Just booked our first cruise on NCL!

[JAMESCC]

Well after lurking for weeks, and fooling around with NCL's website I just decided to book it. Its a Spa suite on Breakaway to Bermuda next October. I know way far away but the perk of extra points for booking more than 9 months in advance helped with the decision. Any advice for new cruisers to NCL, only have done RCL in past? Any thoughts on the spa suites? Great price I thought as compared to RCL. It'll be my wife, our 3 year old son at time of sailing and myself. I'm super excited to be booked!

[Tiggertastic]

We had a haven spa suite on breakaway. The spa is fabulous, with the free entry from your cabin you get the salt room, sauna, steam room, pools etc. ncl is more laid back than rccl but not that different really. No booking for dinner in the Mdr it's turn up and be seated like my time. The specialty restaurants are good. Dress a little more relaxed with no formal but breakaway does some good outdoor parties and one of the themes is neon

[Dave85]

Best advice for someone coming over from RCI (which was my recent experience) is to embrace Freestyle. We initially made dining reservations every night (including in the MDRs) in an effort to maintain the structure we're used to on RCI, but we abandoned that plan after a few nights when we found that we enjoyed the more relaxed and spontaneous atmosphere on NCL. As an aside, we also enjoyed fewer sales pitches and less nickle-and-diming on NCL, which was quite a surprise to us.

 

Enjoy your cruise! Perhaps you'll wind up like us and end up booking cruises on both lines going forward.

[SuiteTraveler]

On Breakaway, the Haven is just upstairs from your Haven Spa Suite - definitely go to The Haven Restaurant for breakfast and lunch. It is also a great place to have dinner. The Haven is also a fun place to hang out.

 

As to the Haven spa suite (not a Haven Mini-Suite), there is lots of storage. The shower is great as is the spa tub - although it is a smaller one - best for one person. The bathroom has a double trough sink which is a great design. The bed is excellent. The decor is really nice and I think you will really enjoy this suite. Be sure and place a standing order with your butler. We had him bring a cheese plate, wine and turkey sandwich every afternoon. He can also bring breakfast, but The Haven Restaurant breakfast is so great we went up there every morning except one.

 

DO make your specialty restaurants in advance of the cruise. Le Bistro and Cagney's were our favorites on this ship but I saw our concierge having to turn down some suite guests requests for reservations as these restaurants were full (I'm sure due to the UDP). We also enjoyed Ocean Blue and Moderno and the sushi place (which is al la carte). Also make your show reservations in advance of the cruise.

 

When you arrive, at the dock, there is a VIP area after security for check in and then a VIP waiting room. You will be personally escorted onboard the ship. In The Haven, they will pass our sliders and cocktails (you must pay for the beverages) while you wait until lunch or when your suite is ready. Once your suite is ready, you get welcome aboard sparkling wine, bottle of water, a flower arrangement, Elemis toiletries in the bathroom (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap and body wash.) You also get spa robes, Lavazza coffee/tea maker (look in the drawer above the knee space for items for this). There is a mini-bar with various beverages. You get butler and concierge service. BTW, self disembarkation is super easy - it is via a service elevator next to the concierge desk in The Haven. Due to this, we were off the ship by 7:15 and easily made a 10;30am flight from MIA. You also get invited to a special officers cocktail party in the Haven. There is also a DVD player in your suite and a library of DVD's you can borrow or do what we do and bring your own. If your suite is port side, then you will be able to watch the fireworks from your balcony.

 

Now, about the spa...WOW! Aromatherapy steam room, salt room, Sanarium, Sauna, heated tile loungers and best of all the water circuit. We went there every single day. It is wonderful. There is flavored water and tea in the Spa as well. Also the showers in the spa are fantastic with overhead rainfall shower heads as well as body jets. There are showers outside the various rooms as well as showers in the locker rooms.

 

NCL does suites far better than RCCL - if you have done a suite on RCCL you will notice a drastic difference in the level of service and amenities provided. I love RCCL, too, especially Oasis and Allure, but NCL is just so much better for suite guests, so you will be very spoiled after this! By way of comparison, we were in an Owner's Suite on Allure last November. It was a lovely suite, but no butler service, an overrun concierge lounge which completely negated the perk of free cocktails and appetizers before dinner and other than upgraded toiletries in the bathroom and an extended room service menu, none of the special perks or personal service we get in an NCL suite. NCL also has far better showers than on RCCL in suites. Go figure. The only really special thing RCCL did was a sail away on the helipad of Allure with the ship's officers and of course, Labadee - where there is a special beach for suite guests and we had a lovely over-water cabana for the day. But the wow factor of NCL suites is just missing from RCCL and also they don't have any perks depending on the level of suite like NCL does. For some reason, RCCL ships never seem to have a thalisotherapy pool or water circuit - just a dry sauna and steam room and maybe a couple of heated tile loungers with no view. RCCL's spa is just not comparable to NCL's Spa - even taking into account the all adult conservatory on RCCL's bigger ships. So it's a whole different thing.

