Norwegian GETAWAY Are Bar Drink Lines Really as long as described CC reviews?

First time cruising on Norwegian Getaway Western Caribbean tour. Have the Unlimited Beverages along with 90% of the other 4K people onboard. I read TON reviews of pissed off passengers waiting for drinks in long lines on deliberately understaffed staffed bars on Getaway. Want to know if that was true everywhere onboard or just at the Pool Deck? Just to be clear , I have absolutely NO intent of going to the pool bar at all. There are 14 other bars on this ship... Are they waiting 3 deep also? Is it possible to sit at a bar with wife for a couple hours and enjoy a few drinks? Or is it "take away" at most bars.? I am asking this because I am thinking of paying for Vibe passes so we can sit to enjoy a drink. Let me know if there are any slower bars on board (smoke free) that may be less attended to sit. Really I do not want to pay for Vibe just to sit at bar unless I have to. ANY ADVICE would be appreciated (such as give the bartender a $20 so he remembers me) Thanks

We didn't have any problems getting drinks when we were on the Getaway a few weeks back.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a quiet bar/lounge to enjoy each others company. Perhaps not at the pool bar, where you won't be anyways. ;)

First time cruising on Norwegian Getaway Western Caribbean tour. Have the Unlimited Beverages along with 90% of the other 4K people onboard. I read TON reviews of pissed off passengers waiting for drinks in long lines on deliberately understaffed staffed bars on Getaway. Want to know if that was true everywhere onboard or just at the Pool Deck? Just to be clear , I have absolutely NO intent of going to the pool bar at all. There are 14 other bars on this ship... Are they waiting 3 deep also? Is it possible to sit at a bar with wife for a couple hours and enjoy a few drinks? Or is it "take away" at most bars.? I am asking this because I am thinking of paying for Vibe passes so we can sit to enjoy a drink. Let me know if there are any slower bars on board (smoke free) that may be less attended to sit. Really I do not want to pay for Vibe just to sit at bar unless I have to. ANY ADVICE would be appreciated (such as give the bartender a $20 so he remembers me) Thanks

We only had an issue at the pool bar, and even then it wasn't more than a 10 - 15 minute wait.

We only had a long wait at Spice H2O bar on sea days. All other bars were fine. It is possible to sit at the bar but we preferred to sit in the lounge area of the bars or outside on the Waterfront.

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We had no issues when we were on in November

We had no issues at all on our last cruise.

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As with anything else in life, if you happen to be trying to do what a large number of others are trying to do at the exact same time, there will be a line. During the normal course of business there is normally no line to speak of at all.

Nope. Just got off June 10. Have fun!!

Great!! So Glad to hear all your responses... and the lack of problems getting a drinks. Thanks Much. Never been on a MEGA ship with over 5K people and crew so do not know what to expect. Got spooked from reading all the CC reviews with the common thread of elbow to elbow bar patrons and understaffed bars. So thought about Vibe as alternative... we are not sun worshipers (wife is Irish) and Vibe looks secluded and way out of the way just for drinks. Much rather participate in events and people watch . Thanks Again! See you on board!

Great!! So Glad to hear all your responses... and the lack of problems getting a drinks. Thanks Much. Never been on a MEGA ship with over 5K people and crew so do not know what to expect. Got spooked from reading all the CC reviews with the common thread of elbow to elbow bar patrons and understaffed bars. So thought about Vibe as alternative... we are not sun worshipers (wife is Irish) and Vibe looks secluded and way out of the way just for drinks. Much rather participate in events and people watch . Thanks Again! See you on board!

It all depends on your expectation. If you expect a bartender to be standing there waiting for you then you may be disappointed. Busier times and bars you may have to wait a few seconds to 2-3 minutes to be served. There are plenty of other bars on board if you don’t want to wait.

The main pool bar and O’Sheehan’s are probably the worst. The Mojito Bar can be a bit of a wait too, but only because the drinks take FOREVER to make (they’re well worth it, though).

