Getaway Review 5/16 Haven and CAS Perspective

[Coastalbreezes]

Just off the Getaway on May 23rd (sailing solo) and thought I'd share my experience strictly from a Haven and casino guest perspective.

 

This was my 17th cruise on NCL, most of them as a passenger in the Haven. My cabin was 16710 (H5) and my first on the starboard side. I will say I much prefer the port side of the ship to watch the happenings on the dock.

 

BOARDING/ARRIVAL INTO HAVEN:

 

I arrived to the Port of Miami around 10:00 and with all the guests disembarking, it was difficult to find someone to take my luggage. I was directed by port workers to three different areas before I found someone.

 

Once inside, everyone goes through the same security line which was very long and not moving very quickly. After getting through security, I was escorted to the small Haven lounge where check-in went fast and then brought upstairs to the large Haven waiting area where there were already about a hundred people and no place to sit. I thought that was odd for so early in the morning, and it turned out that this was a very large wedding party. We were told boarding would begin "very shortly".

 

As a past Haven guest, I will admit to loving being spoiled from the get go and being one of the first to board. Not so in this case.

 

All at once, the entire upper terminal passengers (non-Haven guests) were boarding and then we were told we couldn't board until AFTER the wedding party. So, off went the wedding party, and then the 20 or so Haven guests were boarded but in long queues and ultimately lots of confusion when we arrived at the elevators as they had no idea who was Haven or not. Not a deal breaker but frustrating.

 

Finally arrived in the Haven to see it crowded with the wedding party and was greeted by concierge Adrian (the BEST in my opinion) and also by Captain Tommy. There were so many people there; such confusion as to who was who and who went where. I might add for the first time ever, we were not greeted with a glass of rum punch or champagne but were offered sliders and fries and could purchase drinks.

 

I ultimately had lunch in the Haven restaurant and was happy to see many familiar faces (lots of crew members from Breakaway who were now on Getaway).

 

Cabins were ready early and I dropped some things off and met my cabin steward, Mario and butler, Jorge. Both took great care of me all week.

 

MUSTER/SAILAWAY

 

My muster station was at O'Sheehans and I can't tell you how many times people were asked to sit quietly and listen to the instructions. It was very noisy and I just never understand why people have to constantly talk over the announcements.

 

Went to Sunset Bar outside for a sailaway drink and then headed to a party for casino (CAS) guests held in Bliss.

 

CASINO PARTY/NEW CAS INFO

 

Christina Bica was our executive host and made a few announcements for the newly unveiled (but still evolving!) CAS program. I have been VIP with the casino for the last year so many of the changes did not affect me, but here is what I learned:

 

1) If you are LESS than Golden or VIP tier, you will still get a drink card BUT only the first $5 is covered. You pay the difference PLUS 18% gratuity.

 

2) If you are Golden or VIP AND have the Ultimate Beverage Package (UBP), you MUST use your cabin card to charge your drinks (which are free through UBP) and an 18% gratuity is added. Unfortunately that 18% goes into the general tip pool so I always tipped my servers in the casino extra. That added up to a lot of tips over the course of the week.

 

3) For table players: TIME spent playing is no longer counted toward your points. Only the number of hands played and dollars spent counts. For slot players, time spent in the casino along with of course, dollars run through still counts towards points earned.

 

4) AS VIP, I was give a $300 voucher for the spa -- this can be used toward a spa pass OR treatments but, as I found out, NOT for product. Also this voucher cannot be used for any medi-spa treatments.

 

5) In the past, points earned in a prior calendar year were taken into consideration along with actual points accumulated to help raise your tier. No more. ONLY points earned during the actual evaluation period April 1 - March 31 are now counted. Everyone starts at zero points April 1st.

 

6) Comped dinners from the casino are now at discretion of manager/hosts based on play and level. Wine may or may not be included. You now get a voucher for this as well.

 

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS

 

If you are Platinum, you still get your voucher for dinner at Moderno, Le Bistro or La Cucina with wine included).

