Getaway Review 11/20/16

[KarimaJ]

Background info:

I have only been on 2 other cruises (Royal and Disney) so I am certainly not a cruise expert here. We (me, hubby and 11 year old daughter) are not hard to please people, we roll with the punches and expect that things will not be 100% perfect. I did lots of research prior to booking the Getaway, so I was expecting things like small pool, smoky casino, slow service, etc… from other reviews I had read. I booked this ship primarily due to the abundance of kids activities available. This was a Thanksgiving cruise and the ship was full. On to the review.

 

Embarkation:

We arrived from Fort Lauderdale around 11:15am. There was a bit of a line outside the terminal but it moved quickly. Once inside we waited for about 10 minutes to check in. This went smoothly, no issues. We were herded into the big waiting room with our boarding number. We only waited for 5 minutes and our number was called and on we went. This went so smoothly, no chaos or crowded room to wait in. Maybe it was due to the time we arrived? However, once onboard there was no beautiful atrium to walk into. It was literally an area by the stairs and elevator and no one to greet you. This is way different then what I had experienced on other cruises. Then someone appeared and started telling people to go to the buffet to eat, rooms weren’t ready. Well then, that is that, nothing to make you feel special. Rooms were ready around 1:00, but we were bad and went to the room before the official announcement :)

 

Ship layout:

I read that some people did not like the layout of the ship. It didn’t bother me much, however we did not like that you cannot walk outside from the front to the back of the ship on any deck. We missed this. Also, I don’t believe you can go to the very front of the ship, it looked like it was for staff only.

Now for the casino and smoke, I agree with other reviewers here. They really should not allow smoking since the smoke does travel around Deck 7 and 8 in the open areas. My hubby agrees with this and he is a smoker. Our cabin was on Deck 8 but it did not travel that far. Shanghai Noodle bar is right next to the casino which is weird since it is an open dinner venue, meaning it’s really a bunch of tall tables smack dab next to the slot machines, no walls or anything shielding it. We did eat there and it wasn’t horrible but you could still smell the smoke.

I also agree with other reviewers about the terrible location of guest services. They do many activities in the Atrium area (movies, games, Q&A speeches, singing, kids activities) and it is a challenge to be at guest services, onboard credit, and shore excursion desks and actually hear the person. I did this a few times. The coffee café and another bar are there as well. Some activities should be moved to the theater where there is more room, many times there was not enough seating for everyone. It was nice to sit at O’Sheehans and look down below at the Atrium when activities were going on though.

 

Rooms:

We had a regular balcony room, yes the balcony was tiny. I made due with it but hubby didn’t like it. I mostly used it to hang wet clothes to dry in the breeze. The room was big enough for the 3 of us, lots of storage. We actually didn’t realize there was storage under the couch until the end of the cruise but we didn’t really need it. The bathroom was a nice size and had a good amount of storage as well. The TV channels weren’t great, there was a kids movie channel and regular movie channel with some good movies. They changed them every couple days. I remember seeing the Good Dinosaur, Miracles From Heaven, Rocky 6(?), Sponge Bob. Our room steward Billy was good, we got towel animals every night except the first night. Again, we aren’t hard to please as long as we have towels when we need them. We always re-use them a couple times before trading them in for new. Just leave them on the floor when you want new ones. I brought along these magnetic hooks for the wall, this helped a lot with hanging bathing suits, towels, notices, anything else. I did forget to bring a night light which would have been good. So we just left the bathroom light on and cracked the door. Not a good use of electricity but we needed something.

 

Dining and food:

I like and don’t like the freestyle dining concept. We made some reservations ahead but didn’t always use them since we either weren’t hungry or doing other things. We couldn’t get into Savor one night so we went across to Taste instead. We ate at Tropicana twice, Taste, O’Sheehans and Shanghai noddle bar. We liked Tropicana best due to the entertainment they have there and a fabulous waiter named Orlando. We requested him the second time and gave him some extra $$, he was that good and friendly and attentive. I know some folks were not happy with the food or service but I never had a problem. Food was always warm and the wait staff was always pleasant and friendly. The bread was never warm but we requested it to be warmed and they did. We never had one of those 2.5 hour dining experiences that I heard about so I was pleasantly surprised there. Our longest was maybe at most 1.5 hours at Taste. We were usually done in 1 hour, we also don't eat early, typically around 7:30-8:00. Our ship was full, according to staff it hasn’t been full like that in a while. My hubby thought the Noodle bar wasn’t good, but the beef noodle dish was pretty good and my daughter loved the glass noodle/chicken soup dish. The dessert wasn’t good there. So off to the buffet for some ice cream. The chocolate lava cake was really good in the dining rooms! In general I liked the food better than my hubby did but we always found something we liked. There were a lot of items on the dining room menus that had a hefty upcharge, this was a little over the top.

