GETAWAY Picture Review (Great Stirrup Cay, Cozumel, Grand Cayman & Jamaica)

So, I am finally getting around to writing this cruise review from January. The day after I got back from the cruise, I started a new graduate class, which would take all of the little spare time I had. This is my 8th detailed review here on Cruise Critic’s board. My husband and I (early 40s) sailed with our son (15) and daughter (13) on Getaway from Miami to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Great Stirrup Cay. Although I really enjoy the ships, I really LOVE the ports. If you have read any of my past reviews, you will see that they are detailed and info and pictures of each of the ports. Also, I will just tell you now: I am very frugal. I like to get a great value and the biggest bang for my buck. My family probably takes 6-7 full and mini vacations each year, and one or two of them are cruises.

Some of the highlights of this cruise that I will later go into detail include:

1. We witnessed the ship pick up 17 Cuban refugees who had been floating at sea for 21 days. (I will upload pictures)
   
2. Had dinner at Illusionnaire, attended multiple comedy shows, Burn the Floor, and Legally Blond.
   
3. Enjoyed the ropes course, waterslides, and bowling
   
4. Great Stirrup Cay – relaxed and took a walk to the other side of the island
   
5. Jamaica – took a private tour to the Blue Hole, relaxed on uncrowded beach, and lunch at Scotchies
   
6. Grand Cayman – took public bus to Turtle Farm and then beach time at Calico Jacks
   
7. Cozumel – headed to the north side of the island and spent the day at Playa Azul (next door to Buccanos). We snorkeled and rented Jet Skis.
   
8. Money saving tips
   

I went into this cruise with the biggest expectations of a cruise to date. This was going to be the best cruise EVER! The Getaway was to be the newest and biggest ship we have been on. We had our first balcony cabin (insides and oceans only previously), and we had the Ultimate Beverage Package. The bad thing about setting your expectation so high, is that it is easier to be disappointed. It was a great cruise, but it was not the best one our family had been on. Honestly, I think the mega-ships just may not be my family’s thing. I try to be subjective and fair on all my reviews. I will note that the picture quality in this review is all over the place. I just didn’t get out the good camera as often as I usually do, and a lot of the photos are from my cell phone.

On with the review….

Pre-cruise:

We stayed at the Holiday Inn in South Beach Miami. The hotel was nice, clean and a great pool area. It also had direct access to the boardwalk and beach. I loved staying the night before in South Beach, and even in January the weather was nice enough to stroll along the beach and put your feet in the water. The reason I picked the Holiday in was that it was FREE (except for valet parking). I signed up last year with an IHG hotel reward credit card and received enough sign-on bonus points to stay here free plus two other hotel stays in previous months.

We watched the cruise ships sail off! How exciting knowing that it would be us the following day.

Following, very nice photos so far.:)

Port of Miami:

We typically park our car at an off port parking lot/garage or book a Park & Cruise hotel deal. But here in Miami, I did not need the hotel, and the reviews for the private parking lots were not good at all. Plus, since we had a 14 hour drive home immediately after getting off the ship, my time was too valuable to waste waiting on a shuttle to take us to the parking lot. Parking at the Port of Miami was super easy. You follow the signs to the cruise terminal, stop and drop your luggage off with the porters, and then park in a garage about a 1000 feet away. We arrive at the port around 10:30 am, like we do at all ports, but we did not get on the ship until much later than usual; sometime around 12:30. I am not sure what the holdup was.

Waiting area at the terminal:

Sail-away:

We typically watch the sail away from an upper deck with a drink in our hands and ready to have FUN. However, with having our first balcony, we had to try it there. Ummm… most of the excitement from being on top of the ship with lots of other people was lost. It was a nice peaceful and quiet sail away.

Our traditional sail away photo: Happy, Happy, Happy!!!

Cabin:

As previously stated, we had our first balcony cabin. The cabin interior was a decent size and the balcony was very small. It really was not comfortable enough to lounge out on the balcony. As much as I had heard everyone say that once you go balcony, you can never go back, I have to disagree. We used the balcony a few times a day for a few minutes, but it was just not a priority.

We were in Cabin 10110, forward, port side. I had booked a balcony guarantee because it was actually cheaper than the Large OV. I booked the cruise 11 months in advance, and received our cabin assignment a month later. There is no privacy on this balcony. The two decks below had extended balconies and we could see and hear everything. A few of the neighbors enjoyed playing their music on the balcony very loudly and yelled back and forth over the dividers between their balconies. Not only did the size of the balcony deter us, but seeing and hearing everyone did also. Actually, at certain times of the day it was much more peaceful to grab a spot on the Water Front.

The quad room had a queen size bed (other cruise lines have king beds), a convertible couch, and a pull-down bed over the couch. This set up works well for my family. I do not like cabins where the bunks are above the queen/king bed. The bathroom was a nice size. There was plenty of storage, and we utilized the storage drawers under the couch. We kept the empty suit cases and snorkeling equipment under the queen bed. The cabin has a fridge.

Nice spacious cabin:

Small cozy balcony:

Looking at our neighbors below:

One last balcony shot looking forward:

Refugee rescue:

One night around 11:30 we all in our cabin when we heard a loud vibrating noise that sounded like an anchor being dropped. We stepped out onto the balcony and could see a spot light shining from out of the bridge into the distant water. We kept staring out in to the sea where the light was shining, and finally say an occasional light or beacon. My husband then says, “it’s flashing in threes, it looks like an SOS signal”.

