Must See on the Getaway

Hey all. We're on the January 10th sailing of the Getaway in a month or so, and was just wondering about what people though the must-do items were for a few guys in their 30s. We were on the Epic the same time last year, so we're planning to spend a lot of time at Howl at the Moon, which has two of the same players who we saw last year, and who are amazing. We're also planning to see the Illusionarium show at some point. We will probably also do the Chef's Table and Moderno at some point on the trip, as well as hitting the gym and running track to burn off all the food and drinks. What else am I missing? What should I miss? Thanks!

You can miss the kiddie pool and Spongebob:D

Hey all. We're on the January 10th sailing of the Getaway in a month or so, and was just wondering about what people though the must-do items were for a few guys in their 30s. We were on the Epic the same time last year, so we're planning to spend a lot of time at Howl at the Moon, which has two of the same players who we saw last year, and who are amazing. We're also planning to see the Illusionarium show at some point. We will probably also do the Chef's Table and Moderno at some point on the trip, as well as hitting the gym and running track to burn off all the food and drinks. What else am I missing? What should I miss? Thanks!

Groove International is a cool band from Jamaica... they do a heck of a show with a MoTown theme... Depending on who is playing, the Grammy Experience is a good show in an intimate venue. We had the featured artist Shannon McNally who was very good. "Burn The Floor" and "Legally Blonde" are fantastic productions.

Hey all. We're on the January 10th sailing of the Getaway in a month or so, and was just wondering about what people though the must-do items were for a few guys in their 30s. We were on the Epic the same time last year, so we're planning to spend a lot of time at Howl at the Moon, which has two of the same players who we saw last year, and who are amazing. We're also planning to see the Illusionarium show at some point. We will probably also do the Chef's Table and Moderno at some point on the trip, as well as hitting the gym and running track to burn off all the food and drinks. What else am I missing? What should I miss? Thanks!

We tried to fit in everything that the Getaway has. We did the waterslides, rope course (I tried the plank, but just couldn't walk it) and rock climbing wall. None of the other ships we've been on had any of those things, so for us those were "must do" items.

We also did the illusionarium, and headliners. Both of which were good.

As far as food goes, go to ocean blue. Its more expensive than the other restaurants, but seriously, its worth it. There wasn't a thing we ate there that wasn't amazing.

Do the Illusionarium the first night, save a few dollars. Also pay for the better seats and get inline at least 45 minutes before show time to get the best seats. Have seen it twice and loved it both times. My wife and I are addicted to Howl at the Moon, which piano players will be on your cruise.

Steve R. from Illinois

The best show on the Getaway happens in the morning at the buffet. If Mr. Rooster is onboard, that's a free show you don't want to miss. Ask anyone working in the buffet if he's working. He's a legend.

The best show on the Getaway happens in the morning at the buffet. If Mr. Rooster is onboard, that's a free show you don't want to miss. Ask anyone working in the buffet if he's working. He's a legend.

If he's there, you'll know it:D

The best show on the Getaway happens in the morning at the buffet. If Mr. Rooster is onboard, that's a free show you don't want to miss. Ask anyone working in the buffet if he's working. He's a legend.

oh please tell me there isn't a Rooster on the Getaway too... there can't be 2 of them... can there? After about day 4 on the Dawn this year that schtick got really old really quick... by day 12... :eek:

oh please tell me there isn't a Rooster on the Getaway too... there can't be 2 of them... can there? After about day 4 on the Dawn this year that schtick got really old really quick... by day 12... :eek:

We believe there are two of them. We did the dawn earlier this year and the rooster was a busser. The guy on the getaway is wearing an officer uniform... and a candle on his head. :p

Hey all. We're on the January 10th sailing of the Getaway in a month or so, and was just wondering about what people though the must-do items were for a few guys in their 30s. We were on the Epic the same time last year, so we're planning to spend a lot of time at Howl at the Moon, which has two of the same players who we saw last year, and who are amazing. We're also planning to see the Illusionarium show at some point. We will probably also do the Chef's Table and Moderno at some point on the trip, as well as hitting the gym and running track to burn off all the food and drinks. What else am I missing? What should I miss? Thanks!

We were on the Getaway last week and had a great time.

