Getawy vs oasis (just got off getaway June 7)

[Maddycakes]

We just returned Saturday from our cruise on the Getaway. I was very anxious about this cruise because we are big RCI Oasis/Allure fans and we did not know how the Getaway would stack up to our previous cruise experiences.

 

Some might ask why try the Getaway at all if you are so enamored with the Oasis class ships, the answer to this question is easy. It came down to money and sailing perks. The week that we were scheduled to sail Getaway the oasis and the allure were going for 1000 more than the reciprocal cabin. Plus they had a special bonus. NCI threw in the ultimate dining package for free for the first two passengers in the room.

 

Because all of this and our puny vacation budget our choice was simple.

 

Those of you who are interested in a comparison review between the two ships please stay tuned. Unfortunately I am not a very organized writer and at times I can be random, but feel free to ask any questions that you are curious about or just because you are trying to help me stay on topic.

[barnacle_boy]

I've done a few back-to-backs with Oasis/Allure one week and Breakaway/Getaway the next. I'm curious to compare notes!

 

 

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[Daghis]

I'm very curious to see what you have to say. I'm currently planning my first NCL cruise on Norwegian Getaway at the end of September and then sailing on Allure of the Seas the following week.

[Winston Wolf]

Really looking forward to this. The Oasis class ships are on my wish list.

[Maddycakes]

First let me tell you a little about the group that I traveled with. We were two families. My DH and myself are 36 and my DD is 8. Our traveling companions were a family we met 2 years ago on the Oasis of the Sea. They have a son who is 9. Since that cruise we have vacationed together two times.

 

I want to put a disclaimer in at this point in the review, while on the ship I spoke to a number of passengers who had also traveled RCI's Oasis class ships. Everybody I spoke to had a different preference than the next. I think ultimately it truly comes down to personal taste. For instance, one gentlemen who was swaying more towards team Getaway said that Getaway ship amenities are more geared for his family, " why do I need a carousel at sea." My jaw dropped I LOVED everything about the boardwalk on Oasis including the carousel . To each their own:-)

 

I also want to say even though the Oasis class ship is the hands down winner in my book, I still had a wonderful vacation and made many happy memories with my family and our traveling companions.

 

The first antidote about my trip I like to share should not sway you one way or the other. The incident is so random, thank God, that most will never have to experience it. The only reason I mention it is because what I witnessed was a HUGE safety concern and it is my hope that someone from NCI reads this post and comes up with a better safety plan.

 

The cruise starts out with two sea days. On the first sea day my family and I were in line on the sports deck to get on the ropes course. To our left on the same deck is the miniature golf course. The course is highly animated in a pirate type theme. It has many slight step ups and downs that goes with the the theme of the course.

 

An elderly women tripped on one of these step ups and had a horrible fall. It was terrible, her shoulder landed first on the step up board walk while her body landed on the green. I could practically hear the crack of her shoulder when she landed. My husband and I at first were frozen and dumb founded. Since it was a sea day the deck was pretty crowded with passengers, and there were a handful of NCI employees near by running the sports activities . After the shock and awe wore off we realized no employees were coming to her aide. My husband and I immediately got the attention of an employee for help. At this point we thought OK they must have some kind of safety plan, a team should be coming any minute to assist. Unfortunately we were wrong. A full 5 minutes after we informed personnel a gentleman showed up. He seemed to have no medical experience and was just armed with a walkie talkie. He seemed to be perplexed and it looked like he was radioing for reinforcements. What seemed like at least another full five minutes another employee approached with the same bewildered look conferring with the first employee. Note to readers....poor hurt women has gotten 0 medical attention as of yet! As they were conferring it became obvious that they had no idea how to move her to medical treatment. First obstacle was she was in the middle of the miniature gulf course, which terrain was uneven and choppy at best and second there was no elevator on this floor!

 

15 minutes into their problem solving powwow two medical support crew members came up with a safety board gurney like contraption with no wheels. 10 more minutes of the four of them conferring and realizing that they would not be able to move her with the wheelless contraption also passed. At this point the poor women has been immobile on the ground in what looked like agony for over 25 minutes.

