Getaway inaugural mini cruise review

[kfowinst]

We enjoyed a small taster on an inaugural 1 night cruise to nowhere. We travelled with our parents who are in their 60s and have cruised RCL, Costa, MSC but never NCL.

 

Our cabin was a family inside on deck 12 which was adequate for 2, but I struggle to see how 4 can fit in. The storage was somewhat lacking, hanging space was fine, but not many shelves for clothes and other belongings. The cabin felt cosy and the beds were very comfy. The bathroom is surprisingly spacious with plentiful storage. The decor is tasteful dark wood veneer throughout. The shower was powerful and a ladies leg shaving bar was a nice touch.

 

The Getaway is beautiful ship inside and out, and is decorated in a contemporary modern style, with lots of white, taupe and brown. Extensive use of LED lights is made throughout and the neutral decor is accented with bright colours (azul blue, cerise pink). This is the Miami theme shining through. E.g. stairwells are accented with bright pink and there were images of south beach and other Miami inspired imagery. A cute touch is the fish on the carpet which swim 'forward'.

 

The outside deck areas are superb, with lots of interesting features including the waterfront which provides outdoor seating for chargeable eating and drinking venues. There are no non-smoking sections on the waterfront which might be a problem for some, still I imagine this area will be over-running on a Caribbean sailing. The ropes course is vast and instead of bright colours like on breakaway, it is themed in a pirate ship style with mock wood which is way classier. It's a stunning feature which is interesting to watch from below. There's a small crazy golf course below.

 

Our favourite bars were Mixx martini cocktail bar and the mojito bar. You can get a martini flight with six half measure martinis for $15 from the Mojito bar (Cosmo, le fizz, aviation, appletini, blue lagoon and coconut cocktails included on a glass tray). They also had a mojito flight available. One thing I did notice was the lack of drinks menus on board. The common list was the 'navigate to your drink' menu which had a very limited selection of cocktail options. For example cosmos were not listed. I don't drink cocktails often so it would have been helpful to have the classics listed somewhere. I suggest come knowing what you want. The bars themselves were well stocked with lots of brands and flavours of vodka etc.

 

The food was good overall. Of course this is all very subjective, but the negatives were that some food was served cold/ lukewarm or not very nice. The breakfast eggs, bacon, sausages were awful, but eggs Benedict and omelettes were delicious. Salmon on bagel was excellent but French toast was far from good. Pancakes were much better with delicious maple bananas. Everyone agreed the coffee was really awful and tea was Liptons which doesn't taste liked proper tea to a Brit. The buffet is well laid out and the decor is reminiscent of the Ikea shop cafe. There is some outdoor seating available.

 

We ate lunch and dinner in taste and savour. The decor and ambience was very sophisticated and elegant. We enjoyed both experiences greatly. Dishes were hit and miss. The salmon tartare was too salty to finish. Crab salad and calamari delicious. Rack of lamb not of the highest quality, but was tasty nevertheless but the mint jelly was so bright in colour it could be luminous after dark! Sirloin steak was very tasty as was the excellent salmon dish for dinner. Caesar salad with chicken was also a hit with us. Pasta was often served to those in our party cold, but quickly replaced with hot portions. Deserts were disappointing, crumble was too sweet and grand marnier cream pudding was not so good. Cheese biscuits and fruit was lovely and portions were large. Deserts were far too sweet for our tastes. Bread was so lovely we asked for seconds.

 

Entertainment options were numerous on board. Howl at the moon was very popular and fun. Legally Blonde was unexpectedantly excellent, not usually the sort of production we are drawn to, but the execution was impressive and it was 1.5 hour of pure entertainment. The sets, costumes, singing, choreography were all 5 star. The theatre is comfortable but there are no little tables for drinks, don't order martinis. They won't fit in the glass holders in the seats.

 

The ice bar is an experience, but a novelty and basically a rip off. It is like being in the fruit fridge room at Costco, but with the addition of 2 bright coloured vodka drinks. There is one 'throne' made of ice and a bar made of ice and plastic....and that's about it. We did get some good photos which make it look better than it was in reality! The Tropicana MDR is beautiful, it has an old skool Miami posh hotel vibe, with wooden dance floor and live band. We didn't eat there because we could not get a table. O'Sheehans is huge and wings were as tasty as we were led to believe. The place is open 24/7. Flamingo grill is on deck 16 and it is open to the elements.

 

Fitness facilities are excellent especially the weight room which had a single dumbbell weighing in at 75lbs. The spa is spartan and very white; large floor to ceiling windows with fabulous views. The swimming areas were generous and inviting, although 4000 passengers will surely fight over them. NCL could have added another pool really. The 6 waterslides looked amazingly fun, the water was warm but we didn't have time to try them.

 

Duty free was not available on our cruise to nowhere. The casino is mid ship and open plan, there are lots of machines and a lack of roulette tables. It is a shame non-gamblers have to walk through the casino to get to other parts of deck 7. Smoking here is controversial. You can smell it on deck 6 below, but it is not too bad.

 

The staff were excellent, they provided very enthusiastic and proactive service, although the bar service was painfully slow.

 

Overall we loved the ship. The only criticisms was the lack of artwork and the decor is in places a little plasticky and does not scream luxury. Perhaps this is due to the Miami theme? We were expecting a little more of a nod to the Art Deco era of Miami on this cruise liner, rather than a modern contemporary vibe. The layout is easy to navigate and interactive screens throughout the ship help you on your way. This ship will be in its element when based in Miami. The picturesque outdoor decks and outside drinking and dining options will make this ship stand out in the Miami market.

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the review! I agree, a true art deco ship would have been so cool. So we will have to settle for the Miami Vice and plastic flamingos ;)

[SissasMomE]

Excellent. Did you have a Mojito? Was it the real Mojito, or did they use a mixer?

[kfowinst]

Excellent. Did you have a Mojito? Was it the real Mojito, or did they use a mixer?

 

Nope, didn't have a mojito this time. Just went for martinis. The staff didn't really know all the drinks - they were still be trained so rather slow!

[kfowinst]

Thanks for the review! I agree, a true art deco ship would have been so cool. So we will have to settle for the Miami Vice and plastic flamingos ;)

 

Lol plastic flamingos! Much cooler than our common garden ornament, the garden gnome.

[Cruzn Bills Fan]

Found out on our last cruise on Pearl that all NCL ships have fish on the carpets (I believe only around the staterooms) that swim towards the front of the ship so you know which way you're going. But as a retired Navy man I never have that problem. :cool:

[shipcafe]

Thanks for the review! I'll be aboard the 8 March sailing coming up shortly.

[SteveH2508]

Found out on our last cruise on Pearl that all NCL ships have fish on the carpets (I believe only around the staterooms) that swim towards the front of the ship so you know which way you're going. But as a retired Navy man I never have that problem. :cool:

 

Not on the Spirit IIRC.

[cruiseclues]

Thank you for your straight forward honest review. :):):):)