Norwegian Getaway June 7 - 14 - We All Survived!

[CruzinMel]

The ship docked in Miami bright and early. DH and I decided that yes, we could walk four large suitcases off the ship, thank you very much, so we didn't check anything. We cleared out the room the night before (discovering accidentally a pair of man's underpants wedged in a corner of the cabinet in the room - somewhere out there, a smallish man is missing his Hanes.) Breakfast was a simple trip to the buffet for more muesli - this was where we observed the sobbing, yelling, unsupervised 10 year old munching on waffles with his similarly-aged companions. His parents were nowhere in sight, but there was a crew member hovering nearby, looking rather concerned. DH also advised me that our neighbors had thrown a rollicking party while I slept - security got called to it at some point.

 

After breakfast, we waited for the call to get walking. At some point, the CD came on the PA to ask folks not to congregate on Deck 7 (I think) waiting to walk off - apparently, it is a quite popular option. Disembarkation could not have been simpler - walk off the ship, brief elevator ride (because 4 bags are unwieldy on an escalator), through customs and to the car! One nice touch was walking through a line of kitchen staff saying goodbye - I liked being able to tell them how much I appreciated their work through the week. Our cruise had its drama, but the food was always delicious.

 

When I got off Epic in 2011, I couldn't wait to cruise again; I don't have that feeling about Getaway. It could be that after spending four days at Emory University Hospital with my dad and mom (90% blockage in the main artery requiring 2 vents, but as heart attacks go, it wasn't that bad), I feel as if I need a vacation from my vacation. I'm still tired, and I missed doing the "this time last week I was on a beach in St. Maarten" bit completely.

 

I think, though, that Getaway just wasn't our ship. For starters, I don't like the itinerary at all - I didn't like the 2 sea days at the beginning of the cruise. It was a good chance to enjoy the ship and there is plenty to do on Getaway, but that just wasn't my cup of tea. I like islands at the beginning, and sea days at the end, and I really like an island with a sea day to recover right after. I enjoyed St. Maarten - we WILL go back - and I wanted to enjoy St. Thomas - we WILL go back - but St. Maarten was the only island on which we had enough time. The hours in St. Maarten (8 - 5:30) were perfect - the hours in St. Thomas were not adequate unless you got started early (8-3:30) and the hours in Nassau were bizarre - 12 - 6:30. (I'm listing our all-aboard times.) That, and the only thing we like on Nassau is Atlantis, and Atlantis is very pricey. I'd rather have gone to Stirrup Cay (isn't that NCL's private island?) entirely, and especially with those hours.

 

Getaway is huge, and has many wonderful entertainments - but we never found our "place." Do you know what I mean? Every cruise, we have found our "place" - that one location on the ship that we come back to every day because it has just the right mix of what we want. Getaway had too much of everything - I felt like a hyperactive kid hopped up on monster drinks, with my head constantly spinning because I didn't want to miss what was next. Spice H2O was the closest - but since it's a sun deck, there is very limited shade and for pasty, pale, glowing-white girls like me, it doesn't work in the bright light of day. I never got a feeling for what kind of ship Getaway was - despite the beautiful decorations and tons of activities, I never got her spirit.

 

I wanted to love Getaway. Instead, I think we will just be friends.

 

