We were treated well, but space, food, entertainment all fell short. Find another cruise. If booking the Haven, why not just book a better ship where the entire ship is tasteful and quality.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Easy on, only because I was on a mobility scooter. But no festive atmosphere as on other nine cruises.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
Skip 'specialty' restaurants - worse service, same sub-par food. One waiter confided NCL took lots of money out of the food a month ago. Cheap ingredients = failure. Buffet is like a school cafeteria line. No flair, no displays, crowded and boring. We did like the Manhattan Room because of the live music and dancing.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
So overcrowded- and no wow factor at all. No unifying design sense. One tiny pool for 4,000 people.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Very limited interest- most live music was cheesy. We very much liked burn the floor dancers. That deserves 3stars. Walked out of porny-corny Rock of Ages, dull Second City. All the rest was tacky and too loud.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
This was the bright spot. Aside from our steward calling me 'mommy' (but didn't call my husband 'poppy.') he was a nice man. Not the best service, but not awful. All around the boat we were treated very well, but I think it was because I dressed up my scooter with an impressive mermaid display. Brought a smile to nearly everyone, and the staff loved it. Even so, service at Cagney's and Le Bistro was rushed and/or incompetent.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Clean, only decent design was in the Haven.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Great room size. Accessible room at back of boat - huge balcony. Decor dull and looked like a cheap hotel room. Lots of storage, except in bathroom. Easy to get around with limited mobility. Space made life better, definite highlight. But just chance, as we bought run-of-the-boat two weeks before sailing.
Ship tip
Find a better boat. Unless you're in the Haven, the whole experience is sub par. There is actually such a difference - we were definitely in steerage. For what it wound up costing, we could have done much better on another line. Liked the Dawn out of Boston much more. More space, fewer people, nicer aesthetic. We've had much more value for money on every other cruise we've taken.
Sorry to hear your cruise fell short. We just cruised on the BA 7/9 to 7/16. Awesome cruise! We never got bored. Great food, shows, always friendly staff. Although it had over 4,000 people, we always found a spot to chill out if we weren't on our balcony. Deck 16 is great for that. We going again next year!ð
I just really think it depends on the person, everyone sees and feels things differently, I will also be going in October and this will be my 3rd on the BA and I cannot wait!
It all depends on what exactly you are looking for on a cruise. BA has over 4000 passengers and is a big ship. The cabins are fine, dining is awesome and entertainment is plentiful. There is only so much that can be served and always something going on somewhere on the ship. Can't understand why if they were in The Haven they would be complaining. That is top of the line for accommodations yet they obviously weren't happy about something. Maybe they need to find a smaller more personal type of cruise ship.
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