LASilva

Question: Did the Transat plane have any premium or at least wider seats available?

Sorry I don't think it did. They have Club Class on the Airbus planes (probably to Europe) but this plane was actually a CanJet plane.

I forgot to add this earlier...Our room steward was great. Sometimes he arranged my son's stuffed toys with the towel animals. "Bunny" (shes actually a lamb :) ) has been with us for all four cruises. My son is 7 now and bunny wasn't seen in public so I have a feeling this might be her last cruise :(

You can also see in this photo, on the right, my sons bunk. They come quite low over the bed. I am short so I slept on that side. I think if you were tall, you could wake up and forget the bunk overhead and bump your head! This room had one on each side so if you have two kids sleeping overhead it might feel a little claustrophobic for some.

Rib steak - he ate most of it!

(sorry poor quality)

Tropicana Room dancers

Wine Station! (I want one for my home!)

It is noted this is not included with the UBP

Restaurants

As I mentioned earlier, we were on a budget. We had an inside room and so we did not have a dining or beverage package. We tried not to spend too much on food and beverage, and on this ship there were plenty of complimentary options, so in my opinion you can be happy without the extras.

We ate in one specialty restaurant and that was Moderno. We thought it would be good try at least one, and since my husband is Brazilian, it had to be that one! So of course we have been in several "churrascaria" style restaurants like this in Brazil, US and Canada. This one, in my opinion, had the best salad bar, and in general was one of the better ones we've been to. The salad bar had such a wide selection including cheeses, shrimp cocktails etc.. I could have been happy with the salad bar alone. The meat selection was great however for those not familiar with this type of Brazilian restaurant you have to be sure they bring the PICHANA! This is main traditional meat that they would serve in this type of restaurant and it was on the menu. My husband, knowing this, waited and waited for this one and it never came. So then he asked for it. They came with chicken and asked if we were asking for the chicken..he said no, I am waiting for the Pichana. Finally when it came, it was the full roast (none cut yet), they served it to us...and went directly back to the kitchen! We think that they come out with this meat less often than the others, maybe because it is probably the most expensive. I'm not sure. So based on our experience, some people may have missed out. So if you are there and you enjoy good meat, make sure they bring it to you. Aside from this it was excellent. They had the Caphirina, the traditional Brazilian drink. They warned us it is strong (not knowing my husband was from Brazil). The drinks were properly made with cachaça(sugar cane liquor). Sometimes outside of Brazil they make them with Vodka, and then it is not a proper Caphirina. I forget which type my husband got but I got the Acai one and we both like it the best.

We ate in Taste and Savor (once each). We found the service to be average. They were slow, especially when coming back to ask about desert. We always order it ahead of time but then they forget and ask us again...eventually...if we want desert. That can be rough with a 7 year old! The food was very good. (not excellent).

I loved the Tropicana Room and I wish I had gone more than once (rather than Taste or Savor). The Burn the Floor Dancers put on a show and its great. The service is much faster and better....interestingly it was the same server as we had in Savor.

I loved the Flamingo Grill. Its great if you want something different than buffet food and its never crowded like the buffet. This is Cuban/Latin style food. They always had fried yuca which is so good!

We ate in O'Sheehans several times, especially for lunch. The quality of service varied. My son ordered chocolate milk. I'm not sure they actually serve it there. It didn't come with our other drinks and then the manager came to apologize that we didn't have it yet but someone went to get it. I think they went across the ship to get it because it took a while, but I appreciate that they would do this rather than just say they don't have any. They do not have a kids menu, but most of the food is kid friendly anyway (but large portions). My son got the prime rib and loved it!

The buffet had lots of selection and it was huge. You didn't have to wait in long lines because every type of food was in its own little section. I found the buffet staff to be the friendliest and most helpful. They were very cheerful, saying good morning etc. Especially the man who walked around with the (fake) candle on his head :) The food was good. I don't have a lot of expectations for buffet food but I found it not as greasy and sloppy as typical buffet food. My son went every night after the kids club...he was always hungry in the evening...especially for cookies and soft serve ice cream. Its vacation so we let him go for it. Sometimes he would just get tortilla chips or a hot dog.

They had soft serve ice cream machines in the buffet. During busy times, a server would make the cone for you. This was great because I have seen some pretty gross soft serve machines on previous ships. They make it small but just ask and they'll make it bigger. They also had a sundae station in the buffet during regular hours. This is the scooped ice cream with a small selection of toppings.

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About the non-alcoholic drink options. They had non-alcoholic drink/coffee stations in the buffet, just outside the buffet, and at the Flamingo Grill. It was much better than RCL, especially regarding the water. Disney has free pop/soda but no so many non-soda/pop options.

They had water next to the ice dispenser (came from a dispenser). They also had pieces of lemon to put in your water. The water quality was very good. We brought Brita water bottles to use but we didn't even bother. They also had two types of sugar free juice (I believe it was mango and strawberry punch). I think it was sweetened with sucralose. It did not have aspertame which upsets my stomach. They also had lemonade and unsweetend iced tea. The coffee cups are really small. Bring a insulated mug. There was a wide selection of teas.

