NCL Epic Haven Spa Suite 14149 H9 Canary Islands Review

[shellzj]

My partner and I just returned from a 10-night Canary Islands/ (Morocco) cruise with the NCL Epic from January 3-10, 2016. We are in our earlier 30s, and this was our first cruise with NCL but fourth cruise total. Previously we had sailed out of our homeport Houston/ Galveston with Carnival, RCI, and Princess.

 

We enjoyed our cruise and hope that you find this review insightful. I’ve done a lot of lurking on these boards so below is what struck me most.

 

Least Liked

 

1. The Haven restaurant food quality is generally poor.
   
2. The authentic-sounding “chow fun” and service at Shanghai’s was terrible.
   
3. The children and noise. For some the sound of a child’s laughter at dinner and clumsy running across the roof is the beautiful sound of “our future,” but not for me.
   

 

Most Liked

 

1. The cabin is a really nice place to spend time.
   
2. The lobster tails were great (I really like lobster).
   
3. I experienced no significant issues or annoyances.
   
4. The sound of children's laughter and play as they are our future.
   

 

The Cabin 14149 H9 Spa Suite

Overall, I really liked our cabin (8 out of 10). It’s very well designed, furnished, and stocked. However, the propensity for noise from deck 15 can be bothersome. My biggest surprise is that the on-demand movies are free for suite guests.

 

Haven Spa Suite Cabin Weaknesses

 

• Noise - The Spa Suites are underneath walking/ lounging space on deck 15; as a result it can be noisy from people running on deck, staff moving chairs, or acutely in our case - wind blowing around trash cans; don’t hesitate to call the operator and they might be able to address it (they tied down the trash cans in our case and sent someone to shoo away the kids)
  
• Shower Leak - The lip isn’t high enough to prevent water from going over when the ship isn’t steady; your steward will leave extra towels to roll up by the opening
  
• Tub Smell - Ours smelled like mold after a couple of days; the steward flushed it with cleaner and it went away
  
• Motion-Activated Light - It will pick up your movements while in bed; pull the curtain to prevent this from happening when not wanted
  
• Reading Light Buttons - While the reading lights are nice, the always-on buttons to activate them are annoying if you want a completely dark room
  
• Broken End Tables - The bed headboard features a pull-out “end table” on both sides; these were both broken in 14149
  
• Sheets and Towels - The sheets aren't fitted; they're flat. For a square-shaped bed, square sheets work fine but they're a little short for a round bed meaning that your feet end up on unprotected mattress. Sometimes the towels were nice and fluffy (tags were "Bliss Collection") but more often they were thin and cheap
  

 

Haven Spa Suite Cabin Strenghts

 

• Shower and Whirlpool Tub - Ostensibly one of the main reasons you book this cabin is for the big, dual-head shower and two person jacuzzi tub
  
• Spa/ Gym Access - The main spa and gym are only a 1 minute walk away and included with this class. I really liked the heated wave pool (cue high winds joke). The equipment in the gym is top quality but bring your own entertainment since the TVs don’t have any programming. Conversely, the Haven gym is about the size of two parking spaces and not really worth visiting.
  
• Wood-Look Tile Floors - I’m sensitive to allergens and really appreciated the hard-surface flooring; there’s no carpet anywhere in the room
  
• Balcony - The balcony in this cabin is slightly bigger (but not as big as 14151) because it juts out; there’s room for two recliners and two chairs (four seats + 1 tiny table in total); however, a support column reduces the overall usable space to a normal-size balcony
  
• Pebbled Walls - One room wall and all shower walls are covered in rocks, which looks cool and spa-like
  
• Storage - There’s no lack of storage and thoughtful touches including two large closets, lots of drawers, under-bed storage, and nooks & crannies galore
  
• Elemis Toletries - Individually bottled shampoo, conditioner, and bath gel smell nice and seem of high quality; full-size bar soap also nice
  
• Lighting - The lights are centrally controlled by a panel in the bathroom with presets for day, night, and relax; the LED-lit recessed dome above the bed is a particularly nice touch
  
