First off, thanks to everyone who post on Cruise Critic, this is a valuable tool to use when booking various cruises, venues, etc. We just returned from our 7 day Eastern Caribbean+ cruise on the beautiful ship "Getaway". We booked the Haven Aft Penthouse Suite, whcih in my opinion is the only way to go if you are able to swing the additional cost. Our trio have been on multiple crusies through out the years and have been to the Caribbean several times before. We also had the UBP, UDP and prepaid gratuties included at time of booking. All shows and dining options were booked 55 days, although now i hear is has been changed to 90 days. Three of us started our trip from LAX to Miami on a red-eye flight. Arrived Miami around 5:30 am and settled into our B2 Hotel around 8:00am, nothing great but close to the Port. We spent the day in South Beach and had a great dinner at one of our favorite places, "Lario's On The Beach", great Cuban food!
Embarkation/Sail Day
Arrived at the Port of Miami around 10:30am and were escorted into the private area for Haven guests, where they had food and beverages available. After filling out all of thee necessary paperwork, we were issued our platinum room keys. We were thn personally escorted to another area exlcusive for Haven guests, which also had snacks and beverages. Once the ship cleared customs, we were personnaly escorted us up to the Haven Lounge. By the way, if you want the customary embarkation photo, please tell the escort before because they will bypass the photo opportunity. We arrived at the Haven Lounge and immediately were greeted by our concierge Anoop and staff memebrs, who greeted us by name, very impressive! The staff started serving cocktails and mini sliders, a nice touch. We decided to have lunch in the Haven restaurant prior to going into our suite. The Haven area is very beautiful and we loved every minute of this part of the ship. Our suite was ready by 1:00pm and so the journey begins.....