DH and I are experienced cruisers with Princess, Holland America, Celebrity and Carnival. A poor cruise on the Norwegian Pearl a few years ago made us hesitate to book NCL again, but the recent all inclusive perks and the desire to check out the Getaway sealed the deal for our second (and last) NCL cruise.

Norwegians love crowds. We decided to splurge on a Haven spa suite, which included tips, dining package, beverage package and onboard credit. Even the standard spa balcony rate we originally booked would have made this the most expensive 7 day Caribbean cruise we've ever taken. But the Haven added a $1500 premium - each. It wasn't worth It. Although it was nice to have a private part of the ship to get away from the crowds, had we gone on Princess or HAL there would have been no crowds to get away from! By the end of the week we realized that our experience in the Haven equaled our experience in a regular balcony on Princess, HAL and Celebrity, for less than half the cost.

To make matters worse, our cabin attendant didn't make up our room by 8 PM for two nights, with dumb excuses each night. This is unacceptable for a Haven suite. The 'butler' showed us how to use the coffee machine on day 1, then on day 7 was hanging in the hallway... looking for tips? We never saw him any other days, though he did put canapés and treats in our room... and left them sitting out, unrefrigerated for who knows how long. Salmon finger sandwiches sitting out for hours? We passed. The Haven itself got crowded, with embarkation a bit chaotic with 200+ suite passengers crammed into the tiny lounge. Sea days were also crowded, with chair hogs putting towels over the few loungers by the tiny bath tub-sized pool, and the top private sun deck filled up. Oh yeah, the thermal spa was one of the nicest we've ever used, when it wasn't packed to the gills with people. We did have it all to ourselves at night, which was nice. Read more