We were pleased with the buffet. We ate there for every breakfast, lunch and 2 dinners (for Prime Rib). Always something that was good. Hubby was very happy to always have a small selection of Indian food. If he goes more than a couple days with no Indian food he isn’t happy. We found the desserts to be mostly subpar with a few exceptions. On Thanksgiving the pumpkin cheesecake was good, but the apple pie was never good. So I usually grabbed an ice cream cone, they have soft serve machines and scooped hard ice cream. Buffet was usually crowded but that is true of all cruises I think. But there was always somewhere to sit. People generally weren’t rude or pushy so that was good.

 

Pool:

As expected they are tiny and inadequate. We didn’t go in the adult pool but I did try the kids pool with my daughter. I wasn’t kicked out by the lifeguard :) It was so salty that it stung, so we only did it once. The twisty slides were fun and fast, we did those a few times. On sea day a lot of people were drinking quite a bit by the adult pool so we steered clear and sat more toward the kids pool area. The music is loud and we aren’t noise people. On the sea day we went to the pool around 9:30am and there were plenty of chairs in the shade for us. Staff came around with fruit kabobs once day and frozen grape kabobs another day, nice touch. Spice H2O is at the back of the ship and we thought it smelled like exhaust so we only went there for the Glow party. I miss having a nice free adult only pool area.

 

Drinks:

We didn’t have the UBP since we aren’t big drinkers, I didn’t think we would spend $180 in drinks to make it worth it. However we spent about $140 in drinks and would probably have had a few more if we got the UBP. The fruity drinks I like are pricy and I found them to be a bit weak. When I ordered a top shelf vodka drink by accident it was really strong, but cost $20, ugh….The auto gratuity that is added on every drink is a bit much. This is why I think just getting the UBP would have been worth it since we conserved a bit there due to cost. There were a few waiters circulating the pool area.

 

Kids Stuff:

We didn’t do the kids club since she hated it on Disney and wouldn’t try it. But she made a friend and the parents switched off keeping an eye on them. They loved the ropes course but were too big for the bungee jump. We played mini golf and attended the ice carving, towel animal folding and cupcake decorating. She liked playing Deal or No Deal though I thought it was a pricy ($20) and not much chance of winning anything. She also went to the nice quiet Haven pool with her buddy which she loved of course.

 

Service:

We were very happy with the service. I was expecting unhappy staff according to some review so were pleased that everyone we encountered was upbeat and friendly. Going into the buffet, bartenders, waiters, room steward, all were talkative and happy. A lot of them remembered our names, I have no idea how. We were told that they do get a little lower salary then other cruise lines but it is a more relaxed environment to work in. As I mentioned earlier we gave Orlando and our room steward extra $$ at the end because they were great. And I tipped the bartenders a few times as well, they were busting their butts.

 

Shows:

Burn the Floor was fantastic. The dancers were great and entertaining. There is no plot it is just dancing but we all liked it a lot. The Glow party was a lot of fun (wear your neon or white) but we only stayed an hour, it was pretty loud and like I said it isn’t really our scene. The Farewell show was good, a little too much singing but the Burn the Floor cast comes out again. It’s nice to see the staff come out on stage too. They also show a little movie from people they videoed during the ships events. Glad we missed a couple of those pool games, didn’t seem kid appropriate from what I saw in the movie. Also Howl at the Moon was fun. The sign says adult only after 11:00 but at 10;15 it was getting pretty racy (do people still use that word?) for my daughter so we left.

 

Ports:

Roatan: We went to Little French Key and loved it! Going outside the gates was not as bad as I thought. Sure, people were trying to flag you over to sell excursions but they directed us to Larry when we told them we were going to LFK. On the ride over you can tell it’s a poor island especially near the port area. At LFK my daughter loved jumping off the platform into the ocean and swimming around in the clear blue water.

