bkrickles1

As I stated in an earlier post, we chose Getaway for an April sailing, because the entertainment is different from our 4 previous sailings and for Syd's. I have no problem waiting in line as either my daughter or wife will feed me drinks while I wait. Lmao! Final payment is due soon and we expect to have a great time, as usual!

I disagree with both of these points. First of all, I go out plenty and have never felt pressure to tip "more and more". In fact, I've never felt pressure to tip at all. With regards to the "double tip", that's ridiculous! I sail enough to know that nothing more is expected and that cash tipping is not "the norm". But I am on the side of tipping extra. We feel good about it and have been doing it for over 30 years, wherever we vacation, but especially on cruises. We know these hard workers appreciate the extra $ and it does lead many times to better relationships, being remembered and sometimes even better service.

we booked Vibe for the first time for our sailing on Getaway in April and plan on being there for sail away! Super excited to have Vibe access for this sailing.

Towels, towels, towels! That was our only real concern when sailing Joy this past July after they switched from twice a day to once a day cleaning. I shower after working out in the morning and again before setting out for the evening and I don't like using wet towels. It's not that they get dirty after one use. Very simple fix. I had a note prepared before sailing with a few minor requests and that included extra towels. Since I saw my steward within minutes of getting to my cabin, I handed it to him, along with a $20 bill. I had extra towels placed on my couch that afternoon and the steward only had to switch out the used towels on a daily basis and we always had dry towels. We had a very good steward this sailing, as we usually do, and I believe he would have provided the extra towels without any incentive.

Personal decision. If it's port intensive and you plan on getting off the ship for every port and staying off all day, it's probably not worth it. We are sailing Getaway for 10 days in April and booked Vibe even though there are 5 or 6 stops, as we won't be getting off at every port and love to spend our days, predominantly outside near hot tubs and a bar. Lmao!!

I've been on Joy twice in the past 18 months and loved DBH. If memory serves, and I'd recommend that you search out a daily freestyle, DBH opened every afternoon around 2pm on sea days and 4pm on port days. They have entertainment every evening there, but it's a great venue anytime it's open. I see we're practically neighbors! Lmao Enjoy your sailing. Joy is a terrific ship.

Yes. Free laundry bag midweek.

I've stayed in club balcony suites my last 2 sailings on Joy and yes, the perks are pretty underwhelming, but the bathroom made it worth it for us. Double sink and large walk-in shower was a big plus that we really enjoyed. The free laundry was nice, but unnecessary. And the treats were also nice. I wouldn't pay a lot for it though.

I'm going to say that it will feel crowded if it's cold or there's bad weather. Some of the larger ships have an observation lounge which helps, but Getaway does not have this venue. Thermal suite would probably sell out fast for a sailing this time of year, so you'd want to jump on it if you book. Drink package does include mocktails, but no water or specialty coffees. It's essentially alcohol/non-alcohol drinks and soda up to $15. I'm sailing Getaway late April, so weather will be warmer, hopefully. Good luck with your decision.

I look forward to your review. We've sailed Joy twice in the last 18 months and had a great time each sailing. We wanted some different entertainment options, so we chose Getaway for next April for that reason and it also worked out date wise as it falls on my daughters birthday too. And, it's a 10 day sailing which my wife and daughter are very excited about. Already purchased Vibe passes to improve our daytime experience and I expect we'll enjoy the cruise immensely, as we always do.

I'm sailing Getaway in April and I've read somewhere that she has it too.

And I'm sure the comedy shows are there for all the sailings that start and end in the US, like all the Caribbean cruises. Thanks for Replying.

Yeah, I was speaking specifically about Getaway, which is what you started out doing. I'm well aware of the production shows being taken away, but that doesn't apply to Getaway. As far as I can tell, and many on here have confirmed, the entertainment hasn't changed or had anything taken away. So again, what drastic changes in entertainment did you experience specifically on Getaway? TIA

Exactly! I already knew this from my research. Lmao 😂 Thanks for confirming.

