NCL Getaway Redux - Live Junket from 12/31/22 - 1/8/23

[cruiseinfoseeker]

29 minutes ago, MCMC100 said:

Any information regarding bands/entertainment would be appreciated. There are postings saying the Getaway currently has very limited entertainment. The show Junk’d and Syd Normans Pourhouse no longer appear as entertainment options for our cruise (1/20). A prior passenger has commented that Syd Normans does not have the traditional rock n roll show-only karaoke at night. This would bring me great sadness if true. Thanks….Happy New Year.  (I’m a Syracuse area fella, but know Utica well.)

im going to chime in here. I am on the 1/8 sailing. A person who has been a group member for that sailing on some other site had said a few weeks back that her daughter is one of the singers at Syds (and would be on our sailing 1/8 as that is why she was going). So when I read this week that there was no band there I asked her if her daughter was on anymore. She indicated that the band isn't on any more and they have no indication whatsoever when (or if) they are going back. The lady was heartbroken and might cancel because of this. I didn't ask for any further details as it seemed tacky to do that. But the way she expressed it was obvious that her daughter and the band had every intention of being on at this point because the mother would not have booked the cruise in that case.

 

---Now, was the contract over and they weren't renewed? Were they displaced mid-contract? Are they negotiating?...etc?, etc?, etc? (insert any number of rampant speculations here). She did not give any details that would help determine the reason.  But I will say, this is --to me-- a reliable source. Enough so that I feel comfortable making this comment. It is not a friend of a friend that "heard" from whatever unknown bla, bla, bla that "read" it somewhere. 

[Laszlo]

5 minutes ago, cruiseinfoseeker said:

im going to chime in here. I am on the 1/8 sailing. A person who has been a group member for that sailing on some other site had said a few weeks back that her daughter is one of the singers at Syds (and would be on our sailing 1/8 as that is why she was going). So when I read this week that there was no band there I asked her if her daughter was on anymore. She indicated that the band isn't on any more and they have no indication whatsoever when (or if) they are going back. The lady was heartbroken and might cancel because of this. I didn't ask for any further details as it seemed tacky to do that. But the way she expressed it was obvious that her daughter and the band had every intention of being on at this point because the mother would not have booked the cruise in that case.

 

---Now, was the contract over and they weren't renewed? Were they displaced mid-contract? Are they negotiating?...etc?, etc?, etc? (insert any number of rampant speculations here). She did not give any details that would help determine the reason.  But I will say, this is --to me-- a reliable source. Enough so that I feel comfortable making this comment. It is not a friend of a friend that "heard" from whatever unknown bla, bla, bla that "read" it somewhere. 

Hopefully we will have a band

[MCMC100]

Thanks for the info.

I agree with poster above that this seems to be a larger issue. Syd Normans no longer appears as a venue. It has completely disappeared from NCL marketing-it’s not shown as entertainment or one of the bars for either my specific cruise on my app or under the “explore” tab for the GA at NCL.com. Perhaps a rebranding?

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, cruiseinfoseeker said:

@cruiseny4life 

Did Alex give you the entertainment sheet for the week upon your arrival? If so, can you post a pic of that at some point before you give it back (if you didn't already give it back)

 

(sorry I'm just shooting questions out to you as they pop into my head)

His assistant, I can't spell his name yet, did when we were waiting to board. I dont have a copy but found this at the concierge desk. It's the same sheet we had in the pier.

 

 

 

[cruiseinfoseeker]

1 minute ago, Laszlo said:

Hopefully we will have a band

This group was specific for Syd's, and I *think*  only ever played that venue.

I believe there is a band on now..Zinnhit or something or other with a "Z" 😉

They were on when I sailed Getaway over Thanksgiving. I cannot speak to their quality as I am a recent recipient of cochlear implants so live music has been really iffy for me.

[cruiseny4life]

5 hours ago, Laszlo said:

Hopefully the fog will lift for sail-away. In the Philly burbs the visibility at the moment is less than a quarter mile

We are a-fog hornin' it down the Hudson.

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, JGmf said:

 

I equally love the outside part of the Sugarcane bar.  July is a terrific bartender and fun person.  We cruised with him in late September and he made our hurricane-diverted trip pretty great nonetheless. 