 

I dined in Teppanyaki the first night and I'm not sure if they were short of servers but I was there for over two hours. It took a long time to get drinks and our appetizers and then it was a long wait for a chef. As always, the food was delicious. I had pre-paid for this online, but was presented a check for the 18% gratuity.

 

Also dined twice at Ocean Blue (the Delmonico steak and Dover sole is extraordinary!), twice at the Raw Bar (a favorite place for small bites and great wine), Cagney's (excellent) and La Cucina (amazing Osso Bucco and best bread on this ship!)

 

Also had lunch once at Ocean Blue outside (fantastic lobster roll). NOTE: In the past, I used to often have lunch at 1) Wasabi but they have completely changed the menu and it has some very strange, not to my liking, combos on it (like steak/soft shell crab). Gone are the yummy shrimp tempura roll and sweet shrimp roll with coconut and 2) Shanghai Noodle Bar. Unfortunately Shanghai is now a free venue and only open for dinner to my great disappointment.

 

In every venue (bar or restaurant), that 18% was added automatically which I normally wouldn't have a problem with. However, I think it is wrong particularly in the specialty restaurants that the servers do not personally get that 18% tip! At Cagney's for example, there was a table of 12 not only dining but drinking several bottles of wine. That would certainly be a nice tip if this was a land-based restaurant. This is all just my opinion, but I do feel strongly about it and always gave an additional cash tip.

 

PORTS

 

I've been to St. Thomas many, many times so I just walked around Havensight Mall right off the ship and did enjoy the new shopping area called The Shops at Yacht Haven Grande (lots of upscale shopping like Louis Vuitton, Gucci etc) but also had a great lunch at Fat Turtle.

 

Tortola: haven't been here since 2006 and it was great that we were able to dock here rather than tender in. Unfortunately shops at the pier are still under construction ("Coming in 2015!") so no shopping off the ship other than a couple of shell jewelry shops and a local hot sauce/jelly retailer). If you wanted shopping, you had to walk or cab to town. I went on the Island Beach Break NCL excursion and it was a fantastic day. My group scored an air conditioned van (others were in open air taxis) and it's always an interesting ride up and down the hills of the island! We had about three hours of beach time at Cane Garden Bay and the water was calm and warm and just wonderful. A bar/restaurant was located right there as well. Chair and umbrella rentals were $5 each.

 

Nassau, I didn't get off the ship so can't speak to it.

 

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

 

* Went to the cashier in the casino in order to get singles for server tips and was only "allowed" $5 in ones. Was told I had to go the ATM. This happened twice. Very odd.

 

* Captain's cocktail party for Haven Guests was held in the Grammy Experience venue, not in the Haven. That was a first and I'm not sure why. Also, in the past, there has always been a piano player at the party but not this time.

 

* I smoke and I smoke ONLY where I am allowed. Several times, NON-smokers came into smoking areas complaining about the smoke. Hello, if you see ashtrays, you are ALLOWED to smoke, so don't be waving your hands at me and complaining.

 

* Drunks: I saw A LOT -- and I mean A LOT!!! -- of drunk people throughout the week. People slurring, bobbing and weaving, being very vulgar with their language and even one guy in the casino that was so drunk and angry that he was losing started punching the machine (people complained and he was spoken to). Surprisingly I never saw anyone cut off.

 

* Internet as usual was slower than dial-up. I hated to even get it, but needed to check on email daily.

 

* They pretty much ran out of Pinot Grigio on the ship by day 5 and by day 6, some sodas at the Sunset Bar were not available.

 

SUMMARY:

 

It was a great cruise and even though I sailed solo, I never felt alone as I knew so many of the crew from past cruises. Met some awesome fellow passengers as well.

 

Loved the ports, weather was great as was the food. Lots of little changes here and there but if you were a new cruiser with NCL, you'd never notice.

 

I am not a "Show" person so cannot comment on any of those. The musical entertainment was great and offered in many venues.

 

I have the Freestyle Dailies if anyone has questions (don't have a scanner though, sorry).

 

Tracy

[weelv2cruise]

Thanks Tracy. Loved the review!

