Just off the getaway!!

[seguetocaribe]

Got off today... serious post-cruise blues :(

This was our favorite cruise ever!! First time on NCL (other cruises on Royal Caribbean and Carnival). Now we are NCL fans!!

We felt that the ship was laid out well. Despite the number of people on board, it never felt crowded!

If there is one thing that I could change, it would be the layout of the casino - wish it was separated so that the smoke smell did not filter in to other areas. It's not that the smoke smell is so bad but if you are not a smoker (and you hate the smell), you don't want it at all. It's more of a stale cigarette smell as compared to fresh smoke.

Anyway, we loved pretty much everything else about the ship. Having all of the different restaurants (we had purchased the UDP ahead of time) kept it interesting. We had the UBP too (got that as a promo). Beforehand, I did not think too much about it as I am not a huge drinker BUT, it sure was nice to have!! Definitely made for a nice, relaxing time when we wanted to try something new without having to worry about the $$! Or, to get that 2nd (or 3rd or 4th ;)) glass of wine without having to think about it.

For anyone who booked connecting cabins with their children and are concerned because the age of one of their kids had to be "fudged" in order to get the booking to go through (since the computers do not recognize connecting cabins), DO NOT WORRY AT ALL!!

We did this and were assured by our booking agent that it would not be a problem when we checked in at the terminal (my husband and I checked in ahead of time online but we were told to wait until we got to the terminal to check our kids in to their stateroom - and we would have to get the birthdate changed to the correct age at that time). Well, we were concerned about this despite being told it would not be a problem...it was NOT a problem at all!! As long as the rooms are connecting, it is ok!

Now it's time to book another NCL cruise!

[SissasMomE]

Got off today... serious post-cruise blues :(

This was our favorite cruise ever!! First time on NCL (other cruises on Royal Caribbean and Carnival). Now we are NCL fans!!

We felt that the ship was laid out well. Despite the number of people on board, it never felt crowded!

If there is one thing that I could change, it would be the layout of the casino - wish it was separated so that the smoke smell did not filter in to other areas. It's not that the smoke smell is so bad but if you are not a smoker (and you hate the smell), you don't want it at all. It's more of a stale cigarette smell as compared to fresh smoke.

Anyway, we loved pretty much everything else about the ship. Having all of the different restaurants (we had purchased the UDP ahead of time) kept it interesting. We had the UBP too (got that as a promo). Beforehand, I did not think too much about it as I am not a huge drinker BUT, it sure was nice to have!! Definitely made for a nice, relaxing time when we wanted to try something new without having to worry about the $$! Or, to get that 2nd (or 3rd or 4th ;)) glass of wine without having to think about it.

For anyone who booked connecting cabins with their children and are concerned because the age of one of their kids had to be "fudged" in order to get the booking to go through (since the computers do not recognize connecting cabins), DO NOT WORRY AT ALL!!

We did this and were assured by our booking agent that it would not be a problem when we checked in at the terminal (my husband and I checked in ahead of time online but we were told to wait until we got to the terminal to check our kids in to their stateroom - and we would have to get the birthdate changed to the correct age at that time). Well, we were concerned about this despite being told it would not be a problem...it was NOT a problem at all!! As long as the rooms are connecting, it is ok!

Now it's time to book another NCL cruise!

 

You should probably read the threads regarding the changes at NCL before jumping into another NCL cruise booking ;)

[helen haywood]

Tell me about the various dining venues you went to. We are sailing Getaway for our first NCL cruise as well in September and I'm trying to decide if we should buy the UDP or just pay as we go. The MDR menus look good to me!

[seguetocaribe]

You should probably read the threads regarding the changes at NCL before jumping into another NCL cruise booking ;)

 

What do you mean? What changes?

[seguetocaribe]

Tell me about the various dining venues you went to. We are sailing Getaway for our first NCL cruise as well in September and I'm trying to decide if we should buy the UDP or just pay as we go. The MDR menus look good to me!