 

When we were with him, he said he was leaving the Getaway for another ship...forgot which one though...

 

Noooooooooooo! I haven't been down there yet. I know crew rotate, but I do enjoy seeing the same ones on subsequent cruises. It's also great to get to know new ones. Our butler, Francis, is a really affable guy and we're going to enjoy getting to know him.

[cruiseinfoseeker]

2 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

His assistant, I can't spell his name yet, did when we were waiting to board. I dont have a copy but found this at the concierge desk. It's the same sheet we had in the pier.

 

 

 

my hero 🦹⭐

 

I am ever so grateful for your help....OMG I am going to take it too far now though and you are going to tell me to take a flying leap...so when you are back in your cabin, (aft penthouse; right?) can you take a picture of the inside of the closet in the living area. My son will be with us and I wanted to know if it was full length or cubbies or 1/2 and 1/2.  I have been trying to find a video on youtube or a picture somewhere for the last (well I don't even want to say how long...too long for this type thing) 

 

Its perfectly alright to tell me to p*** off.

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, scaaty said:

@cruiseny4life Did you happen to notice how crowded the pier parking was?Am debating whether to drive or cab it. Leaving on the Gem on Monday

I did notice the rooftop. It looked like there were very, very few spaces. This cruise is fully, fully booked so a cab might be best. But, the Gem passengers will open some spaces up, so you may find a spot.

[cruiseny4life]

Quick update- we are getting close to open ocean and will be purchasing WiFi tomorrow, so I may go silent for a bit.

 

Currently in the Haven. We've enjoyed out shrimp and are waiting for the steak and prime rib.

 

my shrimp cocktail - a normal six shrimps. 

 

 

My husband's 13 piece shrimp cocktail. We were able to talk with Darius(z?), Restaurant Manager. He was on in September, training with Dusan. Dusan will be back later in January. 

 

 

Happy New Year if I'm not around later!

[YVRteacher]

Enjoy your cruise!

[bren61]

Wishing you a wonderful cruise!! 

 

My husband and I are on the Jan 20th sailing for 12 night Southern Caribbean cruise and are a little concerned about lack of entertainment being only 3 shows for the 12 nights. If you get a chance, can you see if they are working on getting new entertainment on board anytime soon. I also heard the comedians, magicians, etc were not that good. We love to play cards & can have our own entertainment to occupy some of our time, but we love the shows, etc and that is a big factor in our cruising, so hoping that they will have something to replace Syd Norman or they get  new decent comedy or side shows.

 

We love the longer cruises & itinerary NCL offers, but prefer RCL's entertainment much more, we seem to flip flop between the 2 lines. 

 

 

[Laszlo]

16 minutes ago, bren61 said:

Wishing you a wonderful cruise!! 

 

My husband and I are on the Jan 20th sailing for 12 night Southern Caribbean cruise and are a little concerned about lack of entertainment being only 3 shows for the 12 nights. If you get a chance, can you see if they are working on getting new entertainment on board anytime soon. I also heard the comedians, magicians, etc were not that good. We love to play cards & can have our own entertainment to occupy some of our time, but we love the shows, etc and that is a big factor in our cruising, so hoping that they will have something to replace Syd Norman or they get  new decent comedy or side shows.

 

We love the longer cruises & itinerary NCL offers, but prefer RCL's entertainment much more, we seem to flip flop between the 2 lines. 

 

 

Follow along here.....   

I'm getting more annoyed with NCL everyday. Our itinerary has changed, loosing a port.... now it sounds like the ship will be short on entertainment

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

 

Life is grand aboard Getaway! 

 

Happy New Year! 2023 wake up with pastries, fruits, and a cup of Nespresso. Courtesy, not of our butler, but of my wonderful husband! First day of the year and he's already won best husband award! 

 

Why? I slept until 10 and he got bored, so wandered to the Haven to get some pastries (almond croissants, included), cut up fruit, and cheese. I swear I didn't even drink that much last night...probably five or six drinks, but every one was strong and healthy.

