Newbie impressions: Solo on the Getaway

Backstory: female IT worker with too much vacation time banked. Had been reading about cruises for about six months. I have a DCL cruise booked in September with my BF, but I got impatient.

Booked the 6/20 Getaway at t-minus five days to sail. Solo cabin. My big concerns concerns were crowds (I’m not a drinker or extremely outgoing), motion sickness (I have occasional vertigo), internet connectivity, and getting a spa pass. I’ll address all of these and some other stuff as I go. I apologize that I’m not a photo person. It’s still day one and I’m just barely oriented on the ship at this point.

Day one thoughts! (Warning, I am not precisely a negative person, but I also don’t shy away from negative observations.)

I’ll break this down by sections:

FLL Airport: Ugh

Hilton Garden Inn FLL Airport/Cruise: Ugh, but their shuttle service (once I walked an arbitrary distance to find it) was quick and painless. If you use this as your pre-cruise hotel, keep in mind the on-site restaurant is abysmal, and there’s nothing within walking distance. They did offer a shuttle to a couple of local restaurants, but the first one I googled no longer owned the domain to their own business, so I went with the hotel restaurant. Mistake. Also, they do not air-condition the interior hallways, so the rooms are always sticky (although the actual room a/c does kick butt … so you’re cold but sticky). I’d skip this one for now, needs work.

SAS shuttle: Jeff (I think it was Jeff) drove like a bat out of hell. I swear to you that we were in front of the Getaway in less than 30 minutes from the FLL area hotel. I have no idea how this was possible. Some of us in the back of the van overheard him telling someone on the phone that he would be at the port in a few minutes, and we hadn’t been on the road for all that long so we joked amongst ourselves that he was being a little dishonest to whoever was waiting. He wasn’t. We were there a few minutes later. It was kind of like getting a free rollercoaster ride along with your $15 shuttle fare. He also told me cheerfully (when he found out it was my first cruise) that room service was free. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that wasn’t true anymore.

Port of Miami: Ugh. I don’t think I encountered a single person who could answer a single one of my questions, including “where do I go to check in for the Norwegian Getaway”. Worse, I was there fairly early (but by no means first), and I saw a group of Port (NCL?) workers hanging out and chatting among themselves with these long pieces of plastic in their hands. They ignored me as I approached, and so I proceeded to go sit in the waiting area. About ninety minutes later, I would discover that those pieces of plastic were embarkation group numbers. This was about ten minutes to boarding. I went back threw a very minor fit and they grudgingly gave me group 10 (as opposed to group 25 or whatever they were really up to by then). The groups moved fast, and group 10 still enabled me to get a spa pass, so nothing was really lost in the end.

First impressions: Confusing! Figured out how to get to the spa. Spa pass painless. I had seen the Flamingo Grill sign on the way to the spa and I knew that was where my lunch was waiting. You all hadn’t warned me it’s not air-conditioned, though. Now that I’m more oriented (and won’t be carrying luggage), I’ll take my delicious Cuban food to the a/c’d part of Garden Cafe to eat it next time. I am an ex-Floridian who can no longer get Cuban food, and I would have gladly eaten Pollo Tropical. All you can eat maduros? Pretty much my kryptonite. So I sat there sweating and sweating and eating and eating.

Next couple of hours are a bit of a blur—after my lunch I must have run head-on into the heavy Garden Cafe crowds, and I think my introvert brain just shut itself down in self-defense. I probably walked around a little in confusion until they (thank the gods) let me into my cabin. I went in and out a few times after that, just looking around. I really wanted to get oriented (it’s a control thing). I think I’ve clocked about four miles of walking today.