[NSinMG]

I received an invitation for a cruise from CAS. They said a drink card will be included. I am at the lowest level card. I'm surprised to learn I will have to pay for whatever the drink costs after the first $5. I can't remember any drink costing less than $5!

 

Thank you for the review and the useful information.

[spidybabe]

I had asked about the $5- a few days ago and this was the answer I got:

 

If you wanted an upgraded drink (non house) they subtract $5 and you pay the rest.

 

 

 

And the bottled water was an excellent bonus.

 

 

 

QUOTE Exactly this. The $5 discount is if you order something other than the house liquors/wines/beers. For example: I could get a Jim Beam and diet Pepsi, but if I wanted Jack Daniels, I had to pay an extra few bucks. (Good thing I'm a Jim Beam gal! ;) ) DH loves it because he can get all of the San Pellegrino he wants. QUOTE

 

So now even if we order a "house" drink we will have to pay anything over $5- plus 18%???

I'm sure EVERY drink is over $5-. And no dinner!!!!! We do not like to have to "ask" the hosts for stuff.....makes us feel cheap. The drink card was the best part of CAS.......

[Casino Comp Chick]

Great very detailed review. It's a shame some of the changes. I think it is odd they didn't want to give you change, did they have the cash out machines like the BA? I may have used that instead. I wanna see what happens in July since I do not have the drink plan and the friend I am going with will probably be one of those drinkers you mentioned lol.

I am glad you had Adrian, to bad he left the BA, I should be having Anoop when I go.

[fstuff1]

wow.. 18% tip for everything now. :(

more nickel and diming.

 

if you have a House drink card and just order a house drink (ie: jim beam and diet coke) are you still auto-charged 18% tip?

and how much would it be?

Edited May 29, 2015 by fstuff1

[teeredi2cruise]

Just off the Getaway on May 23rd (sailing solo) and thought I'd share my experience strictly from a Haven and casino guest perspective.

 

This was my 17th cruise on NCL, most of them as a passenger in the Haven. My cabin was 16710 (H5) and my first on the starboard side. I will say I much prefer the port side of the ship to watch the happenings on the dock.

 

BOARDING/ARRIVAL INTO HAVEN:

 

I arrived to the Port of Miami around 10:00 and with all the guests disembarking, it was difficult to find someone to take my luggage. I was directed by port workers to three different areas before I found someone.

 

Once inside, everyone goes through the same security line which was very long and not moving very quickly. After getting through security, I was escorted to the small Haven lounge where check-in went fast and then brought upstairs to the large Haven waiting area where there were already about a hundred people and no place to sit. I thought that was odd for so early in the morning, and it turned out that this was a very large wedding party. We were told boarding would begin "very shortly".

 

As a past Haven guest, I will admit to loving being spoiled from the get go and being one of the first to board. Not so in this case.

 

All at once, the entire upper terminal passengers (non-Haven guests) were boarding and then we were told we couldn't board until AFTER the wedding party. So, off went the wedding party, and then the 20 or so Haven guests were boarded but in long queues and ultimately lots of confusion when we arrived at the elevators as they had no idea who was Haven or not. Not a deal breaker but frustrating.

 

Finally arrived in the Haven to see it crowded with the wedding party and was greeted by concierge Adrian (the BEST in my opinion) and also by Captain Tommy. There were so many people there; such confusion as to who was who and who went where. I might add for the first time ever, we were not greeted with a glass of rum punch or champagne but were offered sliders and fries and could purchase drinks.

 

I ultimately had lunch in the Haven restaurant and was happy to see many familiar faces (lots of crew members from Breakaway who were now on Getaway).

 

Cabins were ready early and I dropped some things off and met my cabin steward, Mario and butler, Jorge. Both took great care of me all week.

 

MUSTER/SAILAWAY

 

My muster station was at O'Sheehans and I can't tell you how many times people were asked to sit quietly and listen to the instructions. It was very noisy and I just never understand why people have to constantly talk over the announcements.

 

Went to Sunset Bar outside for a sailaway drink and then headed to a party for casino (CAS) guests held in Bliss.

