Last minute newbie questions

[Irish Cath]

Hello! Please help a panicked mom out! We have booked a cruise on Getaway leaving in under 2 weeks. We have sailed previously but only with RC. And this is our first time with a six year old.  I would be really grateful to receive any nuggets of information about the getaway you may have. What's in the balcony cabins ? Is there a retractable drying line in the shower? Is there complimentary soft serve ice cream and drinks for kids in the buffet? Many thanks, cath 

[ggTexasGal]

6 minutes ago, Irish Cath said:

Hello! Please help a panicked mom out! We have booked a cruise on Getaway leaving in under 2 weeks. We have sailed previously but only with RC. And this is our first time with a six year old.  I would be really grateful to receive any nuggets of information about the getaway you may have. What's in the balcony cabins ? Is there a retractable drying line in the shower? Is there complimentary soft serve ice cream and drinks for kids in the buffet? Many thanks, cath 

You will hopefully be relieved to know that yes, there is a retractable clothesline in the shower.

You and your child(ren) will be able to get soft-serve and/or drinks in the buffet.  You might want to look into Splash Academy for whatever the Getaway will have going on for your family the week you cruise.

Don't panic too much and have a great time!!!

[kitkat343]

Soft serve was closed for our entire cruise on the Getaway last January in the buffet.   Hard ice cream was available, along with crepes in the buffet at dinner your 6 year old might like.  Please note that the Getaway buffet ran out of small containers of skim milk 4 days before the end of sailing, and all children's cereal 3 days before the end of our sailing so if there is anything your kid must have, you might want to bring extra on board or take some from the buffet for your room.

 

The buffet isn't open 24 hours a day, so you might want to store some of the cereal boxes in your room so you always have snacks on hand, and possibly some fruit or yogurt.  You can take the sealed cereal boxes off the ship but not fruit and I'm not sure about sealed yogurt.  It really can help stave off a meltdown if you have cereal for your kid to pick on an excursion.  

 

Cruising is a wonderful way to travel with young children - we would visit ports together all day and then drop the kids off at daycare at night and it really let us explore the world when our children were little, which my family would not have been able to do otherwise.

Edited July 26, 2023 by kitkat343

[destar]

Panicked, did you say PANICKED!!!

You are going on a cruise, as soon as you close the door to your house the day of travel, you should be on a relax vacation. Grab a good breakfast and enjoy. NCL has a good program for your 6 yo, he will have fun with others younglings. Grab your drink of choice and savor the moment you been waiting for, everything will be ok. Enjoy your cruise.

[schmoopie17]

The soft serve is ice milk...not nearly as good as ice cream, but kids seem to enjoy serving it to themselves and eating it. Adults might prefer the hard packed variety.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Breathe in, breathe out.   All of the above are great suggestions.   Don’t forget good sunscreen for your little one!

[jlowe420]

It's a cruise, it's not a prison ship.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

The soft serve is ice milk...not nearly as good as ice cream, but kids seem to enjoy serving it to themselves and eating it. Adults might prefer the hard packed variety.

This adult greatly prefers the soft serve to the hand scooped ice cream 🙂 

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, Irish Cath said:

Hello! Please help a panicked mom out! We have booked a cruise on Getaway leaving in under 2 weeks. We have sailed previously but only with RC. And this is our first time with a six year old.  I would be really grateful to receive any nuggets of information about the getaway you may have. What's in the balcony cabins ? Is there a retractable drying line in the shower? Is there complimentary soft serve ice cream and drinks for kids in the buffet? Many thanks, cath 

NCL Getaway is very very similar to RC. 

 

Unlike RC where the ice cream machines are outside, NCL has the ice cream machines in the Garden Cafe (i.e., the Windjammer) during lunch and dinner hours. So, plan on getting your fill ice ice cream then. If you are desperate for ice cream at other times, O'Shehan's is a 24/7 restaurant with complimentary ice cream. There is also a for-fee ($$$) gelato stand on Deck 8 on the Waterfront. 

 

The buffet has flavored waters and milk for the child (and the adults). 

 

You can order off the Kids Menu in any restaurant on the ship. If you are doing it at a specialty dining restaurant, advise your waiter as soon as you're seated because the kid's food sometimes takes longer than the big people's food if they have to get it from another Galley

 

I highly recommend that on embarkation day, you register you child with the Splash Academy (i.e., Ocean Adventure) and take them on embarkation night to make friends with other kids on the cruise. Then you can figure out when you would want to drop the child off for some play time. An example of the kids program from another ship is attached below. 

 

Splash Academy Only.pdf

 

Getaway Balcony

 

[9tee2Sea]

5 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

The soft serve is ice milk...not nearly as good as ice cream, but kids seem to enjoy serving it to themselves and eating it. Adults might prefer the hard packed variety.

I like to add that to my coffee ( kinda of makes a faux specialty coffee...especially if you add brown sugar crystals on top)