Solo lounge and cabins: I really, really like it. This probably seems strange, but the solo cabins are a big part of what drew me to this class of ship and NCL. It’s probably to do with my introversion. And rather than being claustrophobic, I really like these tiny yet well-organized studios and find them charming and cozy. I brought a couple of things that have helped: the little nylon hard-sided storage cubes from ikea that can be unzipped and packed flat, and a lot of normal packing cubes. This has made up for the lack of standard drawers. And not only do my suitcases all fit under the bed, there are two large wicker storage baskets under there, including one with the life preserver. I also have a hanging toiletry type organizer (but a pretty, clean one) hanging on the bar next to the bed, where I can store stuff like charging cables and earplugs and such. It’s really hard to take pictures in here, but I’ll try to get some pics of my setup. There are also lots of nooks and crannies for storage, and lots of places to hang things. There is a hairdryer in this room, even though I was told there wouldn’t be one in studios.

The solo lounge has been all but deserted, which is pretty much fine with me. I’m just a few feet away from being able to get caffeine and fill up my water bottle. Win all around.

Motion sickness: got a little concerned at dinner (aft, deck 7, tropicana room, food was decent, waiter seemed somewhat anxious about my solo status and kept trying to chat). But I discovered I was hungry once the food was in front of me, and I never really had a problem after that. I think I’ve had two bonines and a couple of ginger pills today, though. I could definitely feel the ship moving as we left Miami, but either it’s smoother now or I got used to it.

Fellow cruisers: other than the fact that there are a LOT of them, so far they seem like a polite and well-behaved bunch. The crowds are evident at choke points, dinner time, atrium, etc. Seems like a relatively low ‘screaming child’ quotient.

Spa: I bought the week pass. So far it seems worth it, but it’s only day one and I was there from about 6:30pm—8pm, when I realized I really should get out of the stewards’ way. I’ll have to plan around this. (What can I say? I’m a homebody.) But anyway—the warm pool was lovely, as were the loungers and being able to stare out at the ocean just after sunset while listening to my headphones. There are some beverages in there, plus abundant towels and robes. There were quite a few loungers in use, and I would imagine that tomorrow (our first of several sea days) I will be lucky to score access to everything so easily, at least not during primetime.

Casino: Not too smokey yet, although maybe I was on the non-smoking deck. I won $8 on a dollar slot machine. Cashed out. On the way back from dinner, passed a slot machine with kittens on it. Obviously I had to play that one. Lost back three of my eight dollars. That’s cats for you. I’m still up four, you little jerks.

Internet: It was fine in port, obviously. Well, except the iConcierge app is pretty wretched and doesn’t seem to work half the time. The guy at iConnect cafe … well, let’s say our personalities clashed a bit (I’m a systems administrator by trade and he was telling me the app wasn’t working because I … had typed my own name wrong. I assure you I hadn’t). I gave up when he referred me to Guest Services. It worked later. Whatever. Also, the television stays on an NCL advertising loop when you first board, no matter how many times you press that Menu button. Also, so far I have not figured out a way to hack the HDMI inputs so I can output video from my laptop. Yes, I brought a universal remote—the Harmony database doesn’t admit it can figure how to talk to this model of Sole’ television. But anyway, back on internet, during sail away it all but stopped working and I assumed that was the end of the road and I was out the $179 or whatever, but after a while it started working acceptably again. (Browsing, email, etc.) If you are a multi-device person (or even if you’re not) be prepared to log into that captive portal over and over again. It’ll only let one device log in at a time (understandable).

General thoughts: I will admit that after the point when I almost could not figure out how to escape the Garden Cafe during lunch crowd, I probably had a small amount of freaking out to get through back in my stateroom. (I’m an introvert, a very minor control freak, and I haven’t travelled much.) I took a shower and unpacked a bit. Then my big suitcase showed up (I had fixated on it as a point of irrational worry). I started to feel better. By the time I got to dinner at the Tropicana Room and they gave me a nice little table with an ocean view, I was starting to get into the ‘cruising’ groove. Then later, during dusk on my lounger in the spa thermal suite, I started to feel much better, and had that “ahhhh” moment looking out at the ocean that everyone describes, and which sounds like a cliche—but is actually a real thing, as it turns out.

I’m still a bit overwhelmed (I need to go through the Dailies) but much, much happier than I was circa 2pm or so. Also, it’s 9:38pm (according to my laptop, but who knows), and I feel like I need a snack despite the fact that I never eat past about 6 at home, so I think I may be officially a cruiser.