 

CASINO PARTY/NEW CAS INFO

 

Christina Bica was our executive host and made a few announcements for the newly unveiled (but still evolving!) CAS program. I have been VIP with the casino for the last year so many of the changes did not affect me, but here is what I learned:

 

1) If you are LESS than Golden or VIP tier, you will still get a drink card BUT only the first $5 is covered. You pay the difference PLUS 18% gratuity.

 

2) If you are Golden or VIP AND have the Ultimate Beverage Package (UBP), you MUST use your cabin card to charge your drinks (which are free through UBP) and an 18% gratuity is added. Unfortunately that 18% goes into the general tip pool so I always tipped my servers in the casino extra. That added up to a lot of tips over the course of the week.

 

3) For table players: TIME spent playing is no longer counted toward your points. Only the number of hands played and dollars spent counts. For slot players, time spent in the casino along with of course, dollars run through still counts towards points earned.

 

4) AS VIP, I was give a $300 voucher for the spa -- this can be used toward a spa pass OR treatments but, as I found out, NOT for product. Also this voucher cannot be used for any medi-spa treatments.

 

5) In the past, points earned in a prior calendar year were taken into consideration along with actual points accumulated to help raise your tier. No more. ONLY points earned during the actual evaluation period April 1 - March 31 are now counted. Everyone starts at zero points April 1st.

 

6) Comped dinners from the casino are now at discretion of manager/hosts based on play and level. Wine may or may not be included. You now get a voucher for this as well.

 

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS

 

If you are Platinum, you still get your voucher for dinner at Moderno, Le Bistro or La Cucina with wine included).

 

I dined in Teppanyaki the first night and I'm not sure if they were short of servers but I was there for over two hours. It took a long time to get drinks and our appetizers and then it was a long wait for a chef. As always, the food was delicious. I had pre-paid for this online, but was presented a check for the 18% gratuity.

 

Also dined twice at Ocean Blue (the Delmonico steak and Dover sole is extraordinary!), twice at the Raw Bar (a favorite place for small bites and great wine), Cagney's (excellent) and La Cucina (amazing Osso Bucco and best bread on this ship!)

 

Also had lunch once at Ocean Blue outside (fantastic lobster roll). NOTE: In the past, I used to often have lunch at 1) Wasabi but they have completely changed the menu and it has some very strange, not to my liking, combos on it (like steak/soft shell crab). Gone are the yummy shrimp tempura roll and sweet shrimp roll with coconut and 2) Shanghai Noodle Bar. Unfortunately Shanghai is now a free venue and only open for dinner to my great disappointment.

 

In every venue (bar or restaurant), that 18% was added automatically which I normally wouldn't have a problem with. However, I think it is wrong particularly in the specialty restaurants that the servers do not personally get that 18% tip! At Cagney's for example, there was a table of 12 not only dining but drinking several bottles of wine. That would certainly be a nice tip if this was a land-based restaurant. This is all just my opinion, but I do feel strongly about it and always gave an additional cash tip.

 

PORTS

 

I've been to St. Thomas many, many times so I just walked around Havensight Mall right off the ship and did enjoy the new shopping area called The Shops at Yacht Haven Grande (lots of upscale shopping like Louis Vuitton, Gucci etc) but also had a great lunch at Fat Turtle.

 

Tortola: haven't been here since 2006 and it was great that we were able to dock here rather than tender in. Unfortunately shops at the pier are still under construction ("Coming in 2015!") so no shopping off the ship other than a couple of shell jewelry shops and a local hot sauce/jelly retailer). If you wanted shopping, you had to walk or cab to town. I went on the Island Beach Break NCL excursion and it was a fantastic day. My group scored an air conditioned van (others were in open air taxis) and it's always an interesting ride up and down the hills of the island! We had about three hours of beach time at Cane Garden Bay and the water was calm and warm and just wonderful. A bar/restaurant was located right there as well. Chair and umbrella rentals were $5 each.

 

Nassau, I didn't get off the ship so can't speak to it.

 

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

 

* Went to the cashier in the casino in order to get singles for server tips and was only "allowed" $5 in ones. Was told I had to go the ATM. This happened twice. Very odd.

