Getaway NY's Winter 2023-24 mostly 10 Days - ports & food pix, who's who onboard, misc. etc. "Not semi or live report"

[mking8288]

Thanks to other CC friends that're recently off the GA and twin nieces currently on their last sea day, homeward bound ... I've gathered a number of snapshots, interesting "details" that most of us do NOT get even at the CruiseCritic onboard Meet & Greet (the printed Calling Card with names & extension #'s of key ship managers & HD, etc.)  - uploading this to share, since there has been no semi and/or live trip report yet for this late Fall/early Winter NYC season, with Getaway doing mostly the 10 days run, aside from the holidays and winter school break. 

 

This is strictly a fun & informative, brief post - not another Semi-Live ... relax, it's going to be short, brief and concise, with minimal commentary - unless and until I get more direct feedback from my "gang of six" after disembarkation tomorrow.  Enjoy reading and if you are sailing her anytime soon, may you find some of it useful.  Happy, safe & healthy holidays to all.  Our cruise suitcases aren't packed yet - soon, in the not too distant future for "early" 2024.  

 

 

 

 

It's difficult to figure out what MDR menu sequence the executive chef will choose and use on any given sailing, let alone specific days ... I know, we all want to plan our specialty dining around and with them in mind, to skip dishes we don't like and not miss that prime rib night (whether it's in Taste/Savor or Manhattan or in Garden Cafe or O'Sheehan's) ... well, you really cannot do that ahead of time.  With luck, you might on embarkation day and go to the Restaurant reservation desk or Guest Services and ask, perhaps one has special dietary restrictions and preference ... and, they are obliged to help plan the meals.  

 

Who is responsible for what and what is their direct extension, name & titles - here's one of the most recently updated list  (source credit: thank you, M & A) 

There was no CC Meet & Greet recently so these extra bonus info might be handy, feel free to make good use of it, pass them along if you are on the CC roll call for fellow members. 

 

Ship, pier and cabin photos from embarkation day - Pier 88, MCT (Manhattan Cruise Terminal) 

 

Walking into Pier 88 - security and check-in:

 

 

 

Partial sunset view of the Hudson River toward Hoboken,  with Union City & West New York, New Jersey on the other side.  

 

 

 

[mking8288]

Starboard side, mid-ship balcony views of Pier 88's Rooftop parking lot - cabin was set up to sleep 3 ... noticed that the pullout sofa bed is quite "spacious" and roomy - fully extended out from the wall.  

 

 

 

 

Yes, this is an unofficial "angled" balcony - booked as a regular balcony ... given how small & tiny the "regular" balconies on the *Away class ships, these are nicer & not always easy to find, especially as it get closer to last minute booking.  

 

 

Of course, ask the room steward ("attendant") for that 1-cup coffee/hot water - tea maker.  Sometimes, it's just put away on the corner of the upper shelf in the closet - but you need to have it stocked with the flat pods, sugar & whatever.  Hot chocolate powder mix can be found in the buffet during breakfast hours.  

 

[mking8288]

Shows were happening still, and they even managed to get into the lounges ... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mking8288]

O'Sheehan's (The Local on other ships) - typical comfort food :

(they looked pretty familiar ...) 

 

Fish & Chips - 

 

These chicken wings looked a little better than the ones we had recently on the Prima, IMHO ... 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Here's a little insider's secret - I can personally confirm and reaffirm that the semi-known secret of iMessage continued to work, for now until otherwise - connected ONLY to ship's WiFi inTRAnet all 10 days between the nieces and us, texting back-n-forth mostly without any issues.  MMS and pix, however, will NOT go thru - except and unless connected to ship's inTERnet, using airtime minutes and/or if on the unlimited (basic) plan(s) as available.  

 

This is NOT an online tutorial to explain what, how and the tips & tricks about what - settings and changes, etc.  There are numerous threads and posts here about that.   It is a known loophole and can be blocked, disabled and/or changed without prior warning and notices to users - proceed at your own risks.  Always have a backup plan to stay in touch and communicate.  Good luck & enjoy.  

[mking8288]

These are "typical" breakfast items in the MDR - 

(no, hash browns not available ...)  "chunky" potatoes, anyone ?? 