I'll still cruise Norwegian, though - I love Norwegian. I especially love the medical care you can receive on Norwegian, because they were very good to Dad. The heart attack taught me one thing: buy the trip insurance. Usually, I skip it; DH and I are relatively young and relatively healthy, and we have insurance already. I bought the insurance when I booked the 'rents cabin, because I wanted them to be covered in case they couldn't make the trip. Upon arriving at Doctor's General Hospital in Nassau, my mother was informed that unless she paid $8,500 in cash or credit (no checks), Dad would not be treated at the hospital and they would be sent to the charity ward. As it happened, Mom had cleared her credit card (I think she had jewelry in mind!), and she charged the $8,500 plus another $1,500 for an echocardiogram in Nassau plus her hotel bill (they wouldn't let her stay at the hospital) and the sitter she insisted Dad have when she was away. They told her that the medical flight would cost $10,000 plus another $8,500 for the next day in the hospital, and she was worrying about money when she should have been worrying just about Dad. Fortunately, at that point Norwegian stepped in and arranged the medical flight and I don't think she paid cash for anything else. Medicare and their supplemental insurance didn't cover international hospitalization, but I am going to try to claw some of it back or take the expenses on their taxes (since I'm fairly sure these bills all totaled will meet and exceed the threshold for deducting medical expenses on an itemized tax return - yes, I'm an accountant.)

 

Regardless, I've learned the hard way - I won't cruise again without trip insurance and one completely empty credit card.

 

So, that's a wrap. Thank you for reading our crazy story, and for your good thoughts. The 'rents swear they will never cruise again, but it's not the ship's fault he had a heart attack - I'm sure it's the fault of 72 years of hamburgers and ice cream. Me? I'm taking DH to Alaska for his 50th birthday in a couple of years - unless I can talk him into a quick trip before. I guess I'll always be craving ocean breezes, drinks in little plastic fishbowls, and folks smiling at me every day.

[Sparky38]

What an emotional review. I was with you to the end. So glad all is well.. And I do know what you mean about that special space .. It's so important. We always found it on NCL and I am sure you may in the future. All the very best to you and your family from across the pond. xxxxx

[CruzinMel]

What an emotional review. I was with you to the end. So glad all is well.. And I do know what you mean about that special space .. It's so important. We always found it on NCL and I am sure you may in the future. All the very best to you and your family from across the pond. xxxxx

 

Thank you, Sparky! I hated to be a downer, but a review is a review. . . and we are grateful that everything has turned out all right in the end!

[Geauxboy]

Thanks for taking the time. Glad your dad is ok.

 

 

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[CruzinMel]

a nitpicky detail. I had read (from the wonderful Mitsugirly's review) that plugs are limited in the rooms - and indeed, they are. In our shoebox, there was only one set of plugs that I ever found, located at the vanity. Never daunted, I went ahead and bought a surge protector with two regular plugs plus two usb plugs - figured I would be able to charge the camera, the cell phone, and the Nook all at the same time. Well, you can do this - but you cannot use your hair dryer at the same time. I blew the fuses in our room, which means that nothing worked until they tripped the breaker - including the TV. DH without a TV when he wants it is not for the faint of heart. It took quite a while - this was in the evening before dinner and I think the guy came the next morning (I was in my "special" nightie, if you know what I mean, and remember a frantic moment of making sure I was decent. That, and I thought he was my mom when I opened the door, so I looked like a wild thing with my crazy hair.)

 

So, yes - be careful how many things you plug in. We were not the only ones without power during the week.

 

Also - if you go to the Crew Talent Show, you will see the Biggest Towel Critter ever - it's a towel lion that is about four feet long, 18 inches high, with a long, long tail. We ran into the maker of the critter in the hallway, and we were very impressed!

[CruzinMel]

Thanks for taking the time. Glad your dad is ok.

 

 

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And Goooooooo DAWGS! lol:D

[Geauxboy]

And Goooooooo DAWGS! lol:D

 

 

... I'm ok with that till LSU plays them...

 

 

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[CruzinMel]

... I'm ok with that till LSU plays them...

 

 

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Hey - I root for LSU whenever they play Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, Missouri . . . well, pretty much anybody but Georgia.

[happy cruzin]

:cool: He will KILL me if I post those pics. Maybe.

 

We have before and after pictures - mild mannered cruisers leaving the ship, and wild, slightly sunburned party animals coming back on.

 

 

Oh....you MUST share! ;) :D

[happy cruzin]

WOW....what a story! :eek:

Thanks for sharing your experiences - I'm glad it has ended well. Happy for you all!!

