Back from the Heaven, oops the Haven-Getaway review May 29-June 5th, 2016

Hi fellow cruisers! I am going to try my hand at a review and hope some of you may find it helpful. I am new to CC, although not to cruising. I have found this website to be very informative! During our trip, I used many of the tips I read about here. This website is also extremely entertaining: the bedbug thread comes to mind! I am also kind of afraid of some of you out there! haha.

I will be writing from the perspective of a Haven guest. We also have a son on board working in MDQ. He is playing Carl Perkins, lead guitar. It was very interesting having a family member as part of the "crew" and I can share some of the things I learned about life on a ship.

I have a short attention span and am still working, so will probably do one cruise day at a time. I am 62, my DH is 64. We traveled with my DB, 54, my DSIL, 52 and DN, 14. Our father passed away in December 2015. It has been a stressful and sad 6 months and we were ready for some R and R!

The obvious reason I picked this cruise is because of MDQ! I do not like heat and cannot take the sun very much. We had never been on a "mega-ship" before. Some of our previous cruises include a Carnival ship chaperoning a bunch of theater kids, the Windstar to Istanbul and Athens and Holland America to Alaska. I wanted to go on the Getaway ASAP before it got too hot. We waited until our DN got out of school and picked the next week after that!

I knew nothing about NCL except I had heard it was very nice. I booked the cruise through NCL and got sold on the Haven. All the perks seemed fantastic. I was not in the least bit disappointed nor were any of my family. It was worth every penny! Over all we had an absolutely wonderful time!

Here I go: We live in Birmingham, AL. We wanted to get to Miami the day before we sailed: May 28. All flights go through Atlanta, then on to Miami. My DB and family lives on the West Coast of Florida. They drove to Miami and picked us up at the airport. Our own private Uber car! They were also able to bring us a case of water to take on board.

We stayed at the POM Holiday Inn on Biscayne Boulevard. Great location and my DH got us a free room with his travel points. You could see the port out of some of the rooms facing in the port's direction. The hotel was old, but had been updated. Our room was small but the bed was very comfortable.

The hotel was right across the road from the Bayside Market. I have not seen this mentioned before. It is a large outdoor mall-like entertainment complex with shops, peacocks, restaurants, bars, nightclubs-enough to keep most any family busy for one night!

We ate at a German restaurant. We sat outside and could see the port. The NCL Escape was docked and we were able to see her sailaway! It was very exciting in anticipation of what we were going to experience! It was fun to watch because it appeared as if the ship did a three-way turn! We then walked around a bit and went on to bed. I might also mention that there was an Urban Festival in Miami that weekend so it made for some interesting people watching! Embarkation Day tomorrow!

Looking forward to your review. We are in Haven a week from Sunday on the Getaway!

Looking forward to your review. We are in Haven a week from Sunday on the Getaway!

Us too! So soaking up all the haven info.

Eager to read more, thanks for the review :D

Looking forward to more of your review!

Great start to your review! Looking forward to the rest. Getaway is a favorite of ours, and MDQ is too:D

Looking forward to it.

What a neat perspective! Looking forward to hearing about your adventures on the Getaway!

What a neat perspective! Looking forward to hearing about your adventures on the Getaway!

Good morning everyone! I am finding this process somewhat cathartic because it was hard to leave my son and the Getaway. I was really sad coming back to reality although my reality is pretty good most days.

Here I go: There was a CVS drugstore one block from the hotel. We all went there to pick up a few things that we, of course, forgot. We decided that we were going to be eating a lot on the ship, so we went to Smoothie King, also one block away, and had some delicious smoothies for "breakfast".

I had heard various things about embarkation times, but my understanding was that when you are in the Haven you can pretty much board any time after 10:30 am. We got to the POM about 11:30 am. There was a bit of confusion about the terminals. My DH and myself, were to got thru Terminal C and my DB and family were to go thru Terminal B. My DB parked the car (bless his heart) and in we went!