It all depends on your expectation. If you expect a bartender to be standing there waiting for you then you may be disappointed. Busier times and bars you may have to wait a few seconds to 2-3 minutes to be served. There are plenty of other bars on board if you don’t want to wait.

 

The main pool bar and O’Sheehan’s are probably the worst. The Mojito Bar can be a bit of a wait too, but only because the drinks take FOREVER to make (they’re well worth it, though).

Agreed! The outside Mojito Bar MAY possibly be quicker. It depends. I was amazed (January 2018) how well the Atrium bartenders did with millions of customers at busy times. Yes, there was a wait, but c'mon - they were busting ther a##es off!

First time cruising on Norwegian Getaway Western Caribbean tour. Have the Unlimited Beverages along with 90% of the other 4K people onboard. I read TON reviews of pissed off passengers waiting for drinks in long lines on deliberately understaffed staffed bars on Getaway. Want to know if that was true everywhere onboard or just at the Pool Deck? Just to be clear , I have absolutely NO intent of going to the pool bar at all. There are 14 other bars on this ship... Are they waiting 3 deep also? Is it possible to sit at a bar with wife for a couple hours and enjoy a few drinks? Or is it "take away" at most bars.? I am asking this because I am thinking of paying for Vibe passes so we can sit to enjoy a drink. Let me know if there are any slower bars on board (smoke free) that may be less attended to sit. Really I do not want to pay for Vibe just to sit at bar unless I have to. ANY ADVICE would be appreciated (such as give the bartender a $20 so he remembers me) Thanks

The only day I had an issue was the first day at the mojito bar. The best bar at night is the one in the aft next to Cagneys. They also carry higher end liquors like Johnny Walker Blue. Never a wait and plenty of seating.

If any bar is busy (which they usually aren’t), the next bar is within 1-2 minute walk.

The biggest issues you'll have getting drinks are:

-MIXX during dinner rush

-Pool Bar during the day time

-Spice H2O bar at night during the evening parties

We had no problems. Plenty of bars to chose from. Had a drink in my hand whenever I wanted it with no wait time BUT I never chose to grab a drink at the pool. Proper planning is EVERYTHING! Enjoy and don’t worry.

The biggest issues you'll have getting drinks are:

 

-MIXX during dinner rush

-Pool Bar during the day time

-Spice H2O bar at night during the evening parties

Agree with this 100%.

I've cruised Getaway twice. The pool bar can get busy. Just find the bar you'll spend most of your time at and establish a relationship with the staff. Just like back home they take care of you. Many times I'm waiting patiently and a bartender will see me and just make me a drink while making another round for people. Then pick up my card while walking by to ring it up. Then again I usually drink beer or a one liquor drink so I keep it simple too.

Was on Getaway in March. Zero issues with getting a drink. Granted, I didn't spend much time in the pool area, so I can't vouch for those bars. But I never had to wait an unreasonable amount of time.

The wait for pool bar drinks seems longer because the bartenders are serving favored customers ( heavy cash tippers) first. As a sometimes favored customer, that is how it works. I don’t do it every cruise, but when I do it is like having an express pass for drinks.

We were on the Getaway in May, no issues. Occasionally had a few minutes wait at Mixx bar around dinner time, but that would be expected. We don't like all the energy around the pool, so we spent our sea days at Spice H20. The bar there was a little crowded, so we got drinks at the Margaritaville bar, which is right next door, and almost always empty.

The only day I had an issue was the first day at the mojito bar. The best bar at night is the one in the aft next to Cagneys. They also carry higher end liquors like Johnny Walker Blue. Never a wait and plenty of seating.

Yes, we loved the one between Cagney's & Moderno for our pre-dinner drinks! We were usually the only ones there!

No problems, just off the ship and service was great

No issues getting drinks end of May at all. For some reason, the Getaway never felt crowded period that week. Except for the atrium during popular events, but even then we went upstairs and enjoyed the “balcony” view in O’Sheehans.

hi I see you have cruised both carnival and Norwegian we are trying to decide

Do you have preference?

We have theee kids age 10-18

Thanks for any help