(Room service? See what’s in the solo lounge? Venture up to these alleged snacks at Garden Cafe? Remains to be seen.)

Great start. Enjoying your comments so far.

Snack update: I got room service. The cheese plate sounded just about right for my hunger level, but I had NO idea what/how much it would entail. So I ordered a BLT too, since I was paying the $8 charge. (That's kind of stupid, when I type it out.) If I had just gotten the BLT, I would have been disappointed--very dry, needs mayo. I mostly just nibbled at the bacon. But the cheese plate is pretty nice. Five varieties including a swiss, a mild brie, a stronger camembert (I think), a mild cheese ball with... anonymous herbs on the outside. Walnuts, red grapes, dried apricots, crackers. This really hit the spot after a long, somewhat stressful day of walking and acclimating oneself to very new circumstances. (Yes, the answer to all of that is... cheese.)

There's nowhere to put the tray in a studio, so I'm eating it on the bed with a towel spread underneath.

I also can't remember what the final accepted wisdom was, leave tray inside or out of the stateroom?

Thanks for the great review. You really made me smile with the comment about the cats on the slot machine.

I think you've found you're groove already. It sometimes takes me a day or so to get into the cruising attitude.

Have fun! I will enjoy reading your experience I can tell already

Snack update: I got room service. The cheese plate sounded just about right for my hunger level, but I had NO idea what/how much it would entail. So I ordered a BLT too, since I was paying the $8 charge. (That's kind of stupid, when I type it out.)

LOL. NCL is encouraging food wastage with their petty new charge. Its a bit like Airport tax in the UK......its encouraging people to add to their personal carbon emission by flying to Ireland and fly to LAS from Dublin.....via the UK of course.

Try and overcome your non-outgoingness and chat with solos in the lounge, and arrange to meet for drinks and dinner tonight. On my last solo cruise, I was chatting with one girl who said on her previous cruise, the only person she spoke with was her mum (who she phoned because she hadn't spoken to anyone) and her room steward!!!

Peridax - love that you're sharing already. Our cruise demographics couldn't be more different, but you're already helping me!!! I feel like I'm there!

I hope you keep adding, but I also hope you get so engrossed in the cruise you forget your laptop. :)

Praying you have zero motion sickness symptoms & you get your daily quota of Cuban food!! :)

Great start!! I hope you're so in the cruising mood you'll eventually get back to finish your review. :D

Have a wonderful trip, we'll still be here when you get home. :p

Hi, I am very much like you. I am an IT developer- introvert. But for some reason when I am out cruising, I will talk to just about anyone. This naturally drives my DH crazy cause I am so different at home and don't want to talk to anyone :). Relax, meet people and have fun!

You are "talking to" thousands of us right now! I'll tell you, it's more satisfying in person, so put your "introvert" on vacation, and hop on in the conversation pool! It will enhance your vacation more than you know!

Hi, I am very much like you. I am an IT developer- introvert. But for some reason when I am out cruising, I will talk to just about anyone. This naturally drives my DH crazy cause I am so different at home and don't want to talk to anyone :). Relax, meet people and have fun!

I'm the same way. I work in s/w development and really don't talk much. However on a cruise I find it easy to talk to someone sitting next to me or in line, anywhere. Usually my kids remind me that I'm not supposed to talk to strangers.

Perditax - I'd love to hear about the lounge and the solo cruiser demographic (old/young mix)

Hope you are having so much fun!!! :) I cannot wait to hear all about your trip!

I'm enjoying your posts so far, and I'm glad to hear you're starting to get into cruise mode. I always sail solo, although I'm more of an extrovert myself, but to each his own I guess. I sailed in a studio cabin on the Epic earlier this year and I liked the vibe too. I thought that little cubicle was very nice and comfortable and I was very happy with it. I'll be on the Getaway in a few months and would have gladly gone with it again, but I wanted the UBP they were offering when I booked, so I upgraded to an oceanview. Try the daily get-togethers in the solo lounge if you change your mind and want company for dinner. They usually put together a group of solos for dinner every day and it's a nice way to meet people without getting involved. Oh, you should just leave the dishes from your snack in your cabin, the steward will pick them up no problem. Have a great time and keep posting! :D

Day two roundup—I actually have some pictures, but the internet has become very bad today so I’m not even sure I’ll be able to get the text posted.