 

Then to our horror an employee walks up the flight of stairs with an empty wheel chair. I looked to my husband and said no way are they going to load her into that wheel chair and carry her in the wheel chair down the flight of stairs, but that is exactly what they did. Not only did they move the injured lady into the wheel chair, but they also then carried the wheel chair down the stairs while the wheel chair was facing forward during the transport!

 

Two full days later we hit St. Marten. As my husband and I got off the ship there was an ambulance. The women was now in a gurney with wheels and the appropriate body and neck support being transported off the ship to receive medical care.

 

I don't even want to imagine what the previous 48 hours must have been like for her. I know horrible accidents happen all the time and can not be blamed on the cruise. What I do blame and shame them for is not being proactive by having a safety plan for medical evacuation off of the sports deck. It's a sports deck!!!! People are unfortunately more likely to fall and injure themselves. A company such as this should of had plans in place for various medical needs mapped out prior to ever sailing.

 

Sorry for the way off topic review. Tomorrow I will post a comparison of the ships, entertainment, and food. If there is any particular comparisons you would like to know ask away.

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

That must have been awful to witness this medical emergency and see that the crew was as unprepared and unhelpful as they were. If I were you, I might not wait and hope that someone from NCL reads this post. Please follow up with them in writing about the experience. That should never happen to somebody else!

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review. My turn on Breakaway class is coming up in 94 days! I've been on both the Oasis class ships so am very interested in your comparison.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Steeler Nation At Sea

[barnacle_boy]

Out of curiosity, how large was this "elderly woman?"

 

 

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[aubreyc1988]

I'm very curious to see what you have to say. I'm currently planning my first NCL cruise on Norwegian Getaway at the end of September and then sailing on Allure of the Seas the following week.

 

I havent been on NCL yet, first sailing on the Getaway in August. But I have been on the Allure and you will LOVE the ship! Make sure not to miss the shows, especially the Aqua show, they are all great! Love Chicago the musical they put on!

[Maddycakes]

OK down to the review. My family and I have been on both the Oasis of the Sea and the Allure of the Sea. These ships have been our favorites. Due to prices we decided to give the Getaway a try.

 

Prior to the cruise, like a lot of people on this site, I researched every review I could find. One of the reviews that I read that articulated the comparison of these two class of ships most accurately mentioned the “WOW” factor. After cruising both class of ships I could not agree with the analysis more. The Oasis class ship has a remarkable, jaw dropping, WOW factor that is undeniable. After you cruise this class of ships it is really hard to be wowed on any other vessel. I definitely missed the drama/ WOW factor on the Getaway.

 

Dining

 

I found the buffet to be comparable on both class of ships. Oasis probably has a slight edge because it has more variety of choices. However, I was very impressed with the hamburgers on the buffet. Normally, I avoid burgers on a buffet, but I snuck a bite on the last day of the cruise of my DH plate and I was pleasantly surprised.

 

Oasis totally kicks Getaway’s but with room service and “anytime” food. The Getaway room service menu options were pathetic. You could also order pizza for a $5 charge, which we did and it was terrible. On the Oasis they have a pizza joint that was open almost all the time. I would say prior to this cruise I would consider the Oasis pizza just OK. However, after eating the Getaway’s pizza I would have to rank the Oasis’s pizza gourmetJ. The other “anytime” food option was the Irish pub. The food was OK, just typical bar food. The menu never varied. Oasis “anytime” eatery’s options varied and there was more to choose from.

 

The Getaway wins with the quantity of specialty restaurants, but in my opinion the Oasis whens in quality. We only ate in the specialty restaurants on the Getaway. I really enjoyed the hibachi restaurant. The food and the entertainment were great. Cagney’s was good, but Chops whens hands down in my book. The kids LOVED the Brazilian style restaurant, but I was underwhelmed, then again I am not a huge meat eater so take that with a grain of salt. The Italian restaurant was OK, nothing spectacular. My favorite restaurant was the Le Bistro. We received the ultimate dining plan for free with our cruise package, had I had to pay a surcharge at every specialty restaurant I would have been disappointed. Other than Le Bistro all other restaurants quality of food is comparable to what I might have ordered in the main dining room on the Oasis.

