Norwegian Getaway Review
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We chose this cruise for the ports. Neither of us had been to any of the Baltic ports and we were looking for an overview. We absolutely loved the ports and could have spent more time everywhere, but we knew that in advance. Cruising on such a large ship has its disadvantages. On a minor point, it simply takes a while to figure out the deck plans, and how get from one point to another. More serious is the issue of always being at a pier that's far from the city center. We were lucky to get to dock in Stockholm, the Getaway often has to be in a town a hour away. We shared sevel ports with an Azamara Cruise, and as a much smaller ship, they were docked right downtown. When time in port is so valuable, arranging transportation to get to the actual city becomes a drain. Although we really enjoyed the ship and Baltic cruise itinerary, if we were to take the same trip again I'd consider a different, smaller ship. Someone who uses more of the entertainment available, or traveling with active kids, might have a completely different view point.
We used a private company (there are many) to tour Berlin and St. Petersburg. We were able to have a much smaller group and more flexibility than if we'd taken a ship's excursion. Luckily we were in Stockholm on a Sunday and the company Stromma has a 3 hour brunch cruise available on that Sunday only. It was actually one of the highlights of our trip. In Helsinki and Tallinn we were able to enjoy the town on our own without a tour. They are both beautiful, but very different cities.
Cabin Review
The Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Balcony
Traveling with my adult son, it was nice having the two separate rooms so we each had some privacy. The opaque bathroom shower and toilet doors defeated the purpose a bit, and required more time in getting ready, but surely a first world problem. Although the cabin is as far forward as possible, the cruise was smooth. There is more storage in this cabin than we knew what to do with. There is a lot of closet space and many drawers in both the living room and bedroom. I'm very glad I took a clock, we didn't need it for a wake up call, the phone system worked easily and well, but there are no clocks in the room and neither of us wears a watch or wanted to be constantly checking our phones. This is the first time I've had a Haven cabin outside of the Haven itself, and I wondered if we'd use the Haven lounge, bar, dining room, and sun deck as much. It was actually quite a hike from our forward cabin to the stairs going up to the Haven, and the 4 floors between our deck and the Haven added to the hike. So, no, we probably didn't use it as much, but enough that it was certainly worthwhile to us. The sundeck was a nice quiet place to be even when there were a lot of kids in the Haven pool, and the lounge was much more comfortable, with more drink options than the bars on the other decks We ate at the Haven restaurant most nights and enjoyed it even if the menu doesn't change. There was enough variety for us. Having the butler deliver breakfast to our rooms was a great benefit on the port intensive Baltic cruise. It enabled us to get out of the cabin much more quickly, and we used the special (service) elevator to get off the ship ahead of the lines. That was very helpful at debarkation since our flight was before noon.