Our balcony was right under the bridge:

As the ship got closer to the light we could hear human voices shouting “help”. It was literally an unbelievable surreal experience. Once the SOS raft was a few hundred feet, we could make out some of the details. It must have taken over 20 minute of the ship keeping the raft at a distance with the spot light on them. They allowed for a very educational conversation with my kids regarding safety, refugees, and how blessed our family is. I almost felt ashamed to be sitting there on a “luxury” cruise ship, while these poor folks had risked their life and left everything they owned to be on a handmade raft to a better life. WOW! What a reality check for my family.

During the nearly 1 hour rescue, I had plenty of time to switch camera setting to try and get a picture. Our Samsung and iPhones could not focus in the dark. I did manage to get my DSLR camera settings adjusted to get a little light in the picture.

A blown up view of a previous photo so you can somewhat see the faces:

I managed to take a photo of the ship's location from the TV screen. OMG! If they were heading from Cuba to Florida, how did they get all the way over here??? The small circled yellow arrow is the where we picked up their raft.

It appeared that the ship's rudders pulled the raft over toward the ship’s gangway door. As the raft got closer the leader yelled with gratitude his thanks, and said repeatedly “Happy New Year”. He said they had been on the raft since December 24th (21 days). I think the all the ships passengers were on te port side of the ship watching the rescue by now. The cruise passenger cheered for the people on the raft. Then every refugee boarded the Getaway, and the lights were turned off. One of the crew members informed us at breakfast the next morning in Cozumel that all the refugees were to get off the ship in Cozumel and be sent immediately back to Cuba. She also said that the women on the raft was pregnant. When we got off the ship in Cozumel, we saw an ambulance on the dock. I hope all were well.

Great narrative and photos.

Keith

What an eventful cruise! I remember reading about this but your photos really tell a story. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to reading more about your trip.

Thanks for your report.

One of the crew members informed us at breakfast the next morning in Cozumel that all the refugees were to get off the ship in Cozumel and be sent immediately back to Cuba. She also said that the women on the raft was pregnant. When we got off the ship in Cozumel, we saw an ambulance on the dock. I hope all were well.

This is just so sad. I remember reading about it at the time, but your pictures make it much more real.

Enjoying this review.

What an experience to be able to watch the rescue! This is a great trip report, and I can't wait to read the rest.

Thanks for posting! Looking forward to reading more!

The Ship:

The ship is beautiful, and still looks new and shiny! Our cabin was on the 10th deck, which is two decks above the indoor activities and the Waterfront. This is a very convenient location. We used the elevators less on this ship than ever before. Our cabin was far forward and the hallway from the stairs/elevators was the longest and narrowest I think I have ever seen. It worked for me, as I used this long walk (repeated throughout the day) as my exercise. The others in the family didn’t complain about the long walks, so it was all good.

The endless hallway:

The Getaway has an adults only retreat called Spice H2O. During the day it allows for adult sunbathing with music, a bar, hot tubs, and a cool refreshing fountain area. At night, movies are played for the family, and there are also deck parties. We did not really utilize this space. It was loud and overly-crowded during the day, and the evening activities did not work with are other scheduled activities. (There is sooo much to do on this ship!). I will add that I stopped here a few mornings during my morning walk and relaxed with a cup of coffee. I love looking at the wake at the aft of the ship.

The location and setup of the family pool area is the best I have seen on any ship. The pool was sort of hidden beside the splash park and under the slides. For the first time in years, my kids could actually play and swim in a pool on a ship without elbow to elbow to other passengers. Others may complain that the pool is shaded by the sun and that there are no chairs to lounge in when your kids are swimming. But I think it is great. There were no drunks (and let me tell you, with the free UBPs, there are plenty of drunks) hanging out, and the pool was truly only used by children. The absence of lounge chairs encourages parents to sit on the bench surrounding the pool and be closer to watching their kids.

The pirate theme was installed the during the first day of our cruise to replace the Spongebob theme.

thank you! Great review. Look forward to reading more.

The pics are great thanks! Glad to see the children's pool, just wish there were some chairs. And that homemade refugee raft! Unbelievable, my heart goes out to them.

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Wow what an interesting experience! I hope they are OK.

What a great review so far! Thanks, I will keep watching for more.

Great review and love the pictures.

The pics are great thanks! Glad to see the children's pool, just wish there were some chairs. And that homemade refugee raft! Unbelievable, my heart goes out to them.

 

 

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Thanks. I tend to take more photos on areas that I had unanswered questions about before we cruised. Glad you liked the kids pool photos. At the time I was at the pool, I thought they should really have chairs too. But as an after-thought, it keeps the area less crowded and less inviting to the non-family adults. The main pool is just CRAZY during the day, and I suspect if the family pool were more inviting, they main pool guests would spill over into the family pool.

Where is the closest area to the kids pool to sit? Hoping the wrangle a spot close by for those sea days.

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What an eventful cruise! I remember reading about this but your photos really tell a story. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to reading more about your trip.

Yes, it is a cruise my family will never forget. It was such a humbling experience and I feel fortunate that my children have learned many important life lessons from the experience.