Getaway May 13-20 Review

Loving your review so far! We sail in under 50 days and your pictures are getting me even more excited! Thanks for taking us along!!

post more!

I posted two of the same pictures earlier, so here is the other side to my studio.

Great review so far! following

Glad you're enjoying it!

Awesome review and thank you for taking such great pictures, especially of the menus. Nice to see most of the drinks are still well under $15. Did you have UBP, were you charged tax for drinks while still in Miami?

I did have the UBP. You are still charged tax for drinks in Miami, but I had about 4-5 drinks during that time and it wasn't over $5. The most tax I saw was about $1.20 for my mojito. The Miami Vice was definitely less than $1. I think tax is around 10% of the drink cost. I never saw a drink over $15 unless you wanted to add top-shelf liquor to it.

We are cruising on 6/3 and we are from Atlanta

Loving your review so far! We sail in under 50 days and your pictures are getting me even more excited! Thanks for taking us along!!

Glad you're enjoying it! Looking at my pictures, they're mostly menus, food, and Freestyle Dailies, so I hope you enjoy those! haha

post more!

Yes sir!

Embarkation Day continued

After muster, I went up to my studio and unpacked since my bag was there. I had plenty of storage for all my clothes. There were about 10 hangers, so plenty of room for my hanging clothes too. When I went to put my bag under the bed I saw some clothes. Oh weird, I don't remember dropping this...omg this XXL wife beater is definitely not mine! That was pretty gross, so I just kicked it back under the bed. Sorry if you ever stay in 11505... Right now I'll speak about my cabin steward. I never saw him or her a single time during the cruise. The TV said "Rachel", but a fellow solo mentioned her cabin steward wasn't actually what the TV said. It was very odd to go an entire week an not meet them, but my room was always clean and stocked with towels and Dailies. I heard a lot of very negative stories about cabin stewards, but I also heard about some stellar ones. Really a crapshoot I guess. *shrugs*

In the room was the Daily for day 1. Didn't these used to be given out during check-in?

Y'all want to know the best part about this cabin? The bottles of water I preordered fit PERFECTLY on the shelf beside the sink. Does this perfect fit make anyone else super happy??

Afterwards, I went up to check out Vibe for sailaway but it was raining, so I didn't stay long. At 5:30pm we had our first solo traveler meetup at the Sugarcane Mojito Bar and met the solo coordinator for the week, Ash, who is a member of the Cruise Director's Staff. He led a few Filipino (Tagalog) language classes throughout the week, which I recommend.

The first night we met at the Mojito Bar and then all of us walked back to the studio lounge for introductions, getting schedules, etc.

Lounge

Solo schedule for the week

Now here's where it got weird. In my experience of taking part in solo experiences (sample size of 1 on the Escape) the coordinator would have a dinner planned each night at a restaurant and said they could help us get reservations for shows and such. There was also a bulletin board on the Escape. This time we had one organized dinner on the Costa Maya day. On the schedule it said it would be Savor, but it was actually Tropicana Room. There was overall just very little coordination and communication. Ash designated two people to be "designated drivers" and would communicate events to the rest of the solos. Uhm, how? One person volunteered but he picked a girl at random who did not seem into it. I thought this was just very awkward and not necessary. He also mentioned how he couldn't call guests' rooms. A simple post on the white board would have sufficed. Just awkward all around. This solo group was also much older than what I expected with some...unique...people. I talked to more experienced solos and they agreed it was very strange. I'm not sure if this was the fault of Ash or regulations from higher ups. Who knows. When I interacted with Ash he was always very nice.

During the meeting in the lounge, I met up again with AC and L from lunch that day. We also met two other solos who were similar in age, B and AJC. This ended up being our core group of 5 that I hung out with most of the week: myself, AC, AJC, L, and B. The 5 of us went down to Taste/Savor for dinner and only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table.

Night 1 menu pictures

For those not familiar with NCL, "Classic Entrees" are entree dishes served every night regardless of what else is on the menu. Under appetizers, the Beef Slider, Smoked Salmon Tartare, French Onion Soup, Caesar Salad, and Mixed Green Salad are also served every night with the other 6 options rotating out each night.

Loving your review! So cool to see how the fun continued since you got on when we got off. :)

GREAT review so far. We'll be on the Getaway on June 10th. Thanks for posting the Dailies and also the menu. I had heard from various sources that Prime Rib was served the first and last nights in the MDR's and now I've seen in print that my sources were correct. Thanks!!!!

Definitely looking forward to hearing about all of your experiences (good and bad).

Steve

Thanks for your on going review. We have an upcoming cruise on the Getaway and it is great to read other's experiences and see their pictures! It makes the wait more fun! Looking forward to the rest of your review.

Loving your review! So cool to see how the fun continued since you got on when we got off. :)

I know right? It's so interesting to read about the cruise right before/after your own.

GREAT review so far. We'll be on the Getaway on June 10th. Thanks for posting the Dailies and also the menu. I had heard from various sources that Prime Rib was served the first and last nights in the MDR's and now I've seen in print that my sources were correct. Thanks!!!!

