Getaway review 2-15 sailing - will answer questions

[kimgoblue]

Enjoyed your review very much. It was nice to read one where the person indicated that it was "their opinion" and not necessarily everyone elses. We have never gone on one of the "big" ships, Jewel class is the largest and we really like the Dawn and Gem. It seems like NCL, and other lines, are just going bigger. Not so sure I'd be comfortable on the bigger ships but if they are all we are going to have............................? DH is finding it harder to walk long distances, would you have a recommendation on room location? We love the aft balconies.

 

I thought our aft balcony was in a great location. Because the stairs/elevator banks are fore and aft (rather than midship), it was easy to get to whatever deck we wanted. This was by far the biggest ship we'd ever been on, but I honestly never felt that it was "too big." However, if I had a mobility issue, I might feel differently -- I really can't say. (Not much help to you, I know!)

[kimgoblue]

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Cagney's! I would love to hear your thoughts on specific menu items --did you order the filet or another entree? Are the fries as good as everyone says? And did you try the Oreo cheesecake or raspberry creme brulee?

 

All three of us had the filet (I had the 5 oz and the guys had the larger portion - 8 oz, I think). We all thought it was delicious, and it was cooked as we requested (medium rare for our son and me, medium for my husband). We did not have the fries or the raspberry crème brulee -- the guys had the sliders and I had shrimp cocktail for an appetizer (I honestly don't know how they each ate two sliders and then the rest of their meal!); my husband and I had the wedge salad; for sides we had the baked potato (my son), potatoes gratin (my husband and me), and onion rings (my husband); and for dessert I had the apple crisp and the guys had the Oreo cheesecake (which they loved!). All in all, a wonderful meal -- my husband's favorite of the cruise, and a close second to my favorite, which was surprisingly Ocean Blue, given that I'm not a huge fish fan.

[Espresso Martini]

I don't know if you absolutely need to, but we did, mostly because we had a preference about what night we wanted to go to the Illusionarium and what times we wanted to eat (we prefer a 7, 7:15, or 7:30 dinner). I will say that once we got onboard, we went to change one of our dinner reservations, and the only times available for a party of three were 6 or 9:15 (a party of two had more options). So, I'd say that if certain dining times are important to you, it makes sense to reserve ahead of time.

 

 

Do you know how much in advance that you can make reservations to shows and restaurants? We are not sailing until August 2nd. but checked earlier and the option is not there for us yet. Don't want to miss it as my son's birthday is while we are on board and there are 5 of us so want to make sure we get reservations made. Thanks

[BeesandLadybug]

Thank you so very much for such an awesome and thorough review. My husband and I will be cruising on the Getaway in a couple of weeks, along with our daughter and three grandkids, 17, 13 and 12. You say that your son went to the Entourage, and I'm wondering if within the teen club, there's a division of ages. For example, it's hard for me to think that my 13-year old granddaughter will be in the same room and doing the same activities as the 17-year olds. I know my grandson won't be happy if his sister is hanging around him all the time. Do you know if there is such a division, let's say a 13-14 group and a 15-17 group, or are all the teenagers together? Also, did your son use the arcade, and if so, did he have a certain amount of money set in his key card, or were things charged to your account? I was thinking of setting a pre-set amount in each of the kids' cards so they would have some money for the arcade, gift shop, etc. If that's not allowed, then I'm not comfortable with teenagers having charging privileges on their cards. I read where you could deposit money in the kids' individual cards, but it had to be in cash. Do you know anything about this? Again, thank you for all the information provided.

 

I'm glad you had such a great cruise. We can't wait for ours!!

[Beth 2001]

All three of us had the filet (I had the 5 oz and the guys had the larger portion - 8 oz, I think). We all thought it was delicious, and it was cooked as we requested (medium rare for our son and me, medium for my husband). We did not have the fries or the raspberry crème brulee -- the guys had the sliders and I had shrimp cocktail for an appetizer (I honestly don't know how they each ate two sliders and then the rest of their meal!); my husband and I had the wedge salad; for sides we had the baked potato (my son), potatoes gratin (my husband and me), and onion rings (my husband); and for dessert I had the apple crisp and the guys had the Oreo cheesecake (which they loved!). All in all, a wonderful meal -- my husband's favorite of the cruise, and a close second to my favorite, which was surprisingly Ocean Blue, given that I'm not a huge fish fan.

 

Thanks so much -- my mouth is watering! We will definitely try Cagney's :) I'm also curious about what you ordered at Ocean Blue. I'm not a seafood fan either, but have watched Chef Zakarian on Iron Chef and Chopped for years and feel like I should try his restaurant.

[DDD06]

Do you know how much in advance that you can make reservations to shows and restaurants? We are not sailing until August 2nd. but checked earlier and the option is not there for us yet. Don't want to miss it as my son's birthday is while we are on board and there are 5 of us so want to make sure we get reservations made. Thanks

 

 

For suite guests you can meme dining and entertainment reservations 55 days before your sail date. Otherwise it's 45 days.

