Getaway Observations

[ned70]

Just returned from the 1/17 cruise on the Getaway. This was our first time on NCL. Some observations: boarding was very slow - only one line unless you are a Haven passenger. At 1 pm we were told rooms were still not ready. We went to The Taste dining room. Not crowded at all, but very slow service - food was just so so. There are two sets of elevators - forward and aft. The atrium does not have elevators. We had a midship mini suite cabin on the 13th deck (yes, 13). The room is identical to a regular balcony except for the bathroom. The mini suite gives you a larger bathroom - double sink and shower with 6 heads! The balcony was very small - about 3 ft. x 8. Hardly any room for the 2 chairs and small table. On the plus side, there was an abundance of places to store your belongings.

 

The food was hit and miss. The buffet was great for breakfast with made to order omelets. Ice cream (both soft serve and dipped) was available all day from lunch on. I understand crepes were available every night (we did not eat in the buffet at night.) We ate in the Tropicana Main dining room as well as the two satellite dining rooms - Savor and Taste. We found the main dining room to be very noisy and in addition, they had entertainment, which made it even noisier. We never had a wait to get into any of the dining rooms without a reservation. It truly was freestyle and very casual. We ate at Sheehans Pub a couple of times and enjoyed it. We also ate at Moderno's (the Brazilian steakhouse). Did not think it was worth the extra charge unless you were a huge carnivoire. Our best meal was at the Illusionarium. This dinner show should not be missed. Get there 30-45 minutes before your reservation to get the best tables.

 

Entertainment was outstanding (except for Legally Blond). Comedy shows and Burn the floor were great. There was also a group called Groove International that played most nights in the Atrium - they were wonderful. The Atrium was kind of a catchall for things like the Newlywed Show, Dance Contests, talks, movies, cupcake decorating, etc. There wasn't much seating in the atrium - they would bring in folding chairs in addition to the seating already there - which I have to say was very uncomfortable. Actually, I don't think there was a comfortable chair on the ship. Also in the Atrium are two bars which made the sound level horrible. At one point we were watching a movie (with subtitles) and one of the kids groups came marching by singing camp songs!

 

The casino was kind of spread out and had a little of everything. Although the slots were not very current by casino standards. They also had a small buffet set up in the casino.

 

We had fireworks one night. they were shot off the port side, so you could watch from your balcony on that side of the ship. Also, the ship backed in at each port, so port side was always facing the port.

 

The Getaway had an area on the 8th deck (I think) called the waterfront. The waterfront had a lot of little seating areas (once again - not comfortable), a few bars and seating for some of the specialty restaurants. Very nice touch.

 

It was always easy to find a restroom - they were everywhere.

 

If I can answer any questions - just let me know.

[thatjoeguy]

Just returned from the 1/17 cruise on the Getaway. This was our first time on NCL. Some observations: boarding was very slow - only one line unless you are a Haven passenger. At 1 pm we were told rooms were still not ready. We went to The Taste dining room. Not crowded at all, but very slow service - food was just so so. There are two sets of elevators - forward and aft. The atrium does not have elevators. We had a midship mini suite cabin on the 13th deck (yes, 13). The room is identical to a regular balcony except for the bathroom. The mini suite gives you a larger bathroom - double sink and shower with 6 heads! The balcony was very small - about 3 ft. x 8. Hardly any room for the 2 chairs and small table. On the plus side, there was an abundance of places to store your belongings.

 

The main room in the mini-suites is also a bit longer than in the balcony, and have a king rather than a queen bed. The shower in the mini-suite (to specify) has 6 body jets in addition to a rainfall shower head.