Again I’m going to go by sections.

Crowds: Today is our first full sea day, and I expected things to be pretty bad. Oddly, that wasn’t the case. In retrospect I think it’s because people have discovered that there are things other than 1) the buffet, 2) the main pool area, and have spread out more. The thermal suite had plenty of loungers and only a few people in the water features when I went in for a few hours after breakfast, and plenty of loungers and no one in the water features when I went in before dinner. Maybe it was busier in the afternoon. I hit the buffet for dinner at 7pm (more on food in another section), expecting that to be primetime, but it was really quite manageable. The biggest crowds I saw were 1) at my beloved Flamingo Grill at lunch (the secret is evidently out), and 2) at some kind of pashmina sale in the very sad little shopping district. Seriously, I thought fights were going to break out over $10 made-in-China scarves. >.>

I think good advice, if you’re worrying about crowds on your first cruise, is just keep moving. If everyone seems to be in spot A, you can probably find a spot B that’s just as good. Also, tables turn over very, very fast in Garden Cafe.

Food: Ah, the mystery of cruise ship food. It’s definitely variable. First of all, Flamingo Grill will be the death of me. Imagine one of your favorite kinds of cuisine. Now imagine that you cannot get it for about ten years. Now imagine you go on a cruise, and that cuisine is 1) all you can eat, buffet style, 2) clearly some of the best-prepared, freshest food available via buffet on the whole ship. Burp. Lunch was more pollo asado, black beans and rice, chicken croquetas, maduros (deep fried bananas, basically) and despite my resolution this morning to take it a little easier, a guava and cheese turnover. Sigh. I am relatively certain I can feel my body swelling up just typing this.

Not so good: Garden Cafe. Well, it’s hit or miss. Tonight is ‘steak and seafood’ night, and I have to be honest and tell you it was pretty bad. First up: lobster pasta. Let me say that the bar is very low for me and any kind of creamy penne pasta with seafood. This managed to get under that bar. Overcooked pasta, a few rubbery lobster lumps, and a fairly anonymous white sauce with a few strips of bell pepper. I salvaged it to some extent by snagging some grilled ship skewers and incorporating them into the pasta. I also had a piece of grilled steak. Well-done, meaning way overcooked. I’m not sure there was a way get it any other way. I think it was strip steak. I should have gone to the carving station. (Steamship round.) There were some saving graces: a very good chocolate mousse torte (labelled as, like, ‘chocolate cake with shiny glaze chocolate’ (I should have taken a picture of the sign)), and also walking around the buffet I spotted the snacks area: all the same stuff from my $8 cheese plate last night. So when I finished up dinner, I assembled my own snack plate (salami, brie, ‘italico’ cheese, walnuts, grapes, crackers), and brazenly took it back to my room in case I get peckish later.

Spa: Definitely a sanity saver. As mentioned above, I’ve never had a problem with loungers, tile loungers, or crowded water features. I like going in the morning and then around dinnertime. Everyone seems very chill in there—lots of reading and napping. There was a HUGE crowd at the spa check in desk this morning, and I was afraid my peaceful nook would be overtaken, but I think they were all there for other spa services (including someone discussing a $2000 Thermage treatment).

Motion sickness: no problems today. That said, I did, quite uncharacteristically, take a nap for a couple of hours this afternoon. Maybe too much meclizine.

