JUST BACK FROM GETAWAY : A quick list more later

This is not my review, just a few comments after our too -short week on the brilliant Getaway. We were Haven guests in a 2 BR family villa. We are not NCL cheerleaders or dedicated NCL cruisers. This cruise, however, was over the top. And I did not think that it would be for the first 6 hours, but I 'll tell you why in my review.

We traveled July 19-26 on a full ship.

* Don't arrive at the pier too early- no one is getting on board before 11:30. We left our hotel at 10:30, were checked in , paid our corkage and by 10:50 stood around in the over-crowded Haven waiting area until 11:30. Of course, if you are lining up for Vibe passes, this does not apply! Check in staff were neither friendly or rude- just-bleh.

* Lobster is alive ( well, dead )and well on the Getaway, and not going anywhere. Oodles of tails were walking by us on plates from the buffet on Sunday night, Haven had whole lobsters. We did not order tails as apps sent to our room but saw plenty of people with piles of them on board. The staff with whom I spoke have not heard that lobster is being "discontinued".

* No one that works on the Getaway is frowning. I don't know why i keep seeing this in reviews. Happy, happy happy. Never seen anything like it.

* As opposed to chair hogs by the main pool, we saw many open loungers. What we did see were many people just sitting on the edges of the 'adult" pool so that no one else could enter easily. We did not use this pool, just an observation. The 3 mornings that I walked around early ( and not REAL early- 7:00!!) I saw only 8-10 loungers with stuff already on them. And near the Sponge Bob pool, always the same tired dad on his 3 loungers with buckets and towels and floaties.

* Food was mostly amazing EXCEPT- NCL- what are you doing with your breakfast buffet in the Garden Cafe??? The kids wanted to try it one morning and OOPS!! This is one area in which Royal kicks NCL's butt. Yes, there is smoked salmon and cream cheese, but the eggs- yuck!! Generally a small selection of not the best food. Stick to the MDR's IMHO. I did not enjoy my Garden Cafe breakfast. Lunch there was good on embarkation day- we were exploring the ship and popped in.Found seats and everything!!

* NO CROWDS at all on debarking for any of the ports. Amazing crowd flow management . Even the kids were impressed. This is our first experience with such a thing- we are blessed to have been suite cruisers and usually have an escort off the ship. Even with this, we have always encountered long, long lines. Not on Getaway. Well done, NCL. Off in a jiffy.

* Embarkation a breeze after ports- and pleasant! Wet, cool clothes, music, towel exchange, cold beverages...nice.

* Our suite had a plastic card pre-inserted into the slot near the door so that the power always stayed on. The card was printed and stated that it was there to KEEP the power on, so please do not remove it.

* NO MORE WAIVERS needed for slides/ropes courses, etc.

* Pictures are not taken on the drop-slide any longer. Maybe only by request?

* DO NOT MISS Howl at the Moon. Period. Went twice and closed the place both nights. AMAZING talent.

* Bingo- cheaper than RCL, but Bingo is bing. Eh- went a couple times with the kids. Annoying bingo gal kept saying 'Capice?'- in her British accent. Glad that NCL does not use those electronic machines- cuts down on the bingo monsters...

* The comedians were AMAZING!! Rodney Laney and the Emcee Frank Townsend are not to be missed. Period. Mark Kline had a great show, too- much funnier in the Headliners venue than in the main theater.

* The casino is terrific. Won on my penny slots every night that we played. Very loose slots. I saw lots of jackpots being won ( not by me, but I came out ahead ) Black Jack was not bad, according to hubby. He also came out ahead.

* Casino smoke- only bad if you are walking thru casino and you are not a smoker. We ate at the noodle bar and the kids thought they would not like it because of the proximity to the casino- no problem. But you WILL smell like smoke if you spend time in the casino, just like any other ship.