 

 

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[kimgoblue]

Do you know how much in advance that you can make reservations to shows and restaurants? We are not sailing until August 2nd. but checked earlier and the option is not there for us yet. Don't want to miss it as my son's birthday is while we are on board and there are 5 of us so want to make sure we get reservations made. Thanks

 

I believe it's 45 days prior to sailing.

[kimgoblue]

Thank you so very much for such an awesome and thorough review. My husband and I will be cruising on the Getaway in a couple of weeks, along with our daughter and three grandkids, 17, 13 and 12. You say that your son went to the Entourage, and I'm wondering if within the teen club, there's a division of ages. For example, it's hard for me to think that my 13-year old granddaughter will be in the same room and doing the same activities as the 17-year olds. I know my grandson won't be happy if his sister is hanging around him all the time. Do you know if there is such a division, let's say a 13-14 group and a 15-17 group, or are all the teenagers together? Also, did your son use the arcade, and if so, did he have a certain amount of money set in his key card, or were things charged to your account? I was thinking of setting a pre-set amount in each of the kids' cards so they would have some money for the arcade, gift shop, etc. If that's not allowed, then I'm not comfortable with teenagers having charging privileges on their cards. I read where you could deposit money in the kids' individual cards, but it had to be in cash. Do you know anything about this? Again, thank you for all the information provided.

 

I'm glad you had such a great cruise. We can't wait for ours!!

 

At least for the few activities my son went to during the first couple of days of the cruise, there was not any division into different age groups. That could be because there were not a lot of teens onboard (or at least at Entourage), or that could just be how they do it. I agree that he would have preferred being part of a 15-17 age group rather than the broader group, which was heavily skewed toward younger teens.

 

Surprisingly, he did not go to the arcade this trip, preferring to spend his time on the ropes course and playing basketball. I can share with you our experience with letting him have charging privileges, which you may or may not find helpful: We told him he had a set amount per day that he was allowed to spend without prior approval, and we were able to monitor this daily using the online account feature on our stateroom TV. He knew that if he went over, he would lose charging privileges for the rest of the trip. We also told him that any money left over from his daily "allowance" would be put in his bank account when we got home. Since we had already bought him the soda package, he chose to spend his money on a couple of trips to the sushi bar and the noodle bar for lunch. Consequently, he had some money coming to him after we got home. This worked for us as parents because we could budget the amount we allowed him to charge as part of our overall trip expenses, and it gave him some more experience with budgeting and making decisions between spending and saving.

[kimgoblue]

Thanks so much -- my mouth is watering! We will definitely try Cagney's :) I'm also curious about what you ordered at Ocean Blue. I'm not a seafood fan either, but have watched Chef Zakarian on Iron Chef and Chopped for years and feel like I should try his restaurant.

 

I like shellfish, so I ordered the shrimp panzanella salad, the lobster risotto, and the flourless chocolate cake. We also paid the upcharge for an additional appetizer and ordered a calamari for the table (can't remember the exact cost -- I know the server charged us for my husband's soup as the extra rather than the calamari because it was less expensive -- $6 maybe?). It was the best risotto I'd ever had, and one of the best entrees I've ever had anywhere.

[BeesandLadybug]

That's a great idea of letting them know that if they go over the daily limit, their charging privileges will be cut off. My only concern was with the arcade, because I have seen them in action at Dave and Buster's, where it's one card swipe after another and another, but at least there, the card has a pre-set limit, so when the money's gone it's gone. I know that the 17-yr old would be a little more cautious of what he was spending, but not so much with the 12-yr old. I'm leaning towards not having charging privileges for the younger ones, and applying the same principles with the 17-yr old as you did with your son. Of course, the ultimate decision as to the charging will be left up to my daughter, but I think she will agree with you. Thank you for the info. It has been a tremendous help. I love the idea of telling your son that whatever monies were not spent, would be applied to his account back home. It seems you have a pretty smart boy there!! :)

[kimgoblue]

That's a great idea of letting them know that if they go over the daily limit, their charging privileges will be cut off. My only concern was with the arcade, because I have seen them in action at Dave and Buster's, where it's one card swipe after another and another, but at least there, the card has a pre-set limit, so when the money's gone it's gone. I know that the 17-yr old would be a little more cautious of what he was spending, but not so much with the 12-yr old. I'm leaning towards not having charging privileges for the younger ones, and applying the same principles with the 17-yr old as you did with your son. Of course, the ultimate decision as to the charging will be left up to my daughter, but I think she will agree with you. Thank you for the info. It has been a tremendous help. I love the idea of telling your son that whatever monies were not spent, would be applied to his account back home. It seems you have a pretty smart boy there!! :)

 

Intermittently smart, as only a 15-year-old can apparently be. Glad I was helpful -- have a great trip!

[gelo7]

Nice review.

