Getaway May 13-20 Review

Hello, world!

My name is Nate and I just got off the Getaway on Sunday. I've had a few days to mull over how to go about writing this review. I did a review of my Escape cruise last year, but pretty sure I forgot about it before I even made it to the port reviews...oops! I promise I'll be better this time...maybe. Already starting to overuse ellipses-have to cut that out.

If you read nothing else in my review, which you better read more, this trip can be summarized as one that started off bad, was great in the middle with minor hiccups, and ended worse than how it began. NCL fell short in several areas this trip, but unlike some people on this board, I'm a positive person and will give an objective review praising and critiquing as I see appropriate.

This review is my personal opinion, so don't get all bent out of shape if you vehemently disagree with me. However, you enjoy the minted berry tiramisu, I will assume you have awful tastes and disregard all your other opinions.

I want to give a quick shout out to some of my favorite reviewers on here. TheDougOut, Mitsugirly, CruiseLifeRick, and many many more. Lastly, MaryBethV is also writing a review of her family's week on the Getaway before mine, so I encourage you to check out her review as well.

Feel free to comment any questions and I will do my best to answer.

Who is this guy Natefish95?

I'm 23 and currently live in Atlanta, but I'm moving to the DC area in a few weeks. I just graduated from grad school (Go Jackets!! THWg!!) and turned 23 a few weeks before this cruise. This was part 1 of my graduation present to myself Astute readers can see part 2 in my signature below, which I will also be reviewing. I enjoy napping, the show Survivor, and drinking on the beach. This is starting to sound like my Tinder profile so let's move on.

The cruise that wasn't meant to happen??

That's how I would describe this cruise because there were so many changes beforehand. Let's rewind to last year when I got off the Escape. I knew I wanted to cruise again soon, so I booked a cruise for December on the Epic. Then the hurricanes came and family events popped up, so I cancelled that and booked this trip around September-ish. I was so excited to go back to the Eastern Caribbean, but then around February-ish people started getting notices that the itinerary was being swapped to the Western Caribbean. No big deal. I'm a go with the flow type person, but oh my god some people in our cruise group page and roll call thought the world was ending. Some people need to chill.

Pre-Cruise Planning

In short, very little because I was busy with grad school. Here are the list of things I pre-booked or pre-arranged:

• Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel )$55-$5 deposit due when reserving and the rest is paid upon arrival)
  
• 6-1 liter bottles of water ($18)
  
• Social Media WiFi package ($89)
  
• Pre-paid gratuities ($97.93 [paid before the small increase])
  
• Unlimited Beverage Package gratuities ($124.60)
  

I'm a numbers guy and thought you all might appreciate seeing the exact cost of certain things. I had debated on booking excursion, but ultimately I wanted to just relax by the pool for the most part, so I opted not book any other excursion.

Let's test some pictures.

I uploaded my pictures to PhotoBucket, so let's see if I can get this to work...

Oh praise the Cruise Critic gods the picture worked on the first try. I'll do pre-cruise in the next post.

Note-that's not my dog, but I wish it was.

Awesome start! We sail on the Getaway in 2 weeks so I look forward to reading more of your review!

Saturday May 12th: Pre-Cruise stay in Miami

Dear, Diary. It's time for Saturday morning airport Bloody Marys.

I'm faaaaar from a morning but when my alarm went off at 7:30am, I popped right up despite only getting about 4 hours of sleep. My bags were packed the night before and I left my apartment around 8:0am. Thankfully, I live in Midtown Atlanta within walking distance to a MARTA station.

Travel tip-For anyone traveling to Atlanta, MARTA is our metro system. Fares are $2.50 one way regardless of distance. Get a Silver reloadable Breeze card at a kiosk, load with amount of trips you need, tap to enter and again once you exit. Travel tips brought to you by me!

Got to the platform and saw...

Oh we ain't playing this game, MARTA. I have a bar to drink at. And I guess a plane to catch or something.

Thankfully, the timing was off and a train came pretty quickly. About 20 minutes later we arrived at the airport. I was flying Southwest into Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) so I walked to the other end and checked my bag (fo' free). I love flying Southwest. I purchased Early Bird for $15 and got boarding position A21. Well worth it.

Now here's the fun part. I'm a big aviation nerd and follow aviation vloggers on YouTube (don't judge me). One of them had a partnership with the CLEAR biometric security screening program. I signed up and got a free 3 month trial. Normal pricing is $179 for a year or if you're a Delta SkyMiles member it's $99. OR if you have the Delta SkyMiles credit card, it's $79 for a year.