 

Definitely looking forward to hearing about all of your experiences (good and bad).

 

Steve

Glad you're enjoying it, Steve! I have almost all of the MDR menus and all of the Dailies. Once you get on board, you can also pull up the menus in the iConcierge app. That's how I decided which night to get sushi. I always look for the best in a situation, but I'm also going to be very honest with my critique and feedback.

Thanks for your on going review. We have an upcoming cruise on the Getaway and it is great to read other's experiences and see their pictures! It makes the wait more fun! Looking forward to the rest of your review.

The wait always seems to drag on foreverrrrr. I spent countless hours reading reviews on here to pass the time too.

Alright, where was I? Oh yeah, food porn!

French Onion Soup (this looks rather unappetizing but I had already started eating. It was actually delicious!)

My other appetizer was the Asian Noodle Salad, which was good. It's a cold noodle salad with a bit of spice (I think it was spicier on the Escape).

My main was the green curry, which was just as good as I remembered.

One person at the table ordered the Rotisserie chicken and it wasa massive portion. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals. I really enjoy the night 1 menus.

Table View

That night, I think dinner finished around 8:00 or 8:30. At 9:30 I went to the Welcome Aboard Show and I'm very glad I did. It was a nice introduction to the ship, the Cruise Director, and the shows. When I first heard Zack was the CD I was like "who? Where's Paquito?" I thoughtZack did an incredible job. He is very happy all the time and very high energy.His jokes can be a bit corny, but he is a great CD and I would love to sail with him again. A helpful piece of advice is that entertainment is usually at the front and dining is usually at the back. That helped me out all week whenever I felt a bit lost.

During the Welcome Aboard show they did previews of one of theComedians (Mike Jones), Million Dollar Quartet, and Burn the Floor. I'll say this about entertainment. Everyone involved is very talented and do things I could never do. That being said, the main shows on this ship are...not that entertaining. I enjoy Elvis and Johnny Cash, but that’s not the type of music I really care to listen to on a cruise. Same with Burn the Floor. It just couldn’t keep my interested. Last year on the Escape I loved the Brat Pack andI’ve heard great things about Priscilla Queen of the Desert on the Epic. For meat least, these shows were a huge miss. Different strokes for different folks.Don’t stress if you can’t get reservations because there was always plenty of open seats. I’ll say more about the Comedy shows later because I went to two shows later on in the week.

For this last part, I’m only including it because my review is honest and I’m going to include the negative aspects along with the positive ones. After the show, I went back to my cabin to get ready. I pulled back my comforter and saw that the sheet was disgusting! It had a very large yellow stain on it. I can deal with stained tablecloths or small stains on lounger covers, but I’m not going to sleep on a dirty looking sheet. I calledHousekeeping, which automatically redirected me to Guest Services. Someone came up within 10 minutes and changed out the entire bedding.

Picture of said sheet

Now for my own speculation. I heard many negative things about housekeeping this week, but I doubt NCL hires that many careless people. I think they’re overworked and just don’t have enough time to really get the details right.

Overall thoughts on Embarkation

Check-in was very fast and efficient. The only issues I had were brought on by myself (standing in the wrong line and rushing to get a vibe pass).

The straw issue will hopefully be resolved in a few weeks when paper straws arrive.

I had no issues getting a drink at any of the bars I went to.

Everything I ate was delicious.

The solo experience was really awkward, but I'm glad I found a solid group to hang out with.

The main shows for this week are not my cup of tea.

Housekeeping has significant room for improvement.

Overall, it was a very solid first day despite some minor hiccups. It's going to be a great week. Day 2 (sea day) coming up shortly!

Absolutely great review so far. Thank you so much for all the pictures and information!! We don't leave until December but I'm already getting antsy!! (BTW - whose dog is it??? So cute!!)

Loving this review! I’ll be on the ship, solo, for new year after spending Christmas week on the Bliss so it’s great to read your story. I’ve done the Epic 6 times and their solo set up has been amazing, we now have an annual reunion on the ship with some of the great people I’ve met. Really looking forward to trying out the Getaway!

PS - thanks for the tip on CLEAR. I just signed myself and my husband up ($79 for me (Delta Skymiles Member) and $50 for my husband (you can add up to 3 family members for $50 each). Seems like a great idea.

Loving this review! I’ll be on the ship, solo, for new year after spending Christmas week on the Bliss so it’s great to read your story. I’ve done the Epic 6 times and their solo set up has been amazing, we now have an annual reunion on the ship with some of the great people I’ve met. Really looking forward to trying out the Getaway!

I've been stalking Bliss reviews like crazy! You're going to have a great time.

PS - thanks for the tip on CLEAR. I just signed myself and my husband up ($79 for me (Delta Skymiles Member) and $50 for my husband (you can add up to 3 family members for $50 each). Seems like a great idea.

You are going to love CLEAR! It's so nice to be able to skip the line My home airport is ATL (soon to be DCA) and security could take 5 minutes or 55 minutes. Now it takes <5 every time!

And the dog is my boss' She got the dog when she was just a few weeks old and would bring her into the office a lot. That picture is a year old and she is huge now.

