Currently aboard the Getaway

[brookie848]

In general, the Getaway does the same itinerary weekly. If you want to do two weeks of different itineraries, consider booking the Getaway and the Escape. You'd have to over night in Miami, but it would allow you to do both an Eastern and Western sailing.

[vjpiott]

NCL just announced that Shanghai's is free. Have they changed it already on board? Does the current menu just remove pricing?

[SuiteTraveler]

I see you said you were in a Spa Suite, but you went to the Haven, are you in a Haven Spa Suite? Wasn't sure how you could get into the Haven without being in that class area of ship.

 

Have you done all of the things in the Spa? Like the salt bath, thermal pool and chairs, has it been crowded, if so, what days? Does your husband like the spa and is he using it regularly?

 

We are going in July and booked the Spa Balcony, we may move up to the suite if one comes available.

 

Sounds like you may have the UDP since you are going to the specialties, is there one that you haven't liked? One that you would go to twice?

 

Yes, it's a The Haven Spa Suite. I like the way this ship is arranged better than Epic. It is similar, but The Haven Spa Suites are forward and just below The Haven - ours is on 14. So we don't have to walk all the way through the ship to go to The Haven like we did from our Spa Suite on Epic. We just go to the elevators and go up 2 floors.

 

As to the spa, I've gone every day and yes, I've tried it all and it is all great! It has not been crowded - even when they said it was crowded, it wasn't. There was only one time when the salt room was so full I didn't go in. Other than that, I've been able to fully use the spa at will. My husband does like it. On our Epic cruise it took me until Wednesday to get him to go in the spa and then once he went, he wanted to go all the time.

 

All the specialty restaurants have been great so far and yes, we do have UDP. I think the Cagneys on this ship is the best Cagney's I've experienced between Epic, Jade and Getaway. There has not been a restaurant I haven't liked, although Teppanyaki is not our thing - so we didn't make a reservation for that on Getaway having already done it on a previous cruise on Epic - still the food was good in Teppanyaki so if you like that type of dining, then I think you will enjoy Teppanyaki.

[SuiteTraveler]

I didn't see the match with ********, hopefully that one was better than Mayweather and Pacquio because that was pretty lame...

 

LOL - that's the match they watched in the atrium, not sure why CC starred it out. I don't follow boxing/fighting, so did not see it.

[SuiteTraveler]

You mentioned that you went to the Baths over in Virgin Gorda while in Tortola. I was planning on going here, however I'm having a hard time deciding whether to book the tour through the ship, do it on my own via the ferries, or get a tour guide when I get there. Which did you do and what would you recommend? Thanks! Glad you're having a great time!

 

If you go with a ship's tour, you have to take a 40 minute ferry ride followed by a 15 minute bus ride and walk down 20 minutes over very uneven terrain where you have to stop often as there is only enough space on the path for people coming one way and there will be people going in both directions, then you are at the Baths and there is a lot of climbing in the caves (you must be fit enough to do this and go with a partner who can assist you in rock climbing. There are some ladders and bridges and a huge bolder you climb over holding onto a rope. The holders can be slick and often you climb is interrupted as you must wait for oncoming climbers to pass. After the huge bolder, there is a long step down of at least 3 ft. to a pointed boulder. My husband just stepped down (he's 6") but I'm 5'3" so I sat down in order to safely hop to that pointed boulder while my husband balanced me. That's probably the worse of the climb in the baths. Devil's bay is the prettier of the two beaches. Then it is a long, long, long and very hot climb back up to the parking lot. There is a restaurant and freshwater pool up there.

 

A lot of people were really seasick on the ferry going over in the morning. We were in the main cabin and I saw at least a dozen from our cabin get seasick and heard there were dozens out on deck barfing. The cabin attendants were very busy handing out seasickness bags and some other stuff to assist the people who were sick. We had taken Bonine so had no problem.

 

This is JMO, but in future, I would hire a private boat to take me to the Baths. You have to swim into shore and back to the boat, but I would rather that than the long uneven walk down and back up over rocks. It at least would be a much cooler way to visit the Baths. There is a bar on Baths beach, and some lockers there, but if you are going through the caves and then Devil's Bay, you will have to take your stuff with you or backtrack the entire 20 minute walk down to Bath's beach.

[SuiteTraveler]

Hello SuiteTraveler! Thanks for checking in and glad you are having a great time. Do you know who will be taking Sugar Blue's place in Grammy Experience? I know he leaves soon (a week or two). So glad you are enjoying the food also. We board on the 23rd and can't wait.

 

Enjoy your trip. :)

 

Sugar Blue is already gone. The new entertainer is Shannon McNally.

[cliffd64]

Sugar Blue is already gone. The new entertainer is Shannon McNally.

 

Hmmmm... she was there in December on our Getaway cruise as well...

[SuiteTraveler]

What's the room service fee, is it now $7.95 fleetwide? Any problems taking food away from buffet or did you try from O'Ss?

 

It is $7.95 per order, except suites with a butler. You can definitely take food and drink away from the buffet. There is, btw, a pay per glass wine dispenser machine in the buffet, if wine is your thing. No idea about O'Ss as we have not eaten there this cruise.

