TonyFred

Yes, it is true.

 

 

There are good pictures HERE and HERE that show how much larger those balconies are.

Perfect. Much appreciated!

I seem to remember mentioned in a post that the very last cabins on the Escape--- on the port and starboard decks...the last cabins before the aft cabins--had larger balconies compared to other regular balcony cabins on the same decks.

(hope that makes sense).

I have searched with no luck. Can anyone confirm this? Pics would be great.

Sorry if you have posted this but wondering if you departed at 7 pm. And if so, when was the muster held?

I feel lucky that we cruised Hawaii on the Pride of America back in 2006.

We got a balcony room with airfare from Memphis for 1400 a person.

I booked with Pline. Had no trouble changing stateroom and package options last October. I called them and they took care of it while I was on hold.

We walked up to the Ice Bar on the Getaway; took about 15 minutes to get in. Folks dont stay long once they get in there!

Did the tour on the Getaway in October. It was 79 bucks. Worth it in my opinion. Got a nice photo taken in the galley. Was able to stay on the Bridge for about 15 minutes. Yes we booked at the Shore excursion desk.

Beware the aft cabins beneath Spice H2O. Unless you enjoy booming bass until at least 1 am every night. I was in 14274 and it was really bad. Go with lower floors.

Close call. Been on both. Loved both for different reasons. Probably Allure for the price. Keep in mind that there is limited privacy in the CP rooms. Keep your curtains drawn! And just me, personally.....I need an ocean view balcony. But again that's not everyone.

NCL is the worst of any line.

Maybe the worst post of any post.

They don't like it if you're drinking during the drill.. the trick is, pound a few rum&cokes (jack daniels works well, too) before the drill.. makes it much more bearable :D:D

Or stay sober enough so you know what to do in an emergency. Your life depends on it.

Absolutely loved the Getaway 2 months ago. Booked the Escape for next October. I don't think you would regret booking either.

I would also note that I had an aft cabin---14274---on the Getaway. Right under Spice H2O which also played booming music well into the wee morning hours. I got very tired of the bass line from Another One Bites The Dust.

I wont make that mistake again. I love afts but I will have several decks between me and that giant stack of speakers if I cruise that class of ship again.

I gave NCL a try on my last cruise. Although NCL cruisers are complaining about high prices, etc, I found the food superior to RCCL and the prices lower. I still like Royal ships better but hearing things like what is being discussed here is really convincing me to go with NCL in the future. No way Chops is worth 45 bucks. I had a hard time with the 39 dollar price.

Was on the Getaway last month and loved it.

Just curious...I had great luck playing the $1 WOF. In particular, the machine that is second from the left in the row that contained 5 or 6 of them.

Is that the one you hit for a grand? I stayed on it so much and probably wound up 1500 ahead. I got up once and an Asian guy sat down and immediately hit it for 2000. I was happy for him though. He did not speak English and I had to help him understand he had just won 2000 dollars. The look on his face was priceless! :):D

There is Wifi on board and no it is not free. Unless you chose it as one of your perks when booking.

The Wifi signal is intermittent at best. I bought the unlimited package (179 dollars if you buy in advance).

Noone could connect at all on the Saturday we sailed. Finally on Sunday morning it began to work but was PAINFULLY slow.

There was some improvement as the week went on but it was hit and miss. At times I could get a decent signal, other times I just gave up.

The Internet manager was pretty much useless.

No issues whatsoever in getting drinks quickly on the Getaway last month. Of course if a bar was super busy you might wait a few minutes. But no worse than before the UBP was introduced. I thought the staff went above and beyond to make sure you were taken care of. Very friendly and very liberal with the alcohol.

The only time I've been pushed for a good review was my one non-NCL cruise. The steward almost begged for an excellent rating. I was honest and gave her a slightly above average rating.

 

Never happened on an NCL cruise. So far.

 

--Michael

Same with me. On my last RCCL cruise, the room steward became a real pest about it. We never had one conversation that didn't include him telling us to give him a great rating. The thing about it...he wasn't good. He ignored simple requests, like wanting ice a couple of times. And it was almost 10 pm before he got to making up our room in the evening. I think because he was spending so much time asking people for a good rating.

On the last night he asked if I had turned in my card and rated him high and I had to say no. I told him I threw it away and left it at that.

I had a balcony on the Getaway and my friends had a mini suite. Of course the bathroom was larger. However the room was also a tad bit larger. Maybe 3 feet or so deeper.

Getaway, Oct 24 sailing this year:

We got to the pier around 10:15 and were in group 2. We went straight to Guest Services after boarding and had no problem getting them. We were onboard around 11:40.

We were just at Tortola in late October and booked the Escape to Jost Van Dyke excursion. It isn't a snorkeling excursion to speak of, but Jost had the most beautiful beach and water that I have ever experienced. My friends and I are going to book another cruise that includes Tortola just so we can visit Jost again. If you have your heart set on snorkeling then another excursion would more meet your needs. But man oh man if you love beautiful crystal clear water, try this one.

Did the Riviera once out of LA on the NCL Star. Glad I did it, but once was enough. I much prefer the clear warm Caribbean water and ports.

I have no problem considering a tip on the first day as a "bribe". That is exactly what it is and it always works.

For me, its 20 bucks the first time I meet them and 20 bucks the last time.

Just got off of her last weekend. This was my 12th cruise om various lines and the food on the Getaway is in First Place.

Cagneys was excellent. I had the Shrimp Cocktail and New York Strip with a baked potato and sauteed mushrooms as my sides. The steak was as good as I have ever had anywhere, land or sea. Very very flavorful and cooked perfectly. (Medium in my case). The sea salt caramel brownie for dessert was outstanding. My friends ordered bone in ribeyes and were very pleased.

We also at in Moderno. Very good but Cagneys was better overall.

Teppanyaki was also very good. I had the Shrimp/Chicken combo but would order the Shrimp/Filet if I were to dine there again.

The Garden Buffet really stood out to me. As a solo traveler I use the buffet more than most. Breakfast was really good with great selections. Bacon was always cooked properly. Biscuits and gravy are usually not great on a cruise ship but these were actually decent.

The omelet stations were really really good too. And they always had several stations up at peak times so waiting time was minimal.

Burgers were cooked fresh right there in front of you along with fries, etc.

Dinner offered a larger selection than usual for a buffet also. Lots of salad and veggie selections, soups, Asian, fresh made pizzas, etc. It would be hard not to find something that hit the spot.

There were carving stations with really nice cuts of meat.

You could get fresh dipped ice cream or soft serve.

Beverage stations were plentiful and well laid out.

Tip: There is a bar at the very aft of the buffet looking out towards the wake inside the Garden Buffet. Hit it for soft drinks if you have the package.

I ordered room service one night and since there was a charge, I ordered a variety. Fish and Chips were decent but not great. The burger was good but not as good as other areas on the ship.

The Cobb Salad was great! Very large, with turkey and fresh bacon as well as boiled eggs and very good greens, tomatoes etc.

OSheehans is a very active place in a great location. Open 24 hours. We had prime rib on the first night. Not bad. I had a burger there a couple of times. Again great location and sit down bar food.

Try one of the mini cakes at Carlos Bakery next to the Atrium on Floor 6. Good Lord the one I had was amazing! Pricey, but top notch!

If you have any other questions let me know. I didnt dine in the main dining rooms so cant rate those.

I will sail the Getaway again. Great great ship.