 

 

 

 

Mini croissants - available upon request, while waiting for your breakfast orders to arrive 

 

 

Breakfast buffet in the Garden Cafe - just an example of what's available these days ... good when you are in hurry on a port day.  

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Ocean Blue - apparently, voted by 6 of them to be the best dinner onboard during this cruise ... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Shanghai Noodles - comfort ethnic food, some of the items offered (open only for dinner, reservations not accepted) are fine ... others, we do not recommended as a matter of strictly personal opinions, subjective. It is NOT easy nor simple to do "wok" style high temperature stir-fried cooking.

 

Spring rolls and Dumplings (fried ones are better vs. steamed ones)

 

 

Spicy Seafood Noodles and Cha Siu (Roast Pork a la Japanese style) Noodles in Broth (Soup) are fine, portions are getting smaller & smaller - really !  Request a double order - triple up if hungry ... Dessert - tapioca, diced fruits & shredded coconut - try it once.  

 

 

 

 

The following "mini" entrees ... we skip these. The choice is, of course, yours 🤗 to decide to eat, or not to.  

 

 

 

iPhone is shown for illustrating and comparison purposes only 😁

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Cagney's Steakhouse - 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Random pictures from ports of call 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

More port pictures - 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Port of Calls - changes announced prior to embarkation due to weather forecast en route -

 

 

Subsequently, it was announced mid-cruise that due to forecasted weather at Bermuda, the revised plan to call on Dockyard was cancelled.  An additional 90 minutes was extended for ship passengers to stay at St. Maarten (3 PM instead of 1:30 PM ...)

 

Vomit bags were observed near the staircases and elevators - between Thursday and Friday, conditions apparently since eased.  

 

It was confirmed earlier this Thursday, that an OBC was issued $12 USD per passenger as a pro-rated adjustment for the missed/cancelled port of call (apparently, without "needing" to request and ask for the credit by going to Guest Services and/or the Onboard Credits Desk in the atrium.)  

 

(It should be noted other NCL ships and other cruise lines were (are) cancelling and making changes to port of calls due to weather forecasts, strong wind and rough sea state & waves, etc.  Another Nor-Easter is expected to race up the coast this weekend and warnings & watches are up.  

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Dinner in the MDR before morning disembarkation - 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Apparently, the "girls" can easily finish 3 bowls of noodle soup each ... more dishes & bowls to be washed 🫢🤔😳😆😱  No, they are not that hungry but the serving size or portions are just "amazing" ... 

 

 

[mking8288]

It's 7:05 AM, EDT and Getaway hadn't docked yet despite 3 sea days with plenty of time to get home early ... for whatever reasons. Probably going to be at least an hour from now before they can start the express self Walk-Off with luggage, and later than 8 AM for the rest by color tags. It's going to be madness this morning.

 

Welcome home - 

 

Live from the balcony

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by mking8288

[dexddd]

See GA at pier.  Expecting pictures from good uncle picking up nieces at MCT.

 

Did nieces find Mission accomplished or does mission need to be revised, for your convenience, of course?

 

Hey, those chopped breakfast potatoes have cred, they were at Cagney's last night in different form.

[mking8288]

@dexddd Keeping eyes out for your favorite, MSC Merg ... heading north to NE/Canada to steer clear of this approaching weekend storm system beginning tomorrow.  Gem is racing toward NY to get in to shelter. 

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/12/msc-alters-meraviglia-itinerary-now-heading-north-from-nyc/

 

GA's short 5 days Bermuda schedule run today isn't promising, maybe she'll join MSC to see winter wonderland ... not going to be a happy camp. 

 

Another uncle's GF picked them up, advised them to wait until security boot them off the ship to avoid the mob scene inside the terminal - per update, on their way home - lots of smiles 😁 so mission a success. Will they repeat and like to sail more often is the unknown. 

 

But, am ready to get MSC to status match us in 2024.  

[broncofan99]

Thanks for review.  You always do a great review.  
 

[Suetravel]

Hi Henry

 

are you TA the prima again in April? 

[dexddd]

Thanks for Mera update.  At least the ship is good for cold weather routes.  Tons of inside space and venues.  We had great weather most of trip with warm weather.  Crew by outside bar though, dressed warmly.  I often wore shorts but then again if it was somewhere warm the crew would be chill and I'd have beads of sweat.

