A Getaway Review: A week in Paradise (with photos) [April 26-May 3]

[jerray07]

This is the only review on here that I've have read all the way through! LOVE the pictures.

 

Ever since we heard about the Haven, I've been researching the Getaway for a 'getaway' (couldn't resist!) for my husband and I.

 

Your review might have sealed the deal! Thanks for sharing!

 

They should pay me commission :P

 

I'm honored to be your only fully read review! If you go, you will love it! :)

[Utas2]

We were on the same cruise together with you, Jerray07, and your awesome photos and report recalls all the nice memories and the places we visited.... This was our best vacation ever, and we want to go back to re-live it again.

 

Have you also seen the crew welcoming back the guests in Nassau, with a dancing and singing embarkation line? That was also something we never experienced before, it was simply hilarious. Actually, I wanted to go back to port, to go through it again....:-)

 

Utas2

[Utas2]

Loving your review! Thanks for taking the time to write it! Soon it will be my turn! :)

 

We had a 2 bedroom suite, too...it is amazing....

 

Have a nice cruise!

 

Utas2

[maja651]

We had a 2 bedroom suite, too...it is amazing....

 

Have a nice cruise!

 

Utas2

 

 

Thanks!

[Luv2cruisewithtwins]

We had a 2 bedroom suite, too...it is amazing....

 

Have a nice cruise!

 

Utas2

 

trying to find out if all of the 2 bedroom suites on the Getaway are the same size.

Do you know if any were larger?

Do you know if any were smaller?

[Utas2]

trying to find out if all of the 2 bedroom suites on the Getaway are the same size.

Do you know if any were larger?

Do you know if any were smaller?

 

I assume they are at least similar in size....I have not seen the other suites from inside....but I can tell you, they are not small and amazingly new and comfy.

 

Utas2

[Dr.Acula]

We booked an inside cabin. I paid in full (the final was due the day after we booked), and two weeks later, the price dropped around $400. I called NCL and asked what (if anything) they could do and they upgraded us to an oceanview on Deck 5. We were ecstatic.

 

A few weeks before the cruise, the price dropped an overwhelming amount more - so much that had we booked then, our price would have been about half what we paid. My husband called and they immediately mentioned the first upgrade. She looked into it a little more and was shocked herself the price had dropped so much. They offered $100 or a discounted charge to upgrade to balcony, and we took the balcony.

 

The key (I believe) is to be very friendly and warm and to be clear that you will perfectly content if there is nothing they will be able to do. It takes the pressure off them and makes them more willing to help you. NCL has really great customer service (from my experience), so they should be very accommodating.

 

:)

 

Hope this has been helpful!

 

It can be nerve-wrecking - building up the courage to call - but look at it this way: you're never going to meet this person or likely speak to them ever again, so it's okay to screw up. Also, the worst thing that can happen is that they will say "no." You'll never know what could happen until you make the call. Dialing the number and pressing send is the hardest part. The NCL representative will make it much easier from there. ;)

 

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely call a few weeks before to see what they have!

[Utas2]

trying to find out if all of the 2 bedroom suites on the Getaway are the same size.

Do you know if any were larger?

Do you know if any were smaller?

 

Ours was 16112.

 

Utas2

[jerray07]

We were on the same cruise together with you, Jerray07, and your awesome photos and report recalls all the nice memories and the places we visited.... This was our best vacation ever, and we want to go back to re-live it again.

 

Have you also seen the crew welcoming back the guests in Nassau, with a dancing and singing embarkation line? That was also something we never experienced before, it was simply hilarious. Actually, I wanted to go back to port, to go through it again....:-)

 

Utas2

 

Hello, fellow cruiser! I didn't get off the ship at Nassau, but I'm sorry I missed that. I'm glad I was able to facilitate a reliving of your cruise! I also thought it was the best vacation we had ever had.

[Bunnynme]

Thanks so much for your great review and amazing pictures. You are a beautiful couple !

[soaringfalcon]

Thank you again for the great review!! I loved it!!! I also have to say that I love your smile.

 

So glad you had a great vacation!

[MizDaisy]

trying to find out if all of the 2 bedroom suites on the Getaway are the same size.

Do you know if any were larger?

Do you know if any were smaller?

 

All of the two bedroom suites are the same size.

[MizDaisy]

Overall Impressions

 

Again, it would be a great expenditure for those who love to lounge. Another option for those loungers would be Spice, and it would be suitable. There aren’t a lot of times when kids are interested in Spice, even when it is open, as it’s just an essentially empty deck with two hot tubs and a few (really comfy) loungers and chairs (and a bar). Even during the kids movies, I only saw one or two children. The only time Spice H20 is ever crowded (we always found chairs) is during events like the Glow Party.

 

 

Did you happen to observe if the Vibe had more of a younger adult crowd, or an older adult crowd?

 

 

Ship - Smoking is allowed on several decks and in the casino, so some areas of the ship smelled like smoke, which was bothersome for Chris and I, who are allergic. The ship is so massive it takes a full seven days to explore. Up to day six we were still running into parts of the ship we hadn’t noticed before. There were several times that I was annoyed because we would go onto our room’s balcony and you would smell a cigar or sometimes even pot. Once Chris had the balcony door open and I opened the stateroom door, allowing the air (and smell) to rush into the room. The room smelled like a cigar for a long time after that and I was somewhat worried we would be fined for the smoke smell. I’m not sure if it’s NCL’s policy to allow smoking or personal balconies or not, but if it is prohibited, it wasn’t really enforced. I did see several people with e-cigarettes, and that seemed widely permissible in nearly every part of the ship.

For now, smoking IS allowed on all stateroom balconies.

