"Getaway" Eastern Caribbean advice please...

Never sailed Norwegian, considering "Getaway" for my husband's first cruise; looking for good food, relaxation by the pool with some great ports. Will this work for us???

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The pool is very busy. If you change your expectations to relaxing on a Sundeck, it will be fine. Otherwise, the getaway is a great ship for a first cruise. As a megaship, there’s lots to do, lots to see, and lots of great food.

It is more of a flooring resort, then a traditional crew ship. Have a great cruise!

Either via stateroom type or pass, get Spa access (limited amount).

Never sailed Norwegian, considering "Getaway" for my husband's first cruise; looking for good food, relaxation by the pool with some great ports. Will this work for us???

 

 

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Always hard to predict what others would like, but here's my 2 cents. The Getaway (and other "mega-ships") are best for those who like a lot of entertainment choices, the thermal suite, and a lot of specialty dining choices. For a more relaxing cruise I would suggest a smaller ship. Once you take away the water park lines, the pool on the Getaway is about the same size as the smaller ships, but for a lot more passengers.

Never sailed Norwegian, considering "Getaway" for my husband's first cruise; looking for good food, relaxation by the pool with some great ports. Will this work for us???

 

 

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Short answer NO.

No relaxing by the pool, too many people and the pool is too small. Ports in the east right now are so so at best. Getaway is too big for a first cruise. Go for a smaller ship like the Dawn.

Never sailed Norwegian, considering "Getaway" for my husband's first cruise; looking for good food, relaxation by the pool with some great ports. Will this work for us???

 

 

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If that's honestly all you're looking for and night life is not a consideration, I'd go with Celebrity. Never an issue with the pools and they also have the adult only solarium. They have much better food, imo, especially at the buffett and they should have cruises with the same itinerary. I've done a couple of Eastern carib routes with them. Definitely double check the status of the ports though and if they are still rough, the Southern Carib is nice too.

Check MSC Divina. 2 Big pools, one with retractable cover, plus another adult pool. Never felt crowded. Good food and shows.

Safe sailing

I did the Getaway 2 years ago. Personally, I love the Getaway...Great trip. Pool "area" was a bit crowded, but I could always find a chair or two and no one was ever in the pool. the 4 hot tubs had sporadic usage. I gotta believe it matters what time of year you go. November? No Problems. July? Different story.

Your husband will love any cruise you do....except maybe Carnival (Floating frat party and petri-dish...absolutely filthy.) I am Diamond on Royal Carib. and recently switched to NCL a few years ago. For me, I suits me better. I have done over 20 cruises total, been on nearly every line.

One last thing....Dont skimp. Go balcony or better.

Never sailed Norwegian, considering "Getaway" for my husband's first cruise; looking for good food, relaxation by the pool with some great ports. Will this work for us???

 

 

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You might want to take a look at this video and consider getting "Vibe" passes

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I loved the Getaway! I did not choose the pool area for my relaxation by the pool. I chose Spice H2O. It was very relaxing and did not cost anything additional. We had spa passes but rarely used them. The bathroom in the spa mini suite was well worth the additional cost over the spa balcony. In fact we spent a lot of evenings in spice as well watching the movies and then dancing.

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I did the Getaway 2 years ago. Personally, I love the Getaway...Great trip. Pool "area" was a bit crowded, but I could always find a chair or two and no one was ever in the pool. the 4 hot tubs had sporadic usage. I gotta believe it matters what time of year you go. November? No Problems. July? Different story.

Your husband will love any cruise you do....except maybe Carnival (Floating frat party and petri-dish...absolutely filthy.) I am Diamond on Royal Carib. and recently switched to NCL a few years ago. For me, I suits me better. I have done over 20 cruises total, been on nearly every line.

One last thing....Dont skimp. Go balcony or better.

Wow, that one comment was pretty harsh. What did you do - a weekend cruise out of Florida? My 5 and 7 nighters on Carnival have all been great. Ships have always been clean & no noro reports on them like I've seen on others.

I came on here to get some info about Getaway - didn't know I would run into the same cruise snobs that frequent Princess & Royal.

Never sailed Norwegian, considering "Getaway" for my husband's first cruise; looking for good food, relaxation by the pool with some great ports. Will this work for us???

 

 

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In two weeks, I am heading out for my 37th Norwegian cruise and my 12th on The Getaway.

Great ship and staff.

Yes, the pool area is small. Lots of other places like Spice H2O for sun and relaxation. The Waterfront area on Deck 8 is a very peaceful place during the day to watch the world go by, read or take a nap.

Just enjoy your time together.

I have been on the Getaway twice. Once in a studio, the other in the Haven. The pool area is crowded on sea days. Like a pp said, deck 8, The Waterfront, is so quiet. It's one of my favorite places on the ship. On sea days they have a little area you can buy lobster rolls, they are yummy. I truly believe vacation is what you make of it. Any cruise and line you choose will be great for your trip. That said, I would have no problem sailing on the Getaway again. We are going on the Epic this week and I am a little bummed it doesn't seem to have as much outdoor space as the Getaway.

If you want good (not great) food on NCl, plan on paying for the speciality restaurants every night.

In two weeks, I am heading out for my 37th Norwegian cruise and my 12th on The Getaway.

 

 

 

Great ship and staff.

