A Getaway Review: A week in Paradise (with photos) [April 26-May 3]

[jerray07]

Overall Impressions

 

Food - Chris says that he enjoyed the food on NCL more than on Carnival. I can’t give a fair comparison because I was not a vegetarian at the time we were on the Carnival Ecstasy (and also we did the chef’s table on the Ecstasy, which blew me away). As a vegetarian, there was always at least one veggie option, but I wasn’t overwhelmed with many of the choices. I never had a meal that I thought was outstanding (Aside from Le Bistro). Overall, the meal at Le Bistro (I thought) was best. Chris really enjoyed the Brazilian steakhouse.

 

Spa - I believe the Getaway oversells the Spa passes, and thus it’s not really worth the money you pay for them. We paid close to $400 for the weekly pass, but rarely went up there, because it was too crowded to really enjoy anything. The various rooms are nice (there’s a steam room, sauna, saunarium, and salt room/bath), but there is never an open lounger, let alone a heated lounger, and the hydrotherapy pool is always busy. Also, some of the prices aren’t really (in my opinion) realistic. I paid nearly $200 for a women to rub “milk” on my back and arms and rub my scalp a while. Really? And to beat it all, it didn’t really even help. My sunburn was less the next day, sure, but not much less than it would have been naturally. Anyway, I would avoid the spa, probably altogether minus a nice facial or manicure, on any future cruise with NCL. Especially if you have the Vibe pass.

 

Vibe - Vibe was never crowded. A very nice place to unwind and relax. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get to enjoy it much. I would recommend it if you enjoy relaxing pool side - definitely a good deal. In all honesty, we really enjoyed the Spice H20 deck. It is also adults only (until late night) and has more space, also has a bar, and the same amount of hot tubs. Every time we went, it wasn’t at all crowded, unless there was an event there - so really, unless you want to relax on the decks after sunset, the Vibe also wasn’t necessary (for us at least).

 

By the end of the week, I was glad we had not managed to get a cabana in the vibe, as it would have been a waste of money (and also I’ve heard from several sources that they build heat and are sometimes unbearable to stay in). In all honesty, we spent more time in Spice than in Vibe, where we only ventured to a total of three times. Here, in my opinion, NCL has done something incredibly smart. They’ve transformed a glorified pool deck into an idea of incredible relaxation and service, in all fairness, but that is unattainable to all but those who are willing to pay the extra cash for it. People hate exclusion - it’s human nature to want to belong to a group, and exclusive groups are naturally appealing - and they will pay more to belong to this perceived club of the elite. Relaxing in their prettier loungers, sexier hot tubs, and the same exact views of the ocean as everyone else, my personal opinion is that it was not (for us) worth the extra money.

 

Again, it would be a great expenditure for those who love to lounge. Another option for those loungers would be Spice, and it would be suitable. There aren’t a lot of times when kids are interested in Spice, even when it is open, as it’s just an essentially empty deck with two hot tubs and a few (really comfy) loungers and chairs (and a bar). Even during the kids movies, I only saw one or two children. The only time Spice H20 is ever crowded (we always found chairs) is during events like the Glow Party.

 

Ship - Smoking is allowed on several decks and in the casino, so some areas of the ship smelled like smoke, which was bothersome for Chris and I, who are allergic. The ship is so massive it takes a full seven days to explore. Up to day six we were still running into parts of the ship we hadn’t noticed before. There were several times that I was annoyed because we would go onto our room’s balcony and you would smell a cigar or sometimes even pot. Once Chris had the balcony door open and I opened the stateroom door, allowing the air (and smell) to rush into the room. The room smelled like a cigar for a long time after that and I was somewhat worried we would be fined for the smoke smell. I’m not sure if it’s NCL’s policy to allow smoking or personal balconies or not, but if it is prohibited, it wasn’t really enforced. I did see several people with e-cigarettes, and that seemed widely permissible in nearly every part of the ship.

 

Staterooms - The staterooms are nice and roomy (at least our balcony on deck 12 was), and still had a new ship smell. Our steward, Sadrick, was incredible. We always welcomed us in the hallway and we had a nice chat. He was incredibly friendly, and always made sure we had a bucket of ice and the next daily packet. Upon request on the first day, he also emptied the mini bar in our room fridge so we could load our water bottles in there.