ROOM

We had an inside room - #11653

It was small! We had a standard inside on RCL and Disney and this was smaller. I should take a look at the square footage of each room we've stayed in because I'm not sure if part of it was just the configuration . The bathroom seemed big compared to the size of the actual room - it had lots of shelves for toiletries etc. But we don't spend much time in our room so it was okay. The bed was comfortable. My son had a pull down bunk. There were two in that room.

There were nooks with shelves to store belongings and shelves inside the closet.

The room was very clean and our stateroom attendant was really friendly and made great towel animals.

An inside stateroom can be beneficial for us because my son will actually take a nap in the middle of the day if he's worn out - we can make the room so dark. He also sleeps in to a reasonable time - we're not up at the break of dawn on vacation :)

FREESTYLE DAILIES (Schedule Pages Only as well as Splash Academy Seals Schedule)

http://s374.photobucket.com/user/lasilva78/library/

FULL WEEK

Just a note to start...I don't have a lot of time to sit and post a lot all at once but I will continue to add more on a (hopefully) daily basis. I will add some of my photos, but my husband is the photographer and I will have to add his photos later because they are not "ready" yet. His photos will be a lot nicer than mine. There will be a video as well.

We sailed on the Getaway the week of May 9, 2015. We are in our mid 30's and have a 7 year old son. We previously sailed with Disney (2) and RCL (1)

We didn't have a big budget to work with, and flying from Canada can be costly so we don't spend a lot on "extras" (restaurants, spa, beverage plans etc) . If you're interested in knowing about the experience without any of the extras I can tell you about that.

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The trip itself

We booked a package with Transat Holidays. It included the flight, cruise and transfers. This is a discount vacation provider (Canada) and I was a little worried because they have limited flights if something goes wrong, and their planes are not as nice as flying with Air Canada for example. They also had a return flight from FLL at 12pm which is considered to be cutting it a little close, but they guaranteed that with their transfer we would make the flight. Considering pretty much everyone on the flight was either going on the Getaway or Carnival Glory I wouldn't be surprised if they would actually hold the plane. Anyway I actually was happy with Transat, especially considering the great price of the package. The service was fine, check in was quick. The plane did not have the personal entertainment screens and if you're tall it would be tight. But checked bags are free based on weight and the weight limit is higher for people on cruises. They have a Kids Club that you can register for and kids get to board the plane early and they can pick their seat for free as well as get coupons for extra snacks. That was great.

Boarding

We got to the terminal around 12:30-1:00pm I believe. For us it was terminal B. There was a long line outside so I was worried, but it went quite quickly. Check in was smooth, and at that point there was no wait to get on the ship.

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Coming up...I am posting the dailies :) ... but only the schedule portion, they were pretty mangled by the time I got them home. I've never posted photos before so bear with me...if there are no technical issues they should be up shortly...

It fits wallets, cell phones, jewellery etc. and it would fit an iPad mini but I'm not quite sure about a full size iPad.

I grew up in a small city where the jobless rate is very high. No one including my parents could ever afford to go on a cruise. A lot of people there get excited when a cruise ship comes into port and they get to SEE one!

I feel so privileged to be able to go on a cruise with my family every year and I could never complain about trivial things or go about my vacation with the attitude I see from some people I encounter on the ships. I know I am paying for a certain level of service but it would have to be a very terrible experience for me to complain endlessly or let it ruin my vacation. Our inside room this year was so small compared to previous cruises. I am always wishing we could afford a bigger stateroom but the flight itself is so expensive. But every vacation has been so fantastic because we choose it to be. And I remind myself that if I went back home to my old friends and complained about how small my room was on my annual cruise ship vacation I think they would roll their eyes and tell me what an a** I've become.:)

Which begs the question - If the restriction on food being taken from the buffet to the cabins is 1) not on the website, 2) not printed in the dailies, 3) not announced via signage, and 4) not brought to passenger's attention by crew - then how are passengers to know it even exists? And why are NCL public relations and customer service telling people that it does?

EXACTLY. As far as I am concerned, unless it is posted, and communicated during the sailing and then subsequently enforced, the rule regarding taking food from the buffet does not exist. I am scouring the threads to find someone who was stopped taking food from the buffet because I spent a lot of time watching how this "rule" would pan out while on the Getaway and I didn't see anything (only in the restaurants they did confirm and enforce the policy). I was so upset about all that I was hearing in these endless threads about this topic before I left for my cruise, especially considering it was my first time on Norwegian. I really do like taking some snacks back to my room and coffee etc. and and from what I experienced there was no communication of any rule on board the Getaway regarding taking food from the buffet. No one was "sneaking food" or trying to get away with breaking a rule because no one I spoke to aside from CC members from the meet and greet were aware of any such rule. If there was a rule communicated on board about not taking anything from the buffet (and they were following through) I would have been really upset because I actually had a serious injury and was stuck in the room more than I wanted to be.

Reports have been coming in from people returning from cruises since May 6, 2015 - regarding "bringing food back to your room" but those posts have gotten lost because the threads regarding this topic have gotten way too long and off topic. I was thinking that people can provide some first hand accounts of these new "food rules" here instead.

