T2C15

I also posted this on the cruise critic review forum tonight, but assume it will take a day or two to show up there. So, here you go! I will try to answer some questions if anyone has any.

 

 

I'm sad to say we just returned from our week on the Getaway - would love to have stayed for a few more days! We absolutely loved the ship and would recommend it to almost anyone, especially families! I will sort my review by topics:

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation: Both went very smooth. We arrived at the port early and were in the 2nd boarding group. I was sitting in a lounger in the sun by 11:30 as happy as could be. Getting off the ship went quickly too - less than 30 minutes, including getting luggage and customs.

 

Room: We had a mid ship mini suite (10230). Since we had 4 of us in the room, 3 adults and one 11 year old boy - we appreciated the slightly larger room and bathroom area. We had plenty of storage for our belongings. The room was a decent size and the balcony, while small, could fit 3 people easily if standing. The shower was a little tricky to figure out with all the different jets, but nice water pressure. The king size bed was comfortable and my son loved his bunk bed that came out of the ceiling. The only minor issue we had is the drawers under the couch were a bit tricky to open/close if the couch was open as a bed.

 

Food: Overall we thought the food was good and liked the various decors of the dining rooms and specialty restaurants. We had been on the Jewell last year and I thought the food on the Getaway was definitely much better. My only food disappointment that week was the molten lava chocolate cake... it tasted fine, but was served cold, so just wasn't what I wanted or expected. My husband and I ate at Cagney's one night and loved it, and the four of us ate at Teppanyaki one night. This is a great option with kids - my son absolutely loved the demonstration while cooking and the chefs do a great job including the kids in their routine. We ate in all three of the main dining rooms (Taste, Savor and Tropicana) and O'Sheehans for dinners, in addition to the specialty restaurants. For breakfast and lunch we always ate in the Garden Café or Flamingos (just once). And, who can forget the soft serve ice cream! My son (and maybe dad and mom) had several cones a day! They also had scoop ice cream available most of the time too during prime time dining! I also love the chocolate croissants at breakfast... you don't want to know how many of those I ate each day.

 

Service: We did not encounter any unfriendly staff members during out trip. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. A few of things that I really loved is that during the day they would periodically bring around cold washcloths and/or spray bottle misters to the sunbathers to help cool you off - that was a very nice and unexpected treat! They also brought fruit smoothie samples around one day - a great way to sell them and it worked with my son! Finally two different nights the brought a small plate of chocolates/chocolate covered strawberries to our room (with a card from the hotel director). I was not sure if that was because I am a measly bronze latitude member or attended the cruise critic meet and greet - but again, we loved it! Little extras like this are what would bring me back to this cruise line again.

 

Entertainment: We went to Illusionarium and absolutely loved it! Definitely don't miss this. We paid for premium seating, which I thought was worthwhile. I thought the food was good too, except I did not care for the desserts. My sister and I went to the Wine Lovers lunch too.... I thought it was ok. It seemed to get a bit long and they made you only tastes the wines at certain points in the show and it seemed like the last 3 got rushed into about 10-15 minutes. It was fun trying the wines and they provide a good pour.... I do wish the lunch was a little lighter though vs. a big dinner like meal. We also went to Howl at the Moon one night and loved that too! The rest of the night life was usually too late for us early to bed, early to rise folks!

 

Sports/Kids stuff: My son loved, loved, loved the ropes course, water slides, mini golf, ping pong, bowling, skeetball and basketball (the last three in "O'Sheehans). This ship is definitely geared towards families - which worked perfectly for us. Yes, it was spring break and the lines were often long for the slides and ropes course, but he still had fun. We also found port days a good time to take advantage of some of those activities when open.

 

Bars: We loved the outdoor seating at Sugar Cane and the Sunset bar. Great place to go for a pre-dinner beverage and relaxation. I did try the mojito flight at Sugarcane our last night there - pretty good, but not exactly what I expected. Fun to try though! Bar service staff at the pool/sun decks were also great. I was really impressed that several of them remembered our names (maybe that was a bad sign????) and even favorite drinks by the end of the cruise.

 

If you have kids/grandkids - especially tweeners to young teens, this cruise is a great option to consider!

If you rated the cruise on activities/options for tweens/teens only - do you feel this or the Disney cruise was a better fit for your 11 year old? And why? thanks! Great review!

Thank you for posting!! We have also booked an angled balcony (13836) on the Getaway in Feb '14. Based on my research of Breakaway I felt confident these were larger than the standard balcony which has gotten much conversation for limited size. Any additional sq footage in balcony without additional $ is a good value.

 

I also read that angled balconies with the forward view can be windy which certainly makes sense when the ship is in motion. So I was also pleased that ours is a aft facing angle which should prevent unwanted wind.

Hi - would you book 13836 again?

We sailed in 13836. Great location, by the way. If I remember correctly, there is a hallway opening as pictured on deck plans. Your cabins should be just around the corner from each other. 13836: Bed is next to the deck door, and you cannot see the fireworks from the angled balcony.

Hi,

Would you select this room again?

Getaway - floor 13, angled balconies -\\How were the noise levels?

NCL Getaway :)

First time cruisers so we were thinking mid-ship is safest.

The Breeze was our second choice.

NCL best locations for mini-suite or Balcony room for a family with 2 teens?

Hi,

Has anyone stayed on floor 14? Is it noisy with the pool above?

Also - anyone have an opinion on if the cost to upgrade to a Mini-suite is worth it over a mid-ship balcony? (circa $400) Besides the bathroom - does the mini-suite cabin space feel bigger?

Does anyone have suggestions on balcony or mini-suite cabin numbers that are a preferred location or perhaps slightly larger?:)