Semi-Live from the Getaway 3/26-4/5

[Malamel]

I love reading these reviews, so hopefully I can keep this up through my cruise.  I’m starting this now just to push off packing for a little longer 😂

 

I booked this kind of last minute (for me), I like to book at least 6 months out, this I booked in January when work changed our blackout days for inventory.  This will be my 7th cruise, 4th on NCL, and 4th solo.  I have only cruised out of New York or New Jersey, I’m not a huge fan of flying (and the luggage restrictions that come along with it).  

 

My last NCL cruise was the Breakaway to Bermuda in Sept 2021.  It was the first NCL cruise leaving from NYC after the covid shut downs, we ended up sailing around 30% capacity, and this current cruise is just about sold out, so that’ll be rough to adjust to.

 

I will be in a studio stateroom this time around, I wanted a balcony, but the price was right.  I did buy a thermal suite pass, I like having somewhere to relax with a pool that’s out of the direct sun.  I will be booking some spa treatments once on board.  I usually do a spa day for my birthday (May) but I’ll be spending that spa money on this cruise instead.  

 

I did get the Free at Sea when I booked.  A couple weeks ago while looking into upgrading to unlimited Wi-Fi (199), I saw the Free at Sea Plus for only $420.   I ended up booking this, as it included another 2 specialty meals, plus the Premium Plus beverage package.  I don’t drink a lot of alcohol, but this includes water, so for 10 days the price worked for me.

 

The only excursion I booked so far is transportation to Disney Springs.  I did look into Universal, but as we are there during a peak ticket price time, it would have been $204, and I didn’t want to spend that.  

 

I reserved dinners at Cagney, Moderno, and La Cucina.

 

I’m work in a casual environment and pretty much live in sweatpants at home, so I try to dress up a bit on cruises.  Trying to pack 10 days worth of options into 1 suitcase is a little rough though.  

[TYTY]

Malamel - I hope you continue your sem-live report. I would love to read it.

[cruiservictor]

14 minutes ago, TYTY said:

Malamel - I hope you continue your sem-live report. I would love to read it.

Me too, @Malamel  Looking forward to reading it. 

[amygutman]

Very much looking forward to this review as I have all the Getaway reviews. As an Orlando resident, let me offer a warning about Disney Springs - it is an incredibly crowded, overpriced glorified upscale outdoor mall. Plus, it's about an hour drive which is a lot of time to spend on a bus when you should be enjoying your vacation. There are many other great ways to spend a day in Port Canaveral unless you have something very specific you are looking for at the Springs.

 

Honestly, you will never beat the fun of Kennedy Space Center and it's literally 15 minutes from the port. I think a day pass is $85 online and includes a fantastic bus tour of the facilities. Port Canaveral also has a row of fantastic seafood restaurants at the port itself including Fish Lips which has one of the best porches in Canaveral.

 

If you are looking for a theme park SeaWorld is always less expensive than Universal or Disney and offers a terrific experience. You may also want to consider Universal's City Walk which is free and has a ton of fun stores and pretty decent restaurants (including voodoo Donuts where our son routinely purchases and eats a doughnut bigger than his head). We are big fans of Universal and annual passholders so admittedly are biased.

 

Whatever you choose to do have a wonderful time and look forward to hearing all about it. Warmest, Amy

[nmuller328]

Malamel - we're also on this cruise-We booked in Jan as well & ended up booking out first Haven Spa cabin. So Looking forward to the Haven experience. We didn't get the unlimited wifi package- but we may add a note or two to your thread if you don't mind. This is our 3rd NCL cruise since Oct 22. Our 2nd on the Getaway. See you Sunday. 

[ggTexasGal]

7 hours ago, amygutman said:

Very much looking forward to this review as I have all the Getaway reviews. As an Orlando resident, let me offer a warning about Disney Springs - it is an incredibly crowded, overpriced glorified upscale outdoor mall. Plus, it's about an hour drive which is a lot of time to spend on a bus when you should be enjoying your vacation. There are many other great ways to spend a day in Port Canaveral unless you have something very specific you are looking for at the Springs.

 

Honestly, you will never beat the fun of Kennedy Space Center and it's literally 15 minutes from the port. I think a day pass is $85 online and includes a fantastic bus tour of the facilities. Port Canaveral also has a row of fantastic seafood restaurants at the port itself including Fish Lips which has one of the best porches in Canaveral.