Loving your review. Makes me feel like I'm doing it all over again. I know you don't recognize my CC name but you know me as Countdown Connie.

Loving your review. Makes me feel like I'm doing it all over again. I know you don't recognize my CC name but you know me as Countdown Connie.

Countdown Connie!!! I love your screen name. How fitting ;)

Day 2-At Sea

Freestyle Daily

I woke up this morning and the first order of business was to get an iced vanilla latte from the atrium cafe. It was delicious and I made a point to frequent here despite the specialty coffees not being included in the UBP. Worth it.

I also realized this morning that I had forgotten a drawstring bag to lug my crap around while on shore and around the ship. The night before I noticed that I had forgotten my mini shampoo and shower gel. I used the ship shampoo and shower gel all week and no one complained I smelled or that my hair looked awful, so that's a win in my book. I stopped by the shops and got a drawstring bag for for like $10. There was a special waterproof NCL branded drawstring bag for $25. Uhm, no thanks.

I popped up to the Garden Cafe for some breakfast and had my morning staple of Eggs Benedict, hashbrowns, and fruit. That's a balanced meal right? Oh well, don't care. The Eggs Benedict is delicious! The eggs were almost always poached nicely and tasted delicious. The hollandaise was hit or miss sometimes, but didn't stop me from eating it almost every day. NCL continuously excels in the buffet area at all meal times. I never had trouble finding a table to sit at even during peak times. Hint-walk all the way to the end and you'll find plenty of tables usually.

Can we talk about buffet courtesy for a hot second though? One of my biggest pet peeves is when people just stop in the middle of a crowded walkway and disrupt traffic. Y'all, it's not that complicated. Keep walking. If you see something you like, step the side and wait in line. If you're waiting for someone, move to the side.

While I'm on my soapbox, this week had some of the worst behaved children I've ever seen. I honestly think it was maybe 2-3 kids but they were constantly screaming. I gave so many dirty looks. The parents didn't seem to care though. Whatever, the UBP cures all annoyances. Thank God for Vibe.

Lovin' your review!

At 11:00am on day 2 was our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. We had an amazing turnout! Huge thank you to Pattakins and her husband for organizing it. Some of the officers and Zack the CD stopped by. Unfortunately, they weren't there very long, but I know they're busy. Waiters also came around with delicious strawberry smoothies. Pattakins had arranged some games for us to play, which were super fun. I was spoiled last year on the Escape with the mini appetizers and beer flights at the Meet and Greet, but this was still a nice event.

I saw AC and L at this event and signed up for messaging on the iConcierge app. It was $15 I believe worked pretty well all week. You won't get a message notification unless you open the app, but sometimes you'll randomly get a push notification? It was strange, but I had no problems sending or receiving messages. The three of us used this feature a lot all week.

At the Meet and Greet, we all signed in and most people I talked to got chocolate covered strawberries as token of appreciation from the Hotel Director, but I didn't get any. Maybe my cabin steward ate them... It's a minor thing, but still nice to receive. I got chocolate covered strawberries like 3 times last year and none this year. Oh well. My waistline was secretly appreciative.

Officers with the Zack in front

It took place in Cagney's so here are some photos of Cagney's and Moderno menus

Cagney's

Moderno

After the Meet and Greet, it was pouring outside!

While there were passing showers, the hot tub in Vibe has a cover on it, so I took this time to sit in the hot tub with a beer or 3 and just relax. It was very serene.

According to timestamps on my phone, it was raining around 12:10

But by 1:54 the sun was out and shining bright

(legs or hot dogs? Oh wait, I'm too pale and hairy for that.)

People slowly started to trickle into Vibe, but it was almost empty for the most part.

Let's talk about Vibe

I was SPOILED on the Escape with Rommel, Michael, and Vinny. They are three of the most incredible people I've ever met on a cruise. I was also spoiled with shot o'clock. In Getaway Vibe it seemed that there were not dedicated bartenders, but rather a small group split their time between the outdoor bar and Vibe. Dee was the main bartender and I saw her the most. She was nice enough, but didn't make a huge impact on me. I asked about shot o'clock and was told they can't do that anymore. That is definitely a decision from the higher ups. It was so much fun on the Escape and it should be up to the bartender to determine when someone should get cut off. I really missed this. Some of the other bartenders that I interacted with were Fernando, Vino, and Vimal. Vimal was great! I was up there when it wasn't very crowded and had a long conversation with him. If you're going on the Getaway, look for Vimal from Mauritius!

If I go on the Getaway again, I'm not sure if I would try and get Vibe again. My experience just wasn't worth the cost (both monetary and my awful rug burn).

Moving on...

After spending a few hours up in Vibe, I felt a twinge of hunger and that just shouldn't happen on a cruise, so I popped on down to O'Sheehan's for lunch.

Menu

The black and blue burger was really good and generous with the blue cheese!

At 3:00, I attended the CruiseNext presentation where they discussed the program and talked about Bliss, which looks INCREDIBLE (but you all already knew that from reading the reviews on here).

Wasn't able to solicit any information about Encore or Project Leonardo.