* FOR THOSE WORRIED ABOUT THE SIZES OF THE H4 SUITES IN THE HAVEN:

when we arrived there was also a tour of travel agents in the Haven. My family was snacking by the pool, so I joined the tour for a few minutes. All the S4/H4 that I saw were the same size. SAME. SIZE.

*Nickel and diming- checked our invoice against my last two RCL cruises- we did not have any extra expenses on this cruise that we did not have on RCL. If added expenses are nickel and diming, then all lines in this range have to be equally accused.

* If you are in the Haven, do not buy the UDP. You dont need it. You wont want to leave anyway!!

* Anoop is gone, Ruth is Concierge. Noemi is the assistant. They were both wonderful , friendly, sweet and even sang Happy Birthday to my spouse.

* JC Sanchez is the first CD to whom I have ever paid attention, and not on purpose. He was absolutely amazing. Friendly, personable, not CRASS.

* We did not find the theater seats uncomfortable or the theater too small.

* we DO miss a promenade feel, but the ship is BEAUTIFUL!!! Actually, my family misses the promenade of the Freedom type ships. I HATE the mega ship feel, I LOVED how Getaway keeps the cozy feel of the Jewel class yet she is HUGE and filled with WAAAAYYY too much to do. One needs 2 weeks on this ship.

* Gift shops are lacking- don't forget anything at home!! And if you need a toothbrush or some such and the gift shop is out ( seriously- day one at sea and no toothbrushes? Son dropped his. ) The guest services desk will sell you one . I am sure the Concierge would have given me one, but i did not ask.

Don't buy any t-shirts and such until the logo sale, the NCL logo stuff is 50% off, including adorable Miami/Lebo totes, ball caps ( not shiny!) sweatshirts, t-shirts, etc. This was on Thursday.

* Shows in the Atrium are really fun and the staff brings out more seats if the crowd grows. Never in want of a place to sit. All of a sudden POOF! more folding chairs appear. O'Sheehan's is also a great place for viewing.

*No pressure from photogs- not once!! Pictures more priced better than on other lines.

* Arcade is eh- best games are air hockey and...well, air hockey.

Large area with very few games. Mostly shooting and games to win tickets. Never crowded.

* Entourage/ Teen activities: we signed the kids up. That is all we did. They did not have time or want to do any of the teen activities. There were too many other things going on. The club DID have a nice schedule for those traveling without friends or sibs. Our children have stated that this was the best cruise that they have taken, and with the most activities. I believe that it is their 12th cruise.

They participated in several of the "game shows" in the atrium, roping me in to one of them as well, and generally had an amazing time. The ping-pong area was quite a hit with the international teen set. Even with just 2 tables ( GET MORE, NCL!!!) the place was well-mannered but lots of good-natured fun.

We did try "Deal or No Deal " once and it was much more fun than i had anticipated. This was the one time that I encountered a LINE FROM HELL!!

It took me 25 minutes to get our cards. I met some fun people while waiting..and the show really was a hoot.

but the process was too slow. Did not win cash but won photos and "instant win" strips on which we "won" 4 dollars. hmm...

* SODA PACKAGES buy on board if only one or two of you wan the package. At first just my daughter wanted it, then one of my sons. We bought them individually, no problem, any bar, easy- peezy.

* Ice Bar- Do it. Our one daughter cannot go in for medical reasons, but the boys and hub and I tried it. Buy 3, one was free!! I hated every second of loving it!! Very fun. Yup, totally kitschy and silly, drinks were great, kids had a blast.

* IConcierge- Would nit buy again. the messaging went out A LOT!!! But the free part was great for checking the bill if you want, or your schedule for the day. Texting on a ship- if you are a a show, dinner, a casino, etc- cannot hear it. If playing at a table in the casino you have to put electronics away and off. So- we had poor message service - we have 3 iPhones, one Galaxy and one i Pod. We did fine communicating the old fashioned way.