 

Other - The weather on our cruise was incredible. The ship is so large that we barely felt any waves. On the last sea day, we had 11.5 foot waves, and the ship rocked some, but not enough that I got sick, and I consider myself sensitive to motion.

 

We were right next to splash academy, but rarely heard children being loud. In fact, most of the children we encountered or witnessed on the ship were incredibly well-behaved. They were never an interference to our good time. I can’t recall even one occasion where I was annoying by something a child had done or was doing.

 

In terms of money, we spent a little more on this cruise than we planned on. Booking was relatively cheap, but there are a lot of “extras” on this ship. All but three restaurants have a cover charge (and one bar does), and a lot of special events also have a charge. All in all, we spent more on this cruise than on our week long honeymoon abroad. That said, we had an excellent time, and I don’t for one second regret it - but when deciding on another cruise, that will be something I remember before booking.

 

 

Well, that’s all on this vacation! I hope you’ve enjoyed this review as much as I have loved reliving the amazing time that we had! I'll stick around and keep rechecking for a while to answer any additional questions! I have loved reading everyone's responses and am so flattered, humbled, and appreciative of some of the kind words. :)

Edited May 7, 2014 by jerray07

[Medtech2]

I have thoroughly enjoyed your review!

 

That said, as far as expense, there are more than 3 free restaurants, and almost all entertainment is free.

 

It all depends on what YOU want to do and are comfortable spending.

 

On our B2B Epic cruise we basically doubled our cruise price with add-ons. But we have been on other cruises where the DSC was the only addition...

 

Glad you had a good time! And you have given me courage to walk the plank this time. I also never knew that there was a picture of the drop slide--I didn't see that on BA.

[jerray07]

I have thoroughly enjoyed your review!

 

That said, as far as expense, there are more than 3 free restaurants, and almost all entertainment is free.

 

It all depends on what YOU want to do and are comfortable spending.

 

On our B2B Epic cruise we basically doubled our cruise price with add-ons. But we have been on other cruises where the DSC was the only addition...

 

Glad you had a good time! And you have given me courage to walk the plank this time. I also never knew that there was a picture of the drop slide--I didn't see that on BA.

 

You're absolutely right - totally wasn't thinking about buffet, flamingos, or o'sheehans.

 

You're also right about costs. As I said, I wouldn't change anything with the exception maybe of rethinking what we spent at the spa, but I did spend way more than I anticipated, and I didn't really gamble, and had probably less than 10 drinks total on the cruise.

 

Good luck on the plank. I won't lie, it's scary at first, but you'll be so glad you went out and tried it, and feel very accomplished afterwards. Also, out of all the things we did on the ship, that has been the one thing everyone we show is amazed by. Having those pictures are great.

[jerray07]

This is a amazing review. WE leave in a few weeks and you are making me more and more excited.

 

Your pictures are beautiful the colors are breathtaking.

 

Thank You for taking the time to do this.

 

Did the milk bath help the burn?

 

Do they have any photo packages?

 

How were your spa passes? worth it or not? thinking about getting myself one while DH and kids attack the water slides?

 

They had photo packages (we didn't buy one). They had two, I believe. The cheapest was 10 photos for $130. I don't remember the other one but it was more. You can also purchase a flash drive of images you've already purchased physical copies of for an additional $20.

 

I don't think the milk bath really helped. My shoulders were still stinging and very painful the next day to the point where laying down hurt. The only difference I saw is that I started peeling a day before Chris. Who knows if that is from the milk bath or not. In any case, it felt good in the moment to cool my burn, but it wasn't worth the nearly $200 I paid for it.

 

The spa pass would maybe be okay for just you, but it is very busy in there at times. My personal opinion is that they oversell the spa passes. If I went back, I would consider getting them for a few days, but I wouldn't get the weekly one. I only went up there 4 times, and never stayed for long because it was always packed and hard to find a place to relax. Who knows though, could be totally different when you go. If you are still on the fence about what to do, the staff at the spa are always willing to give you a tour of the facility before you buy - that may help you decide if its worth the price you would pay.

 

Good luck! Hope this has been helpful!