 

* Captain's cocktail party for Haven Guests was held in the Grammy Experience venue, not in the Haven. That was a first and I'm not sure why. Also, in the past, there has always been a piano player at the party but not this time.

 

* I smoke and I smoke ONLY where I am allowed. Several times, NON-smokers came into smoking areas complaining about the smoke. Hello, if you see ashtrays, you are ALLOWED to smoke, so don't be waving your hands at me and complaining.

 

* Drunks: I saw A LOT -- and I mean A LOT!!! -- of drunk people throughout the week. People slurring, bobbing and weaving, being very vulgar with their language and even one guy in the casino that was so drunk and angry that he was losing started punching the machine (people complained and he was spoken to). Surprisingly I never saw anyone cut off.

 

* Internet as usual was slower than dial-up. I hated to even get it, but needed to check on email daily.

 

* They pretty much ran out of Pinot Grigio on the ship by day 5 and by day 6, some sodas at the Sunset Bar were not available.

 

SUMMARY:

 

It was a great cruise and even though I sailed solo, I never felt alone as I knew so many of the crew from past cruises. Met some awesome fellow passengers as well.

 

Loved the ports, weather was great as was the food. Lots of little changes here and there but if you were a new cruiser with NCL, you'd never notice.

 

I am not a "Show" person so cannot comment on any of those. The musical entertainment was great and offered in many venues.

 

I have the Freestyle Dailies if anyone has questions (don't have a scanner though, sorry).

 

Tracy

 

Thank you for a great informative post. This will serve us well regarding expectations and being prepared.

[Stillfloatin']

Thanks for your review. With 2 upcoming cruises booked through CAS, I was sorry to hear that they have again degraded the rewards. I'm a decent player but certainly not a high level, so the $5 drink restriction on the "free" drinks card is a disappointment. Looks like the bad news just keeps coming from FDR.

[kollegekreed]

Christina was easily the worst casino host I have ever encountered. Not sure if I would trust a thing she says...especially since she told me the casino hosts have "zero power" yet can now magically comp dinners and wine....

[beau4]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.

I have a question about the spa credit - do you know if it can also be used in the salon?

 

Too bad about all the CAS changes - going in 2 weeks on the Gem as VIP and I appreciate the heads up on the changes.

[localoneguy]

My wife and i were in 16708 next to you and i must agree. Adrian george and mario made our vacation something really special. It was our first haven experience but it wont be our last.

[localoneguy]

My wife and i were in 16708 next to you and i must agree. Adrian george and mario made our vacation something really special. It was our first haven experience but it wont be our last.

[Coastalbreezes]

At the casino party (and I took notes), it was specifically stated that players with less than Golden/VIP status would pay the difference for any drink costing more than $5.00. But if you have the UBP, it doesn't matter because they will swipe your cabin card.

 

But it was also stated that much is changing right now with the CAS program and will continue to change for the next few months as the "new" program is rolled out.

 

As for the spa credit....the voucher said "treatment only; no medi-spa". But, it won't hurt to ask if you'd prefer salon services.

 

Hope all you CAS players will continue to update us after your upcoming cruises.

 

Tracy

[sjbdtz]

Christina was easily the worst casino host I have ever encountered. Not sure if I would trust a thing she says...especially since she told me the casino hosts have "zero power" yet can now magically comp dinners and wine....

 

 

Wow. Christina is one of my 3 favorites. And she's Adrian's sister....with all the same adorable mannerisms.

 

 

.

[Coastalbreezes]

Wow. Christina is one of my 3 favorites. And she's Adrian's sister....with all the same adorable mannerisms.

 

 

.

 

Agree completely. Christina checked on me at least twice a day to see if I needed anything or just to chat. She's a sweetheart.

