Review of Getaway 2/16-26 NYC Roundtrip - An "OK" time...

[wil e coyote]

I've spent the last several days trying to figure out how I really feel about our experience on our latest NCL cruise - and I think the bottom line is it was OK. That's a pretty big step down from our other NCL cruises, which have been consistently great. So here goes - I will do my best to try to be fair.

Background: My DW and I have been on several NCL cruises, with our first on Starward in 1992, and our most recent (prior to this one) on Jewel in 2023. We've been on four NCL cruises post-COVID, all in the Haven, though the Jewel is "semi-Haven" as most know. We have also cruised on RCCL and Princess, both pre-COVID.

Booking/Itinerary: This cruise was "Haven-lite." We booked an aft balcony and the Vibe Beach Club. This was a 10-day sailing out of NYC to Bermuda, St. Maarten, Tortola, San Juan, and Puerto Plata. We are Platinum so we had a total of four specialty dinners including our FAS meals.

Weather: (Note - I know the weather is outside NCL's control, but it was part of our experience, and part of cruising in February.) The first day out of NYC was wet and rough. We had 20-foot seas, and many people were sick. We had Bonine which let us weather the weather, but all the outdoor spaces were closed. That meant 4000+ people crammed into the indoor spaces, which felt crowded. On the last day of the cruise, the seas were not as bad, but the wind was strong, and the outdoor spaces were closed again. We spent a lot of time in our cabin on those days. We expected this to some extent, but I underestimated how crowded the ship would feel. Of note, we did make it to all the ports, including Bermuda.

Note: This was one reason why we did NOT book the Haven for this sailing. The Getaway's Haven area is not covered, and so would not have been usable on these days. If Breakaway or another ship with a covered Haven area had been on this sailing, we might have reconsidered.

Ship/Cabin: Overall, Getaway is in decent shape. I didn't see lots of scuff marks on walls, all the toilets worked, etc. Our cabin was clean and looked good. One thing that was weird was that all the upper decks and our balcony were covered with white paint chips. We found them in the Vibe area too. It was like paint was flaking off the ship and blowing around. We also noticed that the internet speeds were better than on our prior NCL cruises.

Entertainment: We thought the entertainment was fine. Million Dollar Quartet was fantastic, and the cast of that show also did "Broadway Unplugged" earlier in the week, which was also excellent. The illusionist was entertaining. While we didn't personally love the comedians, others did. There were lounge singers around the ship. We don't take part in the games or bingo, but there were plenty of them. We also saw the Rumours show in Syd Norman's, which was very good.

Ports/Excursions: Our excursion on Bermuda was canceled due to weather. One odd thing here was that we never got a cancelation notice - our account was simply refunded for the cost. We did NCL excursions on Tortola (Beach Break) and DR (ATV and Beach Break.) The Tortola beach was nice, if somewhat crowded. The return was a mess. We had all been shuttled over there in open-air buses. Our driver was very late picking us of for the return and the other drivers didn't seem to know what to do. We all felt like we might have been stranded if the driver hadn't eventually shown up. The DR excursion was worse. The drive to the location was an hour and a half in an old army truck with no shocks. The driver did the best he could, but most of the trip was dirt roads and we felt EVERY bump and rock. We spent more time in transit than we did at the location.

Another odd thing was that three of our part calls had all-aboard times of 2:30 pm. It wasn't clear why. We ended up leaving well before other ships and then seeing those ships in port with us the next day.

Dining: The dining on this cruise was disappointing. While we have done a lot of Haven sailing lately, we actually ate several meals in the Jewel MDR last May, and they were quite good, so we felt like the MDR would be fine on this trip. It was not. For starters, we had to wait every time we went to eat in the MDR (and American Diner, and O'Sheehan's) sometimes up to 45 minutes. I can't remember ever having to wait for an MDR on prior cruises. Part of this might have been the reduced hours. The buffet closed at 9:30 pm as did two of the MDRs, so there was nowhere to eat after a late show except O'Sheehan's. The MDR was closed for lunch on port days, which I have never seen. There were a lot less options for eating because things were just closed more. The service in the MDR was generally poor. One night we waited 45 minutes to get our appetizers. Another night it was half an hour. Others around us were experiencing the same. The waiters seemed harried. With one exception, we were not asked how our meals were after they were delivered. The food quality was fair to poor. It was so bad that we decided the buffet was a better option for several meals, and that has never happened before. We generally avoid the buffet unless we are in a big hurry, but we actually preferred to eat there over the MDR for most of the cruise.