 

We had a hilarious time with the comedia. Husband was dressed in his all orange SU tshirt and shorts. I, in my blueberry tshirt and shorts. We're a wee bit fruity. The comedian loved us, of course we were in the second row displaying all the bright colors. In front of us was a muscleman California guy and his Ukrainian boy friend...but we discovered (much to the comic's surprise) both are straight. Ukraine matters, because everyone also found out I'm married to a Russian. And, as should happen in the world, there were effusive hellos. Peace on a ship! If only we all could be that way.

 

Well, except for the jacka$$ behind us who wanted the comic to tell Biden jokes. Come on man, we all love grandpa Biden! Leave him alone...alas, before the politics, the comic had a great show. FYI to dummies, don't ask for political jokes. I can make a lot about the previous guy.

 

Here's everyone from the Haven crowded in the elevator heading to the show at 11.

 

 

Anyway, the Haven NYE dinner was excellent! Prime rib was a wee bit tough, but yummy, nonetheless. We started with shrimp cocktail though. You know, the big shrimp. 

 

13 here for husband

 

 

6 here for me

 

 

The maitre d came over to say, "well, I guess you've been here before." We had a nice conversation with him. Darius will be leaving in a few weeks and Dusan will be back. He's supposed to already be back, but isn't. Rose, as always was a wonderfully attentive server. My husband says I have a crush on Ya Highness (I'm totally spelling his name wrong). We had him in April and he's back. He's always the kindest man ever!

 

Here's our meal

 

 

 

After dinner we made great use of our thermal suite pass. Loungers were readily available and the big pool of bubbles was ours alone. What a great evening!

[Laszlo]

Does Syd Norman's have a band? 

 

[rjm11]

about those shrimp cocktails.... was that a special for the evening? Or did you ask for it just as an "off menu" item? I didn't recall that they had plain shrimp cocktail on the haven dinner menu, but if you can still get it with a request that's great!

[cruiseny4life]

A fun story before the comedy show. Last night we were wondering when our luggage would arrive. There's no priority, even though our tags claim priority. 

 

Our room steward brought our bag as we were in our conversation. She asked how many more we had. The answer was "that's all, just one." Her response was to call us "good, good, very good travelers," and to thank us profusely for not having four and five bags as many rooms had.

[cruiseny4life]

We are I'm the front row of the Illusionarium. I'm a bit scared of being called out again. My husband enjoys the attention. 

 

I have my liquid courage in the form of coconut rum and other lovely liquids. He's enjoying the non-alcoholic embarkation drink. Instead of the traditional raspberry, he has strawberry puree. It is a quite lovely NA drink.

 

 

What's interesting to me is that we have become some of the Haven barflies. A nom-drinker and shynl guy. Naveen and Anita just take really great care of us. Anita says she will get my sober, stubborn husband to drink by the end of the cruise. I hope so! It's not an AA thing yall, he just dislikes booze.

 

[Seas2mountains]

30 minutes ago, rjm11 said:

about those shrimp cocktails.... was that a special for the evening? Or did you ask for it just as an "off menu" item? I didn't recall that they had plain shrimp cocktail on the haven dinner menu, but if you can still get it with a request that's great!

We were on the Getaway in the Haven in mid-September.  @cruiseny4life was on the cruise before ours and let us know in a live review about ordering shrimp cocktail “off menu” for dinner.  They will ask how many shrimp you want. 
 

@cruiseny4life it looks like you are having an amazing start to your cruise!  Love the photos and updates! 😁 Is there any way you can find out what is going on in Syd Norman’s with the band and if there is one this week?  There apparently wasn’t one last week. I know on our September cruise, the band played maybe 3 out of 10 nights. Now there are several posts on CC about Syd Norman’s with many guesses about the plans for the venue.  Thank you if you have time to get info on this!   Enjoy the rest of your cruise! 

[cruiseny4life]

5 hours ago, Laszlo said:

Does Syd Norman's have a band? 

 

 

50 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

 

@cruiseny4life it looks like you are having an amazing start to your cruise!  Love the photos and updates! 😁 Is there any way you can find out what is going on in Syd Norman’s with the band and if there is one this week?  There apparently wasn’t one last week. I know on our September cruise, the band played maybe 3 out of 10 nights. Now there are several posts on CC about Syd Norman’s with many guesses about the plans for the venue.  Thank you if you have time to get info on this!   Enjoy the rest of your cruise! 