• Interactive TV - For suite guests, the on-demand movies are free; there’s a DVD player too but I’m not sure it works since the movies are “streaming”
  
• Nespresso Coffee & Tea Maker - Replaced with a new model for 2015, this petite machine will make you coffee, espresso, or tea; your butler brings what you want
  
• Pillow Menu - I didn’t see the actual menu but was pleasantly surprised when they had memory foam pillows
  

 

The Haven Concierge

On average, we interacted with the concierge (Monica) or her assistant (Naiomie) on average once a day:

 

• Single Point of Contact - I realized that any question or concern not food-related should be directed to the concierge for best results. For example, when the tub smelled, the hotel front desk sat on my request for 8 hours without taking action; Monica fixed it in less than an hour. Essentially, the Concierge is the Haven front desk.
  
• Show Reservations and Escort - Monica was able to get us seats for a fully booked show with a single call. For seating at the Epic Theatre, Naiomie greeted us at the entrance then walked us around any lines through the back entrance to Haven-reserved seating (front left) or any available seat
  
• Dinner & Shore Excursions - The Concierge is supposed to take care of all of this too if necessary, but I pre-booked and/or used the TV/ iPhone app
  
• Embarkation/ Debarkation - See later notes
  

 

The Haven Butler

 

Honestly, I didn’t experience much value from the butler. Jonathan was a nice-enough guy but I only saw him three times - once on the first day, once when he thought we were out of the cabin, and on the final day standing at the concierge desk.

 

The only visible thing that he did for us was leave afternoon/ evening snacks, but he never asked for our preferences and most of these items were wasted. I most enjoyed the canapes delivered on two occasions. The afternoon sandwiches on port days are a good idea but he probably should’ve asked if a) we wanted them and b) what we like and don’t like. The bottle of red wine on another day was a nice touch, but since every Haven guest has the Ultimate Beverage Package, again, superfluous.

 

We also got off and ended on a somewhat bad note regarding tipping. The first time he met us, he made it very clear that he was not included in the normal tips. The last time we saw him, he was standing conspicuously by the concierge - great, I don’t see you for the whole cruise but suddenly here you are right as I’m leaving!

 

Maybe the butler does more for needier/ demanding guests, but for us, it was just snacks. I would have been more impressed had he brought things I actually wanted to eat.

 

Restaurants

Let me start off by saying that I like to eat. On average, I easily eat out 3 to 5 times a week at moderately priced, mostly independent, local restaurants (I also like to cook).

 

I give the Epic food a 7 out of 10. The specialty restaurants were mostly good, the Haven restaurant okay-at-best, and the buffet fun and easy.

 

Since we had the Ultimate Dining Package (UDP) with no restrictions, we mostly ate breakfast and lunch in the Haven Epic Club and dinners in the specialty restaurants.

 

Lobster

 

Lobster is one of my favorite foods, and I ate it nearly every night in Le Bistro, Cagney’s, or Teppanyaki. The tails in Le Bistro and Teppanyaki were impressive. They were the sweet, crisp, cold-water variety (i.e. Canada or Maine) and easily 8 to 10 ounces in size. There’s generally an up-charge of $10 on top of the cover charge, but this was waived per the UDP.

 

The whole-steamed lobster at Cagney’s was okay; it was only about 1.5 pounds and a little overcooked. The lobster pasta at Cagney’s was terrible; the lobster was way over-cooked; If i did it over again, I would have returned it.

 

Unlike I had seen on the menus for the newly launched Escape, you cannot currently order a whole lobster or tail in the Epic Club.