 

IMO, the specialty restaurants on Breakaway and Getaway are actually better than on RCCL.

 

I also think that the casinos on NCL have looser slots than on RCCL.

 

The kiddie pool on this ship is super cute and I believe your son will have a lot of fun if he is potty trained and able to use it. The kids clubs are also really great. There are character meet and greets and lots of things for kids on this cruise ship, so I think there will be plenty for your child.

[moonieelf]

You're taking a cruise in hurricane season. NCL will not cancel a run, but they may divert you if a storm gets too close or hits Bermuda. I booked on the Dawn from Boston to Bermuda last October and we ended up in Nassau and GSC. Still had a blast, but that is the risk of cruising in October.

[JAMESCC]

Wow thank you guys so much for the info, lots of great advice and insight. I should clear something up because I am new to NCL so I'm not real familiar with how cabin categories work. We are in cabin 14126 and that is a Spa balcony. What ever that is. I believe that gives us access to the spa area but I think the room is kinda a standard balcony? Am I following right or I am off? Thanks again for the help.

[JAMESCC]

You're taking a cruise in hurricane season. NCL will not cancel a run, but they may divert you if a storm gets too close or hits Bermuda. I booked on the Dawn from Boston to Bermuda last October and we ended up in Nassau and GSC. Still had a blast, but that is the risk of cruising in October.

 

I am VERY worried about the hurricane deal. We went to Bermuda last year on RCCL to Bermuda and only got about 12 hours in post because of a hurricane or tropical storm. Grateful we took off though because if we didn't we would have been in 30 foot swells! NO THANKS ON THAT!:eek:

[moonieelf]

I am VERY worried about the hurricane deal. We went to Bermuda last year on RCCL to Bermuda and only got about 12 hours in post because of a hurricane or tropical storm. Grateful we took off though because if we didn't we would have been in 30 foot swells! NO THANKS ON THAT!:eek:

 

 

We didn't know until wen were getting on the boat that we weren't going to Bermuda. But, they discounted our cruise some because the port fees at Nassau and GSC (NCL's private island) were cheaper than the fees at Bermuda. Don't sweat it. You might get some choppy waves, but NCL is the party cruise line, so you'll still have fun!

[mjkacmom]

Wow thank you guys so much for the info, lots of great advice and insight. I should clear something up because I am new to NCL so I'm not real familiar with how cabin categories work. We are in cabin 14126 and that is a Spa balcony. What ever that is. I believe that gives us access to the spa area but I think the room is kinda a standard balcony? Am I following right or I am off? Thanks again for the help.

 

I believe that is a spa cabin, identical to the other balconies, but close to the spa, with spa access. I loved the spa (just bought the pass). No suite perks, though.

[pisenor]

Wow thank you guys so much for the info, lots of great advice and insight. I should clear something up because I am new to NCL so I'm not real familiar with how cabin categories work. We are in cabin 14126 and that is a Spa balcony. What ever that is. I believe that gives us access to the spa area but I think the room is kinda a standard balcony? Am I following right or I am off? Thanks again for the help.

 

You are correct. Your cabin is a regular balcony cabin with spa access. The good news is the spa, by all accounts, is wonderful! The not so good news is that all the wonderful Haven amenities Suite Traveler mentioned are not available to your cabin category.

[JAMESCC]

You are correct. Your cabin is a regular balcony cabin with spa access. The good news is the spa, by all accounts, is wonderful! The not so good news is that all the wonderful Haven amenities Suite Traveler mentioned are not available to your cabin category.

 

So as a veteran NCL cruiser do you think its worth a little extra for this cabin? Its not something that is for suckers or anything is it? I am new to NCL so I'm looking to everyone here for good advice.

[Whitpick]

I have been in both regular and Spa balcony cabins and if the price difference isn't too much, I definitely think it's worth it - if the spa is something you will enjoy! The rooms are the same size ( with nicer toiletries in the Spa balcony and ours had a Spa bathrobe in the bathroom). The Spa itself is great, and when I stayed in the regular balcony cabin I bought a weekly pass for the Spa since my husband doesn't care either way - so for us we look at the price difference between the cabin per person and two weekly spa passes. Be mentally prepared that the cabins and the balconies are indeed small though, so you won't be disappointed :)

Edited May 31, 2015 by Whitpick

[mjkacmom]

So as a veteran NCL cruiser do you think its worth a little extra for this cabin? Its not something that is for suckers or anything is it? I am new to NCL so I'm looking to everyone here for good advice.