We got thru security fairly quickly. The security agent did not like my "sleep mate"! It is a white noise machine about the size of a small round cake. We use it to sleep. I had read on CC where people had brought fans on board, so I knew my sleep mate would be OK. When I told her what it was and what it was for, the supervisor agent let us through.

We were taken to the Haven check in room where we filled out papers about our health. Our passports and cruise documents were checked. It took about 10 minutes tops. A nice NCL lady then came and whisked us away and before we knew it we were in the beautiful Haven lounge! (As we were being taken onboard, I saw the check in line for passengers not in the Haven. Having spent a lot of time in Orlando, to me it looked like a long line to get into a popular ride in Disney World on a holiday weekend!) Again, a great perk of the Haven is an expedited embarkation.

We were promptly served sliders and punch. My DS was off the ship in Miami. He was to join us later. We all then decided to have lunch in the Haven. The Haven dining room is lovely and the staff treat you like you are royalty. We were pleased with the food in the Haven. It's funny, I am usually all about the food, but on this cruise, I was so enthralled with everything else going on, that food was not as important. I guess because the food was mostly all good. I really did not have any complaints. I should have taken more pictures of the food.

DS joined us and we visited for awhile in the Haven lounge. He could not stay long because he had to go prepare for the Welcome show, where you see bits of many of the entertainment options on board.

One note about "crew" (and the entertainers are crew). They are NOT allowed in passengers rooms without written permission of the Captain. Being in a passenger room without written permission apparently can be grounds for instant termination! Even your parents! I have heard stories of crew being left in the next port and having to make their way home on their own! DS brought some papers for us to sign giving him permission to come to our room, & his uncle's room. The captain had to sign it! It was the next day before he could visit us in our room.

Our room was ready by that time. We were in H9, Room 14732. My DB was in a forward penthouse. Although the penthouse is not as close to the Haven, they still had use of all the amenities.

Oh my goodness ya'll! Our room was beautiful!! We have never had a balcony before, much less a hot tub/spa in our stateroom! Our room was called a Haven spa room I think. It had beautiful lace curtains, a table and chairs, tons of storage space, a roomy bathroom with two sinks and a "waterfall" shower with about five different kinds of jets and on and on. Our butler, Willie, came by and told us about the amenities in our room, including how to use the coffee machine. Oh and there was a bottle of champagne on ice by the hot tub, a bottle of water and a bowl of fruit. Every day Willie would bring us little treats to eat in the afternoon: it varied: chocolate covered strawberries, little sandwiches, cookies to name of few. They were delicious and much appreciated after a long day.

Oh and the lighting! It took me a few days to figure it out, but there were four different levels of lighting and blue lights around the edge of the wall. It was lovely. There were reading lights and lots of power outlets. Also we did not need the NCL app because there are portable phones in the room. You can carry them around with you and communicate with others. We used them at times to keep up with with DB and his family. My DS is the stage captain (we called him Captain Kurt) for MDQ and he has to carry one around with him all the times, so we were able to call him too.

I am getting cross eyed, so I am going to stop for now. I will say that we never did use the spa in our room for the purpose for which it is intended. It was a great place tho to put wet clothes and bathing suits! haha! There is a window by the spa so the sun shone in and helped them dry! Next up: the first night on board! Feel free to ask me questions.

After we got our luggage and settled in, we walked around a bit and began using our UBP. I was a little disappointed at Sailaway. It was up on the top deck, very hot, loud music and no shade. No food or drinks being passed around. We only stayed a minute and then found a spot on the Waterfront to watch Miami go by. Other ships I have sailed on made a big deal about Sailaway. The Windstar goes for the dramatic: for example, by playing dramatic music and putting the sails up one at a time to the music. I will say right now that any little issues I have are "First World" issues!