 

What would you like to know? We went to all of them (except Ocean Blue). Well, we did go to the Ocean Blue 'window' on the waterfront for lunch one day to get the lobster roll and calamari. It was good!

We booked all of our reservations ahead of time to make sure that we could get the times we wanted. We booked Le Bistro 2x since it seems to be a favorite and I love French food. I will say that I was slightly disappointed in it. It was pretty good, but not great. I know that this is not 5-star dining but I guess I was expecting a little more. Surprisingly (to me), my favorite was Cagney's. My husband is a master on the grill so going out to steak restaurants is not usually a priority for us - Lol! We were quite impressed with the food and experience here! As others have said, the salad bar at Modernos is very good! The meats are hit or miss (we loved the lamb chops but found most of the rest of the meats to be just ok). La Cucina was better than we expected as many compare it Olive Garden and we thought that it was better than that. Teppanyaki was similar to the land-based ones like it (although I will say that our chef that night put on a better show than we have ever seen at any land-based one that we have gone to). Other than that, it was nice to have the 20% off at the other a la carte places (shanghais - we went 2x, and the ocean blue waterfront window).. We did not eat at the indoor raw bar or the sushi place so cannot comment on those.

If I was booking another cruise with NCL, we would definitely spend the money to get the UDP again. We made use of the main dining rooms (taste and savor) for lunch and breakfast on a few of the days.

[Bettytrouble]

What do you mean? What changes?

 

The apocalyptic (sarcasm) changes include an 18% autogratuity in the specialty restaurants, and an increase in the beverage gratuity to 18%.

 

Some talk also on Breakaway of NOT having reservations for shows.

Basically an increase in prices for specialties and drinks. You had the UDP and UBP so you wouldn't notice.

 

I personally don't care about these changes. They will not affect my cruising agenda.

 

The boards have blown up with NCL devotees who will never cruise NCLS again because of these underhanded, non-transparent changes.

 

I will enjoy my 50% of children fare, my UDP andUBP and prepaid gratuities on my next cruise and still leave a tip.

 

Don't worry- the changes are nothing big unless, and I am not trying to be sarcastic, you cannot afford the extra 18 percent tip in the specialties.

 

Don't know if Getaway is honoring show reservations- did you make any? We will be cruising her in a couple of weeks.

[legion3]

We booked Le Bistro 2x since it seems to be a favorite and I love French food. I will say that I was slightly disappointed in it. It was pretty good, but not great.

 

this was our reaction to Le Bistro, our second night was better than the first night, but was expecting more given it's reputation.

 

La Cucina was better than we expected as many compare it Olive Garden and we thought that it was better than that. Teppanyaki was similar to the land-based ones like it (although I will say that our chef that night put on a better show than we have ever seen at any land-based one that we have gone to).

 

Again this was our reaction as well. We liked La cucina better than we expected too and enjoyed teppanyaki as well. Teppanyaki was way to much food. Could have made a meal out of the soup, salad, vegtables and rice. The chef was a good showman, better than at any land one. Disney's Teppan Edo was close but more costly

Edited March 21, 2015 by legion3

[Beaver1975]

You should probably read the threads regarding the changes at NCL before jumping into another NCL cruise booking ;)

 

Wow, was this really necessary, Debbie Downer?

[SissasMomE]

What do you mean? What changes?

 

NCL has decided to sneak in a mandatory gratuity on all specialty restaurants and dinner shows of 18% per person. This is in addition to the cover charge. No announcement, no explanation - they just did it. It is double dipping and disingenuous. Most of us who are experienced cruisers, and have been with NCL for a while, know this isn't right, and have expressed our displeasure. It has nothing to do with "affording an 18% tip" :rolleyes: but the way they have gone about it is ... shady, to say the least. In addition, they have increased the DSC from $12pp to $12.95 pp, and have increased the mandatory tip on beverages, as well as the beverage prices. No biggie there, but that extra tip for the waitstaff folks already included in the DSC pool is just more money in NCL's pocket. If you book under the UBP, and/or don't intend on dining in specialty restaurants, it really shouldn't affect you. Since NCL is not announcing this change, it's best to research before booking, just so you are aware.