We had a superb time, much better than I had expected. I participated more than usual and my son has some video that is very damning involving a tissue box and pingpong balls .....the Getaway is a very well -run machine. We stayed in the Haven but did a LOT outside of the Haven, thus experiencing all that she has to offer. If you have any ???? I would love to assist in the next few days.

Right now I am listing to the left.....

To the gal who asked about 16720- i have all the 411 for you!!!

ANNMEAT

Annmeat,

Great to hear you had an awesome experience. I think you did something I wish I had done and that's not stay in the Haven area too much. I really wish I had gotten ought to the rest of the ship more. I really liked Epic and I believe it was because we weren't in Haven and enjoyed more of the amenities.

Looking forward to your review.

Bill

Wow! If this is just the comments I can hardly wait for your full review. Sounds like you had a fabulous time.

Welcome home

Rochelle

We are in 16720 in September. Can't wait to hear about it.

Hi There!

So glad you had a wonderful cruise....we did too and we were in 16720 as well! Can't wait to hear more! Who was your butler? We had Naveen and Sopi as our Room Steward.

Curious about Anoop? Is Ruth permanently replacing him or just while Anoop's on a break for awhile?

Thanks!

Thanks for the report!

Thanks for the teaser!

Can't wait for your review!

We are on the Aug 2nd sailing!

Welcome back!

We are sailing Getaway in Haven next year! Your quick rundown has me salivating for more:-). Looking forward to your full review!

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Welcome home

Cant wait to read more!!!

We were in 16708 and had Sopi and Armando. They were amazing. Sopi left on Saturday to go home for 2 months. Armando is there until the beginning of the year

We were in 16708 and had Sopi and Armando. They were amazing. Sopi left on Saturday to go home for 2 months. Armando is there until the beginning of the year

We had Sopi and Rodney. What a team. Consummate professionals. The decorating that they did for my husband's birthday was incredible!

Sounds like you had a great time. Can't wait to read more!

Oh my goodness what a wonderful review. I can hardly wait to hear more! Will be cruising on the getaway next October 2015. Not in the Haven but it will be my first balcony. We are so excited. Even more so with your review thank you so much. Already writing down a must do list

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I'll assume you didn't find one of the "eggs to order" (omelets, fried, scrambled, egg whites only, etc.) stations? They've had them on every other Norwegian ship I've been on, so I'd be surprised if they didn't have it on the Getaway.

I'll assume you didn't find one of the "eggs to order" (omelets, fried, scrambled, egg whites only, etc.) stations? They've had them on every other Norwegian ship I've been on, so I'd be surprised if they didn't have it on the Getaway.

They have (at least) 4 (that I counted) omelet stations in the buffet, and one upstairs from the buffet in the Flamingo Grill.

We sailed the GetAway the first week in April..my husband and I. We loved it so much, we booked her again for March 2015 spring break and we're taking the 2 daughters with us. We only had a balcony, and the next time we got mini suite..glad you enjoyed yourself! We're so excited for the next trip, we're having a hard time waiting!

Hi Annmeat,

We were on the same sailing as you....beautiful ship, had a great time!!

My daughter and I "think" the CEO was on board the Getaway during our week. Did you happen to see him too? Spotted "Mr. Sheehan(??)" in front of Le Bistro and then again in the theater for the final farewell show. Just curious if it was him indeed...

Thank you for your review.

Keith

We saw the CEO also. We had just seen him on the television when they were showing the building of Breakaway

Great stuff can't wait for more! Did you have any issue with closet space in the 2 bdr family suite? Thanks again...

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We saw the CEO also. We had just seen him on the television when they were showing the building of Breakaway

I thought it was just a doppelganger- was that REALLY him??

Saw him several times! I figured that my kiddos were pulling my leg...

They have (at least) 4 (that I counted) omelet stations in the buffet, and one upstairs from the buffet in the Flamingo Grill.