I'm hoping some of the people who reported in other threads could come back here and repeat their first hand information about bringing food back from the buffet as well as the other restaurants and any clarification/experience on the room service as well. No rumours or speculation...just what you have experienced since your cruise (after May 6th).

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I just returned from the Getaway May 9-16

I did not witness people coming out of the buffet with full meals on their plates but my husband did - ordinary size plates with an ordinary amount of food. I do wonder if you have a large plate loaded with food or a big groups of people carrying plates full of food out of the buffet they might say something, I'm not sure about that. I did not witness that kind of scenario.

I had a foot injury and was laid up for most of day five. My husband brought food back for me, not a whole meal, the smaller size plate with croissant, cold cuts, and cheese. He didn't need to explain to anyone I was unwell. He just walked out of the buffet. Staff observed this and did not make any comment to him. On many occasions I took yogurt and fruit from the buffet (in my hands, not hidden) to put in my fridge for later. Staff witness this and there were no comments from them.

In my opinion the people stationed at the door with the spray bottles have not been assigned "food police" duty. There were no additional people at the door of the buffet enforcing food rules.

You can still get get your coffee at the buffet and carry it wherever you want - even in those tiny cups. Most of the time I used my refillable mug.

We did not try to bring food from any of the other restaurants and I did not see anyone try to do this. Maybe this is where they are actually enforcing the new rule.

Based on my own experience last week if you want to light meals in your room you can arrange a plate of food and walk out of the buffet with it. I did not use room service so I don't have any first hand information about that.

On previous cruises I have only really used room service once or twice and for me it is not a necessity. On past cruises I have enjoyed keeping snacks in my room for later and I was able that this time as well. So, overall, I felt no impact from the new rules.

I also just returned from the Getaway and had witnessed the same as previously noted ...

You can get get your coffee at the buffet station and carry it wherever you want - even in those tiny cups. Most of the time I used my refillable mug.

I had a foot injury and was laid up for most of day five. My husband brought food back for me, not a whole meal, the smaller size plate with croissant, cold cuts, and cheese. He didn't need to explain to anyone I was unwell. You can just walk out of the buffet. On many occasions I took yogurt and fruit to put in my fridge for later.

I did not witness people coming out with full meals on their plates but my husband says he did. Just ordinary size plates with an ordinary amount of food. I do wonder if you have a large plate loaded with food they might say something, I'm not sure about this and I wouldn't do this personally so I didn't try or ask about it. It was clear however that the people stationed at the door with the spray bottles have not been assigned "food police" duty.

We did not try to bring food from any of the other restaurants and I did not see anyone try to do this. I think this is where they are actually enforcing the rule.

I have seen threads than continue to go on and on and on about not being able to take coffee, cookies or whatever it is you want to snack on while on your balcony....on the Getaway you CAN still do this. If you want to have full meals in your room you can arrange an ordinary plate of food and walk out of the buffet with it, or pay for room service.

I just got back from the Getaway.

-I don't know what the square footage was, but we found that our interior suite was smaller than to RC Freedom of the Seas and Disney. (#11653) But we survived (three in a room - two adults and a 7 year old). We are never in our room anyway.

-I believe there were two North American outlets and two European outlets so if you bring an adapter you could have four.

-Our room was ready earlier than 2pm - I think we boarded around 1:00pm and it wasn't ready. We had lunch at the Flamingo Grill and it was ready when we got back. Go to the Flamingo Grill for lunch when you board. They mention the buffet for lunch to everyone so it is packed but Flamingo Grill was much quieter and the food was great. (Cuban/Latin style)

- There are lots of coffee stations in the buffet and one just outside. Bring your own insulated mug. Theirs are tiny.

- There was a laundry bag offer in the middle of the cruise but I didn't pay much attention to the price.

-There were outside movies at Spice H20, inside movies in the Atrium and 3D movies in the Theatre. There were some family movies and some PG-13. The movies weren't as new as on Royal Caribbean. There were tons of and game shows and they were amazing. My favourite was the Newlywed Game Show. Or I think maybe it was called the Not So Newlywed Game Show...something like that. They picked the most newlywed couple there and the longest married couple and one couple had to "audition". There was Family Feud and a game like the Newlywed Game but it was kids and parents.

I will be posting a review with the dailies when I get a chance to settle. Hopefully early this week.

Just off the Getaway. I didn't see any food police in the buffet. My husband witnessed plates of food being taken out, however I did not....but I freely took cookies, milk and yogurt. I did not try to take food from the dining rooms but I'm guessing that's where the new "rule" is being applied.

This is what they seem to be running so far:

 

Despicable Me: 2

Big Hero 6 (3D)

Godzilla (SpiceH2O)

 

Our cruise was an anomaly as they showed the big boxing match with ******** in the atrium live and that likely cancelled out some movie or other events.

Great thanks so much! My son will be happy if those are the choices for next week :)

Could you tell me which movies they are showing (3D and in the atrium)? I'm going on Saturday (yay!!) and I don't want to end up getting the same movies to watch on the plane. Thanks! Enjoy your trip!