about booking the Haven on the Getaway.  Looking for feedback.  We are experienced NCL cruisers but never in the Haven.  We did do Yacht Club on MSC and loved it.

 

we would be booking the 12/1/24 trip from NOLA.  
 

thank you! 

I've cruised out of NO many times and actually cruised on the Getaway from there.  

 

I like the aft-facing Penthouse.  It's away from the Haven complex but the huge balcony and two baths are certainly worth the walk.  Although I haven't been on an MSC ship I have been in Holland America Neptune/Pinnacle suites, Royal Caribbean Sky/Star class suites, and Celebrity suites.  All have their pros and cons.  For the money the Haven is hard to beat. We had a GREAT, proactive butler aboard the Getaway.  The Haven sundeck on the Getaway is nice and we enjoyed it. The Haven restaurant is really good too.  I'm not crazy about the non-changing dinner menu BUT you'll probably eat in a few speciality restaurants with your "Free at Sea." 

 

Be SURE to get to New Orleans a day or two before your cruise and enjoy all NO has to offer.  It's a great place to cruise from! For sure head to the WW-II museum!  AND eat at ACME Oyster, Drago's, and Mr B's Bistro to name a few great places to eat!

[sassycruiser]

We love NOLA.  We sailed from there in 2019 and it was really nice.  We are in the Detroit area so the flight is not bad.  

[Sthrngary]

18 minutes ago, sassycruiser said:

We love NOLA.  We sailed from there in 2019 and it was really nice.  We are in the Detroit area so the flight is not bad.  

@sassycruiser Hello, I wrote the big thread on the Haven.  I have cruised on the Getaway from Nola in the Haven.  Ask me anything.  Happy to help.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.