Getaway review 02/21/15 to 02/28/15

Notice: This is my review of the NCL Getaway. It was a great cruise but everything written is my opinion only. Your experience or opinion may vary :)

I love cruise reviews. Everyone has a unique experience and hopefully I can pass along some tips. I know I learned so much about the Getaway from you guys. As you will see, I am not a great photographer like so many of you guys. This will not be a daily journal either and may bounce around a lot.

I ate like a pig this cruise so there will be lots of food pictures :eek:

Wham bam boom .... we are on the ship. No pre-cruise hotel to write about or flight information. Just a quick 25 minute cab ride to the port. We arrived at the port earlier than I had expect around 11:30. I thought we would be waiting but I was wrong. We left our luggage outside with the port workers and proceeded to the security screening. There was a tiny line and it moved fast. We then went to the Haven check in area. This area has changed a lot since my last cruise in 2013. There is a large podium with 2 sides to form 2 lines. You handle your credit card, passport information here. It looks like a miniature version of the main check in area. After we checked in, there is a wait area across the hall with some seats. You wait here for your escort on the ship. There was another family waiting in the area. We waited about 10 minutes and then boarded the ship. We went directly to the Haven and was greeted by Adrian, the concierge. It was shortly after noon and he already told us our rooms were ready. I was REALLY surprised. We went to the room to drop off our carry on bags and then went to the Haven for lunch. After lunch we explored the ship. I had seen many videos and photos of the Getaway before and since Getaway is very similar to Epic, it was easy to navigate. Yes the halls are a bit more narrow than a regular ship and the cabin doors open out. All week sometimes we would forget this and try to pull open our cabin door. There was no tour of the Haven facility like on Epic nor any Haven sail away party :( But we had Adrian who I had heard such good things about and everything I heard was true (more on that later). We saw many familiar faces. Lani, our butler from the Epic in 2010 greeted us as we walked off the elevator to the Haven. Raluca, the Matre D from Epic in 2013 was now working in the Haven restaurant. We bought our spa pass in the concierge lounge and then went to the cabin for sail away. Here are some photos of the forward penthouse. Very spacious bathroom with separate tub and shower. Fantastic big king sized bed with porthole window in bedroom. Nice living room space with TV and a separate dining area with Lavazza machine. The cabin is very chic. A few distractions was a very powerful sewage smell that lasted over a day and it slowly went away. It would come back in port again and then go away. I love firm mattresses but this one hurt my back. The cabin steward put an egg crate on the bed that really helped. I have never gotten a sore back from a bed before and I usually love cruise ship beds, especially in the Haven. But me and my wife both agreed the beds on Epic are much more comfy. But one of the best parts of this cabin is the incredible amounts of storage. 3 full closets with 10 wooden hangers each. There also was a full dresser in front of the window plus several different storage shelves in closets around the TV. The bathroom had double sinks with storage drawers under the sinks. The brown sinks look nice but a reminder to never get them for your house. After a morning of shaving or brushing your teeth or even one hand wash, the soap scum left on the dark sink made it look dirty and like it had not been cleaned in a LONG time. But the cabin steward cleaned it daily. But it made it clear to me when I redo my bathroom to pick white sinks ;) Our cabin steward was Mauricio who was excellent and our butler was Aries. We met him the second or third day. We did not use him much but he did bring the daily treats and we used him once for breakfast delivered to the room the morning of St Thomas. We had to be off the ship by 8:00 am.

Port side was a good decision. We had sail away looking at Miami Beach and had great views in St Maarten and St Thomas. We also had great sunsets from our balcony (that you will see shortly) from our balcony in St Maarten and St Thomas and coming back east. You can easily see the fireworks show from any port side balcony. We were far forward and still had no problem seeing the show as if they were put on just for us.

Here are some photos of the cabin.

Most say the balcony is small but I thought it was perfect for standing or sitting to enjoy the view.

The free sparkling wine and Merlot was the kind of stuff you can only have one glass and then your body rejects another sip :eek:

But they did remember the ship pins and Godiva chocolates!!!

Since we were a forward cabin, this was under the window

During sail away the NCL Pearl passed us by....if you look close you can see Ernie (eroller)

Had shrimp and a burger for lunch at the Haven restaurant. The shrimp got larger since my last cruise but they only give you 3. But you can order as many as you like. As you can see, I like my burgers plain.

The Fields Selects tea was not too bad. I drank lots of it and made my own iced tea.

 

During sail away the NCL Pearl passed us by....if you look close you can see Ernie (eroller)

I'm there somewhere David! I think I was all the way aft, probably wishing I was on the GETAWAY! LOL

I loved Adrian. I had him on the Breakaway last August

Really enjoying the review so far and looking forward to the rest. Excellent pics and your suite looks fantastic!

