TheMidwestMariner

Thanks for the link. These pictures are great. I'm wondering where the life boats went once "deployed". Looking forward to more pictures as the dry dock work gets underway. We are sailing on the Star for the 3rd time in May.

When I was working on my ship, the lifeboats actually went ashore in the yard once deployed for servicing of their own. Wouldn't be surprised if that was the case here.

Leaving on the Pearl this Friday and I am getting real excited! Thanks for all the tips! This will be my first time of this ship! We have an aft Balcony, so I think the view will be amazing! :p

Looks like we are on the same trip. Snow last night followed by freezing rain this morning... safe to say i'm ready for the Caribbean.

Cagney's might be an option.

They have a seabass / shrimp / lobster, nothing particularly spicy, maybe show her that menu?

(The oreo cheesecake doesn't hurt for dessert either ;) )

Have a great cruise and happy birthday to your mom

Instead of focusing on this, focus on the fact that you'll be on a CRUISE!

Have a nice trip (I cruise friday on the Pearl:D)

I'm going next friday and in August, been waiting for new pics for a while! Thank you OP!

Thanks for the reply, I was basically looking at it to see how O'Sheehans where they held things like "Perfect couple", "Deal or no deal", "Dancing with NCL stars" and if they had comedy on board.

Also, do they have darts/pool in O'Sheehans?

Trivial stuff I know, but thanks in advance!

Well.... do ya?

Hey everyone - I am boarding the Pearl on March 6 after a Kid Rock charter cruise. I have read elsewhere that boarding after a charter, and i assume after a rock charter ha ha, can be delayed for deep cleaning. I was wondering if anyone on here has cruised after a charter and if so, what time boarding usually begins?

Thanks!

Here's a photo tour - http://www.beyondships.com/NCLSpirit.html

I've sailed on her and she's older, but nice, very impressive atrium

Trying to find out if they have Budweiser products on the Getaway. I have searched and searched and read many lists and cannot seem to get a definitive answer. Anyone on the Getaway recently that can answer?

 

Thanks!

No official menu, but there is Bud and Bud Light available. I may or may not had had a few buckets of each on my cruise...:p

Thank you for the review. I liked your format and picked up a few things that will help with my cruise!

Thanks coral. Glad I could help!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Great review! Thanks for sharing! We'll be on the Getaway in January and this will be our first cruise with NCL so looking forward to it! I am wondering about the Junkanoo Beach you mentioned in Nassau. How long is the walk to this beach and would it be a good one for swimming/snorkelling? We normally just go shopping in Nassau, but would love to explore a little further this time. Also, how long of a taxi ride is it from where the ship docks in St Thomas to Magen's Bay? Thanks!

I would say Junkanoo is about a 20 minute walk from the ship basically past the downtown area and the resort (the name escapes me now!) and you're there. The water was fine for swimming, though I did not see much snorkeling happening. You could get some really fresh local fish there as well, not sure what type, but they fried it up and it was fantastic.

I would say the ride to Magen's bay is about 15-20 minutes. However it is not a typical cab, its almost like a tiny bus and they'll wait until it is full before they leave usually, so this can extend the ride so be wary.

Hope you enjoy your first cruise on NCL, i've been cruising with them my entire life and I feel like the product has never been better. Some disagree but the beauty if cruising is there is truly something for everyone out there.

That was a great write up thanks for that! my Husband I will be sailing Dec 13. But I was curious, I have heard that they no longer do the Hot White Party and instead it's a Glow party, is this true? I did hear about the 80s party as well but have seen things about a 70s party is this true also?

 

thanks

Krys

It is a glow party now, but it's pretty similar, a lot of people in white (and neon). They have glow in the dark face paint which i thought was a fun touch. It appeared to be for families at first, and then later on turning into more of an adults only party.

Usually on the NCL cruises they'll have some sort of 70s night, usually a theme night (or at the very least an hour in the disco).

Thanks for the kind words, it's pretty enjoyable to write about a cruise! Some of my best memories in life happened on ships.

Also, as I said in the review, going forward, it will be an extensive day by day account posted soon after I get home.

I have the Epic in January and then then Pearl in *hopefully* march, then again on the Pearl (or Jewel) in July

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Pearl, I am likely going on her on two cruises next year, Glacier Bay being one of them!

Excellent and informative review! Could you elaborate more about getting Filet substitutions? Did you merely just request that the steak be substituted at the time of order and was there an up charge? Thanks :)

I just do it at the time of the order. There's no up charge. I mentioned one time that I wasn't crazy about the steak and the waitress said next time I should just substitute the filet. I've done it 4/5 times since then.

Thanks for your review! I am going on the Epic in January and will be looking for your review. I hope that you go before me!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I go on Dec 14, and will start posting soon after I get back, so you're in luck!

Loved your review! We are boarding in less than 3 weeks. Did you feel that leaving Maho at 2:00 was sufficient for getting back without feeling rushed?

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

Absolutely, there were plenty of cabs, minimal traffic and all aboard isn't until 1730 if I remember correctly. Had plenty of time to shop and enjoy the shops/restaurants around the pier.