We then walked around a bit and began using our UBP. We had dinner reservations for Le Bistro at 6 pm. I did not say anything to DH or DB about the numerous complaints I had read on CC about cigarette smoke. I wanted to see if they complained. They did not and I did not smell any smoke. We liked the restaurant. The escargot were delicious!

Our DS popped up in the restaurant for a quick visit. Then he had to go finish getting ready for the Welcome aboard show. After dinner we went to the Welcome Aboard show and saw our first glimpse of this version of MDQ. It was great! I was intrigued by Burn the Floor as I used to dance and appreciate fine dancers when I see them.

We visited the casino and went back to our stateroom. We were pretty tired. DS called and he wanted to meet up with us. We rallied and went to the Sugarcane Bar (I think that was the name) and got seats out side. Kurt's best friend, Ben is playing Elvis and Ben's wife is playing Elvis' girlfriend, Dyanne. It is a dream come true that they all get to work together in this show! They came with Kurt and we spent several hours talking and catching up. BTW, the cast goes through the same training that another crew members do. It should be a comfort to you that if there is an emergency, the cast of MDQ can put out fires and direct you to the lifeboats! haha! It was a magical night: warm breezes and a thunderstorm way off in the distance. We were so happy.

Next up: Day at Sea!

Looking forward to more. Taking the DW and two DD and one DS on Epic Haven for Thanksgiving…. We got the Unlimited drinks special with the Haven when we booked. Do you( or anyone) know if there are any additional fees for water and soft drinks in the haven suites?

Thank you!

Bos

Looking forward to more. Taking the DW and two DD and one DS on Epic Haven for Thanksgiving…. We got the Unlimited drinks special with the Haven when we booked. Do you( or anyone) know if there are any additional fees for water and soft drinks in the haven suites?

 

Thank you!

 

Bos

I think there are extra charges for bottled water in the Haven. We brought a case of water with us for excursions. My DN was not on a dining package and my DB had to pay extra for her when we ate at the speciality dining restaurants. You might search some of the other threads to get more information about this.

You get one free bottle of water when you arrive in the Haven. Some people bring water bottles and fill them up over and over.

More please...

Ahhhh...a day at sea! A day with infinite possibilities! I love them. We stayed up late the night before so we slept in a bit. We ordered breakfast in the room (you put the order on your door before you go to bed). The butler brought the breakfast on time, and set up a table with a white tablecloth and nice cutlery. I forgot to mention that we also had a bouquet of beautiful flowers in the room. We ate breakfast and decided to get some exercise. I had read on CC that walking around the waterfront was a nice way to walk, so that we did! It was nice, not very crowded so we made the circle enough times to walk about 35 minutes. I don't think I ever saw the jogging track.

We put on our bathing suits and went to the Haven pool and sun deck. It was very quiet and peaceful up there on the 16th floor. They theoretically have enough lounge chairs for every person staying in the Haven. I don't like to be in the sun but there was plenty of shade and great views. I was reading a good book. I tried one of the clamshell chairs, but it was too hot in there-no breezes. There were some people in the pool and hot tubs, but not crowded at all. We had lunch in the Haven restaurant. I had scallops and they were delicious. Our DS was working that day-can't remember exactly what he was doing, but he met up with us in the afternoon.

Speaking of DS: yesterday was his birthday. I was not able to talk to him until today because he was at sea. I wanted to have an early birthday celebration with he and his friends (in the Haven dining room). I thought that it would be nice. After lunch I went to speak with Virginia, the Haven concierge. At first she told me that it would be $39 a person for those not staying in the Haven. She then thought about it and told me that she would have to check to see if it was possible. She got back with me later and told me that DS and friends could not eat in the Haven. I had met Scott the CD the night before and he gave me his card. I called him to see if he could pull any strings. He called me back later and told me that it was now corporate policy that no one can eat in the Haven who is not a guest in the Haven. There is one exception to that rule: the Captain can eat in there and only on port days. So rest assured Haven guests, you will not have to wait for a table in the dining room! I understand they want to keep the Haven exclusive, but they seemed more concerned about the possibility of inconveniencing a Haven guest, rather than pleasing a Haven guest standing right in front of them. Again a first world problem. I was nice. Plan B: everyone wanted to try the Italian restaurant, La Cucina. Virginia was able to make us a reservation for 8 on Wednesday night. She also ordered a birthday cake to surprise DS with.