[Beth 2001]

I like shellfish, so I ordered the shrimp panzanella salad, the lobster risotto, and the flourless chocolate cake. We also paid the upcharge for an additional appetizer and ordered a calamari for the table (can't remember the exact cost -- I know the server charged us for my husband's soup as the extra rather than the calamari because it was less expensive -- $6 maybe?). It was the best risotto I'd ever had, and one of the best entrees I've ever had anywhere.

 

Thanks for your strong recommendation of the risotto -- I will definitely try it! I didn't know we could order extra appetizers so we may do that as well.

[kimgoblue]

Thanks for your strong recommendation of the risotto -- I will definitely try it! I didn't know we could order extra appetizers so we may do that as well.

 

I was surprised we were allowed to order extra, too, even for an upcharge. I don't know if it was standard (but unpublished) Ocean Blue policy or due to the generosity of our waitress, who seemed amused by the sheer amount of bread a 15-year-old boy can consume. In any case, it doesn't hurt to ask.

[punkincc]

DH is finding it harder to walk long distances, would you have a recommendation on room location? We love the aft balconies.

 

We are just off the Getaway and are usually aft balcony lovers also, however this time we had booked the M6 mini with large balcony solely for location. They are all located deck 8 forward and are close to most everything.

 

We found we loved this location as it was very close to the Waterfront area where we spent a lot of time at the Sugarcane and Sunset outdoor areas. Access doors are located at the end of the hall as you walk toward the forward elevators. It was a short walk to the midship area where a most of the action is. We would book this location again. Our DH had a balcony cabin on 8 forward also and those cabins are even closer to the elevators.

[kimgoblue]

We are just off the Getaway and are usually aft balcony lovers also, however this time we had booked the M6 mini with large balcony solely for location. They are all located deck 8 forward and are close to most everything.

 

We found we loved this location as it was very close to the Waterfront area where we spent a lot of time at the Sugarcane and Sunset outdoor areas. Access doors are located at the end of the hall as you walk toward the forward elevators. It was a short walk to the midship area where a most of the action is. We would book this location again. Our DH had a balcony cabin on 8 forward also and those cabins are even closer to the elevators.

 

I would be interested to know if you noticed any kind of a smoky smell near your cabin. We enjoyed both the Sugarcane and Sunset outdoor areas but were troubled by the smoke that we noticed as we neared them. (I know, it's allowed -- not asking people to stop, just asking whether it was noticeable.)

[jdvmd]

Thanks for posting your review. I may have missed this but do you know why three of the five slides were not operating?

[kimgoblue]

Thanks for posting your review. I may have missed this but do you know why three of the five slides were not operating?

 

Actually, two were not operating (the two largest). We were told it was for "maintenance," but what was actually being done was not clear. I wondered if it was some sort of staffing issue, since we were in port and presumably most passengers (and maybe crew?) were off the ship.

[punkincc]

I would be interested to know if you noticed any kind of a smoky smell near your cabin. We enjoyed both the Sugarcane and Sunset outdoor areas but were troubled by the smoke that we noticed as we neared them. (I know, it's allowed -- not asking people to stop, just asking whether it was noticeable.)

 

We noticed no smell of smoke anywhere near our cabins. The M6 and balconies on deck 8 forward would be upwind of the bars while at sea so there should not be any drift in that direction, at least on sea days. We did find there was much more smoking outdoors at the Sunset Bar so you might avoid that side of the ship.

[VanessaM]

We told him he had a set amount per day that he was allowed to spend without prior approval, and we were able to monitor this daily using the online account feature on our stateroom TV. He knew that if he went over, he would lose charging privileges for the rest of the trip.

 

Sounds like what we do with our 15 yr old. We've done it since he was 12 because we wanted him to have some control and choice on what he does with his spending money. I can't recall a time he's ever spent the whole amount. And he just loves that he can "charge". :)

Edited March 5, 2014 by VanessaM

[kimgoblue]

We noticed no smell of smoke anywhere near our cabins. The M6 and balconies on deck 8 forward would be upwind of the bars while at sea so there should not be any drift in that direction, at least on sea days. We did find there was much more smoking outdoors at the Sunset Bar so you might avoid that side of the ship.

 

Thank you. I hadn't thought about being upwind and how that would make a difference.

[Nolefan95]

Thanks for answering questions. Very helpful. One more for you -

 

Did the atrium smell of smoke from the casino?

 

Thanks!

[kimgoblue]

Thanks for answering questions. Very helpful. One more for you -

 

Did the atrium smell of smoke from the casino?

 

Thanks!

 

No. We spent a lot of time hanging out there on the comfy chairs near the guest services/shore excursion desks.

[msmom1365]

I have enjoyed reading you review and the question/answers. Thank you for posting it. Do you happen to remember the approximate days and times for the shows: Burn the Floor and Legally Blonde?

 

 

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[DedeM]

Hi, I have a question please.

 

Do balcony cabins have bathrobes for each passenger or is that a suite thing? If someone already asked that, I apologize, I did a search on bath and bathrobe and didn't see it here. I read another Getaway thread, but it wasn't clear there.

 

Thanks!