 

Specialty Restaurants

 

• Le Bistro - Good enough service and generally good food if not really authentic; the romantic ambiance can be affected by the sound of talentless bowling above
  
• Teppanyaki - Super slow to get started but obviously fresh; the show did’t get started until about 30 minutes after seating in both instances since you have to a) wait on your table mates and b) wait on your chef to finish the previous table
  
• Cagney’s - Slow service, good enough steaks, bad sides; don’t waste your stomach space with the mac n’ cheese
  
• La Cucina - Good enough service but most remarkable for the only place on the boat with warm bread
  
• Shanghai’s - While not a for-fee restaurant, I tried it on the first day. I had a terrible experience. Although I’m 3rd generation Chinese, I was born in Mississippi and generally enjoy American Chinese including sweet and sour chicken and egg drop soup. But this place was just awful. The service was bad - maybe they were overwhelmed on the first day - and the chow fun (noodles with beef) was sadly laughable. If you’re going to serve spaghetti with soy sauce and three strips of beef, just call it “lo-mein with beef” and not try to pass it off as the more authentic sounding “chow fun” or for Mandarin speakers, “gan chao niu he.”
  

 

In general, I think the best word to describe the specialty restaurant service is “efficient.” The servers were good enough but not nearly as gracious or informative as you’d find at a fine-dining establishment. No one offered to explain the menu or make suggestions. Rather, it’s “Do you know what you want?” right from the start.

 

Note, that the same servers from the Haven Epic Club usually rotated to the specialty restaurants in the evening. So while you don’t have an assigned table and server, we got to recognize them all.

 

Haven Epic Club

 

I’ve read that NCL CEO Frank del Rio has stated he knows the Haven restaurant isn’t good and is rolling out new menus this year beginning with the Escape. Unfortunately, the new menus hadn’t made it to the Epic on our sailing.

 

Breakfast and lunch in the club really isn’t that good. The service is fine but the food quality is the same as the free venues elsewhere (if you want something from the buffet, just ask them and they’ll send someone to get it).

 

If I had to compare it to a nationally-known US chain, I think IHOP is probably as close as it gets. But the IHOP food is a little fresher I think. Case in point, one day I had a burger that tasted strangely of blue-cheese when none was specified. Later, I saw the blue-cheese covered burgers at the pool-side grille. They couldn’t even be bothered to make a fresh (warmed frozen patty) for me!

 

I only ate dinner there one time and it was fine, but nothing special.

 

Short of new menus, the main benefit of the Epic Club Restaurant was a private, crowd-free, no-waiting environment.

 

The Shows

My partner and I really enjoyed the shows on the Epic. We’re gay, so obviously we enjoyed Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. But the Russians didn’t and seemed to walk-out in droves. We saw Burn the Floor Twice.

 

We did Cirque de Dreams on the first night. The venue was only about 2/5 full so to avoid the illusion of emptiness, they upgraded any non-premium seat holders, including ourselves, free of charge.

 

But they were a little underhanded about the upgrade - first the concierge tried to get us to upgrade and later the hostess tried again. Only after we politely refused to upgrade twice did they offer to do it for free. Honestly, I didn’t want the premium seats because I wasn’t sure I wanted to participate in the show. However, I did acquiesce and it was fun enough being part of the show.

 

The People and Drinks

Overall, the number of people on the boat didn’t bother me. The concierge said that at approximately 4,200 guests, the boat was nearly at capacity. I only know for sure that there were 800 Russians on board, but it seemed like the plurality of passengers were British followed by Russian followed by German. There were also a good number of Japanese guests and Americans seemed relatively sparse.

 

There were a lot of kids. European schools, especially Russian ones, must be different from the US, because there were kids everywhere including in the Haven restaurant and all speciality restaurants and also running on deck 15 at night.

 

On the 4 or 5 days when the temperature went above 60 and the sun came out, the public deck areas looked like a happening place. However, the Haven private sundeck never seemed to have more than 5 to 10 people.

 

Many prior reviewers complained about long lines to get drinks. I’m not a heavy drinker (only a few a day even with the UBP), the few times I went to a bar to get a drink, I never had to wait more than two minutes.

 

Ports and Excursions

Given our relative youth and appreciation for value, we generally avoid organized tours. However, because $75 per port was part of our package, we booked four tours with NCL.