I did not look for an omelet station. I am comparing the buffet to my last two cruises. It was an epic fail in my opinion. If there were omelet stations they were not seen by me or my kids. The offerings were slim. Period. The display was blah. I was very disappointed.

I did not go to the Flamingo ( which has amazing food otherwise) and am not making a comparison to their food for breakfast. If you have cruised Royal, they have an AMAZING breakfast buffet in the Windjammer. Because all the other food venues that we had seen were so awesome, the breakfast at the garden cafe was a huge letdown. And the food was not tasty. The salmon was good, but the scrambled"egg" was yucky as was the bacon ( and cold) . There was a very limited selection and it was not hot and yummy as we expected.

The breakfast here was our only major food letdown. Some isolated items elsewhere- my daughter's salmon at Le Bistro was so-so, the Creme Brulet at Le Bistro had an odd tasting caramelized crust, and the meal at the illusionarium got mixed reviews from our family. One son LOVED the steak fries, my daughter loved the entire meal, I liked the shrimp, another son only liked the desert.

If we were not in the Haven, we would simply have had breakfast in an MDR or tried the Flamingo Grill. It certainly is not an indictment of the entire food service on NCL or the Getaway.

Great stuff can't wait for more! Did you have any issue with closet space in the 2 bdr family suite? Thanks again...

 

 

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The closet space is weird but there is plenty. The kid's room has a closet with hanging space that can be doubled by pulling down a bar so that it is upper and lower hanging. It hen has a weird shelving unit with triangular shelves and a heavy curtain for folded items. There is a small nightstand next to the lower bed. the bathroom is the same as a regular cabin in the kid's bedroom- TONS of space on the counter.

In the master you have all the space you need. Two large closets and three drawers in front of the bed, two night stands, a vanity , shelves on the side of the vanity. Storage in the master bath is odd- it is near the floor in deep drawers behind the towels. The sinks are elevated bowls- be careful!! every time you lose something it is hiding behind the sink!!

I am almost tall- 5'8" and I found the sinks a bit low for me- I don't know why.

In the living room area, there is a desk with two big drawers and two cabinets overhead. Everything is PUSH! with magnets, so there is no creaking and opening at night like on some older ships with bad clasps. If you need it, the foot rests open and have storage. But with 3 teenagers and 2 adults and Go-Pro stuff, cameras, video, flat irons, and all THAT,,we had empty cabinets.

This room would be great for storage if you have babies! Lots of space for diapers and wipes and all that STUFF!!!

The closet space is weird but there is plenty. The kid's room has a closet with hanging space that can be doubled by pulling down a bar so that it is upper and lower hanging. It hen has a weird shelving unit with triangular shelves and a heavy curtain for folded items. There is a small nightstand next to the lower bed. the bathroom is the same as a regular cabin in the kid's bedroom- TONS of space on the counter.

 

In the master you have all the space you need. Two large closets and three drawers in front of the bed, two night stands, a vanity , shelves on the side of the vanity. Storage in the master bath is odd- it is near the floor in deep drawers behind the towels. The sinks are elevated bowls- be careful!! every time you lose something it is hiding behind the sink!!

 

I am almost tall- 5'8" and I found the sinks a bit low for me- I don't know why.

 

In the living room area, there is a desk with two big drawers and two cabinets overhead. Everything is PUSH! with magnets, so there is no creaking and opening at night like on some older ships with bad clasps. If you need it, the foot rests open and have storage. But with 3 teenagers and 2 adults and Go-Pro stuff, cameras, video, flat irons, and all THAT,,we had empty cabinets.

 

This room would be great for storage if you have babies! Lots of space for diapers and wipes and all that STUFF!!!

Thanks for your reply, that is exactly the answer with detail I was looking for! We have a 2yo and 4yo boys so the space will be great and Grandma is coming along for parental support so stuff will be at maximum capacity I'm sure :-)...

Joe

Joe (ICT Cruiser) going mobile from the CC iPhone app :-)