Our specialty dining experiences were quite good. We ate twice at Cagney's and twice at Le Bistro. Le Bistro was better, but both restaurants were the high points food-wise.

It was nice to have American Diner as an option, but it was annoying to have to wait to get in. O'Sheehan's was, as usual, passable but not great.

Vibe: We enjoyed Vibe, and it was worth the money to stay out of the madness of the pool deck. 

 

Overall: It's clear that NCL is making cuts. But it's also clear that the actual price of a cruise has decreased relative to inflation. We spent about $2,000 for a 7-day, inside cabin with no drinks and no specialty dining in 1992. That would be about $4,400 in today's dollars, and I can book the same cruise today (inside, no FAS) for - about $2,000. I think someone who had never cruised before might get on the boat and think things were quite good overall. Unfortunately, we see the slide from what was part of the experience even a few years ago, and it's quite noticeable. I do think cruising is still a good value, but I'm much more likely to go Haven (or some other line) to keep the perks that we have come to associate with a cruise.

 

Hope this is helpful - let me know if there are questions.

 

[UKstages]

i sailed a month or so ago on the getaway, same itinerary (except we skipped bermuda). but i was also in the vibe, and my experience overall was quite similar to yours... noticeable cutbacks affecting food and service throughout the ship. long waits for seating in MDRs and o'sheehan's and the american diner. weather caused upper deck closures on two days. MDQ was great,  broadway unplugged was very good, one comedian was good, the other not so much. we had a filipino magician... i assume that was the same guy you saw? he seems to be resident entertainment on the getaway. he was quite personable, but his tricks were pretty standard stuff. we also had a mentalist and there was, frankly, overlap between the magician and the mentalist (who is basically also a magician... anybody thinking otherwise should attend both shows on the same night and compare the answers to the "mind reading" that he allegedly does... they are magic tricks, folks).

 

specialty dining was generally good, although cutbacks to quality and quantity at moderno were obvious. i only had two great meals in an MDR. and they were both surprising odd ball choices. the first was a stir fry pork dish that was just sensational. the second was a sirloin steak special on the last night of the cruise. (i have often claimed that you couldn't get a good steak in the MDR, based on my experience with the always available new york strip on the left side of the menu. the sirloin was quite good.)

[bkrickles1]

8 hours ago, wil e coyote said:

I've spent the last several days trying to figure out how I really feel about our experience on our latest NCL cruise - and I think the bottom line is it was OK. That's a pretty big step down from our other NCL cruises, which have been consistently great. So here goes - I will do my best to try to be fair.

Background: My DW and I have been on several NCL cruises, with our first on Starward in 1992, and our most recent (prior to this one) on Jewel in 2023. We've been on four NCL cruises post-COVID, all in the Haven, though the Jewel is "semi-Haven" as most know. We have also cruised on RCCL and Princess, both pre-COVID.

Booking/Itinerary: This cruise was "Haven-lite." We booked an aft balcony and the Vibe Beach Club. This was a 10-day sailing out of NYC to Bermuda, St. Maarten, Tortola, San Juan, and Puerto Plata. We are Platinum so we had a total of four specialty dinners including our FAS meals.

Weather: (Note - I know the weather is outside NCL's control, but it was part of our experience, and part of cruising in February.) The first day out of NYC was wet and rough. We had 20-foot seas, and many people were sick. We had Bonine which let us weather the weather, but all the outdoor spaces were closed. That meant 4000+ people crammed into the indoor spaces, which felt crowded. On the last day of the cruise, the seas were not as bad, but the wind was strong, and the outdoor spaces were closed again. We spent a lot of time in our cabin on those days. We expected this to some extent, but I underestimated how crowded the ship would feel. Of note, we did make it to all the ports, including Bermuda.