 

Both ships have a multitude of other eateries. Unfortunately, a lot of the Getaway’s options were just open for dinner. Because of this I did not get to try some that I might have liked. If my memory is correct, Oasis eateries had more varied hours which allowed me to stuff myself more frequentlyJ It seemed the times I would want a snack, usually 4pmish and midnight before we went to bed, there was limited options. I guess those keeping score could count this one as a plus to Getaway for limiting the amount of pounds I could have gainedJ

 

I have to go for now. I will post more of my thoughts laterJ

 

Here is one of the biggest ironies. On most reviews critics have complained about the food

[Maddycakes]

Out of curiosity, how large was this "elderly woman?"

 

 

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She was average sized. :)

[barnacle_boy]

She was average sized. :)

 

 

Could you please define average? That could vary considerably depending on where you come from.

 

 

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[aubreyc1988]

Could you please define average? That could vary considerably depending on where you come from.

 

 

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Someone called Miss Indiana "Average sized" at like 120 lbs or something. She is a size 4, 5 feet, 8 inches, tall. She says she has a BMI of 18. Totally not what I would consider "Average" definitely skinny to me

 

So yeah I guess average does really vary :D

[dolita22]

Thanks for your comparisons! I would love to sail the Oasis or Allure one of these days...and the Getaway too. :-)

 

Scary experience about seeing the woman fall and how NCL responded. I would have been thinking much of what you and your husband were thinking. Agree with the poster who said you may want to contact NCL about that experience. When it comes to emergency situations, I would hope any company is willing to listen to their customers to improve how those types of situations are handled. That poor woman.

 

Also, I will say that food is totally subjective. We love the food on NCL. My husband can still list off all the items he enjoys on the NCL menus over a year after our last NCL sailing. We sailed RCCL's Indy this past February...and hated the food. I wasn't a fan of the food on the Grandeur a couple years ago, but went into our Indy sailing with an open mind, because we loved the itinerary. Let's just say we ate a fair amount of pizza on our honeymoon. My husband will not sail RCCL again until they change their menus. We're not foodies, but suffice it to say our experience on the Indy was yours in reverse on the Getaway -- we gained no weight on the Indy. ;-) Is there better food on the larger-class ships? It's the same across the fleet, so doubtful!

 

Last thing and not related at all to your post: notice you are from Clearwater. My DH and I were married on Clearwater Beach at the Sandpearl last November. LOVE Clearwater and Clearwater Beach and cannot wait to return!

 

Looking forward to reading more!

[Irene7]

Thank you for the comparison and I agree that it all comes down to personal preference and what a cruise should be for each person. I have not been on a breakaway class ship but have been on the Allure, however, I do plan to cruise on the Escape in 2016.

 

My boss has cruised on both Oasis and Allure more than once each and raves about them. However, when he cruised on the Breakaway last Summer to Bermuda, he said they had a great time and loved the ship and the "one with the sea" feeling it gave. I asked him which was better and he said, it wasn't about which is better but rather that they are just different and enjoys both.

[Irene7]

Someone called Miss Indiana "Average sized" at like 120 lbs or something. She is a size 4, 5 feet, 8 inches, tall. She says she has a BMI of 18. Totally not what I would consider "Average" definitely skinny to me

 

So yeah I guess average does really vary :D

 

My daughter is 5' 8" and wears a size 4, and believe me she is skinny. I wish I had her 21 inch waist.

[Maddycakes]

OK down to the review. My family and I have been on both the Oasis of the Sea and the Allure of the Sea. These ships have been our favorites. Due to prices we decided to give the Getaway a try.

 

Prior to the cruise, like a lot of people on this site, I researched every review I could find. One of the reviews that I read that articulated the comparison of these two class of ships most accurately mentioned the “WOW” factor. After cruising both class of ships I could not agree with the analysis more. The Oasis class ship has a remarkable, jaw dropping, WOW factor that is undeniable. After you cruise this class of ships it is really hard to be wowed on any other vessel. I definitely missed the drama/ WOW factor on the Getaway.