Overall Impressions:

I had an amazing week on the Norwegian Getaway. Everything was still sparkling and new and I often found myself walking around and taking in all of the wonderful details and designs that were put into this ship.

The only drawbacks for me were the food in the MDR (I only attempted to eat there one night) and how crowded the pool deck got around lunch time. You could barely walk around on the top decks during this time, but I wake up early, I was usually on a deck chair around 0700 after breakfast, and by 1100, that was enough sun for me!

The crew was absolutely phenomenal, and I would highly recommend the Norwegian Getaway!

Well, thats it for my first review, i’d like to thank you for taking the time to read it, I know I've forgotten things, but I've managed to get down my strongest impressions from the week!

Please dont hesitate to ask any questions, I'll be happy to answer. I will also post this review on my blog if you would like to read with photos, and without the comments!

Nightlife:

There was always sometime to do at night on board, we spent some nights in the Grammy Experience where a wonderful bluegrass/zydeco band was playing, did one night at the comedy club (i would recommend booking this ahead, it was always “sold out”) and otherwise found ourselves watching one of the game shows in the atrium, which has slowly become an entertainment venue on it’s own! My favorite of the week was “Dancing with the Getaway Stars”, I almost lost my breath laughing from this one!

The fireworks show / 80s party was a can’t miss, I was surprised at the quality of the fireworks, but they do try to fit THOUSANDS of people in Spice H20, so I would suggest arriving early. If you do not like crowds, I am told you could see the fireworks from the waterfront on the port side of the ship.

Ports of Call:

St Maarten - When we received the announcement to head ashore in St Maarten, my family and I went right down the gangway and hopped in a cab to head to Maho Beach. It was a stunning 15-20 minute ride and we settled into the Sunset Bar located on the left side of the beach (when facing the ocean) and grabbed a table by the water. If you get to the Sunset bar early, I would advise getting one of the tables by the water, this allows you a better sight line, and better photo opportunities for photos of the planes landing. Sunset Bar has a surfboard near the beach entrance that will tell you what time the planes are landing. The main attraction is the KLM Airlines 747 that lands around midday. If you get there around 1000, and stay until 1400, you’ll see most of the bigger planes land, that’s about how long we stayed, then did some shopping by the pier. I may or may not have indulged in a couple of “Mojito Limons” at the drink stand by the same name. Its simple, a mojito with lemon juice added as well. They’re absolutely delicious. There was also a nice french bakery near the dock, and my wife got her fill of macaroons!

St Thomas - The usual routine for me in St Thomas was to get a cab outside the Havensight dock and head over to Magen’s Bay, I decided to change things around this time and take the Champagne Catamaran and snorkel trip over to St Johns. I booked this through NCL. We met with our tour group and took a bus ride over to the marina about 20 minutes away. I live in the Chicago suburbs and the bus ride along was reason enough for excitement, you don't see all of the elevation changes on the road in Chicago as you do in St Thomas! We boarded the spacious catamaran and cruised over to St John which is absolutely breathtaking. I snorkeled for a little while, but I was quickly back on the boat just relaxing and taking in the sights of the picturesque island just a few hundred feet away. We stayed there for about an hour at which point the champagne was served! They also provided bread, cheese and fruit. There was a festive atmosphere on board as we sailed back to St Thomas, they had some nice cold beer and I enjoyed a couple of those as the boat silently glided through the water. After the bus ride back to the terminal, we went over to Senor Frogs (a personal favorite of mine) for lunch, it can be a wild place, but usually people are there just having drinks and a good time. All in good fun, a nice way to end our day in St Thomas!

Nassau - I have been going to Nassau nearly my entire life, sometimes I will only get off the ship for a little while for a walk, sometimes I'll go to Atlantis, but this time we walked over to Junkanoo beach. We found a nice little bar that was making drinks out of fresh coconuts, and it also had a nice view of the harbor. We had a few drinks and watched the Carnival Sensation pull in. I am always impressed with the shiphandling required to berth in Nassau and there’s not much bad watching a ship pull in while enjoying a nice fresh coconut drink. After Junkanoo, we walked back towards downtown, I noticed one of my favorite bars in Nassau was opened again - the Pirate bar! When I was a cadet at the maritime academy, we spent 4 days in Nassau and the Pirate bar was where we all got together and even watched the Super Bowl, it has some sentimental value and I'm happy it’s open, though I was not encouraged by the fact that we were the only people there despite 4 cruise ships being in town! After taking some photos in the Pirate Bar, we went to the Conch and Kalik where I had a wonderfully fresh blackened conch dish. After that, it was back to the ship and sadly, back to Miami.

Other Restaurants:

Main Dining Room - We ate in Taste one night, we were seated and served quickly, but the meal was mediocre. There’s not much else to say unfortunately, if we didn’t eat in a specialty restaurant, we usually grabbed something quick rather than going to the main dining room.

