tjaker11

Loved this picture, and appreciate you sharing it. We are going in April in the same category. I'd really like knowing which stateroom number this is you were in? I sometimes get queazy if sailing is less than smooth and would like to figure out which way the bed orients. I'm weird about this, but really want to figure out which starboard cabins (14728, 14730, 14732, 14734, 14736, 14738, 14740, and 14742) are oriented so that if laying on the bed, the right would be next to the balcony and the left would be next to the bathroom? Basically, opposite your picture is what I'm looking for. Thanks!

We were on the port side and it seems to me the first suite from the rear walking forward number 14142 was facing aft 14140 forward and alternating forward so I assume Starboard should mirror that

Thanks for taking the time. Great Pics. Question- I saw your pics of Vibe- looks nice- did you have to pay extra or part of the Haven experience?

Vibe is completely seperate and not a perk of the Haven, but the Haven has basically the same perks.

I asked Anoop for a tour so I did not have the Vibe pass. without an escort you cannot go in unless you pay

Beautiful sunsets

More spa

We so loved the thermal spa, We visited daily and we always found a lounger because we went at non peak times like lunch or dinner. Our favorite days were port days as we have been to these Islands so many times we did not care to get off ship. (Well maybe to buy some booze in DSt Thomas)

You Can bring home up to 5 liters if you guy in St Thomas

Atlantis

Hope Disney does not do this to her passengers LOL

Cute towel critters

Thank you for the wonderful review. we have a very large onboard credit so we want to wait to book our dining and the Illusionarium show, if we book when we first board so that we can use our OBC do you think that will work? We were told by NCL that they only pre-book 1/3 of the dining reservations in advance. We were concerned about reservations being available.

Thanks!

Should not be a problem as they do hold back a large percentage of reservations, as soon as you board you can go to to any of the ineractive screens located by every stair well just slide your key card and pick your time, can also book from your stateroom as well but the screens will get you in ahead of the crowds

Great informative review and very nice pictures! Thank you for taking the time to do this. I have one question about your embarkation. Being in a suite I was surprised that you had to take a number versus being escorted onto the ship. Was this because you were early and they had not started boarding anyone yet?

We boarded with friends and did not want to seperate, but yes there is VIP boarding and they are open early.

We will be on the Getaway in July and have reserved 2 Spa Suites. I do have a few questions if you don't mind answering.

Do I see 2 poles in the middle of the room? If so, are those in all the spa suites? We have reserved 14130 and 14132. (My DH wants to know if they are stripper poles? ;-)

Is the glowing blue light on the tub always lit or can it be turned off?

Is there a DVD player in the room?

 

Thanks for answering,

Becky

Sorry to tell DH it is not designated as a stripper pole but he can use his imagaination, we thought is was some sort of conduit to above and below, I saw other Spa Suites with it as well. Only one pole in our suite

Light can be turned off. No DVD player in our room

The Haven pool area

The ropes course

Now on to Entertainment

Howl at the Moon, what a great show, dueling pianos with some audience participation. As good as any from NCL and as much as I love Jose and Patty this was equally good yet different.

Legally Blond, sorry NCL just not for me as I felt as it were a bunch of teenage girls screeching. But in all fairness there were many others who enjoyed the show so take a chance and see for yourself.

Burn then Floor, The dancers and singers were very good and kept us enertained but it seemed a little long, hung in there to hear La Vida Loca which was very near the end so it kept me from donating to the casino.

Illusinarium, Wow was this a hit, The lead off magician was a comedian and kept the show funny throughout, A total of 5 magicians to perform with the story line and also had some audience participation. I would rate this as a absolute must do. This show can be pre-booked online for $39 per person which I highly suggest, The price onboard is $ 29 pp but dont worry as you will be refunded the difference following the show automatically. The menu is pre-set with a nice filet, appetizer, potatoe and a small desert. The filet is good but not as good as Cagneys or Le bistro.

Grammy Experience, Again this is not our normal entertainment, But we did stop in and the Muscians were awsome.

Levity, There were two comedians onboard and both were very funny, the each had a general audience show and a late show for adults

Grammy Experience

How about an uncrowded look at Vibe

Cant begin to tell you how nice the spa suites are, all the perks of the Haven plus unlimited key card access to the Thermal spa

Ok on to the M&G we had over 100 signed up to the group but roughly about a third showed up, But the ones that did show we saw constantly throughout the week, Its nice to see a familiar face and spend a few moments talking about our experiences,

As is custom all the Senior staff except the Captain made their apperance and were introduced one by one to our group. we were givem a phone list of each staff members direct line if we had any complaints or suggestions.