[happy cruzin]

Oh....you MUST share! ;) :D

 

 

Yeah....ignore this! :o You've got many more important things to worry about. ;)

[PorkChopKid]

I'll still cruise Norwegian, though - I love Norwegian. I especially love the medical care you can receive on Norwegian, because they were very good to Dad. The heart attack taught me one thing: buy the trip insurance. Usually, I skip it; DH and I are relatively young and relatively healthy, and we have insurance already. I bought the insurance when I booked the 'rents cabin, because I wanted them to be covered in case they couldn't make the trip. Upon arriving at Doctor's General Hospital in Nassau, my mother was informed that unless she paid $8,500 in cash or credit (no checks), Dad would not be treated at the hospital and they would be sent to the charity ward. As it happened, Mom had cleared her credit card (I think she had jewelry in mind!), and she charged the $8,500 plus another $1,500 for an echocardiogram in Nassau plus her hotel bill (they wouldn't let her stay at the hospital) and the sitter she insisted Dad have when she was away. They told her that the medical flight would cost $10,000 plus another $8,500 for the next day in the hospital, and she was worrying about money when she should have been worrying just about Dad. Fortunately, at that point Norwegian stepped in and arranged the medical flight and I don't think she paid cash for anything else. Medicare and their supplemental insurance didn't cover international hospitalization, but I am going to try to claw some of it back or take the expenses on their taxes (since I'm fairly sure these bills all totaled will meet and exceed the threshold for deducting medical expenses on an itemized tax return - yes, I'm an accountant.)

 

Regardless, I've learned the hard way - I won't cruise again without trip insurance and one completely empty credit card.

Enjoyed reading about your cruise and am soooo happy to hear that everyone survived and is on the mend. I, for one, really appreciate the included detail on what all of this cost and how payment has to be made. I'm assuming most of the cost will be recovered from the trip insurance company you secured for your parents.... the paperwork will probably make for quite a story onto itself.

Great advice about not only getting the insurance but also having some space on a credit card. Thank you again for the well written "review".....

[DrNora]

So glad that this all has a happy ending-yeesh!

 

And very eye-opening. In regards to the insurance..why, yes, it covers evacuation for emergency treatment. But we never stop to think that "doh"!

It doesn't cover it instantly...it reimburses you!,

 

Make sure you either carry an empty credit card or 20 k in cash, my friends.

A very good lesson here. And, yes, I am joking about the cash.

 

We read comments from people on the boards frequently" I don't have a credit card. Can I use cash for my on board account?"- what the hell would they do if they need medical care in Nassau?...Oy!

 

Thank you, Mel

[dogboy]

Thank you very much. You're a very good story teller- could sell this to Hollywood for a made for TV movie. Love all the characters esp the Mom.

P.S. Little worried about teenagers/kids. I'm determined to ignore and keep my mouth shut. Thanks again. Off to Getaway this Saturday.

[CruzinMel]

Oh....you MUST share! ;) :D

 

Oh, Happy. . . ain't no way. :D The only folks who will see those pics will be family members and a very few close friends. I'm just glad we didn't go to Senor Frog's in Nassau. Apparently, someone there knows how to make anatomically-correct female body parts out of balloons. We saw a Carnival cruiser wearing them back to his ship.

 

Thanks!

[CruzinMel]

Enjoyed reading about your cruise and am soooo happy to hear that everyone survived and is on the mend. I, for one, really appreciate the included detail on what all of this cost and how payment has to be made. I'm assuming most of the cost will be recovered from the trip insurance company you secured for your parents.... the paperwork will probably make for quite a story onto itself.

Great advice about not only getting the insurance but also having some space on a credit card. Thank you again for the well written "review".....