Kurt tells me that NCL is very particular about what the crew can and cannot do. It seems that they give a little more leeway with the entertainment staff, but he still felt lucky to be able to eat in some of the speciality restaurants with us. Usually the crew eats in the complimentary dining areas either early or late so as not to inconvenience the passengers. As it should be! They also have a crew mess hall that is open at certain times. American crew members are in the minority. DS has found very interesting some of the international menu items found in the crew mess including fish heads and oxtails. Most of the time, he eats in the Garden cafe.

After lunch we tried out the thermal spa. It is very nice: if you like to be hot. My DB and DH loved the sauna and went there as often as they could. There is a nice warm pool with a waterfall and a salt room, whatever that is for. You can also shower in there as well. They have all the amenities including soaps, shampoos, flavored water and snacks. I personally would use the thermal spa more if I was cruising in a cooler climate. DB and DH took some naps in there during the week. Lots of lounge chairs.

I went to the spa for a manicure. I had the Fire and Ice manicure. It was way too expensive, but I went for the splurge. I like to get a manicure and a facial when I stay at a place with a spa. Ladies, save your money. The next day, the polish started to chip. (A $17 manicure in Birmingham will last a week) Again a first world problem, but you should get what you pay for. By Friday, most of the polish was off. I went back and showed them. They redid my polish, but I hated to take the time. The manicurist told me that the hand sanitizer they use around the ship, interacts with the nail polish and makes it come off. Really? IMO they should find another brand of nail polish. I decided not to spend anymore money in the spa and did not get a facial.

That night we all went to Cagney's for steak. Everyone was pleased, except my brother who got a bad oyster in his appetizer. His steak was good tho and the service was excellent.

My DS, DH and I went to see Burn the Floor. DB and family went to the casino. I enjoyed Burn the Floor. Elton John discovered this show and has promoted it. I love dance. My fav reality show is So You Think You Can Dance. DS tells me the dancers are from Italy. They are a group of some of the best looking people I have ever seen. They perform Latin dances and are excellent. There are also two American singers: a man and a woman. My DH was falling asleep until I told him that DS was the understudy for the male singer. He payed more attention then. That about covers the day at sea. I hope that I am not too wordy, but I am enjoying reliving this experience. Next up Roatan!

Really enjoying your review! We had the same butler but really didn't see him much. Guess we should have ordered breakfast in, but he did keep us stocked with goodies.

Good to know about the Fire & Ice manicure! I have used those hand sanitizers on board hundreds of times and the polish from my hometown salon stays great.

I had the fire and ice too. It wasnt great. I used a spa credit from casino. If I had paid I would have been upset.

Following, thanks.:)

Tuesday Roatan

We had beautiful weather. No rain until Cozumel and then only some light showers. My family had never been to this part of the world before (I had been to Cozumel some years ago). We did not have much time to research the excursions. We did not want to be what CC calls "pier runners", so we decided to go with NCL excursions. We had the $50 off an excursion perk. My DSIL and I studied all the excursions and decided for Roatan, we would go to the Maya Key Private Island Retreat.

We got to sleep in and had breakfast in our room. When we got off the Getaway, we got right on a boat and had a 5 minute ride to a small island right across the bay. It was lovely. It had something for everyone: snorkeling, an animal sanctuary, lots of beach chairs and shade, a delicious lunch, beer, frozen drinks, and ruins. It was a lovely day. We brought our own snorkel equipment and the reefs were beautiful.

We had reservations that night for Teppanyaki at 8:15. We got back to the ship about 3 or so. I went up to the sun deck in the Haven and relaxed a bit. My DH and DB went to the thermal spa.

