Just back from Getaway (April 25-May 2)

[pambo]

We just returned from a wonderful week on the Getaway...plan to write a review soon. In the meantime, any questions? Ask away!

[Z0LIN]

Are the rumors about not being able to take food back to your room true?

[pambo]

Although we didn't, I did see plenty of people carrying plates of food to their cabins.

[maywell]

Glad you had a wonderful time and thanks for answering the buffet question.:)

Edited May 2, 2015 by maywell

[vicocala]

Not sure if this would apply to your particular situation, but did you see or hear anyone discuss theater reservations? I hope they honor mine as I called in specifically to work specialty dining and the two big shows into a doable thing. Thanks!

[wilhelka]

We just got off as well. The only place we were able to take food away from was the buffet.

[MandyMommyof2]

I can''t wait to hear all about your trip! I wanna know it all, what kind of cabin you had, your favorite food, favorite drink. We sail on the Getaway in 62 days!! :D Super excited as our last cruise was 5 years ago. Has the ship started porting at Tortola instead of St. Marteen/Martin? Would love to hear all about your excursions. Welcome home!

[Mistizoom]

Looking forward to your review.

[pambo]

We just got off as well. The only place we were able to take food away from was the buffet.

 

I saw people carrying plates of food on the elevator and down the corridors to the cabins...but didn't know the source of the food....thanks for that update.

[pambo]

Not sure if this would apply to your particular situation, but did you see or hear anyone discuss theater reservations? I hope they honor mine as I called in specifically to work specialty dining and the two big shows into a doable thing. Thanks!

 

I don't see why they wouldn't honor the reservations. I made ours online in advance. When you get to the theater, they scan your key card to confirm. I believe the doors opened either 30 or 45 minutes prior to showtime for both Burn the Floor and Legally Blonde. We arrived about 20-25 minutes before showtime and there were plenty of seats available. Both shows are wonderful....don't miss them! By the time the shows started it was pretty much a full house....several empty seats scattered here and there...but not many. We did not attend the show in Illusionarium so I can't speak to that.

[pambo]

I can''t wait to hear all about your trip! I wanna know it all, what kind of cabin you had, your favorite food, favorite drink. We sail on the Getaway in 62 days!! :D Super excited as our last cruise was 5 years ago. Has the ship started porting at Tortola instead of St. Marteen/Martin? Would love to hear all about your excursions. Welcome home!

 

We had a handicap balcony cabin...port side aft on Deck 13 (great for viewing the fireworks).

 

Favorite food: toss up between the beef tenderloin in the Bistro or the Warm Chocolate Volcano in the main dining room

 

Favorite drink: Raspberry Guava Mojito at Sugarcanes

 

Yes, we visited Tortola. We docked at the new pier. There are a handful of shops open there....there will be more coming as there was construction going on near the port.

 

Excursions: From St. Thomas, we did the ship excursion over to St. John for a tour of the island....beautiful beaches. In Tortola we did Tortola by Land and Sea (again through the ship). This consisted of a thrill ride in an open air taxi up to the top of the mountain for some fantastic views of the other British Virgin Islands as well as St. John. Of course, what goes up, must come down, so the thrill ride continued as we came down the mountain to sea level. The taxi driver did an amazing job! This was followed by a 30-45 minute stop at Pusser's Landing for some shopping and time for a Painkiller. We then boarded a boat for a 90 minute ride to see the islands from the water and hear the history of the area as well as tales of pirates. It was a great tour. The crew was a lot of fun and very informative. My husband even said he would do it again when we go back on the Escape in December!

[vicocala]

I don't see why they wouldn't honor the reservations. I made ours online in advance. When you get to the theater, they scan your key card to confirm. I believe the doors opened either 30 or 45 minutes prior to showtime for both Burn the Floor and Legally Blonde. We arrived about 20-25 minutes before showtime and there were plenty of seats available. Both shows are wonderful....don't miss them! By the time the shows started it was pretty much a full house....several empty seats scattered here and there...but not many. We did not attend the show in Illusionarium so I can't speak to that.

 

Thank you again. I was a bit concerned because shortly after making the reservations I saw one or two reviews where the reservations were not being honored.

[Paramour007]

We'll be on the Getaway 5/30, could you possibly post the dailies if you kept them?

[pambo]

We'll be on the Getaway 5/30, could you possibly post the dailies if you kept them?