I will be asking the concierge tomorrow. I wanted to ask him today on the escort down to the comedy show, but I didn't have time. I shall have the answer tomorrow.

 

At this point I've seen no live music in Syd's.

[cruiseny4life]

Fast facts from Meet and Greet

 

 

 

Metin, the GM shared the following (he's the baldy on the right side standing up):

 

4,424 passengers onboard (99.9% full, not double occupancy, but full, full)

 

1,450 crew - this is 300 more than our more than double occupancy full (4,100) cruise I'm April. It's 150 less than our 35% full cruise in September. Funny how those numbers work, eh?

 

We are going full speed to Orlando as it's the only way to get there in such short time. I wonder if last week's cruisers would agree? They departed NYC at 6 AM the next day and still made it to Orlando on time. But! He's the GM, not the Captain, so I'll excuse his mistake.

 

That's everything I remember. There were no "gotcha" questions. We learned about the eggs and bacon onboard. They said one chicken produces the thousands of eggs. What about all that bacon? Is it one hog?

 

The GM did claim that NCL reads the comments on Cruise Critic to see how we feel about changes. (And to laugh at our constant gratuity threads, I'm sure). 

 

Good times and thanks @circus12345for taking the time to organize the Meet and Greet. There was a gift exchange after. We didn't participate in this, but had s fine conversation with a passenger. 

 

This person and I share a mutual friend. She brought up a lot of memories of that guy, and how I'm a little thankful I don't see him almost every day now. Nice guy, but arrogant (for no reason). Anyway, the fellow passenger is a LGBT (alphabet soup) counselor. I remarked that she would be perfect for us as we're the G in the soup. Alas, no counseling occurred. She was happy to enjoy not having to work. I understand. 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

Unlike yesterday morning, I saw the sunrise today. I attribute this to going to sleep at 11 instead of 1. I prefer 9, but we're on a cruise!

 

 

Last night at 9:44 I did wander around looking for food. Nothing really to be had. Buffet was done and the sneeze guards were being cleaned of our sneezes.

 

I suppose I could have gone to O'Sheehans, but I took the stairs from Deck 6 to Deck 15. I don't want a repeat of this so quickly. So, I went to the Haven Restaurant as I knew my husband was there having a shrimp cocktail. @rjm11, @Seas2mountains explained the shrimp cocktail. Do not be fooled by the Shrimp Louie. Anyway Yohanes (I finally figured out how to spell his name) offered me wine, food, and water. I accepted the water even though I was in search of food.

 

1. I didn't want fancy food, hence my buffet try. 

2. It was 944, the crew work hard. I'm not going to be that guy.

3. There's always room service pizza, delivered for free, as a Haven perk.

4. We have peanut M&Ms and gummy bears in our room. I chose this option.

 

One thing about the Haven, they are surprised when you don't want to eat. The manager came over to say hi. My husband told me later, that the manager sat him. Alex said he just wanted a shrimp cocktail as he was sat, nothing cooked. Darius told Yohanes this, and that it would be a big order of shrimp. It was only ten last night.

 

Be cautious late night hungry folks. It's O'Sheehans, room service, or nothing after 9:30 or 10'ish at night.

[cruiseny4life]

Gosh! I forgot the most important part! 

 

On New Year's Eve, the comedian stated the average age of passengers is 37. Yesterday the GM said the average age is 40 or 41. I'm glad I'm below average in this case!

 

There are a lot of younger cruisers onboard. Not many folks over 55 or 60. I did make the acquaintance of one who repeated how great a football club Syraucse University had. He said my husband and I really look like fans. Probably because we're fat.

 

I guess it could be the bright orange Syracuse Orange shirt my husband has worn the last couple nights. Anyway, we went to my husband's first ever football game at the Carrier Dome last fall. We were.promised free food. We didn't care about the game.

[cruiseny4life]

Interesting find on the balcony this morning. Someone tried to toss their drink overboard but it looks like it landed on deck 13. I know it's not mine, because I would have eaten the pineapple. 

 

 

And yes, I'm cleaning the mess up. You drunks stop having such a good time!

Edited January 2, 2023 by cruiseny4life

[BostonTwo]

Are there many other gay couples on board this sailing in The Haven? On the ship as a whole?