 

 

[v3cruiser]

Just got off the Getaway. Despite canceled stop in Bermuda, it was a great all around cruise from embarkation to debarkation. Food, music, and shows were outstanding. Staff were excellent. Ship in great condition for not seeing a drydock in so long.  Very impressed with what they put together on that ship! 

[mking8288]

Early arrival earlier this month & the sunset sailway, on-time. 

 

 

Getaway usually get into NY early, as it was previously and great for folks with flights & same day ground transfers to make - yesterday wasn't and it was madness, said the girls. They waited, not in a hurry to disembark and picked up by a family friend about 11 AM across Pier 88, used pickup address of 660 12th Ave. 

 

Sailway yesterday, also on-time ...

 

 

 

GA sailed on time into another beautiful sunset, still heading to Bermuda on a short 5 days cruise.  Seas beginning to increase with swell the Gem raced toward NY to shelter from the fast moving Nor-Easter ... conditions near / at Bermuda not looking pretty. 

 

 

 

Sea looking okay this morning as they race toward Dockyard, to outrun & get in front of the fast moving weather system. 

 

 

Ship's webcam feeds from the GA - sea state changing, swell increasing and small white caps on the surface, with the storm starboard side approaching fast 🫣 outdoors should be closed and off-limits by now or soon - details on Windy App, both in iOS and Android ... among the reasons we usually have satellite WiFi access at sea, just to stay current with events around the globe.  

 

@Suetravel are you looking at it too, final payment is coming up & just dipped again.  Have some discount codes that we can apply & certainly worth sailing vs. GA's Caribbean/Bermuda route for 10 days, not really that much more - factor in one-way air, plus a day or two to sightsee before flying back.  If we don't pull the brake, definitely going to be an interesting "return" to continue or write a new chapter to resume.  

Edited December 17, 2023 by mking8288

[Suetravel]

Henry

 

So you are sailing ncl prima ?
 

you are doing the nyc to Southampton? Are you flying back with a connection or nonstop ?

[mking8288]

It's a bit of disappointment in what NCL has been able to do and offer with its limited Shanghai Noodles Bar and/or Restaurant onboard at sea ... of course, we recognized there are limitations.  Give the executive chefs an A- for efforts but they need to try harder ...  Food Republic and Indulge Food Hall with their own mini gallery can and do have possibilities - maybe with some of the ships now returning to Asia, they can bring on the talents to show, teach & coach the rest in the department.  Some of these - see below - are vegetarian friendly and for the serious food lovers, can be a game changer - even those with special dietary needs.  These are true classic Shanghaiese dishes. 

 

 

@Suetravel - check out LHR to EWR on K* site as they should be closest for NJ and non-stop, the prices with big 3 airlines are crazy 😧  Niece in 2nd cabin needs to be at work on Monday, no time to see the city, just the transfer bus.  Oh well, next time & different ship and cruise dates ... Roll call has several organizers all trying to be hotshot & first to setup a M&G, months away from sail date & not respecting CC guidelines-protocols - let them sort it out & other platform private members, going with my senses. 

 

Anyway, rough seas and swell, gale force wind ahead for the Getaway - going to be a wild ride for some. 

[mking8288]

Food photos - random, sorted mainly not necessary in accordance as to which are served on Day 1, 2, or 5, etc. but they are grouped closely, one following the other as uploaded to share - some of them are repeated on different days, especially soup & salad (with fewer variations) despite having up to 21 dinner menus for the gallery to consider and select in their planning.  

 

First, MDR typical sit-down Breakfast items that you can order from the menu - there is usually 2 daily "specials" or chef's choices, listed on the upper left side of the menu.  If in doubt, ask the server.  

 

 

 

 

 

Once upon a (recent) time ... one can expect to see this being offered, announced or "advertised" as one of the many "theme" night specials, mainly in O'Sheehan's or The Local, and, the Garden Cafe (buffet) - nowadays, maybe and maybe not.  We certainly did not recall seeing "prime ribs" on our TA and nieces didn't see anything on the GA (possible that they "missed" it on a given day - as they're doing specialty dining) 

 

 

Putting together a colorful plate of buffet food these days for lunch can be a challenge - 

 

 

These are from O'Sheehan's (refer to as The Local on other NCL ships)

 

 

Edited December 18, 2023 by mking8288