This was our second cruise (our first was with Disney). I should preface my comments by acknowledging that, on the eve of our cruise start date, our "bid" to secure an upgrade to the Haven was accepted and so my comments are necessarily impacted by that fact. That said, I had other family onboard who were not staying in the Haven and I think it is fair to say that they were equally impressed by the ship and its crew.

Unlike our experience with Disney, the embarkation and disembarkation was seamless, quick, and well organized. Some of the differences were beyond Disney's power to control and were attributable to the "theatre" and "spectacle" of security that pervades North American travel (see sailed out of Vancouver on the Disney cruise and out of Copenhagen this time around) rather than differences in approach. Still, the Getaway was a larger ship and the team from NCL running embarkation seemed better organized and far more efficient. The lines moved quickly (for everyone in my family) and within minutes of arrival, we had our keys and were onboard. I was truly impressed.

In terms of the layout, the ship was easy to navigate and logically organized. We had our 15 year old son with us and many of the features were clearly aimed at keeping him and his peers engaged -- including a rope course, water slides, a sports deck, and an arcade. Read more