 

If you plan on paying for spa access, do the math. A spa pass is $199 per person. My kids were old enough to be on their own and not in the kids club, but if the two of you want to enjoy the spa together, you have to hope you child likes the kids club.

[pisenor]

So as a veteran NCL cruiser do you think its worth a little extra for this cabin? Its not something that is for suckers or anything is it? I am new to NCL so I'm looking to everyone here for good advice.

 

I can't give you an answer to this question as I have never used NCL's spa, the reason I stated "by all accounts" in initial reply. I haven't read any negative reports on the spa facilities on either the Breakaway or Getaway. All reports I have read were just the opposite. I was merely trying answer your question regarding cabin category. Sorry but only you can decide if the extra price for the spa category is worth it to you and you family.

[Ilovesailing]

I would not book a cruise based on points, I will always chase price and obc first.

Even if booked 9 months out I would cancel and rebook for a reasonable price difference.

 

IMO the spa cabins and all suites are way over priced on the newer NCL ships. I'd rather have two to three cruises verses one.

Edited May 31, 2015 by Ilovesailing

[JAMESCC]

Thanks for the help guys, gonna stick with the spa balcony. Try it, and see if its worth it. Thanks again for the help.

[SuiteTraveler]

Wow thank you guys so much for the info, lots of great advice and insight. I should clear something up because I am new to NCL so I'm not real familiar with how cabin categories work. We are in cabin 14126 and that is a Spa balcony. What ever that is. I believe that gives us access to the spa area but I think the room is kinda a standard balcony? Am I following right or I am off? Thanks again for the help.

 

Yes, you are right, this is a balcony cabin with spa privileges. So you don't get The Haven, a butler or concierge service, flower arrangement, welcome aboard sparkling wine or free large bottle of water. You DO get access to that lovely, lovely spa anytime you want to go (minus your child.) You will get upgraded bathroom amenities. The bathroom has an upgraded floor. It is smaller than in a spa suite.

 

Here's a video of your cabin category:

[SuiteTraveler]

I am VERY worried about the hurricane deal. We went to Bermuda last year on RCCL to Bermuda and only got about 12 hours in post because of a hurricane or tropical storm. Grateful we took off though because if we didn't we would have been in 30 foot swells! NO THANKS ON THAT!:eek:

 

The forecast is that this summer will be the mildest hurricane season in decades. As you experienced, if a hurricane is anywhere nearby, the Captain will shorten port visits or cancel a port - anything to keep the ship safe as it is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, not to mention the values of all the lives aboard!

[SuiteTraveler]

So as a veteran NCL cruiser do you think its worth a little extra for this cabin? Its not something that is for suckers or anything is it? I am new to NCL so I'm looking to everyone here for good advice.

 

This gets you full access to the spa:

Aromatherapy steam room

Heated Tile Loungers

Salt Therapy room

Sanarium

Sauna

Water circuit (this alone is so great it makes it worth the extra cost!)

Spa showers (large and with rainfall shower heads and body jets - you might prefer to use these instead of the shower in your cabin.)

Also there are flavored waters and tea in the Sauna thermal suite. There are upgraded loungers with padded seats.

Access to locker rooms - some of the best showers on this ship are in the spa locker rooms! Try them, you will be impressed.

 

We found ourselves spending several hours in the spa every day. I think it is definitely worth the extra cost! No doubt about that. If you were going on RCCL where all the spa has is a steam room, sauna and 4 heated tile loungers I would say no, but NCL's spas are awesome and a great place to be at sail away! Also great for when at sea as the whole spa has a front of ship view all the way across the front.

Edited May 31, 2015 by SuiteTraveler

[JAMESCC]

This gets you full access to the spa:

Aromatherapy steam room

Heated Tile Loungers

Salt Therapy room

Sanarium

Sauna

Water circuit (this alone is so great it makes it worth the extra cost!)

Spa showers (large and with rainfall shower heads and body jets - you might prefer to use these instead of the shower in your cabin.)

Also there are flavored waters and tea in the Sauna thermal suite. There are upgraded loungers with padded seats.

Access to locker rooms - some of the best showers on this ship are in the spa locker rooms! Try them, you will be impressed.

 

We found ourselves spending several hours in the spa every day. I think it is definitely worth the extra cost! No doubt about that. If you were going on RCCL where all the spa has is a steam room, sauna and 4 heated tile loungers I would say no, but NCL's spas are awesome and a great place to be at sail away! Also great for when at sea as the whole spa has a front of ship view all the way across the front.

 

I could not agree more, NCL gives you a lot for the money in my opinion. We did a grand suite on RCL on our honeymoon and did not get 10% of those perks. I'm feeling good about the choice. It was only a hundred bucks I think more than the mini-suite without the perks. I'm sticking with the spa balcony. I can't wait. I didn't even tell my wife yet I booked, gonna surprise her.