Quick CLEAR explanation. You sign up and get fingerprints and iris scans done. After you sign up, you go to a CLEAR kiosk, scan your fingerprints and boarding pass, and then escorted to the front of the security line just past where a TSA agent normally scans your boarding pass. Once my trial ends, I will definitely pay the $99 membership fee. CLEAR saved my butt big time when flying back home. More on that later...

66 minutes after I left my apartment, I finally had my Bloody Mary at 9:09 am

2 or 3 Bloody Marys and a Chick Fil-A chicken biscuit later, I was ready to board.

N8550Q, a 737-800 delivered in October 2017, would be taking us to FLL. Told you I was a plane nerd.

Soon enough I saw what looked to be the Everglades and knew we were close.

Landed on time and thankfully no one clapped (seriously, why do people do that sometimes. One of my many pet peeves.). I didn't spend much time in FLL, but it seemed like a nice enough airport with good signage. Bags took a little while to be delivered by no big deal. I'm on vacation!

Baggage claim area

I followed the signs to the ride share location between Terminals 1 and 2 and ordered an Uber to take me to my hotel near the Miami Airport. My Uber was $42.70 and it took about an hour. I could have taken the Tri-Rail, but it would have been too much of a hassle by the time I take the shuttle to the station, take the train and get an Uber to the hotel.

I stayed at the Hampton Inn Miami Airport South and highly recommend this hotel. Check-in was a breeze with super nice staff. I'm a Hilton Honors members so I preselected my room. I think it was 1003. I only selected this room because it was high up and faced the airport. I do love plane spotting.

The room itself was comfortable and very quiet despite being right by the elevators. The room was showing its age, but still a great place for a pre-cruise stay.

Room photos

It was now about 3:30pm and I was starving. I did some research the night before because I really wanted some good Cuban food. I settled for a place Versailles, which was apparently very famous. I grabbed a $5 Uber pool and arrived shortly thereafter.

It was here where I realized that Spanish seems to be the default language for almost everything. It was a bit surprising, but I loved it. I was a Spanish minor, so I'm rusty but pretty conversational. Versailles itself was pretty crowded with a wait outside, but I was seated in about 10 minutes.

Menu pictures

I settled on the Assorted Croquettes and the classic Cuban sandwich.

Who wants some food porn?? (can you even say that word here?)

Assorted Croquettes

Cuban sandwich

The food came out pretty quickly and was very tasty! I've never really had croquettes, so they were a pleasant surprise. I'll be honest and say it was not the best Cuban sandwich I've ever had. That award goes to the Colada Shop on T Street in Washington DC. It felt a bit rushed because it's such a popular restaurant, but I enjoyed it. I would come back here again, but I want to see more of what Miami has to offer.

Sufficiently stuffed, I had plans to go to Bayside Marketplace and walk around for a bit, but I was so full and it was raining, so I grabbed another $5 Uber Pool back to the hotel.

I got back to the hotel and took a few pictures of the pool and breakfast area. It seemed like a nice area to relax in.

The location of this hotel is excellent. It's across the street from a Publix, Starbucks, numerous restaurants (both sit down and fast food), a Walgreens, a CVS, and probably more stuff I didn't notice. It's the ideal location for a pre-cruise stay because you can run into the drug stores for what you forgot (if I had realized what I had forgotten...), grab some food, and run into Publix for last minute snacks or other things.

At some point I went down to the hotel gym for a workout. Crazy, right?? I knew I would be miserable if I didn't. This would be the first and last workout of the trip. The gym itself was decent. I've seen better, but it got the job done. The scale was broken, which is definitely a good thing for me. Spent the rest of the night getting organized for the next day and sending off some last minute emails before ignoring my email for a week.

Embarkation will be in the next post. I know that's really what y'all have been waiting for.

I just realized I never mentioned that I was traveling solo this cruise. I did my first solo cruise last year and loved it. We had a VERY active FB group (highly recommend searching for a page for your ship's sail date) and a decently active roll call on here. Even though I was going solo, it felt like I knew so many people before I even stepped on the ship.

Following along. Thanks!

At least the Cuban sandwich looks authentic. Cut the right way and on the correct bread. Oh and GO JACKETS!!!!!!!!!

We went to Versailles the last time we were in Miami. No idea what is authentic, but we definitely enjoyed our meal. The place is huge and is very busy.

Loving it!

Awesome start! We sail on the Getaway in 2 weeks so I look forward to reading more of your review!

