Getaway April 3rd -10th Review

We just completed our first Norwegian Cruise Line sailing. A little background as this was only the second cruise my wife and I have taken. The previous was on the Carnival Conquest which we did enjoy. I ended up booking Norwegian after TheDugOuts review of the Escape and being able to try a balcony cabin for a comparable price to the other sailings I was looking at for the time. This review will be quick hit items on things but I can expand on anything if needed.

Getting on the ship: Pretty easy process. Our previous ship left out of New Orleans and there was longer lines to get through customs on that ship. We got to the port around 11 and was on board around 12.

Cabin; We were in stateroom 12272 and it has the slanted balcony which expands it from a standard balcony cabin. I really enjoyed the mornings out on the balcony and just reading for a bit while my wife was getting ready. We had plenty of room for storage, but I did feel the size of the room was comparable to our Porthole view room on Carnival. Overall, the only issue I had in the room was the distance between the shower and sink area and the confined space between the bed and the closet area. Our steward Wynzel was fantastic throughout and was also very personable and friendly.

Bars: We bought the drink package on the Carnival ship and had it included with this sailing. I would say we drunk a comparable amount on both sailings and I thought Norwegian far surpassed Carnival in this department on the Getaway. The Spice H2O bar featured some great bar staff including Joao who was the best bartender I have ever had on ship or land. He remembered my name by the second day and was always willing to offer recommendations and engage in chat without being too intrusive. I also enjoyed the Sugarcane Mojito and Sunset Bars more than their counterparts like the Alchemy Bar on Carnival ships. The drinks felt appropriately mixed and flavorful. As far as one thing I was dreading going into the cruise, I didn't personally have any huge wait times for drinks even on Great Stirrup Cay. The longest was probably around 15 minutes. Now, I was perhaps given some preferential treatment during things like the deck parties on Spice H2O due to the staff knowing me, but I didn't see anyone lingering around the bar for an inordinate amount of time that would just order and dash with their drink. I also should disclose that we were on the jewelry sailing so it is likely less had the UBP than on a typical cruise sailing. However, while I was at the bar, there was a ton of requests for ice water with special garnishes which requires nearly the amount of time as most drink orders.

Food: This was another huge highlight for me and the wife. We also had the 4 specialty dining package. On this cruise we ate at Savor for lunch, Flamingo Grill lunch, Taste Breakfast, Tropicana Room dinner, Shanghai Noodle Bar dinner, Wasabi lunch, Le Bistro, Moderno, Cagneys, O Sheehans for all meals, Illusionarium, Garden Cafe for all meals. We thought the food was fantastic. I live in Atlanta and have eaten at Rathbun Steak, Chops, Optimist, Holeman and Finch and other highly regarded restaurants. The steak we had at Cagneys twice (we paid OOP for Illusionarium) compared to each of those. It was a great meal. Moderno also was excellent with the shrimp salad to start and I found the meat served to be flavorful and well cut. Illusionarium was a meal I was kind of dreading based on reviews but I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't as good as the other specialty restaurants but was far from bad and the shrimp was really good there. Surprisingly, the only mild disappointment we had in the food department was the Flamingo Grill but we don't have many local Cuban places so that could have been an issue with our palate.

Entertainment: This was another area we were completely impressed with Norwegian. There was always multiple things going on and I liked the progressive schedule of trivia and other light offerings during the day and then the night life being packed with shows, live music, and dance parties. We really enjoyed both burn the Floor and Legally Blonde and thought they were really put together professional performances. I thought the theater looked rather drab and plain on the videos of the ship I saw before the sailing compared to other cruise lines, but the theater is more warming in person and has a great light array to improve the production value. The Howl at the Moon piano show was excellent and full of variety. Our sailing was the last for two of the performers (Mike and Sam) but I loved the way they would seamlessly jump from Piano Man to Sweet Home Alabama to Lil John. The deck parties were full of energy and very enjoyable with the 80's and GLOW party being the highlights. Our cruise director was Scott Mikelonis and it was his first week on the ship. I don't know if hew as gathering his bearings on how things ran on the Getaway or not but I liked watching him observe the deck parties and other events from the back of the stage and he was always friendly when you saw him in passing on the ship. I also thought him inserting himself into a minor role in the Legally Blonde production was a nice touch to give the presence that he wasn't just someone you would see at Sailaway and the farewell party. The Atrium hosted most of the game and variety shows and Perfect Couple, Newlywed Game, and Celebrity Dance off were all hilarious. Scott shined here as a host that was good and bringing out the personality of the people on the stage. One complaint that I did raise is that the few times the ship did seem crowded was when these events were held in the Atrium. I would recommend moving at least a few of the highly attended events to the theater proper as I did have to stand up for the Newlywed Game and Perfect Coupled despite arriving 15 minutes early for each. We had two comedians on board. Frank Townsend was hilarious that we saw twice. We saw Vince Acevendo during his set in the showcase theater show and it wasn't our type of comedy so we didn't seek out a solo show with him. The Illusionarium is a show that I would recommend going to see once and while none of the illusions blew me away, the production was smoothly run and the theme was ever present and contagious.