• Barcelona (5 out of 5) - We spent two nights in Barcelona at the Le Meridien Hotel. While two nights was enough, I would have done at least three if I could do it again. My watch says we walked about 20 miles on these two days, but it was easy and the city generally beautiful. My favorite was the medieval gothic quarter with is centuries old buildings and narrow lanes. Also, I really enjoyed the free light show at the Magic Fountain with the thousands of other tourists. Compared to Madrid where we spent three nights before, I thought Barcelona felt more international, affluent, and tourist friendly.
  
• Tangier (fail) - Winds prevented us from docking so we had a sea day instead. I have never been to Africa so I was pretty disappointed, but life goes on. Our excursion was automatically cancelled and refunded.
  
• Las Palmas (3 out of 5) - Our tour was “Native Gran Canaria.” It included a 25 minute walking tour of the old city, 20 minutes of unsupervised wine and potatoes, 1 hour for going up and enjoying the crater, and 45 minutes for exploring a nature preserve/ garden. The highlight of this tour for me was the view from the mountain peak and the time away from the tour guide in the park. After the tour, we had time to have lunch at Las Canteras beach, which was nice. The new city isn’t very attractive.
  
• Funchal (4 out of 5) - Our tour was “Funchal and Botanical Garden” which consisted of a 30 minute stop at the local farmer’s market (interesting), 30 minutes at an overpriced embroidery store (annoying), 1 hour going up and down a funicular (beautiful), and 1 hour at the botanical garden (beautiful). I thought Funchal was the most beautiful port with lots of flowers, greenery, and a genuinely beautiful city. Picture with Ronaldo’s statue was an unexpected bonus. Make sure to explore the pedestrian walking streets on your own.
  
• Malaga (4 out of 5) - Our tour was “Gibraltar on your Own.” The bus got there and back without much fuss, ‘nough said. Gibraltar is cool; I’ve never seen an airport runway that runs through main street. The monkeys are great and the view from on top the rock is superb. The cave is really great. Pro tips - We were planning to make our own way with the funicular but it was closed due to high winds, which apparently is normal. When you get off the bus in Gibraltar, inquire at the tourist information office at the parking lot whether it’s open. If it’s not open, don’t try to hike like we did but instead pay 30 pounds for a taxi guide. Also, M&S doesn’t sell any fresh sandwiches, and the smaller sandwich places on main street only take cash (GBP). Yea, I really like prawn mayo sandwiches.
  

 

Getting On and Off

I had read a lot of reviews complaining about the crowds. Ultimately as a Haven guest, I didn’t really experience a lot of waiting anywhere except for getting a taxi at Barcelona cruise port.

 

• Embarkation was easy. A cab from the Le Meridien at Las Ramblas took about 5 minutes and costs12 euros. There was no line for Haven guests and not much of one for non-suite guests around 2pm, maybe 50 people. We had time to quickly down a glass of water before being escorted on the ship to the Haven.
  
• Debarkation was also easy. We are light packers so did the self walk-off at 9am. The concierge escorted us down but really there wasn’t a need since there weren’t any lines at this time, but if only they had a reserved taxi…
  
• The taxi line is crazy. The only line we experienced across all 10 days was to get a taxi on the morning of departure. Although there were plenty of taxis, the sheer quantity of people waiting meant that we had to wait about 45 minutes. The cab fare to the airport was a fixed 39 euros for both of us - this compares to $40 USD per person one-way for NCL’s bus transfer; however, I wonder if the bus transfer would have been less waiting.
  

 

I hope you felt like those 2700 words were worth your time. I could probably go on-and-on, but now I’m tired! Overall, we enjoyed this cruise and would sail with Norwegian and the Epic again.

[rochelle_s]

Thank you very much for taking the time to do a wonderful balanced review. I am very grateful for the information you provided about taxis on the disembarkation morning. We have a relatively early flight and your review has helped me make the decision that booking a car service is the better alternative.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

Rochelle

[sc2011]

Thank you. I very much appreciated your review.

[Kinofdc]

Shellzj, Thank you for the informative and well-written report!