Feel free to ask any questions you have, and I'll do my best answer.

Following along. Thanks!

Welcome!

At least the Cuban sandwich looks authentic. Cut the right way and on the correct bread. Oh and GO JACKETS!!!!!!!!!

If you can't get an authentic Cuban in Miami, something isn't right in the world.

We went to Versailles the last time we were in Miami. No idea what is authentic, but we definitely enjoyed our meal. The place is huge and is very busy.

I walked around for like 5 minutes trying to find the proper entrance! I went around 4:00ish and it was busy, but not crazy.

Loving it!

Glad you're enjoying my ramblings!

Is there a great out door(s) on the Getaway? Enjoying your cruise. Hope to be going in September.

Sunday May 13th-Embarkation Day!!!

I had waited so long for this day to come and it's finally here! Y'all know the excitement I'm talking about. The hotel bed was extremely comfortable, but I was ready to GO! I scrolled through our cruise group to catch up on the everyone's travels to MIA and saw that someone was already waiting at the port! Uhm....it's 7:30am. It was evident they wanted Vibe passes, so if you want to wake up that early, you do you!

But now I felt pressured because I really wanted a Vibe pass too. I went down to breakfast, which was decent for being complimentary. packed my stuff up, and checked out, which was a breeze. Overall, the Hampton Inn Miami Airport South was incredible and I would have no hesitation staying here again. It's a quick Uber ride from all the attractions downtown and super convenient to MIA, restaurants, etc. Can't recommend it enough.

At 7:56 I got an Uber and arrived at the port around 8:15. Total cost-$15.63

First spotting of the ship!!

Just as I got to the port, the bottom dropped out! It was pouring! The night before I noticed the first item I had forgotten to pack: a rain jacket. Add that to your packing lists now folks! Now in this next photo look towards the bottom. You can kinda make out the puddles and how hard it's raining.

As I walked up to Terminal B, there was a big crowd. I asked a lady if she was "in line" and she said yes and that it snaked around the side of the terminal. I walked to the back of said line and by this time it was raining sideways and I got soaked. I made the comment "what a way to start a vacation" and no one responded. Okayyyyy. I waited a little longer and asked the people around me if this was the line to go in. They said this was the line for buses. I hung my soaking wet head in shame and walked around the corner and into the terminal. I did learn to specify which line I was looking for and hopefully won't make a similar mistake. Apparently they opened the terminal doors early because it was raining so hard. Everyone else was mostly dry. I looked like a drowned rat. That being said, I was within the first 15 people at security, so I was feeling good.

I can't remember the exact timing, but they opened security which went quickly. I power walked my slightly damp self to the Latitudes check-in line and filled out my health form. Bring a pen!!! I'm sure the check-in agents have pens, but it's easier to just bring your own.

I walked upstairs and was the third person up there and got the coveted group 1 boarding number. Now we wait some more. I met some people from our FB group while waiting, but holy crap this process for getting Vibe was even crazier than last year. We had a pretty big group and were planning formations and keeping an eye on people who were being rude and kept pushing to the front. We soon saw Haven boarding. Then persons needing special assistance. Then Ambassador/Platinum Plus/Platinum board. Then us wild animals were set free to attack in hopes of getting Vibe. That's when the real "fun" began.

Is there a great out door(s) on the Getaway? Enjoying your cruise. Hope to be going in September.

Is that an outdoor eating area? If so, there are tables on both sides outside the Garden Cafe along the walkway to the Pool Deck. They're in shade. There is also a small bar outside right in front of the Garden Cafe.

Embarkation Day-continued

And now here's the story of how I embarrassed and injured myself in less than a minute.

Once they called group 1, we all rushed forward! It was like Black Friday at Walmart. I had my key card in my hand, handed the group 1 number to the poor man in charge of controlling us crazy people, and ran forward. 0.3 seconds later I dropped my key card!! I'm normally not a clumsy person, so my mind went crazy. I was in the front and didn't want to get tramped, so I tried to bend over real quick and pick it up. (Think of the "Bend and Snap" from Legally Blonde just less graceful.) I bent forward and immediately toppled over. I got my card and couldn't catch my balance! Someone helped me back up thankfully. I'm only 23 and in decent shape. I used to run cross country, but my legs just weren't working. Nevertheless, I pressed on and ran ahead.

