Second guessing my Getaway booking...

[losbun]

I have not been on Getaway but have sailed Breakaway (sister ship) as well Carnival Glory just a few weeks ago. Glory was our first Carnival cruise; I loved the itinerary, thought the food and service was good, but there was no comparison to NCL entertainment. It was only my DH and I on the Glory and I kept thinking how bored our DD (she is 19) would have been if she were with us. Some evenings the only thing to do was spend time in the bars or casino - I like to spend a little time there but not a whole night several nights because there are no other choices.

 

As far as crowds, we were on the Breakaway during a peak time (July 4th) and it didn't seem more crowded to me than the other ships we have been on. The balconies are small - if you decide to keep your reservation maybe look into the large balcony cabins. We had a mini suite with large balcony on the 8th floor and loved it!

 

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping someone who had been on both would give their opinion. That was what I wondering about the Glory and why I didn't book it in the first place. Too bad because the itinerary is great but I just don't think DH and the boys will be happy.

[SuiteTraveler]

I was on the Getaway less than 6 months ago. It is an awesome ship. The main pool is crowded, but then we don't tend to sit in the sun around a pool - in fact, we avoid that area of the ship entirely. We were in a Spa Suite, so we spent a lot of time in the spa - it is awesome and uncrowded. Kids on the ship did lots of water slides, ropes course, rock wall climbing, mini golf, bowling, arcade, 3D movies and kids clubs. They were busy! Kids loved the buffet's comprehensive food choices although the buffet was chaotic. We don't eat in there anyway. It was interesting to walk through and thank my lucky stars I've never had to work in such a chaotic environment.

 

Book restaurants and shows before your cruise. Reservations make it easy to eat exactly when you want to eat. Cagney's and Le Bistro were constantly full. Less so for Moderno and Teppanyaki and Ocean Blue. There is literally so much to do on this ship you cannot do it all in one week. We really didn't have any issues with crowding - maybe because we were in the Haven?

 

Negatives...well about all I can think of is that which we didn't use - the overcrowded pool deck and buffet. Otherwise, we were really happy with our cruise.

[mpcaruth]

Okay, I just read your sunshine review. What a great review! One can tell that you have a great sense of humor and I think we're very similar in what were looking for in a vacation and blending fun, adventure and value. And OMG your spreadsheet is genius - I am so stealing that.

 

I agree with you that I think at this point it's between Getaway and Sunshine. Personally I think the Sunshine makes more sense but I'll let the family decide what they want to do. Although after reading your review I'm going to go one last time and look for the same itinerary you did because I'm dying to go to Belize.

Thanks! I really like Belize. It's what I call a "real" port. It not a destination that was created for tourists. (Like New Orleans is real with history and culture, but Vegas is not). We have been cave tubing and to the Mayan ruins, well a Caulker Caye while on the Sunshine. There are still a few more excursions we want to do there. (My other reviews linked in my signature have lots of port details and photos... you may want to look into an Aruba and Curacao cruise.)

 

I think your family will have a great time with either the Sunshine or the Getaway. Enjoy your cruise!