Note: This was one reason why we did NOT book the Haven for this sailing. The Getaway's Haven area is not covered, and so would not have been usable on these days. If Breakaway or another ship with a covered Haven area had been on this sailing, we might have reconsidered.

Ship/Cabin: Overall, Getaway is in decent shape. I didn't see lots of scuff marks on walls, all the toilets worked, etc. Our cabin was clean and looked good. One thing that was weird was that all the upper decks and our balcony were covered with white paint chips. We found them in the Vibe area too. It was like paint was flaking off the ship and blowing around. We also noticed that the internet speeds were better than on our prior NCL cruises.

Entertainment: We thought the entertainment was fine. Million Dollar Quartet was fantastic, and the cast of that show also did "Broadway Unplugged" earlier in the week, which was also excellent. The illusionist was entertaining. While we didn't personally love the comedians, others did. There were lounge singers around the ship. We don't take part in the games or bingo, but there were plenty of them. We also saw the Rumours show in Syd Norman's, which was very good.

Ports/Excursions: Our excursion on Bermuda was canceled due to weather. One odd thing here was that we never got a cancelation notice - our account was simply refunded for the cost. We did NCL excursions on Tortola (Beach Break) and DR (ATV and Beach Break.) The Tortola beach was nice, if somewhat crowded. The return was a mess. We had all been shuttled over there in open-air buses. Our driver was very late picking us of for the return and the other drivers didn't seem to know what to do. We all felt like we might have been stranded if the driver hadn't eventually shown up. The DR excursion was worse. The drive to the location was an hour and a half in an old army truck with no shocks. The driver did the best he could, but most of the trip was dirt roads and we felt EVERY bump and rock. We spent more time in transit than we did at the location.

Another odd thing was that three of our part calls had all-aboard times of 2:30 pm. It wasn't clear why. We ended up leaving well before other ships and then seeing those ships in port with us the next day.

Dining: The dining on this cruise was disappointing. While we have done a lot of Haven sailing lately, we actually ate several meals in the Jewel MDR last May, and they were quite good, so we felt like the MDR would be fine on this trip. It was not. For starters, we had to wait every time we went to eat in the MDR (and American Diner, and O'Sheehan's) sometimes up to 45 minutes. I can't remember ever having to wait for an MDR on prior cruises. Part of this might have been the reduced hours. The buffet closed at 9:30 pm as did two of the MDRs, so there was nowhere to eat after a late show except O'Sheehan's. The MDR was closed for lunch on port days, which I have never seen. There were a lot less options for eating because things were just closed more. The service in the MDR was generally poor. One night we waited 45 minutes to get our appetizers. Another night it was half an hour. Others around us were experiencing the same. The waiters seemed harried. With one exception, we were not asked how our meals were after they were delivered. The food quality was fair to poor. It was so bad that we decided the buffet was a better option for several meals, and that has never happened before. We generally avoid the buffet unless we are in a big hurry, but we actually preferred to eat there over the MDR for most of the cruise.

Our specialty dining experiences were quite good. We ate twice at Cagney's and twice at Le Bistro. Le Bistro was better, but both restaurants were the high points food-wise.

It was nice to have American Diner as an option, but it was annoying to have to wait to get in. O'Sheehan's was, as usual, passable but not great.

Vibe: We enjoyed Vibe, and it was worth the money to stay out of the madness of the pool deck. 

 

Overall: It's clear that NCL is making cuts. But it's also clear that the actual price of a cruise has decreased relative to inflation. We spent about $2,000 for a 7-day, inside cabin with no drinks and no specialty dining in 1992. That would be about $4,400 in today's dollars, and I can book the same cruise today (inside, no FAS) for - about $2,000. I think someone who had never cruised before might get on the boat and think things were quite good overall. Unfortunately, we see the slide from what was part of the experience even a few years ago, and it's quite noticeable. I do think cruising is still a good value, but I'm much more likely to go Haven (or some other line) to keep the perks that we have come to associate with a cruise.