 

 

 

Yes, the pool area is small. Lots of other places like Spice H2O for sun and relaxation. The Waterfront area on Deck 8 is a very peaceful place during the day to watch the world go by, read or take a nap.

 

 

 

Just enjoy your time together.

Since you have plenty of experience with NCL I have another question. We are now considering taking my son to be 21 year old daughter and her best friend. Will they be bored on this ship or is there plenty of that aged crowd as well?

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Never sailed Norwegian, considering "Getaway" for my husband's first cruise; looking for good food, relaxation by the pool with some great ports. Will this work for us???

 

 

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Pool area is small for a ship that size.

The Getaway was our first cruise, LOVED it. The pool was usually busy but we enjoyed Spice H2O. There is a water feature there where you can get wet. You won't have a problem finding a lounger somewhere. We did eastern Caribbean and loved it. The food was good.

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Wow, that one comment was pretty harsh. What did you do - a weekend cruise out of Florida? My 5 and 7 nighters on Carnival have all been great. Ships have always been clean & no noro reports on them like I've seen on others.

 

 

 

I came on here to get some info about Getaway - didn't know I would run into the same cruise snobs that frequent Princess & Royal.

I've never sailed Carnival but they do seem to have a reputation of being more of a party atmosphere. I won't say what people have told me about their experience because it would sound bad. I'm sure it varies throughout the year. People are allowed their opinions based on their experiences and expectations. Different strokes for different folks.

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The Getaway is a beautiful ship with excellent food in the MDR. It also has some excellent specialty restaurants, especially Cagney’s Steakhouse. I thought the entertainment could have been better, but I’ve been spoiled by 2 cruises on MSC Divina which has a new show every night and easily the best shows at sea. The lounge chairs are always a problem around the pool on almost every ship. It seems like the passengers in the inside and ocean view cabins descend on the pool area as the sun rises in the east and they deposit towels on all the lounge chairs. The cruise lines should remove the towels but they don’t enforce their own policy about reserving seats. The “Walk-in Closet Class” will tie those lounge chairs up all day even if they spending time someplace else on the ship. That’s why I always book balcony or suite cabins; at least you have a nice place to read a book and relax. We have a pool at our home in Florida so sitting in the water with unsupervised children is not a treat.

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except maybe Carnival (Floating frat party and petri-dish...absolutely filthy.)

That's just wrong and inappropriate. Sorry you didn't enjoy your Carnival cruise bu quite frankly my experiences (multiple on both lines) is that Carnival and NCL are very similar.

I am Diamond on Royal Carib. and recently switched to NCL a few years ago. For me, I suits me better. I have done over 20 cruises total, been on nearly every line.

So just how many Carnival Cruises were you on? 20 total cruises, most on RCCL, nearly all the other lines, I suspect you were on exactly one Carnival cruise.

That's just wrong and inappropriate. Sorry you didn't enjoy your Carnival cruise bu quite frankly my experiences (multiple on both lines) is that Carnival and NCL are very similar.

 

 

 

 

 

So just how many Carnival Cruises were you on? 20 total cruises, most on RCCL, nearly all the other lines, I suspect you were on exactly one Carnival cruise.

I’ve cruised on several cruise lines, including Carnival and NCL. In my opinion, NCL is comparable to Celebrity, Princess, and other upscale lines. Carnival caters to a younger crowd with cheaper rates and less emphasis on enforcing ship rules. It’s advertised as a “fun ship” and that’s what its clientele like. I also think Carnival has more families with young kids who unfortunately are often unsupervised or undisciplined in areas like the pool and buffet. NCL appeals to a more mature crowd even though they get their share of rowdy kids. I don’t blame the kids; the parents seem to think they can turn their kids loose on the other passengers with no responsibility on their part. Princess is more the equivalent of NCL.

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We've sailed mostly Princess and Celebrity, but also several other lines. After hearing lots of negatives about NCL, we sailed on the Jewel on a Transatlantic because of an awesome price. To our surprise we loved the cruise.

Last year we sailed on the Getaway. Again, really liked the cruise; food was good and we did not do specialty dining, loved the entertainment and almost anything else. The pool area is small and crowded, but we don't want to sit there anyway.

In fact, we just booked the exact same cruise for Nov. 26--even the same ports--to celebrate my sister's birthday. I would think twice about the Eastern Caribbean this year, though, depending on the ports, because of the hurricane damage.

We like Carnival just fine, but have never sailed them, or any cruise line, during times where there are lots and lots of families with kids, so that probably makes some difference. Also would not do a short cruise with them.

The Getaway was our first cruise, LOVED it. The pool was usually busy but we enjoyed Spice H2O. There is a water feature there where you can get wet. You won't have a problem finding a lounger somewhere. We did eastern Caribbean and loved it. The food was good.

 

 

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I see you did Eastern Caribbean - can you share any tips? Any chance you have the dailies? We are going end of April, jave not been to any of those ports exc Nassau

I see you did Eastern Caribbean - can you share any tips? Any chance you have the dailies? We are going end of April, jave not been to any of those ports exc Nassau

We went on Getaway in 2014. In St. Thomas we did the Power Cat Snorkel & Beach. It was so much fun. In St. Martin we did a private tour with Bernard's Tours. We enjoyed it also. In Nassau we did the Jeep Exploration excursion, it was a lot of fun too.