My other half very much enjoyed the water slides and said he was impressed by the speed of them. We also both did the ropes course. I had convinced myself that I was not even going to consider attempting it, but then I did and I am glad I did. For both of these, we did them while in ports so that there were less crowds (this was especially important on the ropes course for someone like me who was a bit unnerved by it and preferred not to feel like my slowness was getting in the way of others; there is no set path through the course, so it was not like there was a line of people behind me, but still there are others on the course at the same time and at times you will be in the same area as others and someone will need to wait).

The Chef's Table was a great experience and one we would do again. The food, the service, and the conversation with others were all great. The evening started at 6:00, and although the actual meal ended at some point just after 9:00 (I think), we continued to hang out until around midnight. It was the same night as the fireworks and several of us decided to skip them in order to continue our conversations over drinks in the Haven lounge (the actual meal was held in a section of the Haven restaurant). Added to this experience was a galley tour a couple of days later. We had been on a galley tour on another NCL ship, but this one far surpassed the previous one in terms of the variety of spaces we were shown and the variety of staff with which we were able to interact and see what they do.

We very much enjoyed Wasabi and ended up eating dinner there three times. The food was quite fresh and flavorful and the service was attentive, interactive, and relaxed. We have not eaten at the sushi place on previous NCL cruises, but we have eaten at most of the other speciality restaurants several times. Wasabi has moved to the top of my list as my favorite speciality restaurant.

I used the fitness center every day. For the size of the ship, it seemed kind of small. The aerobic area (with treadmills, etc.) got quite warm. I used this area during the first two sea days, but then I ran on the designated outside track each of the other days. There were specified times the track was open for running (before 9:30 and after 6:00), to which I adhered other than one afternoon run during one of the days in port. Compared with other ships on which I have run, I did not find any problem with lounge chairs encroaching on the track, but the pathway by the climbing wall and Flamingo Grill is a bit narrow and at times congested. The room with the weights (free and machine) had a lot of equipment, but there was not much floor space. For the most part, though, this area of the fitness center was not heavily used (I was there each day and only once did I feel like I was working out on top of others).

We enjoyed hanging out at the Mojito Bar, in part for the drinks and in part for the bartenders who were quite interactive and humorous. Unfortunately, the solo piano player who was often there (not the duo who were sometimes there) was not very good (he played the piano well, but we found his voice to be grating). If not for the entertainment from the bartenders, we would have avoided the Mojito Bar because of this piano player. Something we found out is that the mojitos in the tasting flight are pre-made. There was a definite difference in taste between these and the full-size, freshly-made ones.

Having run by the Flamingo Grill many times during my laps on the track and having otherwise walked by/through it many other times throughout each day, it seemed to be an eatery that was under-utilized. We grabbed breakfast there once and an afternoon snack twice. Some of the items were a bit bland, but others were quite good. I recommend giving it a try as an alternative to the larger (and more crowded) buffet.

We went to O'Sheehan's twice, once for a late-night snack (which was good) and once during the day to play games. The bowling was fun, but at $5 per person, per game, we thought it was a bit too costly to play more than once. We played a few other games, with darts being our favorite.

We also played ping pong and shuffleboard on deck. These are both well positioned on the ship to be somewhat out of the way of the regular flow of foot traffic, so there were few interruptions during our play. Plus, the ping pong table was decently protected from the wind.

We went to Carlos's bake shop once. My other half very much enjoyed the lobster claw (puff pastry filled with cream), but the cupcake I had did not taste fresh (it was cold and dry).

We found the iConcierge app to be quite helpful as a way to check out what was happening on board each day, to view restaurant menus, and to review our transactions. It does not provide a calendar of dinners/shows you have reserved, which would be a nice feature for NCL to add. But, overall, we found that we used it much more than we anticipated (we did not use the added phone/messaging features). And, other than the first day, the connection was consistent.

I used the Internet once to check email and I did so from the Internet cafe. This was while in port in St. Thomas and the speed was quite fast. After finishing, I mentioned this to the staff member at the desk and he said that they were connected to a shore-side satellite, which is why the speed was faster than usual.

I hope these thoughts are helpful in your planning. We tend to cruise for the ship and the weather (much more so than the particular ports visited) and we would definitely book the Getaway again.

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Do the Illusionarium the first night, save a few dollars. Also pay for the better seats and get inline at least 45 minutes before show time to get the best seats. Have seen it twice and loved it both times. My wife and I are addicted to Howl at the Moon, which piano players will be on your cruise.

Steve R. from Illinois

I think (hope) it will be Kin and Drew, who we saw on the Epic. I should start putting tip money aside now.

I have seen Drew in Chicago, he is great

Steve R