I scanned my card and ran up the gangway. I ran in, ran down the stairs jumped off the last stair. and completely busted it AGAIN! This time I went sliding on the carpet and got pretty bad rug burns on my knees. I got back up (again), ran to guess services and got a number for Vibe with significantly less dignity than when I woke up that morning. I was know that weird solo traveler who can't walk and falls all over the place. I wasn't even drinking!!

It sounds crazy (because it was), but everyone was very respectful of the elderly and disabled boarding ahead of us, so don't think we are just awful people with tunnel vision.

I needed a drink (or 12) so I headed up to the pool deck to explore. It was sprinkling a bit, but nothing too bad.

Pool Deck

Waterslides

Pool Bar Menu

Let's talk about straws. I ordered a Miami Vice. I got it and it looked great! I asked for a straw. "Sorry sir, we don't have any straws" Nooooo, I had read people talking about this! I thought they would at least have paper straws though! What I learned throughout the week is that paper straws have been ordered, but haven't yet arrived. I met a couple later on who ordered paper straws from Amazon in bulk and they could have really started a black market on the ship. There was blue curacao just sitting on top, but I drank it anyway. I learned to get a (plastic) stir stick to make sure everything was mixed well.

Travel tip-Until you hear NCL has gotten paper straws on the ship you're going on, bring your own! It's very annoying to drink a frozen drink without a straw and I discovered this week that my teeth are sensitive to cold things.

After doing a shot of Blue Curacao and drinking the rest of my Miami Vice, I went off to explore. The ship's interior looked great. I've always loved the interior design choices on NCL ships versus the gaudy look of Carnival and dated look on many RCCL ships.

Raw Bar (never went there)

Wasabi (went there)

It had been about 10 minutes since my first drink as I came upon Sugarcane Mojito Bar, which I would frequent throughout the week.

Sugarcane menu

I highly recommend the pineapple coconut mojito and the raspberry guava mojito.

There were also several tasting events throughout the week. These are $19.95 but I believe you get a discount with the UBP.

I went to the Box Office to try and book some comedy shows, but it was too crowded and I ended up just booking it through the TV in my cabin.

I made my way back down to the Atrium to check out the Atrium Cafe. I'm a Starbucks addict, so I was glad I would still be able to get an iced latte during the week. They were excellent! The first few days They had normal straws, but people caught on and starting reaching behind and stealing them. By day 4 they were all out of straws. Sad!

Atrium Cafe menu

These cupcakes looked and tasted amazing from what I heard.

Mixx Bar menu

Next, a solo from our FB group (AC from now on) posted that she would be getting lunch in Taste/Savor and invited others to join. She and I were the only two that showed up, so we went to go get a table. We were asked if we would be fine with a sharing table. I have never been asked that before, but we were both open to it and got seated with a young couple and a mother/daughter (L & J from now on). We had such a fun time! Like I said, I've never done a sharing table, but had a great time meeting these new friends. AC and I ended up having dinner with L almost every night that week. It's crazy how we were able to become good friends all from a sharing table that none of us had ever tried before. Service was verrrrry slow. According to time stamps, we sat down around 1:00. Appetizers came at 1:29 and mains came at 2:02. None of us wanted dessert because it took so long. The food was delicious and hot though! Food pictures in the next post.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Grouper Sandwich

After lunch I called my mom for Mother's Day. You get good service to talk on the Waterfront, but I couldn't get FaceTime to work. After that, we had an informal FB group meetup. We all decided to wear leis to make sure people could find us and it was a huge success! So many people showed up and it was great to finally meet people we had been chatting with for months. Muster drill started at 3:30 and it only lasted about 20 minutes. Super easy, but make sure you bring a drink! Bars started closing around 2:45.

I finally found time (who knew boarding day would be so busy) to check out my studio. I was staying in cabin 11505 and it was perfect! The deck plans can be a bit confusing, so let's use the below diagram to explain.

The yellow circles show where the doors to studio cabins are. I thought there was a door right across from 11505, but there was not. When you come up the stairs, it's easiest to go left, turn left again and head towards the front. The closest door is on the left. You then go through two moor doors to get to the other hallway of studios where 11505 is located. The best part about this room is that it did not connect to any other cabins!

Room pictures

I've done studios on the Epic, Escape and now Getaway and they are all the exact same. I will say that this one was showing some wear and tear. The shower floor had seen better days and various seals around the toilet and shower were discolored. Nonetheless, the bed was comfortable, closet space was plenty, and it served my needs.

Great review so far! following

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?

Awesome start! We sail on the Getaway in 2 weeks so I look forward to reading more of your review!

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