We enjoyed the food in Teppanyaki and the entire experience. This restaurant was picked for my DN who enjoys Japanese "cook on the table" restaurants. Our chef had a few tricks up his sleeve that I had never seen before. My DS was able to join us. (He and his friends are learning to scuba dive in Roatan. What a cool thing to do when you are there once I week I think!) The only complaint we had was that the restaurant was loud. In most of those kinds of restaurants, you are in separate rooms. In Teppanyaki, everyone is all together. We had fun. After dinner, we looked in the shops, casino and wandered around. I was looking forward to the Ice Bar, but did not like having to get a fancy drink in there. I just wanted a shot of vodka ha! Never made it in the Ice Bar, sad to say. Next up, Belize!

Enjoying your review, and especially the "behind the scenes" perspective. So cool your son is in the show! Just curious as to how long the entertainer's contract is? The same as other crew?

I'm enjoying the review and following along. :) Getting to hear the details of knowing an employee onboard adds a fun element that other reviews don't have.

If I could ask for one small favor, paragraph breaks. My eyes get lost trying to read and I end up having to re-read parts two or three times. TIA.

I'm enjoying the review and following along. :) Getting to hear the details of knowing an employee onboard adds a fun element that other reviews don't have.

 

If I could ask for one small favor, paragraph breaks. My eyes get lost trying to read and I end up having to re-read parts two or three times. TIA.

No problem! I tend to be wordy!

Enjoying your review, and especially the "behind the scenes" perspective. So cool your son is in the show! Just curious as to how long the entertainer's contract is? The same as other crew?

Their contract is for 6 months. This is true for all the America crew I think. They have the option of reapplying after another 6 months if they want to. 6 months on, 6 months off. 6 months on if they get hired again.

No problem! I tend to be wordy!

I appreciate wordy, keep up the great work!

We were in that very same cabin the week prior to you! Isn't that crazy?! We loved Willie and had such an awesome time. Haven is the best thing EVER and I'm not sure how we will ever be able to cruise without it in the future! We happened to be in the Haven lounge when the MDQ guys came up to visit one of them's parents. We told them how much we'd enjoyed the show the previous night. Such talent and such a wonderful story. They were all super nice guys. I'm glad you enjoyed your week. As you can see, even though mine is over, I'm still living vicariously through others.

We were in that very same cabin the week prior to you! Isn't that crazy?! We loved Willie and had such an awesome time. Haven is the best thing EVER and I'm not sure how we will ever be able to cruise without it in the future! We happened to be in the Haven lounge when the MDQ guys came up to visit one of them's parents. We told them how much we'd enjoyed the show the previous night. Such talent and such a wonderful story. They were all super nice guys. I'm glad you enjoyed your week. As you can see, even though mine is over, I'm still living vicariously through others.

I agree GAPeach68! I am enjoying writing the review and reliving the experience! It was soooo wonderful! I wish you would post that you enjoyed your visit with the MDQ guys in the Haven lounge on a thread called Haven Access for Non-Haven Passengers. We brought all four of them (one of them my son) into the lounge the last night of our cruise to show them around. Some people on that thread gave me a hard time for that. All the Haven passengers in the lounge seemed to really enjoy talking to them for a few minutes. It would be good for the people on that thread to hear it from your perspective. Thank you in advance if you will.

I agree GAPeach68! I am enjoying writing the review and reliving the experience! It was soooo wonderful! I wish you would post that you enjoyed your visit with the MDQ guys in the Haven lounge on a thread called Haven Access for Non-Haven Passengers. We brought all four of them (one of them my son) into the lounge the last night of our cruise to show them around. Some people on that thread gave me a hard time for that. All the Haven passengers in the lounge seemed to really enjoy talking to them for a few minutes. It would be good for the people on that thread to hear it from your perspective. Thank you in advance if you will.