 

<<Noise - The Spa Suites are underneath walking/ lounging space on deck 15; as a result it can be noisy from people running on deck, staff moving chairs, or acutely in our case - wind blowing around trash cans; don’t hesitate to call the operator and they might be able to address it (they tied down the trash cans in our case and sent someone to shoo away the kids)>>

<<Shower Leak>>

 

Your next door neighbor, SwissLe, reported the same issues about H9 14151; the exception being that he wasn't able to stop the flooding, on occasions, even with the extra towels on the floor. It's disappointing that they never fixed the flooding during the recent dry-dock.

 

I have an H9 booked, but after reading his and your review, I am changing it to an H4 or H2. Fortunately, for the Feb 24 sailing, there are ample of both available. However, as neither H2 or H4 comes with the Thermal Pass, I probably would have to ask Monica for help pre-cruise as the TPs often sell out quickly.

 

<<Elemis Toletries - Individually bottled shampoo, conditioner, and bath gel smell nice and seem of high quality; full-size bar soap also nice>>

On the 2 ships I've been on recently as well as the Jewel, they've replaced the Elemis line with Bulgari (both classic and Green Tea) products. I actually prefer the Elemis toletries, but I guess by late February, they probably will run out of leftover Elemis products.

 

I was on the Sun in December and then the Getaway just a few days ago - I thought the lobster with artichoke was too salty, and the sauce was too overpowering at the Le Bistro.

 

Monica is a fantastic concierge! Had her on the Sun for 14 days in Alaska in the Summer of 2013.

 

Thank you again for the fantastic review.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Kinofdc

[Yinster]

Thank you for your review. I will be in this cabin when we sail in March so I find your review very interesting in how you found the cabin. Didn't realise there were pull out table things at the bed headboard. However if these are still broken by the time we sail then obviously not high on the list to get fixed.

 

Interesting to hear about the butler. I was going to do a letter to whoever it was and will still do as my partner is a fussy eater so no point getting snacks we were never eat. Also whilst I realise some people use their butlers more than others I find it in bad taste if you only saw your butler three times out of 10 days and being told the first time you meet him about the tipping. If it was me I would tell him where to go. We are pretty low maintenance but if someone shows great service then they will be rewarded. Simple really.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[SquishTheWhale]

I was on the same cruise and hardly saw any kids! I wonder if they were all staying in the Haven? :p

[kirsty_r]

Can I ask how long did you get on Gibraltar? We are also doing the gibraltar on your own excursion - I imagine the bus drops you off nearer town, or did you make your own way from the border?

[bobstheboy]

I would be fuming if I had paid a premium for an up market cabin to have noise from the deck above annoying me.

 

It happened once on RCL Splendour of the Seas when she was new. We had a junior suite and the gym was above us. Every morning at 8am we had Step Areobocs echoing around our cabin and it was repeated at 4pm. To cut a very long story short, I eventually saw the Hotel Director and got $800 back OBC, which 15 years ago was a good percentage of what we had paid.

[NCLfamily]

Great review, thanks. I'm really surprised about the Chinese being so bad. We paid to go on our last Epic cruise in 2014 and really liked it. We were planning on going a couple of times on our up coming cruise now that it's free.

[shellzj]

Thank you very much for taking the time to do a wonderful balanced review. I am very grateful for the information you provided about taxis on the disembarkation morning. We have a relatively early flight and your review has helped me make the decision that booking a car service is the better alternative.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

Rochelle

Hi Rochelle, I think booking a car service is an excellent idea! I did notice the drivers holding signs outside the terminal entrance.

[shellzj]

Shellzj, Thank you for the informative and well-written report!

 

<<Noise - The Spa Suites are underneath walking/ lounging space on deck 15; as a result it can be noisy from people running on deck, staff moving chairs, or acutely in our case - wind blowing around trash cans; don’t hesitate to call the operator and they might be able to address it (they tied down the trash cans in our case and sent someone to shoo away the kids)>>

<<Shower Leak>>

 

Your next door neighbor, SwissLe, reported the same issues about H9 14151; the exception being that he wasn't able to stop the flooding, on occasions, even with the extra towels on the floor. It's disappointing that they never fixed the flooding during the recent dry-dock.