 

Tracy

[paulsurf]

Appreciate your review. We too are Platinum and sailed last year on the Getaway in the Haven in 16710. Rebooked for this September 5th and decided to sail again in the Haven again in

16710. Sorry to hear the server does not get the 18% in the speciality restaurants. We always have tipped our server. We have the Ultimate dining and drink package so not sure if the 18% is included or not in the package . Thanks again for your review

[Coastalbreezes]

Appreciate your review. We too are Platinum and sailed last year on the Getaway in the Haven in 16710. Rebooked for this September 5th and decided to sail again in the Haven again in

16710. Sorry to hear the server does not get the 18% in the speciality restaurants. We always have tipped our server. We have the Ultimate dining and drink package so not sure if the 18% is included or not in the package . Thanks again for your review

 

If you purchased the dining/beverage packages, the gratuity should have been added in; if they were free with a promotional booking (as mine was), then you will pay that 18% on every check.

 

Tracy

[Max Circus]

If you purchased the dining/beverage packages, the gratuity should have been added in; if they were free with a promotional booking (as mine was), then you will pay that 18% on every check.

 

Tracy

 

That is different experience than another cruiser had posted in a thread I had started about how UDP received as part of a promo works. Now I am confused whether each speciality dinner will also incur an 18% gratuity on top of the "retail" price.

[caseythegr]

My cabin was 16710 (H5) and my first on the starboard side. I will say I much prefer the port side of the ship to watch the happenings on the dock.

I have the Freestyle Dailies if anyone has questions (don't have a scanner though, sorry).

Tracy

 

Thanks Tracy. We'll be sailing in cabin 16710, are there different dailies for the Haven?

Laurie

[grancayman]

Hi Everyone,

I was on the Getaway on May 16th-23rd and had the promo UBP. Booked thru CAS.

I was NOT charged 18% on any beverage or the three free dinners we had.

(two CAS and one Platinum) The only grats on my bill were the extra...yes, I did tip extra every time, just a dollar or two and that of course was on my bill if I did additional tip line on the bill instead of cash. The servers in the casino came by so often it was crazy! They did want to put on my room card rather than my casino free drink card except for bottled water (not included on UBP)

 

On Cristina....She was the best casino host I've ever experience on NCL Whenever we were in the casino, she came by to say hi and ask if there was anything she could do for us. All around just perfectly pleasant. This was my experience and that is all I can report on.

[Coastalbreezes]

Hi Everyone,

I was on the Getaway on May 16th-23rd and had the promo UBP. Booked thru CAS.

I was NOT charged 18% on any beverage or the three free dinners we had.

(two CAS and one Platinum) The only grats on my bill were the extra...yes, I did tip extra every time, just a dollar or two and that of course was on my bill if I did additional tip line on the bill instead of cash. The servers in the casino came by so often it was crazy! They did want to put on my room card rather than my casino free drink card except for bottled water (not included on UBP)

 

On Cristina....She was the best casino host I've ever experience on NCL Whenever we were in the casino, she came by to say hi and ask if there was anything she could do for us. All around just perfectly pleasant. This was my experience and that is all I can report on.

 

Wow! I had the UBP and was charged the 18% every single time :mad:.

Tracy

[Coastalbreezes]

Thanks Tracy. We'll be sailing in cabin 16710, are there different dailies for the Haven?

Laurie

 

No, everyone gets the same Freestyle Dailies.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Tracy

[floatplan]

* I smoke and I smoke ONLY where I am allowed. Several times, NON-smokers came into smoking areas complaining about the smoke. Hello, if you see ashtrays, you are ALLOWED to smoke, so don't be waving your hands at me and complaining.

 

* Drunks: I saw A LOT -- and I mean A LOT!!! -- of drunk people throughout the week. People slurring, bobbing and weaving, being very vulgar with their language and even one guy in the casino that was so drunk and angry that he was losing started punching the machine (people complained and he was spoken to). Surprisingly I never saw anyone cut off.

 

 

Hello, if you see a bar, you are ALLOWED to drink, so don't be complaining.

[wichitastatecruiser]

Wow! I had the UBP and was charged the 18% every single time :mad:.

Tracy

 

Did they show up on your final bill? I know that the gratuity shows when they give you the receipt to sign but then they are gone on the final bill.

[Coastalbreezes]

It's hard to answer that question because at the end, the casino picked up most of my on-board charges. So no I didn't have to pay but not sure if they would have remained on my bill if the casino hadn't picked them up.

 

Tracy