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Feb 28 Getaway Review with pictures

nbsjcruiser

By nbsjcruiser,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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nbsjcruiser

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We were on the February 28th Western cruise on the Getaway last month. It was our 21st cruise and 3rd NCL cruise. I'll start off the review with a post detailing our experience on the ship and the shore stops and then I'll post a pile of pictures. I'm more into a picture review than words so I'll keep the actual review to the point and then go on to have quite a number of pictures.

 

So as I mentioned, this was our 3rd cruise on NCL. Generally we've been happy with how NCL does its thing and so we were looking forward to this. Given that we're diamond on RCI there will be the inevitable comparisons of course but don't take that to mean we're RCI snobs, we're not. In fact, we're both a little tired of RCI - we find the food and service there has been noticeably below standard on our last few cruises there so we've decided to see what's out there on other lines.

 

So lets get to it.

Pre-cruise:

We stayed at La Quinta in Deerfield which was ok. We flew in a few days early so we could enjoy a couple of days on the beach pre-cruise. While it was a bit cool, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and so we had two really nice days. One day we spent on FLL Beach and the other on Hollywood Beach. Of course we managed to get to Port Everglades for an afternoon of viewing cruise ships as they sailed out. There will be a few pictures of cruise ships of course.

 

Boarding - First Impressions:

The Getaway was the first really large NCL cruise ship for us and I was looking forward to seeing this beauty live in person. We arrived at the pier early, around 10AM and after a brief wait we were boarding the ship by 11:20 or so which is a typical experience. We did find the way they organized everyone in the pier before boarding to be rather hap hazard and confusing. We were given numbers which indicated out boarding group number, we were #1. When our time came to board there was nobody around to tell us which door to go through. We just followed the hoard, found out we were going the wrong way and then had to double back and go thorough a different area. We were genrally ok with the boarding process and we weren't long before we were chowing down in the Garden Buffet.

 

Food:

I'm really glad to report that we found the food to be much better than our last few RCI experiences. The one thing I really appreciated was that it was always hot. We didn't get a meal off temperature all week. O'Sheehan's wings were awesome – we did this place 3 times. Taste and Savor were both great experiences – hot food, good service and the breakfast in each dining room was very good. Our favourite dining venue was The Tropicana. We loved the atmosphere in there as well as the quality of the food. Service in there on the last night was a bit spotty but we found the same thing on the Pearl as well as the Sky. It wasn't a huge deal just an item of note. Cagney's was once again, knock your socks off good. Great steaks there – the best on the high seas that we've had the pleasure of tasting. Teppanyaki was a first for us and we quite enjoyed it. I have to admit I was unprepared for the quantity of food though. Wish I had been a bit hungrier going in there. Garden Cafe was a pleasant surprise for me. Generally I'm not a big buffet person on cruise ships – I find the food tends to be not as good, not as hot and not as varied as I would like it but that was not the case here. Great buffet for a ship I felt and the few times we dined there it was quite acceptable. All in all, I was hoping that we would enjoy the food and we did. For me if the food is good, everything else will be fine.

 

Ship:

The ship is quite beautiful to look at and it is well maintained but there is one area that I feel they missed the mark on. The pool area. I was really taken aback by how small this area was for a ship of that size. Getting some pool time was not possible most days sadly. The place was too crowded and too noisy to enjoy any time up there and if there was something going on like a contest or something then you simply were not going to get any pool time in. I have to admit this was disappointing. The design of the pool deck was done by someone who obviously never had to spend a week up there. DS and I did the water slides a few times and enjoyed that. We did the mini-golf as well a few times. One thing that we did enjoy (to my surprise) was the Mandara Spa. The week before we left we snagged a very good upgrade to a Spa Mini-Suite which gave us access to the Spa and boy did we use it. Even DW who doesn't frequent places like this used it once. The heated stone beds, steam room and therapy pool were 3 of our favourite places this week given the weather was not the greatest. I enjoyed the Spa so much that it is now a must-have on any cruise I go on from now on.

 

I found there were ample bars to be found of course but the drinks were really expensive and small too. Obviously if you don't have a drink package, you are paying through the nose. I thought that the casino was in an odd place – right beside some restaurants and the Atrium area. We enjoyed the outside Ocean Front walk area but I felt bad for the smokers in this area. The area in which they are confined is too small both on the Oceanfront and up on the top deck. I know some people feel the smaller the better but it really only makes matters worse, especially on the top deck. The fish bowl thing they set up with open areas in the glass walls creates a chimney effect and makes the situation worse. I felt that NCL should have done a better job for these folks.

