Cruise Virgin Hello

Just want to say hello. My soon to be wife and i are going on our first cruise Oct 4th aboard NCL Getaway. Looking forward to a relaxing vacation/ honeymoon. We're not spring chickens, so we should be able to get out of our cabin.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and I hope you have a wonderful cruise experience and a nice honeymoon.:)

Where are you going on your cruise.

My main advice would be: Don't try to do and see everything. You won't be able to anyway. Just enjoy and do what you like to do, even if that means taking a nap during the day :)

We made that mistake on our first cruise. I don't have the cruise experience most people around here have...but this is for me the main lesson I learnt and I made sure I didn't repeat that mistake on our second cruise.

Since you're going on an NCL ship: go for a Spa tour on the first day. It's really a nice and quiet place.

Welcme to Cruise Critic and congrats.

Keep an open mind and go with the flow.

Just want to say hello. My soon to be wife and i are going on our first cruise Oct 4th aboard NCL Getaway. Looking forward to a relaxing vacation/ honeymoon. We're not spring chickens, so we should be able to get out of our cabin.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Cruise Critic & welcome to the exciting world of cruising! I am both a cruise agent and avid cruiser ( next month will be my 30th)..I have toured the Getaway and good friends ( both seniors like myself) went on her sister ship, the NCL Breakaway last year & loved it...NCL is known for 2 things: "freestyle dining" and lots of entertainment...

My advice to you is try & see "Illusionarium", the dinner/ magic show which has rave reviews..The Grammy show is also suppose to be good along with the play, "Legally Blonde"...there are Jazz clubs, piano bars, so you shouldn't be bored. What I really liked is the Waterfront, an outside promenade on deck 8 where there are bars & dining venues where you go OUTSIDE and sit over-looking the sea- a first in the cruise industry as far this concept goes..great for strolles at night..speaking of dining, DON'T miss Le Bistro, their French restaurant ( $25 pp)..also Teppanyaki, the Japanese steakhouse is lots of fun ( hibachi style where they cook the food in front of you)..Cagney's if you want a good steak, and O'Sheehan's Pub is a 24 hour Irish pub that serves free food including good fish & chips..The "Freestyle" concept is about dining where you want, when you want, with whom you want...my wife & I prefer to dine alone, so we ask for a table for 2..as far as the main dining room goes, yes, the food there is included in your cruise, but trying some of the specialty restaurants is so much fun..my friends went to 5 specialty & ate twice in the main dining room ( also known as the "MDR")...like others said, don't try & do everything on your 1st cruise...look at the activities & dining options & decide what sounds/ looks interesting to you..

Any questions about what to do in the ports of call, let us know...many of us have been to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Tortola, etc...any questions about cruising in general or the Getaway , let me know..I have 2 posts on this section called "For new cruisers: some tips & thoughts"..there is Pt. 1 & part 2...what kind of cabin did you book? Have a great cruise!!

Big Al

Welcome to ruise Critic. and Congratulations.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise. Just relax and enjoy it

First, congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Second, welcome to Cruise Critic!

My advice would be to simply relax and enjoy one of the best vacations you will ever have! At some point during your cruise, find a quiet spot and simply reflect...no telephone calls...no schedules you have to adhere to...no one expecting you to be anywhere anytime. How much more relaxing and serene can that be???

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Have a WONDERFUL cruise! :D

LuLu

Just want to say hello. My soon to be wife and i are going on our first cruise Oct 4th aboard NCL Getaway. Looking forward to a relaxing vacation/ honeymoon. We're not spring chickens, so we should be able to get out of our cabin.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Cruise Critic MrBill. There's a terrific new review of Getaway with great pictures and videos from Cruise Critic Spaniel Lover here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2104396

Jonathan

One real hint ... Relax and Enjoy.

Do we have a troll?

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Have a wonderful cruise and honeymoon.

On our first few cruises, we felt like we had to do everything offered. We were like we were on a race, a mission, a quest. We've now found that one of the most enjoyable parts of cruising is taking a mid-day nap either on our balcony or on deck in the shade while the breeze blows by, or sitting and doing nothing more than watching the people from the promenade, strolling off the ship with no excursion planned and nothing to do other than try a local beer or a margarita. We have found that we can do nothing and it's okay. It doesn't mean we have wasted the day.

You'll love it! We made our maiden voyage aboard the Getaway in August. I'm posting a link to my CC review (a "review of the week" by the way!). I hope this helps - we loved the entertainment options and freestyle dining!

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=261451

Be in awe of everything.....from walking over the gang plank to learning your way around the ship....my first one had us hooked, line and sinker!

I wish you well

Try to see ALL the shows... They are really "Vegas" quality, and free! 😊

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Congrats. But on these mega-ships you are 2 people among 4,500 ( I was on the Breakaway). My main suggestion is make advance reservations for everything. Restaurants,shows, etc. generally you can call the reservation desk each night or in the morning and reserve a time for the next day or that same day.

Relax and enjoy. Take things as they come.