Getaway Nov 27th review

Getaway

We just had a very nice cruise on the Getaway. This was our first NCL cruise. We have been on over 60 cruises on 7 different cruise lines and thought it was about time we tried NCL. We are always looking for cruises that stop at Roatan especially ones that port at Coxen Hole. We also don’t care to stop at Belize City and thought Harvest Caye would be a nice stop. Our biggest decision was weather to go on the Jade or the Breakaway. We only booked this cruise a couple of weeks out and by the time we decided to go on the Jade all the balconies were sold out. We would much rather sail out of Tampa than Miami.

Since we live in Kissimmee it’s a three and a half hour drive to Miami. Traffic getting into the port was terrible but getting onto the ship wasn’t too bad. Getting off the ship was another matter all together. They tell you to choose the color tag that corresponds to the time you want to get off. We chose orange which was 8:00. Orange was called a little bit late and by the time we got to the 7th deck there was a massive line. We didn’t know where the end was. Since our room was at the back of the ship we were trying to get forward to the theater but there were lines going both directions. It was very difficult to get forward. Finally someone said “ just get in line with us” so we did. The line wrapped from the theater through the casino and back to the front. After standing in line for 40 minutes we finally got off the ship. Then there was a long line from the ship to get your luggage where you had to get on another long line to go through immigration. It wasn’t a good way to finish a cruise.

The rest of the cruise was great. We really enjoyed the ports. In Roatan we booked ahead to go to Bananarama on West Bay Beach. The beach was much more crowded than the last time we were there but the snorkeling was still pretty good. We enjoyed walking around Harvest Caye. If you want a chair anywhere near the pool you need to one of the first ones off the ship. The pool is beautiful and the gardens around it are full of flowers.

In Costa Maya we prebooked a tour to Chocchoben with Native Choice. We had to walk out of the port then down the road to the pyramid take a left then walk two more blocks. It seems Carnival Corp. bought all the property lining the street outside the port and closed all the little stores there. Native Choice had to relocate and that is the closest they could get to the port. It was a great tour with a new large van and only 15 people in our group. Our guide was very good too.

Ncl uses the Punta Langosta pier which is right down town San Miguel on Cozemul. We have been to Cozumel many times so we just got off the ship and walked around down town. There is a lot of shopping in San Miguel.

When we booked we got a balcony guarantee. We lucked out and were given an aft room with a large balcony on the 9th deck. The room was very comparable with all the other cruise lines we have been on. It did have the best shower we have ever had on any ship.

We are not foodies so we ate in the buffet a lot. Since we cruise so often we very rarely go to the pay restaurants. The dining room menus didn’t appeal to us most nights and we could always find something we liked in the Garden café. There was grilled steak every night and also a carving station. I liked the way the Garden Café was laid out. It was usually crowded where you entered but towards the back it thinned out. We could always find a table all the way back. It was quieter there too.

The entertainment was OK. We had no problem getting reservations the day of the show. The theater was small and unimpressive. The two big shows Burn the Floor and Million Dollar Quartet were good. The show on the last night was awful. The cruise director Belinda spoke very poor English. You could only understand about half of what she said. The worst part is that she did the life boat drill and I’m sure any new cruisers or people who didn’t speak English as the first language didn’t know what she said. I’m surprised that they would allow someone who speaks such poor English to give such an important talk.

Although we will sail NCL again we would not go back on the Getaway. We really didn’t care for the layout of the ship. The common areas were very small and having so many activities in the Atrium was so crowded. This is the first cruise we didn’t go to the Newlywed game. With a ship so large they need a bigger venue for that type of entertainment. There is no Wow factor on this ship. I guess this might have to do with the fact that our last cruise was Allure of the Seas. I did enjoy the rope course though.

Even though we didn’t care too much for the ship we still really enjoyed the cruise. Next time we will try a different ship probably the Jade.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. It's also nice to experience what other ships have to offer.

Thanks for the review.

Thank s for sharing. Did you notice the pool cabanas? Were they placed in a good area and did you happen to get any pictures?

Thank s for sharing. Did you notice the pool cabanas? Were they placed in a good area and did you happen to get any pictures?

I did get pictures because I knew someone wanted them.

What was the order of your ports?

Did it go Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya and then Cozumel or did you go to Cozumel first?

We're on the Getaway in February. I hope there is a new cruise director when we are on board. We had Silas on the Escape last year and really enjoyed the work he did.

We did Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya then Cozumel.

I did get pictures because I knew someone wanted them.

 

 

 

 

The pictures are not loading

Appreciate the feedback.

I'll try to take the photos off photobucket instead of google photos.

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Cruise Director Belinda is training on The Getaway for The Joy which is to serve the China market in a few months.

Cruise Director Belinda is training on The Getaway for The Joy which is to serve the China market in a few months.

Thanks for that info. That makes a lot of sense.

I also agree with the comments about the cruise director and the inability to understand her English. We heard many people commenting on this anytime.

Thanks for a wonderful review!

Who is normally the cruise director on the Getaway? Any idea when Belinda will leave?

Thanks for a wonderful review!

 

Who is normally the cruise director on the Getaway? Any idea when Belinda will leave?

Thanks for a wonderful review!

 

Who is normally the cruise director on the Getaway? Any idea when Belinda will leave?

Do not know the length of Belinda's contract on The Getaway.