 

Glad you had a nice time.

Edited March 21, 2015 by SissasMomE

[seguetocaribe]

The apocalyptic (sarcasm) changes include an 18% autogratuity in the specialty restaurants, and an increase in the beverage gratuity to 18%.

 

Some talk also on Breakaway of NOT having reservations for shows.

Basically an increase in prices for specialties and drinks. You had the UDP and UBP so you wouldn't notice.

 

I personally don't care about these changes. They will not affect my cruising agenda.

 

The boards have blown up with NCL devotees who will never cruise NCLS again because of these underhanded, non-transparent changes.

 

I will enjoy my 50% of children fare, my UDP andUBP and prepaid gratuities on my next cruise and still leave a tip.

 

Don't worry- the changes are nothing big unless, and I am not trying to be sarcastic, you cannot afford the extra 18 percent tip in the specialties.

 

Don't know if Getaway is honoring show reservations- did you make any? We will be cruising her in a couple of weeks.

 

Thank you for explaining the concerns/changes. I did actually notice the 18% gratuity on the drinks and thought that the drink prices seemed pretty high (even though you don't pay for the drinks, you do sign for each and every one of them so you see the price of each - they just do not show up on your bill).

oh, by the way, we purchased the iconcierge to use on our iphones to call/text each other and we thought that the $6.95 charge was well worth the price!! We had no problem with calls/texts going through - I know that this has been a complaint in the past but we had no probs. One of my favorite features on the iconcierge was being able to monitor my bill each day.. Much easier to know what each charge is for when following it each day as compared to looking once at the end of the cruise, not remembering what each charge was for and feeling serious sticker shock!

Regarding show reservations - yes, all reservations were honored. We made reservations ahead of time for 2 comedy shows, legally blonde and illusionarium.

[Jaco5NC]

Got off today... serious post-cruise blues :(

This was our favorite cruise ever!! First time on NCL (other cruises on Royal Caribbean and Carnival). Now we are NCL fans!

 

So glad to hear you had a wonderful time! We are booked on Getaway in October and have been slightly concerned with the number of passengers. I noticed you sailed Carnival Dream in the past, so did we. We loved that cruise but did feel that at times it felt crowded. How would you compare the two? Also, I'm not sure of the ages of your children but am curious if they used Splash Academy and how you felt the pool setup was? On the Dream we were able to sit in lounge chairs (in the sun) and were able to watch the kids on the slides. Is the Getaway setup similar?

 

Thanks in advance for your reply:).

[seguetocaribe]

So glad to hear you had a wonderful time! We are booked on Getaway in October and have been slightly concerned with the number of passengers. I noticed you sailed Carnival Dream in the past, so did we. We loved that cruise but did feel that at times it felt crowded. How would you compare the two? Also, I'm not sure of the ages of your children but am curious if they used Splash Academy and how you felt the pool setup was? On the Dream we were able to sit in lounge chairs (in the sun) and were able to watch the kids on the slides. Is the Getaway setup similar?

 

Thanks in advance for your reply:).

 

I was nervous too after hearing many people talk about how small the pools are and how crowded they get. We were told that there were 4700 pax onboard during our cruise! I think that I waited on lines maybe 3x the whole cruise. Seriously! My husband and I were really impressed with the set-up of the buffets. Very different set-up compared to Carnival (did the Dream last year and the Liberty twice before that). It is set up in different sections and goes around the deck in a rectangle so there are multiple stations to go thru the buffet so lines do not build up - very smart set-up!

Regarding the pools, they are pretty small. When we were there, I spent most of my time over by the kid pool which is next to the slides and the toddler/baby pool. My kids were primarily using the slides but went in the pool a bit. There is another 'adult' pool further down the deck with some hot tubs. But again, I stayed by the other pool since that is where my kids were. Lots of chaise lounges in the shade and some in the sun if that is what you want. Sometimes it was difficult to get a few chairs together but eventually we would find a few together in the area we wanted.