 

Harvest Kay: The weather was not great but we went over and got a spot by the enormous pool. The pool bartenders couldn’t keep up with demand, but they are prob still working out the kinks. You can use your room card to charge things. We didn’t enjoy the beach, it was coarse sand with broken shells throughout. Not like Roatan beaches at all. Due to the rain we left after a couple hours. Glad we didn’t spend money on a cabana. I would do something different next time we go there.

 

Cozumel: We took a taxi to Paradise beach. This was a highlight, my daughter loved the inflatables in the ocean and the big pool. The place was super clean and wait staff was great. The food was alright and the drinks were good quality. We stayed for about 3.5 hours and it only ended up costing us about $100 total. The shopping in Cozumel is pretty good and they have a nice shopping area. My daughter got her hair braided for $30.

 

Costa Maya: We liked this port. We spent about 3 hours at the Lost Maya Water Park. There were hardly any lines so we did everything except the big zip line, I don’t like heights. The park is clean and they are very safety conscious. The face first racing slides were our favorite. We liked the Costa Maya port even though it is fake and manufactured. We did some shopping there.

 

Disembark:

We had a late flight so we took a later disembark tag. This did not go smoothly. We sat in a lounge area for quite a while and the lines looked miserable. They kept announcing that the terminal was at capacity and please be patient. I don’t remember it this bad on previous cruises. I think the early walk off with your own bags is a better bet. Finally around 9:45 we decided to get up and the lines were moving at least. Found our bags and customs was quick.

 

Conclusion:

We had a great cruise overall and would possibly do the Getaway again, however I think we would try another ship first. The pool was disappointing and I miss having a quiet free adult pool area like on Royal. Spice didn’t cut it for us because we thought it smelled bad. Loved the service! Bon Voyage!

Edited November 29, 2016 by KarimaJ

[medic254]

I sail on the getaway on march 19th thanks for the great review

:)

[Clarea]

Excellent report, thank-you.

[KarimaJ]

Let me know if you have any questions.

[cruising_Bif]

How did the ship handle full capacity? Did it seem crowded in the inside public areas?

[Two Wheels Only]

It didn’t bother me much, however we did not like that you cannot walk outside from the front to the back of the ship on any deck. We missed this.

The Waterfront would have been your best bet. It wouldn't get you all the way from bow to stern to bow but it's close enough.

Edited November 29, 2016 by Two Wheels Only

[KarimaJ]

How did the ship handle full capacity? Did it seem crowded in the inside public areas?

 

 

I was surprised that is was handled well. At times on sea days things like the rope course had long waits. But there was always pool chairs available. People have complained about that but maybe they wanted the sun or to be right by the pool. We wanted shade and away from the noise. Sometimes the elevators would be full, but that didn't bother us. strangely the theater was never full. But we did things like the late show and dined later as well. It may have been more crowded at family dining times. I did notice that O'Sheehans would get very busy since people liked to sit at the bar table overlooking the Atrium when activities were going on.

 

 

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[KarimaJ]

The Waterfront would have been your best bet. It wouldn't get you all the way from bow to stern to bow but it's close enough.

 

 

Yes we did that but it was still different then an open loop. They had those glass "doorways" of sorts to weave around.

 

 

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[wizdiz]

Thanks very much for your review. I leave on the Getaway on Sunday and your review was helpful.

[felixdacat]

Bring your own bag was just as bad, if not worse to get off on Sunday STood in line for at least an hour!!

 

The boat never felt over crowded, even though it was full during the cruise itself.

 

I wish the Atrium was like other cruise lines where it extends up a few floors more. The entertainment was very good. I thought the food was not warm at times, and we had mixed reviews of the dining room. Traveling with my parents, we tended to eat in the main dining rooms every night.

 

Biggest complaint are all the upcharges. Yes, all cruise lines have them, but they seem to charge more than others. Also their onboard app to contact others in your party is not the best and doesnt always deliver messages. Most movies on the TV were a charge. The drinks if you did not have a package were pricy.

 

To be honest, I wish we would have done Belize itself instead of Harvest Cay. With bad weather it was sorta a wasted type of day.

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[easyboy]

Great review. Thanks.

