NCL Getaway Review - 1/24 - 1/31

Hello everyone!

I've been a long time lurker on the boards with a couple posts but I decided to do my first review thread! I'll be posting photos with this but it will take a little while, so be patient.

This was only my second cruise, my first being on the Getaway in January of 2015. We decided to sail her again since they had switched from a Eastern Caribbean to Western Caribbean itinerary. I LOVED the Getaway last year which was a major reason we wanted to stay with her this year. I am very brand loyal for some things and, apparently, cruise lines and cruise ships are one of them.

Just to note: We sailed in a large balcony room but we were comped a balcony room through my play with Casinos at Sea last year. We upgraded to the large balcony since we were not planning on getting Vibe again and wanted somewhere peaceful to lay. Our stateroom was 9724.

Day -2: Getting There

So - I live in the mid-Atlantic in PA. We had built in a day before the cruise, flying into MIA on Saturday but I was getting nervous because of the blizzard that was going to hit DC, VA, NC, etc.

My original flight back when I booked the cruise was from Pittsburgh to Miami via Charlotte on American. Back in October, they moved the departure time from 10 AM to 7 AM, so I called and asked if I could switch flights because 7 AM was a really early time to get to the airport for me. They let me switch from the flight with a layover in CLT to a direct flight for free.

However, even with the direct flight AND the extra day, I was still antsy to get to Miami. Pittsburgh was included in American's travel advisory as of 3 PM on 1/21 so I called when I got home to switch flights. After a 2 hour(!) wait on hold, the agent told me there were no available flights for me to switch to on Friday OR Thursday. I was perplexed because I was on their site and could SEE available flights in the same fare class I was booked in.

Their response? "Yes, we can sell you a flight, but we only allocate so many tickets per flight for travel advisory changes". Worst customer service I have ever had with an airline.

Because American shut down CLT and PHI the day before I was scheduled to fly, I booked a refundable Southwest flight for Sunday morning, as my last ditch effort in case American would cancel my flight.

We also decided to get a room at the Hyatt connected to the airport so we would not have any trouble getting to the airport Saturday morning.

So - we arrive at the airport, park in extended parking and get checked in. I have a hard time sleeping and I'm up every few hours, checking the snowfall rates and snow on the ground and status of my flight.

Needless to say, the flight goes off without a hitch and we arrive to Miami around 9 AM.

I would have been worried about my flights too, glad you made it to Miami!

Day -1: A Day in Miami

So, after landing, we take an Uber from MIA to our hotel, the Hyatt Legency in Downtown Miami.

Now... I've never been to Miami before - I only was driven through it last year so it was a good chance to get a day to explore the city. We didn't have anything planned, but we were right next to Bayside Park and Bayside Mall so we wanted to explore there as well.

We also could see the Port from the area that we walked and saw the Escape and some other ships.

(I know this is a short post, but all we did was wander the city so there's not much to say)

I will say that the Hyatt downtown is a VERY nice hotel. We were able to use points to stay there and we arrived very early (around 10:30-11 AM) and they still had a room ready for us. It was very nice. It was also very full since it was being used by many of the runners in the Miami Marathon the next morning.

Also - I apologize for the obnoxious watermark - all the photos were uploaded with it to Flickr with my default settings and since the album was over 1k photos, I wasn't going to reupload.

Day 1: An Unexpected Delay

So, I wake up, like a kid on Christmas morning, the day of departure. I've been looking forward to this cruise since I booked it last July. Our original plan was to leave later that we did last year.

Last year, we got to the terminal at 9 AM (to get Vibe). Since we didn't want to get Vibe, we decided to go closer to 12 or 1 PM.

HOWEVER - since the Miami marathon was going on and we had NO idea if it would affect us going to the terminal, we left around 10:30 AM.

...and we got there at 10:50 AM. Major credit to our taxi driver for getting us there with no delay.

So we go into the terminal and start standing in line to go through security. This is when I first noticed a deviation from my last cruise. Even though there is one line going through security and we're all going to the same place, it seemed like people were always jockeying for position to get ahead of you. We saw this time and time again, especially when the line would be two or three people wide. It was extremely frustrating, but... again, we were on vacation, we're all going to the same place.

