Carnival Breeze vs Norwegian Getaway

Sailing both ships back-to-back in a couple of weeks. I'm sure the price gap between them is normally much higher, given that the Getaway is only a couple of months' old as of this writing, but when I booked last week the price of a balcony guarantee double on Getaway (7 day), after TA discount and OBCs, was only slightly more than the rack rate of an inside assigned single/double (no single supplement) on the Breeze (6 day). They were both good deals either way!

 

Looking forward to trying both -- haven't sailed on Carnival in years (so obviously had to pick their newest ship :)), nor on such a brand new ship in NCL's case.

Bumping to see which you liked best and why?? Trying to decide between the 2 for our family of 5. Cost for 2 ov on breeze is the same as 2 inside on getaway.

Been on both within the past year and had a great time on both for different reasons. Shipwise, the Breeze will be similar to your Dream cruise experience. The Getaway's layout, dining and entertainment will be a new experience. Loved the Breeze. Loved the Getaway. I say book the Getaway for a new experience.

I've been thinking on going on the Getaway or Epic but have heard that you are nickel and dimed to death because almost everything is extra. If you want good food you have to pay for it because the food in the MDR is not that good. The Blue man Group is an extra cost. Is this true?

Gary

I've been thinking on going on the Getaway or Epic but have heard that you are nickel and dimed to death because almost everything is extra. If you want good food you have to pay for it because the food in the MDR is not that good. The Blue man Group is an extra cost. Is this true?

 

Gary

Not true. We didn't spend more money on our 2 Epic cruise than we had on our Carnival and RCL cruises. With NCL it's all about choice. You can go to the many specialty restaurants and pay an upcharge, but there are plenty of included food venues (Buffet, O'Sheehan's, 2 MDRs). I found the food to be very good in the MDR and the buffet is fantastic. As for entertainment, the only extra charge on Epic was the Cirque dinner show. I believe it is the same for the Illusionarium. Blue Man is free of charge, but you do need to reserve seats.

Check out my reviews of our Epic cruise below. It may help you decide.

I just compared our upcoming cruise on the Breeze to the Getaway.

Dec 27 7 days on the Getaway balcony $5400 for 3

Dec 26 6 days on the Breeze Lido balcony $3400 for 3

This will be our 2nd time on the Breeze. Hubby and I can take a short holiday for the extra $2000 that it would cost on the Getaway.

Been on both within the past year and had a great time on both for different reasons. Shipwise, the Breeze will be similar to your Dream cruise experience. The Getaway's layout, dining and entertainment will be a new experience. Loved the Breeze. Loved the Getaway. I say book the Getaway for a new experience.

Thanks. We won't have the $$ to pay to eat at places other than mdr and buffet.

Also wondering if anyone has been on both that has kids?

Mine will be 15, 12 and 7 when we cruise.

I see the Getaway has a kids and teen area and the Breeze has a kids, tween and teen areas.

Thanks. We won't have the $$ to pay to eat at places other than mdr and buffet.

Also wondering if anyone has been on both that has kids?

Mine will be 15, 12 and 7 when we cruise.

We have always cruised with our boys (19 and 17 now) since they were 10 and 8. They have always had an awesome time. They liked Carnival and NCL the best.

We have always cruised with our boys (19 and 17 now) since they were 10 and 8. They have always had an awesome time. They liked Carnival and NCL the best.

We are currently booked on Disney but will have to change due to our budget. My older 2 get it but my 7 y.o. is having hard time with us switching :( Trying to get him hyped up about the water slides and such but all he talks about is the IronMan thing on Disney...lol.

We are planning our annual cruise for our anniversary and would like help in deciding between Carnival Breeze and Norwegian Getaway. We loved the Breeze last year and had a great cruise, we just are not sure if we should try something different or continue with The Breeze since it was such a great vacation. Any suggestions? Anyone try both?

 

 

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the food alone is 100% better on Carnival rather than NCL - we thought we would 'try something different' last Sept and it was a huge mistake.. stick with Carnival..

the food alone is 100% better on Carnival rather than NCL - we thought we would 'try something different' last Sept and it was a huge mistake.. stick with Carnival..

That is what concerns me! We do not want to pay extra for good food. On Getaway many reviews say MCR food is not that good, but on the Breeze it seems food lines are very long, some reviews say you have to wait in line a half hour?

That is what concerns me! We do not want to pay extra for good food. On Getaway many reviews say MCR food is not that good, but on the Breeze it seems food lines are very long, some reviews say you have to wait in line a half hour?