Could you do me a favor and explain the drastic changes in entertainment choices on Getaway? I'm booked for April, 2024 on Getaway and, from going through the website and reading these forums, I was under the impression that really nothing had changed from an entertainment standpoint. I'm aware of the fleetwide changes in some services, as I've sailed Joy twice in the last 18 months. We booked Getaway for 10 days because the entertainment is different from Joy, Encore and Escape, which is what our last 4 sailings were on. We were looking for something a little different. Please let me know what's been taken away so I may plan accordingly. TIA

My daughter docked at Taino Bay in May

I'm doing the math of what you described and I don't understand how you got to $160pp. Is that with drinks and food? The trip itself sounds like it's $82pp r/t. Thanks for explaining how to do it. I did ncl excursion last time and we're returning in April and haven't booked excursion yet, but definitely want to return. We hung out in front of Hendos, which is next door to soggy dollar, as they have nicer lounge chairs and umbrellas.

My sailing on Getaway for 4/19/24 hasn't changed. It's probably a couple of dollars more than when I booked. I check once per week, so I'm still hoping for some reduction before final payment.

I sailed Joy in the summer of 2022 and 2023 and, both times, ate at FR for lunch and used one FAS meal for 4 items. 1st time with my daughter and 2nd with my niece. It was not questioned and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience.

I was on Joy in July and was told that they don't hold back passes. But, I was told that there are typically cancellations and that frees up some passes after embarkation. I've pre-booked Vibe for a Getaway sailing in April for the first time. We always have others travelling with us, many times with children, and we end up not wanting to be away from them all day. This trip in April is just me, my wife and my daughter, so it's the perfect time to book Vibe and we're all super excited to experience it. If some of our friends and family decided to join us, we could potentially cancel our passes prior to sailing and those passes could be made available after boarding. I think that's probably how it might happen for others. My wife would kill me for saying it, but I kind of hope nobody joins us. LMAO!!

Yes! Awesome venue!

I disagree "mostly" with the nickel and diming. Every cruise line has their unique way of pricing and packaging the product they offer. To me, it's clearly laid out and I always know exactly what I'm getting into. A little research and ownership of what you're purchasing is more important now than in the past and if you are surprised or confused it's on you. The pandemic crushed the entire cruise industry and required everyone to raise prices and reconstruct things just so they could survive and provide all of us with a cruise product that's still pretty damn good if you're a reasonable person. I began cruising, as an adult nearly 33 years ago, so I am aware of how things used to be. I'm also aware that the world has changed just a little bit too. Our last 4 cruises have been on NCL, but I always look at RCCL and Celebrity too when I'm planning. Apples to apples, with all fees, taxes, upcharges, and whatever else you can think of, NCL has always provided us with more for less. The one caveat in my research is that we like to drink a little more on vacation. If you're a drinker, NCL is a tremendous value with their FAS perks. And, we just sailed Joy in July, post pandemic, and the service and entertainment was excellent in spite of cutbacks. We enjoyed it so much that we've since booked a 10 sailing on Getaway for next April.

I agree. Nothing like being in there with the crowd and the music right in your face. I mentioned the Waterfront option because you can't always make every show and you may have some time to kill before doing something else or you're just taking a stroll. We were on Joy in July and one night we volunteered to babysit for my 1 and 5 year old nieces. We were walking along the Waterfront and there was a show going on inside the Cavern Club and we took a seat and enjoyed the music as we sipped on a cocktail. The 1 year old was sleeping and the 5 year old had some space to play and run around. We did make it inside the Club 2 other times for shows, so we also got the full experience. Excellent use of the amenities!

But there are speakers out there, so you can comfortably listen to the shows while sipping on your favorite cocktail and gazing out to sea!

I am so looking forward to Syd Normans on Getaway next April!! And I have no problem waiting on line a little. I did it on Joy in July, waiting for the Beatles tribute and got fabulous seats up by the stage. My wife brought me cocktails while I waited and the time flew by. So much fun!!