 

I have an H9 booked, but after reading his and your review, I am changing it to an H4 or H2. Fortunately, for the Feb 24 sailing, there are ample of both available. However, as neither H2 or H4 comes with the Thermal Pass, I probably would have to ask Monica for help pre-cruise as the TPs often sell out quickly.

 

<<Elemis Toletries - Individually bottled shampoo, conditioner, and bath gel smell nice and seem of high quality; full-size bar soap also nice>>

On the 2 ships I've been on recently as well as the Jewel, they've replaced the Elemis line with Bulgari (both classic and Green Tea) products. I actually prefer the Elemis toletries, but I guess by late February, they probably will run out of leftover Elemis products.

 

I was on the Sun in December and then the Getaway just a few days ago - I thought the lobster with artichoke was too salty, and the sauce was too overpowering at the Le Bistro.

 

Monica is a fantastic concierge! Had her on the Sun for 14 days in Alaska in the Summer of 2013.

 

Thank you again for the fantastic review.

Hi Kinofdc,

 

Don't get me wrong, I really liked the Spa Suite. I didn't think the noise was a major issue, and I'm actually very sensitive to noise. Also, I read complaints about the noise for Owners Suites on deck 17.

 

Regarding the drydock repairs - I'm less surprised about the shower and more so about the "sideboards." They're obviously broken (i.e. dangling wires and exposed bolts). To fix the shower, they'd have to completely replace the shower pan with a new design, which I'm guessing they just weren't willing to do for ~10 cabins.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[shellzj]

Thank you for your review. I will be in this cabin when we sail in March so I find your review very interesting in how you found the cabin. Didn't realise there were pull out table things at the bed headboard. However if these are still broken by the time we sail then obviously not high on the list to get fixed.

 

Interesting to hear about the butler. I was going to do a letter to whoever it was and will still do as my partner is a fussy eater so no point getting snacks we were never eat. Also whilst I realise some people use their butlers more than others I find it in bad taste if you only saw your butler three times out of 10 days and being told the first time you meet him about the tipping. If it was me I would tell him where to go. We are pretty low maintenance but if someone shows great service then they will be rewarded. Simple really.

Hi Yinster - Yes, I think our experience with the butler would have been better had we been explicit about what we wanted. Better to ask and learn that it's not possible/ allowed than to just see what happens -- although a butler who anticipates your needs is enviable, that level of service was not on display on our cruise.

[Number34]

Hi Rochelle, I think booking a car service is an excellent idea! I did notice the drivers holding signs outside the terminal entrance.

I have to get a morning train to Paris when I disembark on 14 February. Seems like I had bettEr book a service as well. Who do you recommend?

[shellzj]

I was on the same cruise and hardly saw any kids! I wonder if they were all staying in the Haven? :p

Hey Squish - I think you actually bring up a good point about kids vs. no kids depending where you are on the ship.

 

First, I think the Haven is actually very kid friendly. Most of the suites are the H4 2-bedroom variety, which makes it easy to have everyone together. The intimacy and proximity of the restaurant and lounge only reinforces the benefits for families.

 

Second, the Spa Suites get a further multiple dose of kids for a number of reasons due its location right under deck 15:

1. Slides

2. The "marketplace" with its cool basket chairs that seemed to be a favorite for kids to congregate

3. Enclosed elevator space next to marketplace also seemed to play host to kids congregating every night

4. Splash Academy is nearby too

 

So in general, the space right above the spa suites on deck 15 is a happening spot for kids and teens.

[shellzj]

Can I ask how long did you get on Gibraltar? We are also doing the gibraltar on your own excursion - I imagine the bus drops you off nearer town, or did you make your own way from the border?

Hi Kirsty -

 

You get about 4 hours at Gibraltar; the bus arrived a little before 11 and we had to be back at the parking lot by 2:45. The bus parked in a lot across from City Hall, which is one block away from the main pedestrian street, "Main Street." You do all of the customs stuff with the bus and your "tour guide."