 

If you are looking for a theme park SeaWorld is always less expensive than Universal or Disney and offers a terrific experience. You may also want to consider Universal's City Walk which is free and has a ton of fun stores and pretty decent restaurants (including voodoo Donuts where our son routinely purchases and eats a doughnut bigger than his head). We are big fans of Universal and annual passholders so admittedly are biased.

 

Whatever you choose to do have a wonderful time and look forward to hearing all about it. Warmest, Amy

Great information!

[www3traveler]

I did the Kennedy Space Center a number of years ago.  Did a lot of my Christmas shopping that year in the Gift Shop.

[amygutman]

1 minute ago, www3traveler said:

I did the Kennedy Space Center a number of years ago.  Did a lot of my Christmas shopping that year in the Gift Shop.

Agree, the gift shops are pretty darn awesome. An added perk is on the bus ride back from the Apollo exhibit. There’s tons of wildlife to be seen. We got to see multiple alligators, a bald eagle and its nest which is enormous, two other eagles, and multiple turtles.

 

What the OP chooses to do, I know he’s gonna have a great time.

 

Warmest, Amy
 

[justhappy]

Looking forward to reading your review, I will be on the Getaway in late April.

I have been on the Getaway 5 times, the last time was in a studio, in January 2020.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[mininewman]

I will also be on this cruise.  Like the OP, I booked this kind of late in the game for a cruise (late December), but all of the stars aligned to make it work out okay.

 

I will be flying, using NCL air (gag) into NYC tomorrow morning.  I have heard horror stories regarding NCL air, however the few times I have used it I haven't had a problem, and I want that streak to continue.  It is the first flight on that particular plane out of my airport in the morning, direct to Newark, and weather appears to be fine in both places all day tomorrow, so fingers crossed!

 

I will be solo as well, but will be in an inside cabin, as when I booked those were cheaper than the studios.  I have free at sea plus along with a vibe pass, and am platinum so I'm looking forward to 5 (or 7 if I can find an equitable trade) signature meals, and if the OP doesn't mind I may be able to throw a few photos this way.  I have the Gosling Rum Sunset cruise booked in Bermuda, Seahorse Catamaran Snorkel for Nassau, and I will meet up with family for a board game and beach day in Port Canaveral.

 

In drastic contrast to the OP, I work in a formal environment (full suit and tie every day), so I look forward to being in shorts and a tshirt every day of vacation.  It's part of the reason (along with solo amenities and open bar) that this will be my 12th cruise with NCL.

[smillerholmes]

The Getaway was my first back to back.  19 days and just a couple of hiccups.  I enjoyed my time.  The spa facilities are very nice!  I second the recommendation for Kennedy Space Center.  I cannot wait to go again, you cannot do it all in a day (6 hours?)

 

Have a great cruise!

[mininewman]

NCL air was smooth, united, left on time and arrived in Newark at 950 or so.  Ditched the transfer and took the train in for $15 instead, met with a friend for a bagel in Manhattan, now in a cab to the pier.  On another site many people are posting pictures onboard and saying embarkation was smooth, I hope to join them soon.

[mininewman]

Check in was easy.  Both vibe and mixx have Veuve, so NY taxes are going to kill me. The vibe on this ship is huge compared to others I've been on, I'm wondering if it will be anywhere near the value of previous trips.  Time shall tell.

 

Rooms were ready a little after 2pm.

 

I normally avoid the buffet on embarkation day, opting instead for a sit down meal, but today I decided to give it a try.  Big mistake, the place was packed to the gills.  I did a full loop and didn't see a single open table, with several groups camping near tables waiting for them to get up, people eating on loungers on the deck, etc.  I ended up grabbing just a light lunch and ate standing up.

 

Alternatively, check in only took 15 minutes or so, I had pretty much no line when reserving stage shows, and walked straight to an agent to reserve meals.  I had no problems getting the specialty dining and stage shows I wanted despite the later than normap check in.

 

The app has been updated instantly with my taxes on drinks, but still shows last week's daily.

 

[blivey]

We’ll be on the Getaway in three weeks. Looking forward to your review! 

[cruiservictor]

I sure hope the OP is still planning to share his/her thoughts.  We have not heard from @Malamel since the very first post on Thursday. 