I've never had the pleasure of staying in The Haven, but I did tour it on both GETAWAY and EPIC and had dinner there on GETAWAY. As you know I much prefer GETAWAY, but I'll concede The Haven is much nicer on EPIC. It's bigger with a nicer lounge and restaurant, plus the pool is a "real" pool and not just a dunk tank! LOL

For me though the rest of GETAWAY is so much nicer than EPIC with perhaps the exception of the gym. I actually preferred the Spa on GETAWAY because I hate the spa setup on EPIC which is basically situated around an elevator lobby. Anyway we each have our preferences and that is what makes the world go round! It's nice to have so many choices though isn't it?

Ernie

Up next: The Haven

The Haven area is very similar to Epic. There is a small pool with 2 hot tubs and an upstairs Haven sun deck exclusive to Haven passengers. The sundeck is nice and it has clamshells and comfy loungers. But I preferred Posh on Epic. The Haven lounge is very nice but not nearly as nice as the Epic lounge (that thing looks like it was stolen from Saddam Hussein's palace). The Haven restaurant is smaller too with windows only on the far side. The captain's cocktail party is not even held in the Haven lounge. I suppose it is too small so they hold it at the Grammy experience. The Haven restaurant is very good and has excellent service. We ate there every day for breakfast and once for dinner.

Haven restaurant

Concierge desk

Haven lounge

Haven at night

Haven breakfast buffet

Ok now that the boring part is over.....(photos you probably have seen before), lets start exploring the ship and talk about food OINK OINK :eek:

First up: The spa

A spa pass will cost you $199 for the week. Its a great place to relax, get away from the pool crowd, and soak in those tubs, pools, and try the saunas. The first 2 days of the cruise were not that rough (seas) but was the roughest of the entire cruise. Nothing out of the ordinary just a few white caps at sea. But sleeping forward made a bumpy ride the first 2 nights. I got up to remove hangers in the closet that were banging together. Then the wine glasses in the living room were sliding into each other. For such calm seas, I was surprised how rocky the ship was. Of course being forward and a high deck makes you feel every wave. The spa is located forward deck 15. The first 2 days there was water cascading out of the pools and hot tubs and the seas were not even rough. I would love to see the spa on crazy days in August when the seas are churning. The spa has very nice forward views. But there is no outdoor space. Being forward, it would be impossible for that to happen on such a high deck. I think it was a foolish idea to put the spa deck 15 forward. The spa was very humid. On Epic there was a nice aft outdoor area that also allowed air to circulate through the spa. A bit smaller than Epic too. They also have the Salt Room which I have not read anyone stating positive things. I tried it a few times and never smelled any salt or felt anything and everyone said the same thing and it was mostly empty. They have 2 saunas and a steam room. The locker rooms are very nice and they have sea window views. Still worth the money IMHO. But I think the spa and gym area was a step backwards from Epic.

Gym

Skipping ahead to the fun part. Lets talk about food! I forgot that NCL changed their MDR menus about a year ago. What a nice surprise. BIG changes in food and food quality since my last cruise 2 years ago. Last cruise we never ate at the MDR. My first cruise with NCL in 2009 there would be one option on the MDR lunch or dinner menu that would interest me. These new menus are packed with goodies and I have the photos to prove it. Pastas, fish, chicken, steak, prime rib, turkey, salads, baby back ribs, spare ribs.... it never ends.

But first let me talk about the eating venues in general. As noted by many reviewers of Breakaway and Getaway, the tables are much closer than other ships. The venues are smaller than Epic and they cram the tables in. We were a couple and we ate with a different couple each night unless we got a window table. In most cases it turned out to be a positive because we made new friends from CA and Canada and all over the place. It seems on Getaway intimacy is hard to find. But lets get to the good parts now. Lets start at O'Sheehans. NCL is really promoting O'Sheehans for dinner. The spot is known for pub grub i.e. wings, burgers, fries, etc. But now they have nightly dinner specials. Twice a week they have prime rib. Twice a week they have all you can eat spare ribs with corn bread and steak fries, twice a week they have chicken and waffles. I was a rib skeptic because I was not convinced you can get good ribs on a ship. But they were very good. The ribs plate I got would cost you at least $17 at a restaurant.

Let the pictures do the talking.......

One set of ribs has the Jack Daniels sauce and the other regular BBQ

I ordered another BBQ

Hot apple pie made on the ship (saw the behind the scenes... more later)

I've read about the O'Sheehans ice cream menu. I have read where people say just go to the buffet and make your own sundae. Yeah you could probably do that......but they would never come out like this. For only $4 sundae and $3 malt milkshake. The hot fudge sundae was so large and sprinkled with oreos, fudge brownies, etc. Definitely big enough for 2.

Mega hot fudge sundae with brownie

Vanilla shake

 

Mega hot fudge sundae with brownie

 

Food porn! How did I miss this on GETAWAY? Another reason to return. I grew up outside Philadelphia and we had an ice cream restaurant called Friendly's. I loved the ice cream there and this pic reminds me of how their massive sundaes look.

Lets keep the O'Sheehans food coming........