Overall, the Dream definitely felt more crowded to us as compared to the Getaway and we went at the same time of year - March for spring break - definitely a crowded time.

I have twin 11 year old girls. They both went to splash academy. One of them loved it and wanted to go every day. The other one was not as into it but that is how she was in the kids club at Carnival too. The counselors seemed very nice (there were one or two on the Carnival ships that we were not thrilled with.

Let me know if you have any other questions... I'm not one for writing full reviews but I am happy to answer questions!

[Jaco5NC]

I was nervous too after hearing many people talk about how small the pools are and how crowded they get. We were told that there were 4700 pax onboard during our cruise! I think that I waited on lines maybe 3x the whole cruise. Seriously! My husband and I were really impressed with the set-up of the buffets. Very different set-up compared to Carnival (did the Dream last year and the Liberty twice before that). It is set up in different sections and goes around the deck in a rectangle so there are multiple stations to go thru the buffet so lines do not build up - very smart set-up!

Regarding the pools, they are pretty small. When we were there, I spent most of my time over by the kid pool which is next to the slides and the toddler/baby pool. My kids were primarily using the slides but went in the pool a bit. There is another 'adult' pool further down the deck with some hot tubs. But again, I stayed by the other pool since that is where my kids were. Lots of chaise lounges in the shade and some in the sun if that is what you want. Sometimes it was difficult to get a few chairs together but eventually we would find a few together in the area we wanted.

Overall, the Dream definitely felt more crowded to us as compared to the Getaway and we went at the same time of year - March for spring break - definitely a crowded time.

I have twin 11 year old girls. They both went to splash academy. One of them loved it and wanted to go every day. The other one was not as into it but that is how she was in the kids club at Carnival too. The counselors seemed very nice (there were one or two on the Carnival ships that we were not thrilled with.

Let me know if you have any other questions... I'm not one for writing full reviews but I am happy to answer questions!

 

Thank you so much for your reply. I am feeling great about our upcoming sailing! We are a pretty go with the flow, not picky, happy to be on vacation kind of family but not huge fans of crowds in small spaces. Glad to hear you never really felt too crowded. Thanks for the feedback on the kids club and pools too. My kiddos didn't like Camp Carnival (9 & 13) so we will see about this time. Any excursion recommendations that your family enjoyed? We are visiting Tortola for the first time:).

[ictcruiser]

I just got off the Getaway two weeks ago and I have to say I loved the ship so much I already booked it for next year and NCL is still the best in my opinion. I've never understood why someone who does not like a certain line would even be on their board pages. I don't visit the other lines pages to post negative comments... I still shop around when I book and for me NCL offers the best for my budget and my cruising needs! Glad you enjoyed your cruise also!

[LPut714]

Thank you for explaining the concerns/changes. I did actually notice the 18% gratuity on the drinks and thought that the drink prices seemed pretty high (even though you don't pay for the drinks, you do sign for each and every one of them so you see the price of each - they just do not show up on your bill).

oh, by the way, we purchased the iconcierge to use on our iphones to call/text each other and we thought that the $6.95 charge was well worth the price!! We had no problem with calls/texts going through - I know that this has been a complaint in the past but we had no probs. One of my favorite features on the iconcierge was being able to monitor my bill each day.. Much easier to know what each charge is for when following it each day as compared to looking once at the end of the cruise, not remembering what each charge was for and feeling serious sticker shock!

Regarding show reservations - yes, all reservations were honored. We made reservations ahead of time for 2 comedy shows, legally blonde and illusionarium.

 

We have done NCL in the past but it looks like the inside cabin size is shrinking with very little storage space. But we were just on the Carnival Sunshine and noticed less closet storage space and no side tables next to the beds. Any feedback on closet space would be appreciated

[kaftigr]

I'm glad you enjoyed your first NCL cruise. I'll be back on the Getaway 2 weeks from today for another fabulous week on her.

[HokiePoq]

I just got off the Getaway two weeks ago and I have to say I loved the ship so much I already booked it for next year and NCL is still the best in my opinion. I've never understood why someone who does not like a certain line would even be on their board pages. I don't visit the other lines pages to post negative comments... I still shop around when I book and for me NCL offers the best for my budget and my cruising needs! Glad you enjoyed your cruise also!