 

We found the ship to be quite chopped up and compartmentalized making it a little more difficult to find your way around initially. This is probably because of our experience on the larger RCI ships with the Promenade. RCI knows how to lay out a ship and how to build a pool area that people will be happy to use. But after a couple days things were fine. One thing – having shows down by the customer service area is an odd thing to do. If you're trying to talk to someone at customer service you have to really strain to hear.

 

Spice H20 – we didn't spend much time up there. One day when I was hunting for a deck chair I ended up in there thinking I might find one. Nope. It was jammed with people and chairs were all used. This brings me to one item – locating a deck chair. While never a problem on RCI or on any other NCL ship I've been on, it was a problem on the Getaway. The chair hogs were as bad as I have seen on Carnival. Eventually I did find one but it took a lot of searching.

 

Entertainment:

Comedians were good and I enjoyed Headliners a couple of times. We also did burn the floor (excellent) and legally blonde (meh). Its always nice to see live bands and NCL made sure there were some excellent bands on this cruise. One in particular (cant remember their name) was really quite good. We didn't bother with the love and marriage show or whatever ts called – same ol same ol there.

 

Ports of Call:

Ocho Rios – we did a beach day at Bamboo Beach. That was nice. Our fee included transportation, drinks and food and I really liked what they did with the food. They came around and offered local foods which included Jerk Chicken of course. The beach was nice and the weather was very comfortable. Sunny and warm, although a little more heat would have been nice.

 

Grand Cayman – this was a beach day for us out at Calico Jacks but boy was it expensive. I think the food for 3 of us on the beach was close to $70. GC is not one of my favourite places to visit as there isn't really much to do to be honest but next time I go there I wouldn't go back to Calico Jacks. At one point I wanted a bucket of ice for the 4 bottles of water we purchased there and they wanted $13 for it. Nope. No thanks.

 

Cozumel – not much to report on here. We had intended on going to a resort that we went to in the past but it rained most of the day so we ended up hanging around town and then spending the late afternoon in the Spa.

 

GSC – an overcast day but still warm and at times a little sun peeked out. Ended up being a decent beach day.

 

Summary:

 

Overall, I'd give this cruise 8.5 out of 10. Really happy with the quality of the food and the great service in the dining venues so that makes it for me. Ship is a little too chopped up for me and too crowded on the pool deck for my liking. I probably would do another cruise on this class ship but because of the pool area it wouldn't be my first choice..

 

Great cruise, weather could have been better but 7 days in the Caribbean sure as hell beats 7 days at home in the snow any day. Thanks NCL for a great cruise.

 

Now for some pictures.

Edited by nbsjcruiser
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Now a few from Hollywood Beach. Incidentally, we ate lunch at Sapore Di Mare right on the boardwalk. This guy never disappoints. The pizza is always good and free bottled water while you wait is a nice touch. Even a free desert afterwards too! We'll be back.

 

As you can see, not a cloud in the sky this day.

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This is the new Margaritaville on Hollywood Beach

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A few pictures from Port Everglades. We really enjoy watching the cruise ships sail out of PE especially when you know you'll be on a cruise the next day.

 

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First one out of the chute - the Celebrity Constellation.

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Great photos of your sail-away, were you on an open deck or your balcony? It looks like a great spot.

 

Thanks - we were up on the deck above the pool for sailaway. I had thought about going down to the Oceanfront Walkway area on deck 7 (or is is deck 8, can't remember) but we ended up on the top deck.

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Our first dineer was in the Tropicana. We ate here 3 times during our cruise. Really enjoyed the ambiance of the place for a dinner and the food was good too.

 

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[YOUTUBE]H4vsGi6TNZQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[YOUTUBE]6hTVviL0WU4[/YOUTUBE]

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At Ocho Rios we spent the day at Bamboo Beach. It was an interesting day out there and we enjoyed our stay. Our fee included food and beverages for the day - lemonade, water beer and rum bunch. Good deal really.

 

A few pictures of the port area

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And some of Bamboo Beach

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