O’Sheehans - Now I LOVE O’Sheehans, I truly believe it’s the finest pub at sea! In an effort to steer traffic away from the MDRs, they run nightly specials, Prime Rib / Spare Ribs / Chicken and Waffles during evening hours. It was always packed during peak hours. During the days when it was too hot to be on deck, my wife and I would go down to O’Sheehans and compete in the various games available. I did pretty well in air hockey and the mini bowling but my wife has somehow become a savant at darts. For some reason...that’s the game she wants to play the most! My only suggestion for O’Sheehans would be to start adding some craft beers to the mix as they tend to have mostly light lagers.

Carlo’s Bake Shop - Leading up to this cruise, my wife and I decided it would be fun to watch a few episodes of cake boss….. 5 seasons later and it’s time to go on the cruise! I surprised her with a Norwegian Getaway theme cake delivered to our room. It was beautifully decorated and tasted great! We would stop by almost daily after lunch for the wonderful cannolis and my personal favorite, the lobster tail. While there are other pastries around the ship free of charge, I think the quality of what you can get at Carlo’s is a step above. I was very happy to hear NCL will be going fleetwide with Carlo’s bake shop items. I already have to miss Ocean Blue when I go on the Epic in December, I’m thankful I don't have to miss Carlo’s as well!

Specialty Dining:

Ocean Blue - We dined in Ocean Blue the evening of the first sea day. My wife and I loved it on the Breakaway and I wanted to treat my parents to a wonderful meal there! I pre-booked this through the NCL site at $49pp, but when I arrived on the ship, that had dropped the price down to $39pp, so they refunded my original booking and charged me for the new, lower rate. I had the madras and carrot curry bisque and the Florida red snapper, both were absolutely fantastic. I was pleased that the menu featured some local Florida fish (it gave Ocean Blue a distinctly Floridian menu while keeping some of Zakarian’s classics). I finished dinner off with a delicious lemon meringue tart. All in all, it was a great meal, there are so many little surprise touches during the service that gave this restaurant a premium feel. I feel like I absolutely received my money’s worth.

I did also ate at the Ocean Blue raw bar, the black bass ceviche and tuna crudo are some of my favorite dishes I have EVER had onboard a cruise ship. Highly recommended! The only downside is the fact that it’s not open during lunch as is the sushi restaurant (which is also tasty) or I would have eaten there more than once!

Teppanyaki - We chose the teppanyaki restaurant on board for our dinner on the second sea day. It was my family of four and another family of three (a couple with an incredibly well behaved child). I ordered the steak and chicken, but substituted the steak for filet mignon (this always works! cruise tip!). One of the things about this Teppanyaki is that even though I usually get the same thing, each chef brings something new to the table. Sure they all have a similar skillset, but when they’re performing in front of you, you get a look into their personality and it makes the dinner an incredibly personal and unique experience. The fact that the food is also fresh and delicious doesn’t hurt either!

La Cucina - I have always enjoyed La Cucina on NCL ships, even after they updated the menu over the last couple of years, I still think it provides an enjoyable meal. Now, I will say I did prefer the past menu, but when I can get a pizza with chile marinated beef, carpaccio, and osso bucco, it’s tough to complain. I believe I had cheesecake for dessert. Some reviews compare La Cucina to Olive Garden, and while I think this is a step above, I can see why some people say it. I'll still usually stop in here one night on an NCL cruise.

Cagney’s - This is my favorite restaurant on NCL, we dined here on the final sea day enroute to Nassau. I had the loaded baked potato soup, beef short rib confit, and a cajun spiced filet mignon. My wife and I managed to save enough room for some of the amazing Oreo cheesecake. We were seated next to the Captain entertaining a man who spent nearly the entire week in the high roller section of the casino - I suppose he’d donated enough to the ship to warrant a meal with the captain! As always, Cagney’s is a wonderful meal and my wife and I look forward to dining there every time we cruise with NCL.

While I am looking forward to my cruise on the Norwegian Epic, I have decided to take a look back and review my cruise on the Norwegian Getaway on August 16th, 2014. This is my first review and I'm writing it purely from memory two months after the fact. This review will be a different format than my upcoming review on the Norwegian Epic (and all subsequent review), as that one will be written essentially on the ship (on my ipad) and will be an extensive day by day account. For the Norwegian Getaway, I'm just going to “freestyle” it! Get it?

My wife and I took this cruise with my parents, who are the people I can thank for my love for cruising, and subsequent career in the shipping industry. They’re still as passionate about cruising as they were when I was running around the SS Norway in diapers. We boarded the ship fairly quickly and immediately went to our rooms. My wife and I had a forward facing ocean view on deck 11. This wasn’t my ideal cabin location, but I found myself walking around the waterfront in the mornings rather than the pool deck so I made it work! I went right up to the Flamingo grill when I saw the crowds at the buffet and saw some of my favorite Latin style foods - slow roasted pork, beans and rice and cheese croquettes. If you’re into Latin food at all, or are interested in trying something new, head up to the Flamingo after embarkation. There’s also not much of a crowd up there on the first day as most people are drawn to the buffet.

Have a great cruise, i'll have a review on the Epic up here on CC in late December!