 

I don't understand that, either. It seems to happen more on the NCL board than elsewhere. We have never had a bad cruise on NCL and the price is right. They have to make $$ somewhere...in regard to the gratuity increase.

OP, thanks for your report. I am very glad you enjoyed your cruise! We have cruised NCL a lot, but have never been on the Getaway or Breakaway, so appreciate your feedback about the size of the ship and not feeling crowded.

[BendORcruiser]

You should probably read the threads regarding the changes at NCL before jumping into another NCL cruise booking ;)

 

I recognize the sarcasm (notice your winky eye.) Unfortunately, it gets lost on some people.

 

There are always "chicken littles" on the CC boards and the current changes at NCL have many people upset. I can understand that. And it is their prerogative to take their business elsewhere. But unfortunately, there are first time NCL cruisers who have already booked their vacation and come to these boards to get info and get excited about their trip. I'm not saying you shouldn't air your grievances here, I just saying you should take those grievances with a grain of salt. Don't let ANYONE ruin your vacation for you. That is what your family is for.

Edited March 22, 2015 by BendORcruiser

[bradleyk]

Thank you for posting about your cruise. I always look forward to Saturdays to see new reviews come in.

I have a question about the iconcierge app... did you call home with it or just use it on board?

Also just my $0.02 about changes to gratuity and increases in drink costs. For us it isn't a big deal. I will still tip my server and bartender in cash. I hear a lot of complaining about the changes, but honestly costs increase as the years pass, and what was normal 10 years ago is no longer the case.

[PathfinderEss]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise and thanks for your report.

[Windy56]

[quote=ictcruiser;

I've never understood why someone who does not like a certain line would even be on their board pages. I don't visit the other lines pages to post negative comments.

 

I am sorry, but I just don't understand your position. I thought the purpose of Cruise Critic was to exchange information and impressions about various ships and their itineraries. I just don't want to know the good. I want to know about service issues or features about the ship which might have disappointed cruisers.

 

People should be able to post negative comments, as well as positive comments. All of it is very useful to people who read these boards to determine which cruise lines and ship they want to try out in the future. I think it's important to point out that not ALL people who cruise stick to one cruise line for all of their vacations. I have yet to find a cruise line whose frequent cruiser perks have made me loyal to their brand. I get excited about trying out a new ship not about a few free drinks or a free bag of laundry.

 

So,yes, those people who haven't liked a certain line, whether it's NCL on this board or Carnival on another, should continue to post and express their unhappiness with changes in policy, or the level of service or the state of the ship. You can take them with a grain of salt or refute them, based on your experience.

 

Please make this forum a welcoming place for people to post their views, even if you don't agree with them. I want to read it all and because I have absolutely no loyalty to any of the cruise lines, I won't be offended. Nor should I be.

[Nola26]

The board has room for positive and negative. However to make multiple or unsolicited comments to discourage someone on the NCL board to not book with NCL because you don't like a recent change or policy is probably not in the spirit of the boards.

 

To say I won't book again or unless X changes is well within bounds, but to suggest others fall in line with that decision is a bit much.

 

OP thanks for sharing your experience so glad it was positive. We don't sail until August excitement is building.

[KeithJenner]

Just a quick question.

 

Do you have any idea of how many kids were onboard? Our Son has always loved the kids club, but I've heard stories of 1000+ kids being onboard the Getaway at this time of year, which I suspect would affect his enjoyment (and our queueing time at opening).

 

Did the kids club seen really crowded?

[GetawayCruiser]

Thank you for posting about your trip. Love gathering as much info on The Getaway as possible. 40 days and counting!

[aquarianne11]

Thanks for sharing your review. I'm glad you guys had a good time.

I agree with you about the buffet set up. Love the buffet set up of all the NCL ships that we have been on. No lines at all except for the live action stations (omelets, crepes, etc...). Lots of variety too!