 

One thing all cruise lines ask is that you never leave the balcony door open, at any time. In fact, most of the newer ships will have the a/c in the room automatically turn off, when the balcony door is open, in order to save energy.

 

Is there any pool in the spa that's actually big enough to at least paddle around in? Just off the Dawn, and it supposedly has the largest indoor pool at sea....a true lap pool. I am leaning toward a spa pass, as we have quite a bit of onboard credit, but would prefer having a "cool water" pool to dip into, along with the hot tubs and thermo tub.

 

 

Thanks so much!!!!!

[Luv2cruisewithtwins]

All of the two bedroom suites are the same size.

 

Thank you!

[david_sobe]

Still loving this review

Your photos are so colorful!

I did the Sea Trek in St marten. It was fun but did your ears hurt from the pressure at first? It was very painful for me until you pop them.

[jerray07]

 

Is there any pool in the spa that's actually big enough to at least paddle around in? Just off the Dawn, and it supposedly has the largest indoor pool at sea....a true lap pool. I am leaning toward a spa pass, as we have quite a bit of onboard credit, but would prefer having a "cool water" pool to dip into, along with the hot tubs and thermo tub.

 

 

Thanks so much!!!!!

 

The spa pool is quite large, but it is warm water. It's large enough that when 10-15 people are in, you would still have your own personal space. Certainly not a lap pool, but large. If that's what you enjoy, the spa pass would be beneficial for you.

 

The main pool is large as well and uses cooler water. The deep part of the pool is rarely used. More often, people will be lined up on the shelf-like part by the ladder, sitting with their torso and legs in. This pool is adults only and a whooping 8 ft deep.

Edited May 15, 2014 by jerray07

[jerray07]

Still loving this review

Your photos are so colorful!

I did the Sea Trek in St marten. It was fun but did your ears hurt from the pressure at first? It was very painful for me until you pop them.

 

I loved the sea trek - it was our favorite part of the vacation. Chris has a difficult time equalizing his ears while flying, but says it was easier to pop his ears under water. The guide, before we got in, really encouraged us to continue to pop them as we descended on the ladder into the water, and then again as needed. A few people had trouble popping theirs, but the majority of us didn't need to equalize our ears again until we went back up.

 

From all the pressure, it definitely took some getting used to (but it shouldn't have been painful). If you've never tried chewing gum to get your ears to pop, I would recommend that next time!

[jerray07]

Thanks so much!!!!!

 

Sorry, just saw your question about the vibe!

 

I would say it was a mixture. There were other young adults, some middle-aged, and a few older adults. It was different nearly every time we went. However, they only sell 70 passes and I would say there were never more than around 10 people there at a time when we went (and you can't see the people in the cabanas so I wouldn't know their ages). So no matter the demographics, it's not going to be overly crowded.

 

If I had to take a guess, I would say most of the people we encountered there were in their 30s and 40s.

 

Hope that was helpful.

[awhfy]

Thanks for a great review. Our first cruise was SS Norway (probably before you were born) & we really enjoyed it. Since then we've been Celebrity exclusively, because of their no smoking on any balcony or casino. If Norwegian bans smoking on balconies then we'll try the Getaway. I love walking the plank..

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[medicalma'am]

LOVED your review! Thank you so much for doing it! I had a wonderful time experiencing your cruise through it. It sounds like you are as beautiful a young lady inside as you are on the outside!

 

The helmet dive looked amazing. I am so glad you got your pics to share. It looked like a real "Little Mermaid" experience.

 

Too bad that you spent so much in the Spa. I have done a massage only a couple of times and after that stayed away. That is sad that they oversold the Spa Passes. That is one thing that I enjoy the most on almost every cruise. I have never seen it overcrowded on any other ship.

 

[maja651]

After, we purchased the picture package. A diver was in the water with us taking pictures and video with his go pro camera, and they were uploaded on to a flash drive for those who purchased the package. These are some of those photos (totally worth the $30):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also took several great videos that was included on the flash drive at no extra cost. Truly, a great deal.

 

Did you notice there is a shark in that last picture you posted? It is behind you. Wondering if you noticed it when you were in thr water!?

[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

^^^^^^ ok! that's a little scary.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[jerray07]

Did you notice there is a shark in that last picture you posted? It is behind you. Wondering if you noticed it when you were in thr water!?

 

HAHAHA! That's an "ornament."

 

I love this comment.

 

The helmets didn't have mics or speakers or anything - no way to communicate other than hand signals. Being in the front of the line, the guide pointed to it and seemed unafraid, so I was amused - it wasn't moving - so I assumed it was a dead shark. When I looked back at the guide he mouthed "joke - it's a fake."

[jerray07]

LOVED your review! Thank you so much for doing it! I had a wonderful time experiencing your cruise through it. It sounds like you are as beautiful a young lady inside as you are on the outside!

 

The helmet dive looked amazing. I am so glad you got your pics to share. It looked like a real "Little Mermaid" experience.

 

Too bad that you spent so much in the Spa. I have done a massage only a couple of times and after that stayed away. That is sad that they oversold the Spa Passes. That is one thing that I enjoy the most on almost every cruise. I have never seen it overcrowded on any other ship.

 

 

Thank you for the lovely comment :) I'm glad you enjoyed the review!

[Linda the Book Lover]

HAHAHA! That's an "ornament."

 

I love this comment.

 

The helmets didn't have mics or speakers or anything - no way to communicate other than hand signals. Being in the front of the line, the guide pointed to it and seemed unafraid, so I was amused - it wasn't moving - so I assumed it was a dead shark. When I looked back at the guide he mouthed "joke - it's a fake."

 

Pretty cool ornament. If there was one when we did helmet diving in Bermuda I would have come up with a funny story about how I tamed it but I wouldn't agree to the DH bringing it home as a pet.