 

Dining

 

I found the buffet to be comparable on both class of ships. Oasis probably has a slight edge because it has more variety of choices. However, I was very impressed with the hamburgers on the buffet. Normally, I avoid burgers on a buffet, but I snuck a bite on the last day of the cruise of my DH plate and I was pleasantly surprised.

 

Oasis totally kicks Getaway’s but with room service and “anytime” food. The Getaway room service menu options were pathetic. You could also order pizza for a $5 charge, which we did and it was terrible. On the Oasis they have a pizza joint that was open almost all the time. I would say prior to this cruise I would consider the Oasis pizza just OK. However, after eating the Getaway’s pizza I would have to rank the Oasis’s pizza gourmetJ. The other “anytime” food option was the Irish pub. The food was OK, just typical bar food. The menu never varied. Oasis “anytime” eatery’s options varied and there was more to choose from.

 

The Getaway wins with the quantity of specialty restaurants, but in my opinion the Oasis whens in quality. We only ate in the specialty restaurants on the Getaway. I really enjoyed the hibachi restaurant. The food and the entertainment were great. Cagney’s was good, but Chops whens hands down in my book. The kids LOVED the Brazilian style restaurant, but I was underwhelmed, then again I am not a huge meat eater so take that with a grain of salt. The Italian restaurant was OK, nothing spectacular. My favorite restaurant was the Le Bistro. We received the ultimate dining plan for free with our cruise package, had I had to pay a surcharge at every specialty restaurant I would have been disappointed. Other than Le Bistro all other restaurants quality of food is comparable to what I might have ordered in the main dining room on the Oasis.

 

Both ships have a multitude of other eateries. Unfortunately, a lot of the Getaway’s options were just open for dinner. Because of this I did not get to try some that I might have liked. If my memory is correct, Oasis eateries had more varied hours which allowed me to stuff myself more frequentlyJ It seemed the times I would want a snack, usually 4pmish and midnight before we went to bed, there was limited options. I guess those keeping score could count this one as a plus to Getaway for limiting the amount of pounds I could have gainedJ

 

I have to go for now. I will post more of my thoughts laterJ

 

Here is one of the biggest ironies. On most reviews critics have complained about the food

 

Sorry, I just noticed when I cut and pasted this part of the review I deleted the last paragraph...

 

Here is one of the biggest ironies. On most reviews critics have complained about the food served at the magic show and the wine musical. I found both meals to be good! And comparing it with the other meals I had on the cruise one of my favorite meals. Go figureJ

[Maddycakes]

Could you please define average? That could vary considerably depending on where you come from.

 

 

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You are right! Weight is very subjective. The women looked to be in her mid 60's, probably weighing in around 150ish, or possible a dress size 12ish. She looked like your average grandmother:D

[SissasMomE]

It does not matter how large or small the woman was - that was not only insane, it was reckless, and they may very well have done more harm than good. How they can not have trained first responders is beyond me. It is shocking and appalling. I hope she contacts an attorney. Moreso, I hope they did not do more damage to her than she already had just from the fall alone.

[Maddycakes]

Thanks for your comparisons! I would love to sail the Oasis or Allure one of these days...and the Getaway too. :-)

 

Scary experience about seeing the woman fall and how NCL responded. I would have been thinking much of what you and your husband were thinking. Agree with the poster who said you may want to contact NCL about that experience. When it comes to emergency situations, I would hope any company is willing to listen to their customers to improve how those types of situations are handled. That poor woman.

 

Also, I will say that food is totally subjective. We love the food on NCL. My husband can still list off all the items he enjoys on the NCL menus over a year after our last NCL sailing. We sailed RCCL's Indy this past February...and hated the food. I wasn't a fan of the food on the Grandeur a couple years ago, but went into our Indy sailing with an open mind, because we loved the itinerary. Let's just say we ate a fair amount of pizza on our honeymoon. My husband will not sail RCCL again until they change their menus. We're not foodies, but suffice it to say our experience on the Indy was yours in reverse on the Getaway -- we gained no weight on the Indy. ;-) Is there better food on the larger-class ships? It's the same across the fleet, so doubtful!

 

Last thing and not related at all to your post: notice you are from Clearwater. My DH and I were married on Clearwater Beach at the Sandpearl last November. LOVE Clearwater and Clearwater Beach and cannot wait to return!