Fish and chips very good and not greasy

Fresh baked pot pie

We all know what is under the flaky crust top part is how to tell a good pot pie from a bad pot pie. As you can see under the hood.....nothing but fresh carrots, veggies, and lots of chicken

Wings served HOT - NCL must be listening

Oh don't forget the banana sundae

Haven at night

That's the first I've seen a night shot like this. Cool! If I ever stayed in the Haven, it would ONLY be so that I could wait for there to be 2 people in those pool loungers, and I'd plop down and take the 3rd one right up against them. That might be worth the cost. I'd do it all week to everyone. :p:D

Thanks so much for posting those fabulous O'Sheehan's food photos. I can't even believe that brownie sundae is only $4! I could go swimming in that! And, the sight of mushy peas with the fish and chips just put the biggest smile on my face. I studied abroad in London for my junior year of college, and I just loved the mushy peas I'd get with fish and chips at the pubs. You just don't see that here! Your review is great and making me even more excited to sail the Breakaway this summer :D, as I know she will be largely similar to her sister ship.

Now lets head over to my all time favorite NCL restaurant..... Cagneys! I have not been there since NCL revamped the menu and upped the charge to $30. We usually eat there twice each cruise. The new menu is a mixed bag. I meant to try the baked potato soup but was getting mashed potatoes so I got the split pea soup instead. I also got the "chicken leg/wing" thing appetizer. I hate to say it but both appetizers were a bit of a dud. While not bad, since it was Cagneys I was expecting more. Me and the wife both ordered the filet (as usual). The fliet was very good but was missing the famous Cagneys flavor. The quality of the filet is excellent. Me and the wife agreed it tasted like when I grill at the house. We buy a filet at some place that sells to restaurants. Its grass fed beef imported from Uruguay. We missed that famous Cagneys flavor. I guess they removed their seasoning :( We still had a great meal. Its like getting a new car that you wanted but not in the color you wanted. Very happy but still......in the back of your mind a bit disappointed. Here are the photos from Cagneys and I apologize, I was so into my filet that I took photos of everything except the filet. Go figure! They had a huge Oreo cheesecake for dessert and the waiter told me that "usually people split it" LOL but I ate the whole thing myself. The split pea soup tasted like chicken broth with some peas thrown in. The chicken wings were fried, dipped on some BBQ sauce and heat lamped. I have no problem paying a cover charge but IMHO the menu has not been improved. I also miss the ORIGINAL Cagneys fries from 5 years ago. These fries taste like bad oil even though they still sprinkle them with the parmesan cheese. The sliders were EXCELLENT! Very juicy, full of flavor and extremely tasty!!!!!!! We tried to get them again in the Haven restaurant. But I guess things changed over the years. They said NO to any appetizers or desserts from any pay restaurants. I remember the days when people said they could get the Le bistro mushroom soup delivered to their suite.

Here are the photos:

The Cagneys signature Speakeasy martini

The incredible sliders

The not so incredible chicken wings

Split pea soup

The huge and yummy oreo cheesecake

David, please don't think this is an unrelated question.....I'm going out on the Breakaway from NY on 12/27/15. I'm thinking of getting the spa pass since there will be cold days. What do u think? Worth it?

Best yummy lunch winner: Noodle bar Shanghais

I remember reading Gambee's review of the Breakaway and how he mentioned how disappointed he was to see an amazing restaurant like Shanghais in the open smoky casino. His review popped into my head when we sat down to eat there. Such a yummy place needs better placement. Its open to the casino and has no dining tables :( It has tall chairs and bench seating tables. But the recipe was not lost in the transition to Getaway. We had our best lunch here of the cruise. Everything was SO FRESH and SO TASTY. You pay al a carte for each item. I got a spring roll which I think was about $2.50? I got the vegetable fried rice which was DELICIOUS. It gave our favorite Asian restaurant at home a run for its money! I also got some chicken dish and pork steamed dumplings to share. We ate much and extremely good!

Steamed dumplings

Spring roll very fresh and tasty but needed a bit more spice

Veggie fried rice YUMMY FOR THE TUMMY :)

David, please don't think this is an unrelated question.....I'm going out on the Breakaway from NY on 12/27/15. I'm thinking of getting the spa pass since there will be cold days. What do u think? Worth it?

I always think spa passes are worth it. Get away from the crowds, and relax on your own. Even at $199 I think its worth it but don't tell NCL I said that ;)

Thanks, great review so far! I was on the week before....jealous of Haven!

I always think spa passes are worth it. Get away from the crowds, and relax on your own. Even at $199 I think its worth it but don't tell NCL I said that ;)

Next up: Taste for lunch

Very good selections. One day I had the country fried chicken with the cream corn. I have not had cream corn in over 20 years and it was extremely delicious! We also enjoyed a good pasta dish there. Here we saw our first NCL comment card. They want your food review, review of sever, and just about everything. NCL is listening. I don't want to get ahead of myself but these cards are hung up in the kitchen. Saw them on the behind the scenes tour.

Chicken noodle soup

Country fried chicken and cream corn

Pasta dish from TASTE forget what it is LOL but it was good!

Comment card left on the tables