[conandrob240]

"Vibe - Vibe was never crowded. A very nice place to unwind and relax. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get to enjoy it much. I would recommend it if you enjoy relaxing pool side - definitely a good deal. In all honesty, we really enjoyed the Spice H20 deck. It is also adults only (until late night) and has more space, also has a bar, and the same amount of hot tubs. Every time we went, it wasn’t at all crowded, unless there was an event there - so really, unless you want to relax on the decks after sunset, the Vibe also wasn’t necessary (for us at least)."

 

Thank you! This is exactly the info I wanted. I think we'll skip Vibe and just hang out in H2O!

[KITKAT0229]

Thanks for the review! We've never sailed on NCL but I've wanted to since Epic came out.

[GrabMyWrist]

Thanks for the excellent review!

[alishac]

I LOVED reading your review, especially since I'm a vegetarian, it was nice to hear your food perspective. As far as the Ice Bar, did you think it was worth the cost? How were the drinks? Was it necessary to book in advance, or can you just show up and go in?

[meatball_nyc]

Thanks for review. Loved the pics and reading all about your trip.

Thanks for sharing and glad you had a great time :)

 

 

 

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

[creed1228]

Shows, specialty restaurants both cost. Other ships, shows are free.

[jerray07]

I LOVED reading your review, especially since I'm a vegetarian, it was nice to hear your food perspective. As far as the Ice Bar, did you think it was worth the cost? How were the drinks? Was it necessary to book in advance, or can you just show up and go in?

 

It's not something you'll want to do every night, but it's worth the price (to me) to at least experience it once. You get two cocktails out of your ticket price, so about what you would pay for two drinks at another bar anyway.

 

The drink were a little strong, but we like them that way ;) There are only 4 different drinks, so if there are two of you, you could sample each drink. The blue one (can't remember the name, sorry) was veryyyyy strong. I'm not totally convinced it wasn't pure flavored vodka.

 

They only go in every hour on the half hour (so 7:30p, 8:30p, etc). We showed up at 7:45p -ish and made reservations for the 8:30p with no issues. It was never fully booked and there's usually a gentlemen standing at the top of the stairs asking people if they would like to try the ice bar.

[hpecorari]

Shows, specialty restaurants both cost. Other ships, shows are free.

 

All shows in the main theater are free.

 

The dinner show costs

and

The wine lunch costs.

 

What other shows cost??

 

You can enjoy a 7 day cruise with the three MDR's that are free, the 24 hour restaurant that is free, the main buffet that is free, and the other one at the back of the ship that is free. No need to spend $$ for specialty restaurants if you don't want to as there is plenty of free food and venues.

 

You can enjoy a 7 day cruise with all the free shows in the theater as well as the comedy and other shows/music around the ship. There is no need to see the dinner show nor the wine lunch show.

 

I'm not understanding what else costs as far as shows?

 

Harriet

[sabrina1981]

Do you have a Belks in Memphis? They have a ton of Maxi's in the Petite section...

 

Thanks for the tip. Sadly, we don't have a Belk in Memphis. The closest is about an hour away in Jackson. The next time I go through there will be as we are going to drop our dog off at my parents house so they can babysit while we are on the cruise. So I won't be able to do shopping then (plus we'll already be packed).

 

I work at Target and we have those wide waist bands that can fold over. I'm going to try one of those on tomorrow when I get off to see how it looks. I get 10% off for working there plus there is a Cartwheel offer for 20% off skirts which would bring the maxi's I've seen down to about $13ish! For that price I can find a way to make it work. lol

 

Thanks for the tip though. Next time I'm out that way without the dog I'll know to check out their petite section!

[cruisingcasinos]

Great job so far and the pictures are amazing!

 

Ditto - pictures are great as is your review- Just catching up so good news is I get to read the whole review in one sitting now!:D

[KristieB]

I believe the ice bar costs. Then there are pics, gambling, shopping. Granted, you don't HAVE to do any of that, but I'm sure it is hard to resist. ;)

[hpecorari]

I believe the ice bar costs. Then there are pics, gambling, shopping. Granted, you don't HAVE to do any of that, but I'm sure it is hard to resist. ;)

 

Yes, the ice bar costs....but it's not something you have to do.