It's also frustrating to see people not understand that you cannot take metal through a metal detector. The security people kept saying to remove all metal from your pockets and people would try to go through with cell phones, large belt buckles, etc.

We make it through security and go to check in and find that the CAS line is... closed?

They had a marker for it, but the entryway was blocked off with a line barrier so my SO and I got shuffled into the general check in line. Again, not a major issue, just a minor annoyance. Again, we were perplexed at the number of people who didn't realize you needed a health questionnaire even though NCL staff were at the entryway of the check-in area handing them out. This just clogged up the line since people would "leave" the line to get papers and try to go back through the line to get to their group and fill them out.

We finally get to the check-in window, are given our key cards and two papers. One about the Zika virus and one explaining that the Getaway is going to be receiving some maintenance and we won't be departing Miami until 10 PM.

Which means no casino, no shops, no casino bar. Remember, we're through CAS, so we were looking forward to using our drink cards. Since we reserved through CAS and were getting drink cards, we opted for the $75/port ShoreEx credit rather than the UBP. We also had the UDP last year and wanted to try out the MDRs so that was another reason we opted for the ShoreEx credit.

We get to the escalators and get group number.... 15. And they just called 7. Ugh. Determined that we were going to be getting a long wait, we bunker down against the wall, I go to get some snacks (we were anticipating eating in the MDR for lunch) and pull out my iPad to watch a movie.

When I get back from getting snacks to sit down, they call group number 9. I had forgotten that one terminal only gets odd numbers and the other gets even numbers. We'll be on the Getaway sooner than I thought!.

After sitting for maybe a half hour, we're allowed to board. I'm on board! It's time for vacation!

We plop our things down in our room, check out our crowded balcony (they had a table, two chairs and two loungers on there) and meet our stateroom attendant, Frank. We ask Frank to remove the chairs (you know, so we can actually maneuver around the balcony) and head to get lunch in Savor.

One note for CAS cruisers: I'm "Hot" level in the casino which used to get a free dinner. When we got into the stateroom, we had a note saying that I would be given $75 in food/beverage credit that I could use through out the cruise. I didn't have to use it all in one sitting, but I'd be reimbursed up to $75 in food/beverage charges.

My SO and I both opt for the Open Faced Burger. She gets the Caesar Salad to start and I get the Garden Salad with "Crunchy Vegatables". Note to self: Crunchy Vegetables = 1 slice of cucumber and some onion.

We both opt for no dessert and head back to the room after stopping for a Pineapple Coconut Mojito (have to use that $75!). Interestingly enough, the "Sailaway Party" is now at 10:45 PM since we're not actually leaving until 10PM and we have a "Bloc Party" at 4:15 PM.

After being a bit bummed that we're leaving later, I decide to look at it as a blessing in disguise. We get to leave while Miami is all lit up!

I'm feeling a bit tired because of the lack of sleep due to worrying the last couple nights, so I decide to take some shots of the sun setting over Miami and take a nap before sailaway.

I set my alarm, fall asleep and wake up right at 9:50 PM. Still in Miami! So I didn't miss Sailaway (they said it was possible maintenance would be done early).

We watch as we sail away from Miami, realize we missed the Sailaway party, spend an hour or two in the casino and head back to the room for the night.

Day Two's post will come probably Wednesday or so. Hopefully you like the review so far! It is going to be super-photo heavy and also include a video or two.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review. Your pictures are beautiful! I would have been a nervous wreck with the storm coming. Glad you were able to get out of town. We are 2 hours from CLT and we only got a dusting! Of course a dusting of snow puts us all on edge! :) I know us southerns! :)

I love the Getaway. I was hoping to do it this year but couldn't afford it for spring break!

Great review so far. Can't wait to read more

This is wonderful! I'm looking forward to more!

 

This was only my second cruise, my first being on the Getaway in January of 2015. We decided to sail her again since they had switched from a Eastern Caribbean to Western Caribbean itinerary. I LOVED the Getaway last year which was a major reason we wanted to stay with her this year. I am very brand loyal for some things and, apparently, cruise lines and cruise ships are one of them.