There is a review from our sailing on the boards with alot of negative comments, For the life of me I dont understand how people can spend their time and money and not make it the best experience possible. All it takes is one call to a senior staff member and all those little complaints will be addresed and taken care of immediately. They are in the hospitality industry and really want to hear your issues before going home and passing it on to others.

Sean the Hotel Director really was an exceptional host, It is apparant as we interacted with his staff and crew that he is a well rounded Director and has the loyalty of his subordinates.

Rashida is Sean's secretary and was so very helpful during our cruise. Tek Sonza the executive Housekeeper is all over the ship and interacting with the passengers with her light cheerful charm, we have sailed with her on a few other cruises and it is always a pleasure.

We were suprised to see Anoop as the Consierge, In our opinion he is the best we have ever sailed with. He makes it a a point to see his guests every night at dinner and is always about during the day.

Anoop

Sean

hi Tim!

 

Great review & photos so far -- I am so jealous! :rolleyes:

 

Looking forward to reading more and looking at your photos!

 

(Hi Jo-Anne!!) :D

Hi Pam, Great time, beautiful ship. sorry we missed you. We will definately sail her again. Hope all is well.

Take Care

Jo-Anne

O Sheehans is really large compared to some other ships spanning both sides of the ship overlooking the central atrium and a really huge projection screen. We ate there a few times and food was always good, I loved the fish and chips and my wife loved the corned beef on rye, mozzarella sticks good too.

The morning of the first sea day we went to the buffet for breakfast and then did some exploring, We were heading up the M&G at 11:00 so really could not plan beyond.

We also loved the interactive screens located throughout the ship, just touch and get started. You can get a map from where you are to any destination on the ship, Swipe your key card to make reservations for shows and dinner, etc.

We absolutely loved the dining package and what was really fantastic was that Cagneys and Maderno were side by side and if you ask your waiter you can get deserts from Cagneys in Maderno and Jo-Anne ask for the fried banannas from Maderno for her desert in Cagneys...

All I can say is that if you choose to try a specialty restaurant I recomend Cagneys, I had the Filet often and it was the same each time, I could cut it with a fork, always cooked perfect. You have got to try the Cagney fries and the creme corn is like none I have ever tasted, My wife had the ribeye as well and it was fantastic, The steamed vegtables were always nice and crisp,

Cagneys

Maderno

Cagneys

Cagneys

Maderno

Just turn ac to lowest setting not quick cool, when you use quick cool it will cool down but when reaching a preset temp it goes back to the medium setting, Never leave balcony door open and unlatched, always latch completely!!!

You can bring whatever soda you prefer. Hubby only likes diet coke, so he brings what he thinks he may need, but also purchased the beverage card so he did not have to go to the cabin to get a soda if we were out

Sorry you found the service poor. You should have notified guest services immediately, problem have been solved day 1- problem whad you had attended the meet andwould have been solved. In the future try to get to a meet & greet (on any line) some of the officers and senior staff were present and offered direct lines to them. Let's face it they are in the hospitality business - hotel on the ocean.

We were on this sailing and had a totally differant opinion. This was our best cruise ever, until this sailing we had held Princess close to our hearts. We have sailed several other line and we have found that NCL Freestyle suits us bes, It is not for everyone though. We have only experienced happy, smiling faces every time (from not just 2 countries). We saw alot of the same happy crew we had sailed with in the past on other NCL ships.

We do not have expectations to see our cabin steward the 1st day (on any line) as they have alot of work to do that day between disembarkation and then embarkation. Our steward Jonel was great, quietly efficient.

The policy on any cruiseline we have been on clearly states you will pay a corkage if you choose to bring your own wine - (that includes smuggling)! Also the same with photos, yes they are terribly expensive but as you pose for the professional photos have someone take a picture with your own camera - problem solved. Also the closed shoes for the ropes, we read that prior to sailing- it is for your safety.

The information was on the TV and the door that if you had your balcony door open the air would shut off, along with the quick cool (which I did several times myself not realizing). Tim kept saying shut the door.

We did not have any issue with soot, or the balcony glass being dirty, although we were not on the aft. we did find they were VERY small.

We did see people trying to run on the track with people walking, not a great set up I agree, but found the gym to be very nice.

Although we chose to purchase the ultimate dining package, friends that sailed with us had no problem with the dining rooms or the seafood buffet.

I cannot comment on the dining room as we never ate in them. We mostly had breakfast at Flamingo (I found this to be a hidden gem :)) We did eat the buffet for lunch or O'Sheehans and found everything fresh with alot of options - we liked the many choices they had to offer.

Maybe Freestyle is not for you.

Jo-Anne