 

Sorry, I meant to keep them but totally forgot them in the cabin this morning. However, I do think I have a calendar with the highlights of the whole week...I'll check when I unpack....probably tomorrow. I remember that the fireworks were on the St. Thomas night...along with the 80's party. The Glow Party was on Thursday. Hope that helps a little.

[luv2cruisecats]

We sail on 6/6 but only have the UBP. We have heard isolated comments about very few reservation times available other than at 5:30 or 9:00 PM since so many folks have the UDP package.

Edited May 2, 2015 by luv2cruisecats

[pambo]

We sail on 6/6 but only have the UBP. We have heard isolated comments about very few reservation times available other than at 5:30 or 9:00 PM since so many folks have the UDP package.

 

No problem at all. We were able to book two nights at Le Bistro and one at Teppanyaki. There were a lot of time slots available at Teppanyaki for Thursday night...we booked it on Tuesday with no problem (booked on my phone).

 

I do recommend downloading the app iConcierge for your phone if you have a smart phone. I downloaded it at home and it was activated as soon as I was onboard. You can make dining reservations, check your account, and find other general information about the ship. For a one time fee of $7.95 you can message others who also have the app and have paid the fee (on the ship only...no messages to anyone off the ship). My brother and I agreed to the fee as soon as we boarded and were immediately assigned special phone numbers. After that, texting to each other was included and it helped to be able to meet up with each other. The $7.95 is for the texting feature. You can make the dinner reservations and check your account without paying the fee. I booked our two dinners at Le Bistro as we were eating lunch the first day and there was plenty of availability at that time. I will say that as the week went on, I checked availability periodically just for future reference and the time slots became less and less available....just the 9:00 slot and later...so book early in the week.

[tiggerkaj]

This will be our first time on NCL so I have been trying to do a lot of research (just booked a couple days ago). For other cruises we always complete payment information for our sign and sail card prior to arriving but I'm not seeing that on the NCL website. Am I missing something?

 

I have already reserved one show and one specialty dinner. I'm assuming no reservations are required for all the complimentary places for dinner. Did you experience a long wait for dinner? Did you notice a better time to arrive where there were no waits?

 

For whoever asked, I found the dailes someone else posted on here (they did a really long review...34 pages I think) but it was from February and they went to St. Maarten instead of Tortola so I'm not sure if it will be the same.

 

Glad you mentioned your excursions. I just looked at the Tortola Land & Sea and was wondering how that was. Helps hearing from others what they thought!

[Sand and Seas]

So glad you enjoyed your cruise! In Tortola would you be able to walk to town from the pier? Years ago I remember walking around and visiting Pussers Pub. Glad to hear it's still there:D

[HazelSmrf]

I was on the same cruise. Had great fun but thought it was weird that O'Sheehan's refused to let me leave with food. I could leave the buffet with food but after 11:30pm your choices are only to spend 7.95$ on room service or to go eat at O'Sheehan's.

[ptcruzers]

So why would you want to order food from O'Sheehans and take it somewhere? It is a great place to eat and people watch and it is just a nice casual venue. I was also on the Getaway last week and spent some time at O'Sheehans. It was great!!:D

[HazelSmrf]

Because it was 3am, I was there alone and my mother was in our cabin, I wanted to take a burger and fries back to eat on my balcony before bed. Instead I ate there by myself as quickly as I could and headed back to my room. I would have enjoyed my meal better in my room with my book in my PJs :)

[Paramour007]

That would be great if you have the calendar with the highlights, easy to plan that way. Do you remember what nights Burn the Floor entertained in the Tropicana dining room and about what time they were there? We would like to make reservations to eat there that night.

[punkincc]

Someone else on your cruise is reporting a 2 item per person limit on Room Service orders, with the 3 item incurring an additional 7.95 charge. Did you use room service at all or hear any talk about it on the ship?

[wilhelka]

We got room service once and ordered a lot of stuff. Appetizers, entrees, and dessert. Just as if we were eating in a dining room. Only 1 charge. And there was nothing written about a limit on items.

[wilhelka]

Pambo it was probably us you saw with food in the halls :). I don't think we ever saw anyone else do it, though I'm sure there were. We would have paid a fortune in room service if we couldn't have taken from the buffet. It was a huge disappointment that was the only place we could take out from since we had to spend a lot of meal times in our room. Felt silly walking through the shopping area with a plate of food!

 

Also, my absolute favorite drink was the pineapple coconut mojito at the mojito bar. They were all good from there. But you MUST order outside from Clarence (he wears a hat, easy to pick out!). His drinks were by far the best on the ship :)

Edited May 3, 2015 by wilhelka