I do know that several of my staff member friends will begin to gather sometime in March to prepare for the opening of The Joy. At this moment in time, I am not allowed to say who was selected to be on the Opening Team.

CD was named Silas when I was on Getaway in Oct.

I noticed on the TV that they had Silas giving the tour of the ship (with Belinda introducing him), so she must have only been recently assigned to the ship. It seemed obvious why she was there knowing of the impending launch of the Joy, but I feel it was a poor decision as the assistant cruise directors did a much better job of connecting with the guests. I'm sure she will do better with the Chinese market.

Will there be paved areas to travel the pool cabanas with my scooter?

Will there be paved areas to travel the pool cabanas with my scooter?

Yes everything is paved. You should have no problem.

Thanks for the review.

We also were on this sailing and had an amazing time in the Haven!! I do agree with you though about the cruise director! We've been able to sail with some of NCL's best cruise directors (in my opinion) so Belinda was a bit of a let down. The assistant cruise director did a good job though!

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Which Native Choice tour did you take? We are planning to do the Maya experience (ruins + modern Maya village visit) and I'd love to hear more details if you did that one!

Getaway

 

 

 

We just had a very nice cruise on the Getaway. This was our first NCL cruise. We have been on over 60 cruises on 7 different cruise lines and thought it was about time we tried NCL. We are always looking for cruises that stop at Roatan especially ones that port at Coxen Hole. We also don’t care to stop at Belize City and thought Harvest Caye would be a nice stop. Our biggest decision was weather to go on the Jade or the Breakaway. We only booked this cruise a couple of weeks out and by the time we decided to go on the Jade all the balconies were sold out. We would much rather sail out of Tampa than Miami.

 

Since we live in Kissimmee it’s a three and a half hour drive to Miami. Traffic getting into the port was terrible but getting onto the ship wasn’t too bad. Getting off the ship was another matter all together. They tell you to choose the color tag that corresponds to the time you want to get off. We chose orange which was 8:00. Orange was called a little bit late and by the time we got to the 7th deck there was a massive line. We didn’t know where the end was. Since our room was at the back of the ship we were trying to get forward to the theater but there were lines going both directions. It was very difficult to get forward. Finally someone said “ just get in line with us” so we did. The line wrapped from the theater through the casino and back to the front. After standing in line for 40 minutes we finally got off the ship. Then there was a long line from the ship to get your luggage where you had to get on another long line to go through immigration. It wasn’t a good way to finish a cruise.

 

The rest of the cruise was great. We really enjoyed the ports. In Roatan we booked ahead to go to Bananarama on West Bay Beach. The beach was much more crowded than the last time we were there but the snorkeling was still pretty good. We enjoyed walking around Harvest Caye. If you want a chair anywhere near the pool you need to one of the first ones off the ship. The pool is beautiful and the gardens around it are full of flowers.

 

In Costa Maya we prebooked a tour to Chocchoben with Native Choice. We had to walk out of the port then down the road to the pyramid take a left then walk two more blocks. It seems Carnival Corp. bought all the property lining the street outside the port and closed all the little stores there. Native Choice had to relocate and that is the closest they could get to the port. It was a great tour with a new large van and only 15 people in our group. Our guide was very good too.

 

Ncl uses the Punta Langosta pier which is right down town San Miguel on Cozemul. We have been to Cozumel many times so we just got off the ship and walked around down town. There is a lot of shopping in San Miguel.

 

When we booked we got a balcony guarantee. We lucked out and were given an aft room with a large balcony on the 9th deck. The room was very comparable with all the other cruise lines we have been on. It did have the best shower we have ever had on any ship.

 

We are not foodies so we ate in the buffet a lot. Since we cruise so often we very rarely go to the pay restaurants. The dining room menus didn’t appeal to us most nights and we could always find something we liked in the Garden café. There was grilled steak every night and also a carving station. I liked the way the Garden Café was laid out. It was usually crowded where you entered but towards the back it thinned out. We could always find a table all the way back. It was quieter there too.

 

The entertainment was OK. We had no problem getting reservations the day of the show. The theater was small and unimpressive. The two big shows Burn the Floor and Million Dollar Quartet were good. The show on the last night was awful. The cruise director Belinda spoke very poor English. You could only understand about half of what she said. The worst part is that she did the life boat drill and I’m sure any new cruisers or people who didn’t speak English as the first language didn’t know what she said. I’m surprised that they would allow someone who speaks such poor English to give such an important talk.

 

Although we will sail NCL again we would not go back on the Getaway. We really didn’t care for the layout of the ship. The common areas were very small and having so many activities in the Atrium was so crowded. This is the first cruise we didn’t go to the Newlywed game. With a ship so large they need a bigger venue for that type of entertainment. There is no Wow factor on this ship. I guess this might have to do with the fact that our last cruise was Allure of the Seas. I did enjoy the rope course though.

 

Even though we didn’t care too much for the ship we still really enjoyed the cruise. Next time we will try a different ship probably the Jade.

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Which Native Choice tour did you take? We are planning to do the Maya experience (ruins + modern Maya village visit) and I'd love to hear more details if you did that one!

 

 

 

We just took the ruin tour. It took 20-25 minutes to get from the ship to the meeting place. There were quite a few tours leaving as soon as they filled the vans. We were the only ship in port and Native Choice was very busy.