 

Glad you made it to Miami without a hitch! Looking forward to your review as your situation is very similar to ours- Took our first ever cruise on the Getaway in June 2015 and have booked her again for this October to do the Western Carib route! Will be interesting to hear your thoughts on sailing the same ship a second time. I know there were some activities that we missed the first time that we're hoping to do this time now that we're a bit more familiar with the ship.

Glad you got to Miami safely. Loving your review and photos so far, can't wait to read/see more.

I'm looking forward to seeing if you notice any differences from your last cruise since the recent changes. We sail in June on the Getaway for the second time.

We are also sailing the Getaway for the 2nd time! Love your pics and your review so far :)

~Denise`

I'm looking forward to the rest of your review as well! We sailed our first NCL cruise ever last September on Getaway and we were blown away! We got home and I cancelled a January cruise on our favorite ship up to that point, Celebrity Reflection, and booked Escape. While we had a great time on Escape, when we got home last week I cancelled another Escape cruise I had booked for later this year and rebooked Getaway. I honestly couldn't put my finger on why I prefer Getaway to Escape....other than you always have a soft spot for your first? I will say Million Dollar Quartet on Escape was phenomenal! But then so was Burn the Floor.....

Your pictures are great!

Curious about this ship, enjoying the photos so far.

Hey Bob, I thought you were MR RCCL.... :)

Thinking of giving NCL a try?

Thanks for posting! I'll be sailing the Getaway in May so I look forward to the rest of your review.

Quick question, you mentioned that one terminal only gets odd numbers and the other gets even numbers for boarding. How do they determine who goes to which terminal? I am just wondering if my husband and I will be in the same terminal as our friends or not. Thanks!

I'm in - we were on the getaway the week before you :-)

After sitting for maybe a half hour, we're allowed to board. I'm on board! It's time for vacation!

We plop our things down in our room, check out our crowded balcony (they had a table, two chairs and two loungers on there) and meet our stateroom attendant, Frank. We ask Frank to remove the chairs (you know, so we can actually maneuver around the balcony) and head to get lunch in Savor.

Thanks for posting we'll be on the Getaway Sunday. Were you able to drop your carry on bag etc in your room before the rooms were ready?

Loving the shots so far! I'm always mesmerized by a cityscape at night - just can't stop staring at it!

Will you be posting Dailies? If so, what was your itinerary? We'll be sailing on Getaway for the second time (first: Sept 2014) on the 28th. We also loved her! Better than the Escape even. Although, I think if they could take the Pub-belly's restaurant and the brewhouse from the Escape and put those on the Getaway, that I would book a cruise or 5 on that ship! Hahaha

Waiting for the rest!

Sara

Great so far! Keep it coming! :-)

We got off as you were getting on. There was a problem with one of the gangways. They also probably wanted to stay a little later because of all the delayed flights.

Glad you made it. I was wondering how empty the ships sailed that week? Did you hear anything about people missing the ship?

We are scheduled to sail on the Getaway in November. I'm actually excited for this ship!

Thanks for posting! I'll be sailing the Getaway in May so I look forward to the rest of your review.

 

Quick question, you mentioned that one terminal only gets odd numbers and the other gets even numbers for boarding. How do they determine who goes to which terminal? I am just wondering if my husband and I will be in the same terminal as our friends or not. Thanks!

The deck your stateroom is in. I believe Terminal B gets the odd decks and the odd numbers and the other get even.

After sitting for maybe a half hour, we're allowed to board. I'm on board! It's time for vacation!

 

We plop our things down in our room, check out our crowded balcony (they had a table, two chairs and two loungers on there) and meet our stateroom attendant, Frank. We ask Frank to remove the chairs (you know, so we can actually maneuver around the balcony) and head to get lunch in Savor.

 

Thanks for posting we'll be on the Getaway Sunday. Were you able to drop your carry on bag etc in your room before the rooms were ready?

Yes, we were.