[TYTY]

59 minutes ago, cruiservictor said:

I sure hope the OP is still planning to share his/her thoughts.  We have not heard from @Malamel since the very first post on Thursday. 

I hope so too!!!

[mininewman]

Day 1 is coming to a close.  There is a 9pm and 11pm comedy show but dinner took longer than 9 and I don't know that I can stay up for the 11 considering my early departure this morning and my... Partaking if certain libations...

 

Weather was about as good as it could be in NYC in March.  Looking forward to a casual sea day tomorrow.

[mininewman]

Little breezy, appear to be Bermuda bound!

FreeStyle Daily (2)

[EllieinNJ]

Following.  Have a great cruise.

[mininewman]

We made it into Bermuda without issue.  It's 70 but overcast.  

 

Yesterday's seaday 1 was calm but cold and windy.  Didn't stop the hot tub crowd though, and vibe still had shots flowing.

 

Night 1 I went to teppanyaki however they wanted to seat me alone, so I opted out and went to Moderno instead.  The food there was definitely not up to the standard of a land based churascarria, the salad bar was still great though.  

 

Day 2 was breakfast buffet, O'Sheehans lunch, and La Cucina for dinner.  Service and food great at all, and thankfully the buffet was not nearly as bad as it was on day 1. La cucina was enforcing the 1-1-1, so I did not get a salad and app...  Still enough food.  Really no problem finding anything on p+ yet, and lines at Starbucks have been surprisingly short at 8am. So far today I had buffet for breakfast and lunch, and will do it again for dinner since I have a 615 excursion and I want to eat before I leave.  That means no photos from today's meals.  I will probably hit up O'Sheehans tonight depending on when my excursion returns.

 

Day 2 food pics included.  I won't post any more buffet pics but will try to get any restaurant ones the next week.

 

FreeStyle Daily (3)

 

[lisa3537]

Where did you guys go?? Waiting for updates 😃

[debenson0723]

14 minutes ago, lisa3537 said:

Where did you guys go?? Waiting for updates 😃

Hopefully enjoying their cruise.

[mininewman]

I've been enjoying my cruise, and it didn't seem like there was much interest in this thread so I was letting it be.

 

Downloading the dailies has.. failed me.  I am keeping paper copies, I can scan them when back on land of people want.

 

Day 3 was Bermuda, we arrived without issue and it was a slightly chilly day that had intermittent rain.  I had an evening excursion planned, but as I stepped off the boat it started pouring on me, so I noped out.  My excursion today was cancelled for weather (catamaran snorkeling), it was beautiful out so I walked around Nassau for an hour, and now I am convinced I will actually do a beach day if we make GSC, since I missed the ocean today.

 

Day 4 we left Bermuda, 5 at sea, and 6 now in Nassau have all had pretty much perfect weather.  Warm, sunny, winds were okay, ship was not rocking much, etc.  I've had 2x mdr meals both of which were pretty good (food wise, service is... Well I'm on my dessert right now and still haven't got the drink I ordered before ordering my starter...). I did la cucina once more outside during sunset, which was amazing as usual.

 

Entertainment wise I've caught one comedy act, it was just okay.  Burn the Floor was good, and I loved Broadway unplugged.  I have high hopes for million dollar quartet.

 

Some more food pics, a mix of MDR, the one course I changed at La Cucina, and O'Sheehans.

 

 

[PTMom1974]

Thank you for the review.  My husband and I and 4 friends  will be on the same cruise next week and we are anxious for any and all information and recommendations you can give us. So sorry you missed your excursions.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[nmuller328]

Sorry this hasn't been a very active thread- for me with only the free wifi package been saving my minutes-things don't post quickly.  We're currently in PC today, had to do a mandatory immigration inspection, which did have the usual NCL hiccups- but all in all its been a great cruise-we made it to Bermuda & GSC, as well as Nassau. We're enjoying our 1st Haven experience. I believe I heard we're 4288 98% capacity but all cabins sold. Many families with kids. We're  down 2 of the 4 aft elevators that go to 16. I really will never understand why they designed the breakaway class with just 2 banks of elevators. Staff has been pleasant throughout the ship. NCL's biggest challenge is communication- they need to that better among their staff as well as their passengers. And passengers need to be nice to each other & staff. Will post more when we get home in a few days.