[shellzj]

Great review, thanks. I'm really surprised about the Chinese being so bad. We paid to go on our last Epic cruise in 2014 and really liked it. We were planning on going a couple of times on our up coming cruise now that it's free.

Hi NCLFamily - We only tried Shanghai's once on the first day for lunch. I honestly think they were slammed as there was a long line to get in. I probably had unrealistic expectations for the "beef chow fun" dish, since it's one of my favorite dishes as my grandmother has been making it by hand since I was a kid. I also ordered a shrimp dish, which was tasty if not nutritious (think battered, fried, and sauce added).

 

In fairness, I've read a lot of reviews from people saying they enjoyed Shanghai's. Hopefully you'll have a better experience than we did!

[shellzj]

I have to get a morning train to Paris when I disembark on 14 February. Seems like I had bettEr book a service as well. Who do you recommend?

Hi Number 34 - Sorry, as I didn't book a car service I didn't research it and therefore have no one to recommend. If you're staying at a hotel in Barcelona beforehand, I'd ask your concierge. You should be able to e-mail them in advance of your arrival.

[shellzj]

I would be fuming if I had paid a premium for an up market cabin to have noise from the deck above annoying me.

 

It happened once on RCL Splendour of the Seas when she was new. We had a junior suite and the gym was above us. Every morning at 8am we had Step Areobocs echoing around our cabin and it was repeated at 4pm. To cut a very long story short, I eventually saw the Hotel Director and got $800 back OBC, which 15 years ago was a good percentage of what we had paid.

Hi Bob, funny you should mention your experience. Our last cruise was on the Princess Caribbean Princess in a "Window Suite," which was situated low on deck 6. It suffered from a very loud groaning noise made by the ship's stabilizers. I actually have a recording but don't see a way to upload it...anyway, after not being able to sleep the second night, the hotel manager moved us to a bigger suite at the front of the ship - I overheard the staff say it was abandoned by its previous owner, an older Doctor and his wife, who had complained about the noise from the gym above it! But I could handle the noise from the gym, but not that terrible groan "AAAAaarrrrrrggggg-eeeeee."

 

Premium cabin or not, I think noise is just something that's ever present on vacation. Ultimately, if I want great sleep, I stay home and cuddle my corgi.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thank you for the review! I'm on the same sailing as Yinster in March so it was nice to hear about your experience.

 

I'm happy to hear the quantity of people on the ship didn't bother you; that's my biggest concern. I would guess if you were looking for a quiet place you were able to find it in the haven, but did you notice any areas where there were fewer people where one could go to read and preferably have a sea view? I'm booked in a stuido so won't have access to the haven complex.

[kirsty_r]

Hi Kirsty -

 

You get about 4 hours at Gibraltar; the bus arrived a little before 11 and we had to be back at the parking lot by 2:45. The bus parked in a lot across from City Hall, which is one block away from the main pedestrian street, "Main Street." You do all of the customs stuff with the bus and your "tour guide."

 

Thank you. :)

[love to holiday]

Thanks for your review i really enjoyed reading it. What was the weather like? Was it shorts and tshirt for ports or too cold for this and was it warm enough to sunbathe on sea days?

Thanks

Edited January 20, 2016 by love to holiday

[moonjelly]

Thank you!

[shellzj]

Hi Love to Holiday,

 

I'm from Houston so my opinion might be skewed. I think that shorts weather starts at about 80 degrees. On some port days the temperature got into the mid to upper 70s, so with a little walking, shorts would have been comfortable.

 

As for on sea days, there were a couple of warm-ish days (maybe mid 60s) where the Europeans, especially the Russians, seemed to think it was perfect sunbathing weather. However, I kept my sweater on. One of the big factors is wind; it was often really windy. In fact one day the interactive TV screen said that winds were approaching 70 mph...I'm not sure if I read that correctly, but that was the night before we were prevented from docking in Tangier due to high winds.

 

Overall, it was a cold cruise except for a couple of days in the Canaries/ Madeira.

[harcoosto]

We have a 10:30 flight and NCL said there wouldn't be a problem. My question is if I got a car what time should I have him pick us up?