Socializing: I saw earlier that some of you have encouraged me to be more outgoing. I’ve actually been quite friendly and outgoing with people this whole trip, especially for me, but I haven’t done any entertainment events yet (I have Burn the Floor booked later). I’ve noticed a few things though—first of all, almost all the interactions in the solo lounge I’ve had have been awkward. I think everyone actually feels weirder than I do for traveling solo, and a lot of attention gets called to it. It’s been awkward enough that I’ve begun to hope no one is in there when I stop for tea or water. The flow of conversation just ends up very stilted. (Note: this isn’t my introversion talking; I’m actually pretty good at cheerful small talk. The vibe really *is* weird. I don’t want to go into details in case some of the people I’ve interacted with are reading this. As far as I can tell I’m the only female in the solo area so that could also be making things weird.)

Secondly, I’ve noticed that today seems to be the day families start stressing about planning dinners and such and bickering in the lobbies. :) Anyway, in the other places I’ve been, people are just doing their own thing (spa, casino, etc). I’m going to try do Howl at the Moon and maybe a comedy show too. Also, tomorrow I’m going to try to (gasp) go over to Spice H2O and (double gasp) actually get some sun and (triple gasp) possibly have an alcoholic beverage. (I am pale and a terrible drinker.) I don’t know, we’ll see how this goes. I’m also going to carry my actual camera around.

I should mention that I still have seen almost no kids. Isn’t it summer vacation? No toddlers that I can recall, mostly just some well-behaved tweens. No elevator pranks, etc.

Tech notes: Internet is pretty borked today. I don’t understand how their captive portal works. You can only have one device logged into it, but even when my phone is not the ‘anointed’ device, it receives iMessages (not SMS), even though it is in airplane mode and I’ve disabled all cellular activity. I’m worried NCL or Verizon or someone is going to figure out how to bill me for this. Also, the cabin is pretty well air-conditioned but I have a feeling the thermostat is just for show (like, you push buttons but it doesn’t actually do anything). I’ve discovered more light switches in the studio cabin. Look around, there are tons of lighting options. I wish the TV info portal showed a map of where we are. Back to internet: slow slow slow. Email and web browsing is possible, but at the low end of dialup speed. Where it gets dicey is that I’m working on a novel and my usual process is to write on the laptop, and then dropbox it over to my iPad for leisurely editing. Dropbox just refuses to work with this connection, as does Pages over iCloud. I tried to go-old school and sync documents via iTunes, but even Pages is resisting this technique. Thanks, Apple. Speaking of Apple, last night around dinner, my iPhone (and thus my apple watch) decided it was 10pm-ish when it was still only about six (I honestly have no idea what the real ship time is now), and when I manually fixed it on the phone I accidentally set it to AM instead of PM, and didn’t catch the error for several hours. Now my watch is hopelessly confused about my activity tracking, and says I’ve walked six miles today (I haven’t, it seems to be unwilling to admit today is a new day, and is adding it on to my activity for yesterday). So that’s sad, I’d like to know how much I really walked so I can feel better about all the fried plantains.

(Hmm, ship just started rocking pretty significantly.)

Newbie travel notes: So all the advice says not to overpack, to remove half of what you packed, blah blah blah. While I was skeptical of this advice, I also wanted to make sure I didn’t pack more than I could carry myself, and I had more than the average load of electronics. So it quickly became apparent that I just didn’t bring enough clothes. I’ve learned what is doubtless a time-honored travel skill: washing your clothes in the sink and rolling them in a towel before hanging them up. I’m really hoping I can buy some clothes in St Thomas, any recommendations/advice? Also, had an interesting bit of luck/innovation. I bought my suitcases months ago, and they are the hardshell plastic type that have a very very strong chemical smell when you get them. I use Woollite dry-cleaning sheets for some of my clothes at home, and they are very heavily perfumed, so after using one I’d shove it in the zippered lining of one of the suitcases. I’ve been doing this for months, and when I packed I forgot they were there in the lining. So I’ve been taking them back out and using them in the sink as laundry sheets.