 

Hope this is helpful - let me know if there are questions.

 

Any chance you have dailies? 

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the trip report.  I have  never take one but know the winter sailings from New York to Bermuda are brutal with weather and seas.  NCL closed the MDRs on port days for at least 10 years now.

That was an expensive cruise you took in 1992.  But cruise prices plummeted during the meltdown of 2008.  Around 2010 and 2013 you could sail in a balcony on a new ship on Epic for $800 for 7 nights and went as low as $699 at one point.  Haven prices in 2012 were $2300 per person in a 2 bedroom suite on Epic which was NCL's newest ship at that time.  Prices surged and continue to surge because demand is so high. 

I take cruises for the ship and not the itinerary.  I sailed Getaway when she was brand new.  I felt the ship was meh.... a total over correction from the Epic.  They went overboard in developing a sterile and traditional ship.  The waterfront is very nice though.  The use of space on Getaway seemed crammed.  The restaurants got smaller but the tables got closer together.  IMHO the Breakaway class is the first NCL design to cram as much as possible in smaller spaces.  Everything open to the walkways and casino compared to ships where restaurants have their own 4 walls and separate from the common areas.

Edited March 1 by david_sobe

[wil e coyote]

1 hour ago, bkrickles1 said:

Any chance you have dailies? 

Hi - yes, I have them. I'll try to upload them this weekend.

[bkrickles1]

10 minutes ago, wil e coyote said:

Hi - yes, I have them. I'll try to upload them this weekend.

Thanks so much!

We're sailing Getaway 4/19 with identical itinerary. And we're booked for Vibe too.

49 Days!!

[weisla]

4 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

Thanks so much!

We're sailing Getaway 4/19 with identical itinerary. And we're booked for Vibe too.

49 Days!!

I'm on this itinerary next week (with a stop in St. John instead of Tortola). I'll try to screenshot the dailies from the NCL app and share. 6 days and counting!! Fingers crossed we make Bermuda.

[bkrickles1]

11 minutes ago, weisla said:

I'm on this itinerary next week (with a stop in St. John instead of Tortola). I'll try to screenshot the dailies from the NCL app and share. 6 days and counting!! Fingers crossed we make Bermuda.

Thanks! 

We love St John! 

I wouldn't swap out Tortola for it, but I'd swap out all of our other stops for it. Lol 😂 

Good luck with Bermuda and have a great cruise! 

[mjkacmom]

The mdr’s have always been closed for lunch on port days on all of my ncl cruises.

[slavigne5577]

We will be going on our first NCL on the Getaway next year, so we have a lot of time to plan. We are CCL Platinum. I am interested in paying for the Thermal Suite for the length of the cruise. Do the prices change or go on sail? We have basic drink package and one specialty dining night. What is your advice for a first timer? 

[nw2this]

So, I should make sure to pack warm clothes for the days between NYC and Bermuda?  I'll see if you post the Dailies, but if not what was the schedule for the St. George ferry?

Edited March 2 by nw2this

[JBEAS11]

Yep, off ncl jade 2 weeks ago. My experience with buffet, mdr and theater was exactly like yours. I guess it fleet wide now. What I experienced was NO 9pm showtimes ( old movies in theather) just 1 show at various times each night. Which caused the understaffed MDr to back up as almost everyone tried to eat before the first show at 7, 715, 745 etc. Longest waits every experienced on NCL. Food quality over entire ship was poor and substandard. Buffet was equivalent to an  AYCE chinese /american buffet strip center 11.99 meal. DISGUSTING and pathetic. Im sapphire guest and dont plan to crusie with NCL again. NOPE. rip off. They are chasing the first time cruiser market and throwing overboard loyal customers. When that market drains they'll want us back until then  im going on other lines.