 

 

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[coach jim]

Thanks for your great review. Really well balanced. We leave on the Getaway on Feb 19th. Looking forward to it and getting out of the cold.

 

Coach Jim

[KarimaJ]

Thanks for your great review. Really well balanced. We leave on the Getaway on Feb 19th. Looking forward to it and getting out of the cold.

 

 

 

Coach Jim

 

 

Hey, anything is better then the freezing cold. Have fun! I almost don't believe the reviews when people said service was so slow and bad. We had such great experience with staff and the dining rooms. Such a contrast to what we saw. But I'm sure staff rotates and people have bad days.

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

Thank you for the review!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[KarimaJ]

Couple more things I thought of. I thought the pizza was terrible. Thick slab of cheese and I didn't like the sauce. Good thing there was plenty of food to pick from [emoji4] I also didn't like the free coffee either, I think I only had it once. The lime and raspberry sherbet were good, and the soft serve machine of course. And I really liked those pretzel rolls on the buffet, give them a try.

 

 

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[40yearcruiser]

Thanks for your review. We are on the Getaway Dec. 18 for the Christmas cruise. I expect the ship will be packed, and lots of children. We won't be cruising with children this time so, although I like kids, hope we can find some quiet spaces for at least part of the time. Looking forward to a great cruise!

[KarimaJ]

Thanks for your review. We are on the Getaway Dec. 18 for the Christmas cruise. I expect the ship will be packed, and lots of children. We won't be cruising with children this time so, although I like kids, hope we can find some quiet spaces for at least part of the time. Looking forward to a great cruise!

 

 

Yes you go to Spice H2O or buy a Vibe pass. We just didn't like the exhaust smell at Spice during the Glow party, but maybe it was just the way the wind was blowing that evening? It was pretty windy. Also I know what you mean, when we don't travel with my daughter we are looking for non-kid stuff to do [emoji6]

 

 

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Edited December 1, 2016 by KarimaJ

[rpk113]

I was on the cruise as well.. I was very skeptical of NCL after cruising with Disney and Royal. We were a party of 10 and were treated very well. We would go back on NCL. Only hitch, they lost one of our bags going from ship to terminal in Miami. YAY!!!

[Bootman4U]

My question about ANY of the food you thought wasn't warm, etc.: did you consider having it sent back?

 

I have yet to be on any ship on which somebody doesn't feel entitled and saves a whole bunch of poolside loungers, or worse, an entire row of seats for shows because "they're not here yet."

 

Thanks for your honest and thoughtful review. I can tell you your experience might have been very different had you been in The Haven: pricey but it changes everything, or at least most things.

[KarimaJ]

My question about ANY of the food you thought wasn't warm, etc.: did you consider having it sent back?

 

 

 

I have yet to be on any ship on which somebody doesn't feel entitled and saves a whole bunch of poolside loungers, or worse, an entire row of seats for shows because "they're not here yet."

 

 

 

Thanks for your honest and thoughtful review. I can tell you your experience might have been very different had you been in The Haven: pricey but it changes everything, or at least most things.

 

 

Maybe it was someone else, but I think I only mentioned that the bread wasn't warm. But they did warm it when we asked them to. Personally I don't really think the high Haven price is worth it for me but others may feel differently.

 

 

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[Mrs. Squirrel]

I was on the same Thanksgiving sailing. and was also pleasantly suprised by this cruise! As a previously loyal NCL cruiser, I had been put off by a bad food allergy experience onboard the Sun in 2015. This was Norwegian's chance to win me back as a customer, and they sure did!

 

Loved the spa, Waterfront area, food, food allergy handling (gluten free due to Celiac), Ship's amenities, first time as Platinim benefits, the crew and the port stops.

 

Hated the pool area. Agree with OP that disembarkation was the worst ever. Had to have been many missed flights that day! Also the Thanksgiving turkey served in the Dining Rooms was a pressed turkey roll and not real turkey. YUCK! Although sides were great.

 

 

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[PhillyTravelBug]

Isn't Little French Key awesome? Beautiful place, wonderful animals, and a variety of activities.

[KarimaJ]

Isn't Little French Key awesome? Beautiful place, wonderful animals, and a variety of activities.

 

 

We loved it, my daughter wouldn't come out of the water. There aren't many animals left since they were seized but still had a great time.

 

 

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