Well, first of all, I'd like to sum up our feelings about NCL's Getaway ship, and specifically, The Haven section we stayed in. One word will do it -- WONDERFUL! I was a little concerned about the impersonalization of such a large (4000 passengers) cruise ship as well as the quality. But, this was a great experience. I would only add one caution, the Getaway appears to have replaced Cancun as the highschool senior graduation trip and the Getaway was over run with teens. The final night's going away party by the pool was rained out and so they moved the party to a lounge on board. When my young adults went to the lounge they all left because it was over run with teens...Probably better not to go in June or July if you don't want lots of teens!
That aside, we had the best of all worlds by staying in the Haven ( an area accessed by key card by only guests who were staying in that section). The staff everywhere on board was well trained and friendly -- with greetings from every staff person you met from the plumber to the butler. We had two minor issues, one requiring a plumber and one requiring a carpenter. In both instances, someone was there within 10 minutes -- impressive! The concierge on the Haven deck made everything work seamlessly, from helping us make reservations to excorting Gaby one time to Kid's Camp when we were running late for an excursion. The Haven has its own access to the Spa, it's own intimate dining room with a very friendly wait staff and it's own pool and hot tub! The food in the Haven restaurant is significantly better then the "cafeteria" food in other venues. All the speciality restaurants we ate in were excellent, but we liked the Italian one the best, followed by Cagney's steak house. We ate the last night in Le Bistro (hardest to get in) and while the food was excellent it took almost two hours for dinner....They were the only restaurant that didn't provide timely service, BUT the food was good and they had escargot so we sort of forgave them! :)
Staying on deck 16 forward was key because we were so close to the pools and water slides and obstacle course. It was not a hike for us like it was for others. We could easily scoot back to the quiet of our rooms! Our bow suite was magnificent -- the nicest we've ever had on any ship. That's probably because it was so well thought out and is brand new, having made it's maiden voyage in January of this year. It came with a great butler who kept everything perfectly! It was also key that our room connected directly to Duffy's room and Trey and Annette were right next door!
Yesterday we all went different directions for excursions in Nassau. Bill went scuba diving (down to 40') and had a great time. His underwater photos are a little cloudy, but he saw everything quite well while he was down. Trey, Annette, Duffy, Gaby and I went to Dolphin Cay for a shallow water dolphin experience. Grant, in the meantime, also went for a dolphin experience, but one where he swam with the Dolphins. (Gaby was not old enough to do that one.) It turns out, the original dolphins at Dolphin Cay (17 of them) floated out to sea from an aquarium during Hurricane Katrina. About 8 of the dolphins got out of the floating container, while 9 did not. The 8 that were free, hung close by to the other captive dolphins and eventually, all were rescued. They were kept safe while Atlantis began building a HUGE new ocean home for them! (Dolphin Cay) The group has since mushroomed to 44 dolphins! We swam with the oldest Dolphin, Gill. Grant, on the other hand, swam with the youngest dolphin they have. I think it's pretty easy to determine from the photos what a GREAT time we all had!! Highly recommend this experience!
When we got back to the ship around 5:00pm, Grant had the energy to go do the obstacle course on board, so I felt obligated to film it! He did very well, I must say!
Departure this morning was seamless for Haven guests. They escort you down a back non-stop service elevator and straight to the front of the line at the gangway to get off. Then we whisked through customs, grabbed our bags and looked for our car to take us home. As of lunchtime, everyone is unpacked and laundry started! No big trips now until Trey, Mary, Bill and I do Barcelona to Istanbul cruise in September!
That aside, we had the best of all worlds by staying in the Haven ( an area accessed by key card by only guests who were staying in that section). The staff everywhere on board was well trained and friendly -- with greetings from every staff person you met from the plumber to the butler. We had two minor issues, one requiring a plumber and one requiring a carpenter. In both instances, someone was there within 10 minutes -- impressive! The concierge on the Haven deck made everything work seamlessly, from helping us make reservations to excorting Gaby one time to Kid's Camp when we were running late for an excursion. The Haven has its own access to the Spa, it's own intimate dining room with a very friendly wait staff and it's own pool and hot tub! The food in the Haven restaurant is significantly better then the "cafeteria" food in other venues. All the speciality restaurants we ate in were excellent, but we liked the Italian one the best, followed by Cagney's steak house. We ate the last night in Le Bistro (hardest to get in) and while the food was excellent it took almost two hours for dinner....They were the only restaurant that didn't provide timely service, BUT the food was good and they had escargot so we sort of forgave them! :)
Staying on deck 16 forward was key because we were so close to the pools and water slides and obstacle course. It was not a hike for us like it was for others. We could easily scoot back to the quiet of our rooms! Our bow suite was magnificent -- the nicest we've ever had on any ship. That's probably because it was so well thought out and is brand new, having made it's maiden voyage in January of this year. It came with a great butler who kept everything perfectly! It was also key that our room connected directly to Duffy's room and Trey and Annette were right next door!
Yesterday we all went different directions for excursions in Nassau. Bill went scuba diving (down to 40') and had a great time. His underwater photos are a little cloudy, but he saw everything quite well while he was down. Trey, Annette, Duffy, Gaby and I went to Dolphin Cay for a shallow water dolphin experience. Grant, in the meantime, also went for a dolphin experience, but one where he swam with the Dolphins. (Gaby was not old enough to do that one.) It turns out, the original dolphins at Dolphin Cay (17 of them) floated out to sea from an aquarium during Hurricane Katrina. About 8 of the dolphins got out of the floating container, while 9 did not. The 8 that were free, hung close by to the other captive dolphins and eventually, all were rescued. They were kept safe while Atlantis began building a HUGE new ocean home for them! (Dolphin Cay) The group has since mushroomed to 44 dolphins! We swam with the oldest Dolphin, Gill. Grant, on the other hand, swam with the youngest dolphin they have. I think it's pretty easy to determine from the photos what a GREAT time we all had!! Highly recommend this experience!
When we got back to the ship around 5:00pm, Grant had the energy to go do the obstacle course on board, so I felt obligated to film it! He did very well, I must say!
Departure this morning was seamless for Haven guests. They escort you down a back non-stop service elevator and straight to the front of the line at the gangway to get off. Then we whisked through customs, grabbed our bags and looked for our car to take us home. As of lunchtime, everyone is unpacked and laundry started! No big trips now until Trey, Mary, Bill and I do Barcelona to Istanbul cruise in September!
Must have watched Titantic last night! :)
So, farewell until our next trip in September!