Pictures, gambling, shopping, excursions, bar bills, etc. are all extras on all cruise ships unless you're cruising a luxury liner and it's all inclusive.

 

Harriet

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Shows, specialty restaurants both cost. Other ships, shows are free.

 

 

Shows are free except 1 I believe.

[workingmom200112]

Thank you for taking us along on your vacation! :D

[Dr.Acula]

Photos we took of our cabin (12774) on Day 1

 

Excited face - So unbelievably happy that we were upgraded to a balcony!

 

 

Were you already booked for a balcony and upgraded to a different deck or did you go from an ocean view to a balcony? Any tips on how to work an upgrade? :)

Edited May 8, 2014 by Dr.Acula

[LindsayS]

Thanks so much for the review, I'm even more excited about our May 17th sailing now!

[sabrina1981]

Were you already booked for a balcony and upgraded to a different deck or did you go from an ocean view to a balcony? Any tips on how to work an upgrade? :)

 

I hope multiple opinions are valued. lol I've only sailed on NCL twice and got upgraded both times. The first time, 2011, a week or two before the cruise we got a call from an NCL rep asking if we wanted to upgrade from an inside to a balcony for a total of $100 for two people. Duh! lol We jumped on that.

 

On our second cruise, 2013, we booked and our PCC talked me in to getting a handicap room promising if it was needed we'd be bumped out to another inside or possibly higher. I agreed but regretted it later. I felt bad booking it because I was afraid they wouldn't give it to someone who needed it. I was scared they would try to force them into getting a more expensive room instead of bumping us out. Anywho, I called and told the PCC I'd rather have a regular inside but they were sold out (so he said) and gave us an oceanview for like not much at all (maybe an extra $30?). Well, a few days before we left we checked NCL's site and balcony prices had dropped dramatically. I called my PCC again to see how much it would be to upgrade to a balcony and bam free upgrade!

 

So, if you use NCL directly, you can either wait around to see if they call or be obsessive like me and check the site every day and if prices drop call and see if they will upgrade you. :)

 

If you have a TA you will have to work through them and I've heard that can be more difficult but I don't have personal experience with a TA (except for the cruise I went on when I was 12 and that was 20 years ago so....).

 

I'm not sure how well calling will do if your cruise is a long time from now, but it doesn't hurt to try.

[jerray07]

Were you already booked for a balcony and upgraded to a different deck or did you go from an ocean view to a balcony? Any tips on how to work an upgrade? :)

 

We booked an inside cabin. I paid in full (the final was due the day after we booked), and two weeks later, the price dropped around $400. I called NCL and asked what (if anything) they could do and they upgraded us to an oceanview on Deck 5. We were ecstatic.

 

A few weeks before the cruise, the price dropped an overwhelming amount more - so much that had we booked then, our price would have been about half what we paid. My husband called and they immediately mentioned the first upgrade. She looked into it a little more and was shocked herself the price had dropped so much. They offered $100 or a discounted charge to upgrade to balcony, and we took the balcony.

 

The key (I believe) is to be very friendly and warm and to be clear that you will perfectly content if there is nothing they will be able to do. It takes the pressure off them and makes them more willing to help you. NCL has really great customer service (from my experience), so they should be very accommodating.

 

:)

 

Hope this has been helpful!

 

It can be nerve-wrecking - building up the courage to call - but look at it this way: you're never going to meet this person or likely speak to them ever again, so it's okay to screw up. Also, the worst thing that can happen is that they will say "no." You'll never know what could happen until you make the call. Dialing the number and pressing send is the hardest part. The NCL representative will make it much easier from there. ;)

[aSiAnRiCk]

Thank you for sharing this trip report. Really enjoyed it!

[Xina143]

This is the only review on here that I've have read all the way through! LOVE the pictures.

 

Ever since we heard about the Haven, I've been researching the Getaway for a 'getaway' (couldn't resist!) for my husband and I.

 

Your review might have sealed the deal! Thanks for sharing!

[kstamp]

Thank you for such an in depth, fabulous review! I've enjoyed reading it and seeing all the pics. We will being sailing June 10th and I'm getting very excited. I know - all too soon- it will be over and I will be reliving the moments in my head. Thanks again for sharing with us.