Random Observations:

1. Norwegian could use ESPN on their ships. I would have likely have spent more time in O'Sheehans bar area if rugby wasn't being played.

2. I really enjoyed the photo set up and this was much easier than the finding your picture on the wall set up that we experiences last cruise.

3. Great Stirrup Cay is a nicely built up area and the ship does a good job having adequate food and beverage stations there IMO. The walk to get to the less crowded area is pleasant and not long at all.

4. Pool area did get crowded very early and the seat savers could be frustrating especially at the Atrium shows. The pool area being so crowded is why we were hunkered down in Spice both sea days. We were able to find two chairs at 10:00 AM both days

5. The layout of the casino was fairly annoying to walkthrough each time we wanted to get to O'Sheehans or the Theater.

6. Besides Scott, the other cruise staff was very pleasant and diverse. Jose had a ton of energy throughout the cruise and Adam did a really good job leading the deck parties

7. I really enjoyed the entertainment during the Tropicana Room during dinner and the musically themed trivia at Sugarcane in the evenings.

8. Not receiving a receipt to sign every time you order a drink is so nice

9. I liked the way the ship didn't make certain groups feel exclusive. If you weren't aware of where the Haven and Vibe area was, you would never have known. The staff also did a good job to make the jewelry individuals feel welcome without making it sound like the other people were invading their party.

10. The On the Waterfront area is perfect to wind down after midnight.

Overall, we had a fantastic time. This was a cruise I had to really push my wife on as she was given a mostly negative reaction when she would mention to people we were doing Norwegian. I also was weary reading the reviews on here. I never felt like we were excessively nickel and dimed any more than we were on our previous cruise. 3 Days after the cruise and I am still in a glaze and looking at time frames to when we can return.

Thanks for posting, great review! Glad you had a great time.

I sail the Getaway May 22 and I'm so excited!

Do you happen to know how many nights they had Howl at the Moon? I think its 4?

Great review and I'm glad you had what seems like a wonderful experience! I am getting excited for my turn back on the Getaway this weekend!

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Thanks for posting, great review! Glad you had a great time.

I sail the Getaway May 22 and I'm so excited!

 

Do you happen to know how many nights they had Howl at the Moon? I think its 4?

4 Nights: 1st Night, 4th Night, 5th Night (only 2.5 hour window), and 7th Night of my sailing.

4 Nights: 1st Night, 4th Night, 5th Night (only 2.5 hour window), and 7th Night of my sailing.

Thanks!

Great read, thanks.

Well-written review, thank-you.

Are they changing performers for howl at the moon or ending the show?

Are they changing performers for howl at the moon or ending the show?

Changing performers. I talked to Mike a good bit after one show and he stated he was only on the ship for a month.

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.:)

Thanks for your review. So for your next cruise would you choose Carnival or Norwegian if they both had the same itinerary & price? I have been on 3 cruises: 2 Carnival & 1 Celebrity. I liked them all but would like to try other cruise lines. Thanks.

What was your itinerary? What ports?

Enjoyed.

Would choose Norwegian without a doubt.

We went to Great Stirrup Cay, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

 

 

Cabin; We were in stateroom 12272 and it has the slanted balcony which expands it from a standard balcony cabin. I really enjoyed the mornings out on the balcony and just reading for a bit while my wife was getting ready. We had plenty of room for storage, but I did feel the size of the room was comparable to our Porthole view room on Carnival. Overall, the only issue I had in the room was the distance between the shower and sink area and the confined space between the bed and the closet area. Our steward Wynzel was fantastic throughout and was also very personable and friendly.

 

Sorry to bring back up an old post, but did you happen to snap a few pictures of your cabin? I'll be in this exact cabin next October.

Happy you enjoyed your vacation.

Thanks.