I am not a Breeze cheerleader for the most part. Because of a couple things, the ship fell in the middle of the pack of my favorites list. However, even with nearly every bed filled on our sailing, the food lines were very very short, overall. A few exceptions: there were only 3 omelet lines, so those were quite long every morning. I utilized Blue Iguana's breakfast burritos to solve that; short lines there. Also, on Day 2 only, Guys burgers had an insanely long line. Had to be at least an hour wait until around 3:00. Every day after that, Guy's line was quite short. Buffet lines were always short, even when I ate at peak hours. I was usually within a few people of grabbing a plate when I got in line (or grabbing a plate immediately).

I apologize for going off topic but it seemed that there are a lot of you who have cruised both lines here and I have not been able to get my question answered by posting it elsewhere. Here it goes- I have cruised NCL for many years but this year will be my first on Carnival (b2b Carnival Breeze and NCL Epic in Dec). So what are the differences I should expect between the 2 lines? Thanks for your help, Shirl

Have been on neither so take this for what its worth, but I would go with Getaway. I have been looking at that ship (also Breakaway) and am very interested. I am thinking about a trip next May for our 10 year anniversary and my birthday (which is a big one) and if we do a cruise, Getaway/Breakaway is in the running (along with Oasis/Allure, NCL Freedom, and Celebrity Summit).

the food alone is 100% better on Carnival rather than NCL - we thought we would 'try something different' last Sept and it was a huge mistake.. stick with Carnival..

I don't agree with this. The MDR food can vary from mediocre to good on both lines, but NCL's buffet is far better than Carnival's, both in quality of most items and in selection/variety of foods. Plus, although I love Carnival's steak house, NCL beats them in the variety of additional-fee restaurants (most for very low fees, too). I will say that the pizza on the Breeze is better than NCL's (which is good, but not as good).

I would try the Norwegian Getaway or the Breakaway. We are going to book the Getaway for Jan/Feb. 28 places to eat I will never get to all of them, and you don't have to pay extra for most of them. Entertainment looks great and the rest of the ship looking good. We will do the Super bowl cruise on it.

It also all depends on the ports of call that your are looking for (if that matters) and the $$ of the cruise as well, I did a Mock booking for a SPA room in September 2014, just like we are already booked for an 8 night/9 day on the Breeze for those dates.......I almost fell off my chair!! The Getaway was nearly 2X more for a 6 night/7day cruise then my Breeze 8night/9day. Plus the Ports of call did not interest me at all.

 

But if you don't care about the ports of call or the amount of days or the $$Price tag then yes I would try something different too I guess.

This is EXACTLY why I cancelled my Getaway cruise. Saving over $1400 plus I knock two islands off my bucket list, Aruba and Curacao. Not to mention an extra day on the ship. The Liberty is not such a bad ship...high ratings. Don't think I did too bad :D.

Maybe if the Getaway had different ports or cheaper I would go. I do love St.Marteen.:p

Debarked Norwegian Getaway this past weekend.

Cruised on Carnival Breeze in October, so a 2-month gap between the experiences.

Really (really!) enjoyed Carnival Breeze, and would repeat the experience again without any hesitation. Loved my first-ever cove balcony, and would only consider that type of stateroom on a future visit.

Caveat: I paid more for my Norwegian Getaway sailing than I did for that on Carnival Breeze. CCL had a great price drop in those final months that made it a real bargain.

My accommodation on Norwegian Getaway was an aft balcony that was quite large (easily room to handle four chaise loungers, but I had two, with two regular chairs and two small tables). I spent a lot of time out there during the week.

This statement is my opinion only:

There was absolutely nothing onboard Carnival Breeze the was better than Norwegian Getaway and, perhaps, nothing that was actually equal. Ship design, onboard guest service, food, drink, amenities . . .

But then there's the Entertainment. This is where the difference is night/day. I now realize how dismally pathetic Carnival's failed attempts at Playlist Productions actually are. It should be a total embarrassment.

And to think that John Heald actually called those performers a Triple Threat ("because they can sing, dance, and act") is laughable. In conversations with several onboard I learned that two didn't even have working microphones. They were simply props. And some of those with truly enjoyable voices, had obvious difficulty with the movement portions.

There was, however, one solo vocalist (in Atrium and a few lounges) who was superb!

The entertainment onboard Norwegian Getaway was, for the most part, completely stunning, and something the line can truly be proud of. Some of the cast were internationally recognized/awarded prior to joining this ship, and rightfully so.

Again, this above if just one person's opinion . . . but it was asked.

Thanks for reading. :)

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