 

Thanks, Joe! I hesitated to put the actual dollar amounts in there, because I'm a well-bred Southern lady (maybe not when in St. Thomas, but certainly everywhere else!) and I was raised to believe that one does not discuss money matters publicly. That said, these are worst case scenarios that actually do happen, and I haven't heard it discussed before on any of the boards. So. . . now we all know that a heart attack in Nassau can run you upwards of $30K without insurance of some sort. Ugh.

[CruzinMel]

So glad that this all has a happy ending-yeesh!

 

And very eye-opening. In regards to the insurance..why, yes, it covers evacuation for emergency treatment. But we never stop to think that "doh"!

It doesn't cover it instantly...it reimburses you!,

 

Make sure you either carry an empty credit card or 20 k in cash, my friends.

A very good lesson here. And, yes, I am joking about the cash.

 

We read comments from people on the boards frequently" I don't have a credit card. Can I use cash for my on board account?"- what the hell would they do if they need medical care in Nassau?...Oy!

 

Thank you, Mel

 

Thanks, Doc! I was one of those folks who doesn't travel with a big reserve - if it was us, DH would have been in the charity ward or we'd have had to borrow Mom's card. It was certainly an eye opener. Of course, our family's motto (emblazoned on many, many afghans, coffee cups and flasks) is "Never a Dull Moment." I should know by now, with this crew!

[CruzinMel]

Thank you very much. You're a very good story teller- could sell this to Hollywood for a made for TV movie. Love all the characters esp the Mom.

P.S. Little worried about teenagers/kids. I'm determined to ignore and keep my mouth shut. Thanks again. Off to Getaway this Saturday.

 

Thank you, Dogboy - we are a bunch of characters for sure. It only keeps coming, but all you get is the cruise part.

 

Don't worry too much about the kids/teens. There are lots of places you can avoid them and still have fun - I just didn't find the right spots until the end. One poster said Vibe was the way to go - but I read other reviews that said it was somewhat airless, and I like a nice breeze. Spice H2O is wonderful - peaceful except for the happy drunks we encountered one night, never crowded, and Rudy the Wonderful Bartender is there. I never, ever saw a child in the thermal suite.

 

Eating was really the worst time, so avoid the buffet except at non-peak times - eat breakfasts in Taste or Savor if you don't want a lot of noise, and O'Sheehan's if noise is ok with you. Every single child I saw in the specialty restaurant was perfectly behaved except one crying baby, and that's the parents' fault. You're on your own at the pool deck, unfortunately, and walking in the aisles around the kid's pool isn't fun, but it really won't be that bad. And who knows - maybe we're just all grumpy curmudgeons.

 

Enjoy!

[DrNora]

Thank you, Dogboy - we are a bunch of characters for sure. It only keeps coming, but all you get is the cruise part.

 

 

 

who knows - maybe we're just all grumpy curmudgeons.

 

Enjoy!

 

GRUMPY curmudgeons..???!!!

I think not!, let' s see...I read about naughty nighties, an alcohol embargo on one particular man, and an anatomically creative and perhaps, for some, wishful yet whimsical balloon hat! NOT curmudgeon material.

 

Your review made me laugh. Except for the parts that made me cry. Thanks for taking us with you on the Getaway!,

[sweetjem]

this is a cruise from the Casino so if you can tell me if anyone has had luck in the casino?

what all is extra, we have 17 on Carnival and have not had anything bad with then use to free pizza if wanted at night and free Room service anytime .

Ports do they dock where the ferry's take you across the water to the shopping area and all that . And St.Thomas where do they dock there anything will help thanks .

[dolita22]

Next it was Maho Beach, where DH stood behind three different jetliners taking off, and got a very nice case of windburn - he was as happy as a clam, and would have spent the whole day there if he could. I got a kick out of watching folks tumble head over heels down the beach and into the surf - when those engines kick up, you will get knocked over if you aren't braced. The Sunset Bar looks like a place that we would visit again - I will spend the day in the water, and he can work on his windburn. After Maho, we drove the rest of the way around the island and Melanius got us back to the port area in plenty of time - two hours before all aboard.