I still love my studio cabin (although it is rocking quite noticeably right now—I may pop a bonine

in a minute here). I think I have this whole section to myself, I’ve never seen anyone but the room stewards in my hallway. Relatively quiet (typical ship noises but nothing my white noise machine can’t defeat), the layout is good, the IKEA storage stuff is really usable. Water pressure is acceptable, toilet flushes. Niel is my room steward and seems very nice. Got a towel creature today. What on earth are you supposed to do with the towels afterwards? I felt bad but used part of today’s to dry my laundry. I only noticed today that he keeps my ice bucket stocked (I hadn’t requested it), so I go to the solo lounge (ten feet away), brew a strong cup of tea (2 bags), and then dump it over a glassful of ice back in my room for iced tea. Win!

Randomly: I thought I read people complaining about the loud announcements all the time, but I have to open my cabin door to hear them (only the safety drill announcement played directly in my room), and I think there’s only been one or two today. I expected hourly sales pitches for diamonds or something.

I think that’s about it. Overall I am really enjoying myself, and relaxing quite a bit. I’ve gotten the layout of the ship figured out much better (looking at maps only helps to a point—there isn’t very much signage, and online deck maps don’t make it clear when you have to switch between inside/outside to proceed in a certain direction). I’m looking forward to St. Thomas, which is day after tomorrow, although if I’m being honest I am mostly looking forward to shopping. :)

I can see why you're working on a novel. You have a great writing style that just invites the reader in; and I can hardly wait for the next instalment of your review!

Cheers and happy sailing,

Sandra

Hi!

If Phil palisoul is still onboard this week( comedian) you have got to see him

One of the best comics we have seen on land or sea

Also- howl at the moon is a must do. Early there are kids but they tend to leave for more age appropriate venues

The five of us spent hours there last week, just as we did on previous Getaway cruise

Burn the floor will leave you speechless

On the casino, go to the very back by the noodle bar.

There are se machines with 4 game screens in one

They have a game called Buffalo

I played. Each of these penny machines and triplets my cash each night . Not a high roller but I came out waaaaay ahead.

Try the lobster roll on sea days at Ocean Blue-outstanding !

Don't miss the game shows in the atrium

Last year I thought that they would be lame but they were truly entertaining

This year they were better than last.

So glad that you are relaxing and enjoying yourself

Have you had a lime cinnamon roll at Flamingo yet? Yum'

Clothes in st Thomas- at Haven sight mall there is a store called

"Outrigger" I once purchased several dresses there.

On my last cruise, I did my own things (while parents did own stuff) and would attend a lot of events by myself. Almost everyone I chatted with very pretty friendly and personable and never commented about me being at an event by myself. Staffers on the other hand, one was essentially making fun of me being at a trivia by myself (saying team 1 for the lonely fella..for real?) while another staffer would rather interact with a group of 4 instead of with me despite we were the only people there (and I previously went to events this staffer hosted and I interacted with him too). You will have a lot of fun doing ropes course, water slides, and the parties they have at Spice H2O like Glow Party or 70s night as I also attended events by myself on the Getaway.

I'm loving your review and am looking forward to reading more.

As far as the internet, I pre-purchased the unlimited plan for our next cruise. Can I share it with my husband or do we each need to have our own? On our last cruise I purchased the 1000MB plan and we were able to share it and use it at the same time. Actually, we were able to use both of our phones (one iPhone and one Android) and my Kindle. Now I'm rethinking what I bought. Any advice would be appreciated.

Yacht Haven Grande is right next to where you will dock. Plenty of upscale and high end clothing stores there. It is about a 5 - 8 minute walk from he ship. Head toward town but stay to the left, don't go out on the street.

I like your style, this is very entertaining. I'm glad to hear you are enjoying things so far. I also can't wait for my turn at the Flamingo Grill! And a cat slot machine got to me in Las Vegas. Does this one randomly show cute kitty faces and make meowing sounds, too? That's what did me in. :)

Heather

To hear announcements, turn your TV to the deck cam channel. The announcements are broadcast over it.

Loving. This. Peridax!!

Glad you're having fun. Keep the info coming and sorry about the meclizine hang over... :(

Thanks for the review!!

To hear announcements, turn your TV to the deck cam channel. The announcements are broadcast over it.

Also there should be also a navigational channel on TV that shows map with ship's current position periodically.