Relaxing but also fun! Staff took great care of us
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It took a while but it’s because some of the guests on the previous sailing would not leave. So we sat longer in the lounge. Once we had clearance it went quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We at only at the following:
Haven
Manhattan once
Le Bistro once
Teppanyaki once
Osheehans once
American Diner once
I’ll give individual reviews
The Manhattan Room
4 out of 5
Ate here once. Service was good, staff was friendly. I was not impressed with the menu selection the night we ate here or my food. It’s not horrible but after being used to Le Bistro/Haven, it’s hard. The menu here changes daily I believe.
O'Sheehan's Bar and Grill
3 out of 5
Food wasn’t like I remembered. This was always a favorite in the past. Seating was difficult and many did not know to check in first so people tried to grab our seats as they were trying to seat us despite signage. Service was slow as well.
The Haven Restaurant
5 out of 5
I have to say, best restaurant on the ship hands down! The menu doesn’t change, but the food is fantastic! Prime rib is amazing. My husband loved the lamb. Pork belly appetizer was a big hit but my favorite is the crab deviled eggs. I’ll be honest the deserts left me disappointed. However in this restaurant if what you’re looking for is not on the menu, ask! They’ll make it for you if they can. At lunch THE best French dip sandwich is located here. We had it in a different restaurant on embarkation day and it was NOT the same. Breakfast was only had here!
Le Bistro
5 out of 5
This was by far our best meal!! I know that Haven and Le Bistro often compete but this cruise Le Bistro won! The duck was absolutely amazing and we both had the scallops with puréed cauliflower with truffle oil. I wanted to lick the plate it was so delicious!!!
Teppanyaki
5 out of 5
This is always fun for a first night! Go for the fun! We had 16 of us that took up two grills. I’m not sure who had more fun, us, the chefs, or the two couples stuck with us!! The two couples did say it was the best dinner they ever had!! I think we even made up for another table that was quiet. Bring an appetite because this is a lot of food!!
The Haven Lounge
5 out of 5
The staff here get to know you and take care of you! If you’re lucky enough to get Marco, you are in for a treat! He remembers us every time we see him on different ships. Regardless, the staff gets to know you by name and what your favorite drink is!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We did the Deal or no Deal, enjoyed the pools, and went to many of the Effy/shopping talks. My husband did a few of the tastings on board as well. I spent a lot of my downtime reading/napping this cruise when not on ship.
Hot Tubs
4 out of 5
We were only in the Haven tubs. They were not very warm the day we were in the courtyard ones. We were told they were warmer the day before. The hot tub on the Haven sun deck was warmer.
Sun Deck
4 out of 5
The sun deck on 16 was overly crowded, which is expected. We sat in the pool and watched some of the pool games and enjoyed ourselves. The Haven area had enough sun lounges if you wanted to be in the actual sun or in the courtyard if you want some sun like myself.
Tradewinds Shops
5 out of 5
Danny the person over the jewelry shop was great. As was Kesha who is taking over for him. The store manager is also amazing. Great customer service! When we went to purchase a couple of photos, the folks there took care of us as well as the friendly staff where we picked up our daily charms.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We did see the adult comedy show in the big theater and it was fantastic. Please always read warnings on all shows. I often see people complaining about content and giving bad reviews when there is so much signage and warnings about content. The Choir of Men show was also fantastic! Note: if you want a chance on stage, sit in the front row AND be of the female persuasion lol.
Escape Theater
5 out of 5
Choir of Men was great!My husband hates the seats lol
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
So, I have five stars but this is a mix. Our ship was fully booked and it was right after spring break. For many staff this their last cruise of their contract or close to. I think people forget these folks work 7 days a week 10-12 hours a day. They are tired, they work their butts off, and so many people are just mean, rude, or treat them as servants. This wears on people. I could sense the “tiredness” of the staff, but showing kindness and being friendly always goes a long way. Tips are split among the WHOLE staff. We still tipped our favorite people, additional to our steward, our butler, and to our concierge for working hard to make our vacation a better time.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I feel that overall the ship is clean and maintained. It’s showing some wear though and that happens over time. Eventually she’ll go into dock and get a makeover again.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The larger the ship the smaller the cabin. We love the courtyard cabins and we stayed in the Breakaway last year and it was slightly bigger. But the room was great and we had more than enough room. The bathroom sink was a bit slow to drain sometimes but the shower drained great.
We did not use the personal care products. We also asked for the pay for items to be removed from our refrigerator.
Ship tip
I would say definitely eat at Le Bistro. Also make sure to book your excursions as soon as possible to ensure you are getting what you want as they do sell out. Study your deck plans so you have a basic understanding of your ship and if this is your first cruise, research and read!! Lots of tips out there to make life easier!
So we were part of a large group so a 2 bedroom villa was rented and we also did an excursion of swimming with pigs!
Swimming with pigs: this fills fast, so book early. Bring your phone/camera regardless of what they say. There will be photo opportunities and the day we went they allowed phones on the beach, but of course, I did not bring mine. Also bring water shoes! They also sell shirts, etc. Bring cash and I believe they also take cards. They also serve some canned drinks there.
Villa: if you can do this, you must!! This villa was amazing. It had two full bedrooms and bedrooms and baths. Fully stocked with towels and a mini fridge full of water bottles. You also have access to a separate buffet lunch. They have bartenders that come to villas and bring you drinks. The park of our villa had 6 lounges, a tables for 6-8, and a little sofa area. There is a private beach area with little mattress floated so you can just float in the lagoon! It was beautiful! Also your ship card works for drinks and food on the island. Don’t forget cash for the straw market on the island!
I didn’t plan any excursions as my plan was to purchase some Larimar as it comes from this island. What I didn’t realize until before our cruise is that you actually dock in a little “town” that’s owned by Carnival. It’s got a lot of little shops that are a lot of repeats. They do take credit cards. You have to leave the gated area if you want to get a cab and go out on your own. We got as far as the pool that looked great but did not get far enough to see the lazy River. I also found out that NCL will not guarantee any of your purchases from any of these shops. They no longer “work” with diamonds international. Buyer Beware if you go in. I have my own story as well. We purchased a few thing and went back to the ship for free drinks and food
We did the Megan’s bay beach and shopping. Don’t do what I did and forget your bathing suit lol. You actually spend about 2 hours at the beach. The shopping they take you to is at Havenport (right where you dock). We did not realize this and figured we were going somewhere else so right away went through the shopping before we did the excursion. The shopping area is very close and very small.
We did the tour of Tortola and shopping. This did include a one hour beach stop and a straw market was at the beach. You need cash at the straw market. Our excursion person did take us to downtown so we were able to see shops there. This was a bit trickier as it was their carnival week. Lots of vendors, food, and rides.
Here we are fortunate. As Haven we get a bit of a shortcut to leave (don’t hate, we paid a pretty penny). Our concierge took great care always getting us on and off the ship when it was time
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