 

Great review! I'm glad to hear your Dad is on the mend. Thank you for sharing your experience with having travel insurance, including the costs. We started buying travel insurance a couple years ago, but sometimes question that decision thinking we're young and healthy (early 30s) and likely won't need it. However, anything can happen at any time, and I'm glad your parents had the insurance to cover the expenses.

 

Quoted above sounds exactly like my DH while on our Bernard's tour of St. Maarten the last two years! Happy as can be getting blasted with sand when the big jets are taking off from Maho Beach. I've He tried to record the KLM jet's takeoff last year, but all we got was him falling into the sand as he blown over. :)

 

Also, your experience with Senor Frogs and getting back on the ship while having a good time reminds me of our experience on St. Kitts after an unlimited-rum-punch snorkeling excursion (after snorkeling was over) in February. That punch packs a, well, punch! My DH had to sleep it off in our stateroom that afternoon. :eek:

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[CruzinMel]

GRUMPY curmudgeons..???!!!

I think not!, let' s see...I read about naughty nighties, an alcohol embargo on one particular man, and an anatomically creative and perhaps, for some, wishful yet whimsical balloon hat! NOT curmudgeon material.

 

Your review made me laugh. Except for the parts that made me cry. Thanks for taking us with you on the Getaway!,

 

BWAAAHAHAHAHAA! DH will be glad to know that he's not quite yet a grumpy old man - he's been "50" since he hit 45, and I'm scared to death to see what he'll be like when sober and 80.

 

thanks!

[CruzinMel]

this is a cruise from the Casino so if you can tell me if anyone has had luck in the casino?

what all is extra, we have 17 on Carnival and have not had anything bad with then use to free pizza if wanted at night and free Room service anytime .

Ports do they dock where the ferry's take you across the water to the shopping area and all that . And St.Thomas where do they dock there anything will help thanks .

 

Sweetjem, I'm sorry but I'm not completely sure what you're asking. DH played in the casino and tripled his money at craps, but not enough to bother putting it on a tax return. We didn't spend enough time in the casino to know if there were any big payouts.

 

For the extras, you should look at some other reviews - they've already covered it better than I could.

 

And I have no idea where the docks are - just that the walk from the pier in St. Thomas was long and hot, but not as long as the walk from the pier on St. Maarten, and the ship docked at the very end of the pier in Nassau. Sorry!

[CruzinMel]

Quoted above sounds exactly like my DH while on our Bernard's tour of St. Maarten the last two years! Happy as can be getting blasted with sand when the big jets are taking off from Maho Beach. I've He tried to record the KLM jet's takeoff last year, but all we got was him falling into the sand as he blown over. :)

 

We might be related - DH had watched enough folks get blown over to remember that he needed to brace well, but nothing was getting him off that beach. When we go back, he wants to spend the entire day at Maho.

 

Also, your experience with Senor Frogs and getting back on the ship while having a good time reminds me of our experience on St. Kitts after an unlimited-rum-punch snorkeling excursion (after snorkeling was over) in February. That punch packs a, well, punch! My DH had to sleep it off in our stateroom that afternoon. :eek:

 

I understand now why they give you the punch AFTER you snorkel. Sometimes, things just sneak up on you - the punch on the bus in St. Maarten certainly did. My lips went numb at one point - that's when I knew to stop!

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

It was fun to write (and cathartic) - thanks for reading!

[conandrob240]

As I read the first two pages, I knew what was going to happen to your Dad. Mine had exactly the same experience a few years ago. Slow, very tired, lots of indigestion (at least that is what he said it felt like), just "off". No arm or chest pain the way people say you are going to get it. Important reminder for people to look out for seemingly innocuous signs like we both saw.

 

Anyway, glad he is on the mend. And I am glad you had a least a few laughs and nice moments earlier on your cruise.