 

Looking forward to reading more!

 

The Sandpearl is a beautiful hotel. I am embaressed to say I take the beauty of my area for granted. I can't rember the last time I went to the beach. I am going to have to put it on my to-do list in the immedate future:)

 

I agree food is subjective and can be a hit or miss. In 2010 we went on a Freedom class ship, the following year Allure, then the next year Oasis, then because of budget back to the Freedom. The food on the Freedom was OK. I think we got spoiled with the deversity of options on the Oasis class ship. We were so underwhelmed that we decided to try the Getaway out for this years cruise. I would put the getaway cousine on par with Freedom (give or take here and there), but not as good as Oasis..

 

But that is just my openion. Believe me I never go hungry on any cruise and manage to pack on a few pounds on all my cruises:o

[SissasMomE]

I'm glad you had a good cruise. One of these days we will get around to trying the Oasis / Allure. Every time I book, something comes up with NCL and I end up switching. I had the owner's suite booked on the Allure, then an awesome deal came along for the Escape in a suite, so I switched. LOL One of these days .....

Edited June 19, 2014 by SissasMomE

[Maddycakes]

Thank you for the comparison and I agree that it all comes down to personal preference and what a cruise should be for each person. I have not been on a breakaway class ship but have been on the Allure, however, I do plan to cruise on the Escape in 2016.

 

My boss has cruised on both Oasis and Allure more than once each and raves about them. However, when he cruised on the Breakaway last Summer to Bermuda, he said they had a great time and loved the ship and the "one with the sea" feeling it gave. I asked him which was better and he said, it wasn't about which is better but rather that they are just different and enjoys both.

 

Your boss is right. I think it comes down to what your personal preferences are. We love sailing the newest, and largest ships. However, I read alot of reviews of cruisers who perfer the personal touches and charm of the older and smaller ships.

 

I think even though the Getaway is a large ship it gives off the charm of a smaller ship. I think this is because instead of the over the top areas such as the prominade, central park, and boardwalk areas (which I LOVE), they break up Getaway into many intiment areas.

 

Side note: spell check is not working on my computer. Please excuse my TERRIBLE spelling:o

[Chris4205]

Have been on the Allure and most recently the Getaway. Loved them both. Would give them both a 10. There were minor things on each ship but overall the experiences were amazing.

 

I don't think you can go wrong either way.

[SissasMomE]

Your boss is right. I think it comes down to what your personal preferences are. We love sailing the newest, and largest ships. However, I read alot of reviews of cruisers who perfer the personal touches and charm of the older and smaller ships.

 

I think even though the Getaway is a large ship it gives off the charm of a smaller ship. I think this is because instead of the over the top areas such as the prominade, central park, and boardwalk areas (which I LOVE), they break up Getaway into many intiment areas.

 

Side note: spell check is not working on my computer. Please excuse my TERRIBLE spelling:o

 

I miss a nice, big promenade. Haven't had that since I've been sailing NCL. I loved the Getaway, but it was a very compact, narrow ship. Everything seems to be in one area, or grouped in one area, if that makes sense. As of now, I like the Epic better. I am anticpating the Escape, and cannot wait to see how they set her up!

[jackson bernard]

It does not matter how large or small the woman was - that was not only insane, it was reckless, and they may very well have done more harm than good. How they can not have trained first responders is beyond me. It is shocking and appalling. I hope she contacts an attorney. Moreso, I hope they did not do more damage to her than she already had just from the fall alone.

 

If hundreds if not thousands of people walked in the same area and never fell, clearly this lady was inattentive. Just ask my boss.

 

Just remember there is no hospital at sea so be extra careful on those mini golf courses out there!

 

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[Irene7]

I miss a nice, big promenade. Haven't had that since I've been sailing NCL. I loved the Getaway, but it was a very compact, narrow ship. Everything seems to be in one area, or grouped in one area, if that makes sense. As of now, I like the Epic better. I am anticpating the Escape, and cannot wait to see how they set her up!

 

Let's hope that NCL sees that they need to spread the passengers out more the way RCCl does and makes that change on the Escape.