[SuiteTraveler]

I have a legit request.. please try to find out the nitty gritty on taking food "to go" from O'Sheehans, or the buffet. Lots of rumors about what can, and cannot be done. I'm pretty sure the answer is NO for O'Sheehans, but are they enforcing it? Try to walk out of O'Sheehans with a couple'a wings and see if you are beaten and hog tied :D:D:D

 

If you are in a suite, your butler can get you anything from any restaurant onboard as room service. Not sure about taking it yourself, but I wouldn't think they would really care.

[SuiteTraveler]

Do you know if they are serving afternoon or late night snacks in the casino?

 

I have not seen any snacks served in the casino at any hour and I've been in there both afternoon and late night. They do serve cocktails, though. I guess you could order something that comes with a fruit garnish?

Edited May 7, 2015 by SuiteTraveler

[vicocala]

Sugar Blue is already gone. The new entertainer is Shannon McNally.

 

What type of music does Shannon McNally perform to? Thanks.

[SuiteTraveler]

We are planning on visiting the baths. It appears there are two beaches and a rocky path.

 

Will swim shoes be OK for the walk?

 

Should we plan on starting at one beach or the other?

 

How much is snorkel gear rental?

 

Any secure place to leave belongings while in the water?

 

Are beverages available?

 

Kara and Lot

51 days to Haven.

 

You definitely need swim shoes to climb the rocks, but athletic shoes would be better if you need ankle support. Snorkel gear rental is I believe $30 - we didn't snorkel as we wanted to climb. There are lockers. There is Poor Man's bar on the Bath's Beach and nothing on Devils Bay Beach.

[SuiteTraveler]

Did you pre-reserve any of the Levity comedy shows? They were not available to book on line , so I contacted the pre-concierge.

 

Just wondering if you were able to see the shows, if you made ressies or if it is actually first come first serve?

 

THANKS!!!!

 

First come first serve, but my husband plays a lot of Texas Hold'em Poker, so we haven't gone to any of the comedy shows.

[KaralotStables]

You definitely need swim shoes to climb the rocks, but athletic shoes would be better if you need ankle support. Snorkel gear rental is I believe $30 - we didn't snorkel as we wanted to climb. There are lockers. There is Poor Man's bar on the Bath's Beach and nothing on Devils Bay Beach.

 

 

Thanks a lot for the reply. Have a great cruise. I'll be following your posts.

[SuiteTraveler]

What type of music does Shannon McNally perform to? Thanks.

 

I would describe her as soft rock with county, jazz and blues influence. She's opened for people like Stevie Nicks and Ryan Adams.

http://www.shannonmcnally.com

[SuiteTraveler]

Movie today is "Get On Up"

Getting ready to go to Wine Lovers the Musical followed by the spa.

[Dollard des Ormeaux]

Suite Traveler, I am curious about the menu in the Haven Restaurant. We are booked in a Spa Suite in the Haven in August and you had mentioned the Haven Restaurant was very good. How does their menu work? Does it change daily or is it like a specialty restaurant and stays the same all week? Any info would be great. Thanks

 

Karin

[SuiteTraveler]

The Haven Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner menus are the same everyday with only the soup of the day changing. But there is a lot of choice and the food is great! I have not worked my way through any of the menus completely yet. Google Norwegian Getaway Haven Menus and you can see these menus, as well as all the others for this ship.

[GateGuardian]

Thanks for the update, I'm on the Getaway in a couple of weeks. Still have not planned any excursions yet :(:confused::confused::confused::confused:

[Dollard des Ormeaux]

Thank you Suite Traveler. I had already goggled the Haven menu but the site only showed the lunch menu, however now Knowing that it always stays the same gives us some insight for planning at mealtime. All the menus look absolutely delicious!

[gschwartz001]

I believe the noodle bar on the ship is now free. Have they changed the menu? Any info is appreciated as we sail in July. Thanks.

[SuiteTraveler]

I went by O'Sheehans today and the seating hostess confirmed that to-go orders are no longer allowed. I do know that if you are in a suite, you can get anything from any restaurant (if you pay for it, if it is a specialty restaurant.) I have seen people wandering around the ship with stuff from Carlo's Bakery in their hands.

 

For those in suites, you don't need to worry about any of these changes. Our butler has brought us more food than we can possibly eat - stuff we didn't even ask for along with anything we do ask for. Honestly, I prefer to get out of my suite to eat most of the time with the exception of in Europe where room service breakfast makes sense before the Haven restaurant/Cagneys/Epic club has opened and on sail away it is nice to have fruit and cheese and some pina coladas out on the balcony or if I am sick. But other than this, I prefer to eat in a dining room somewhere.

 

The more I look at this ship, the more I like it. Cagney's and Moderno are just beautiful. Le Bistro is in a less optimal location, but decorated beautifully. Tonight we try Ocean Blue. We love seafood and it's my husband's birthday. The butler brought him yet another birthday cake - this time a white one (I ordered the chocolate one from Carlo's for the first day of the cruise so my husband could enjoy it all week long.) One week is NOT enough time to really experience it all and I think the idea of doing back to back cruises on this ship makes a lot of sense. Even if the ports were the same, there are so many different opportunities for different shore excursions, you couldn't get bored.

 

Mitsugirly, if you are reading this by any chance, I'm asking around to get the exact brand of the white whipped topping that I think is either fluff or marshmallow creme for you. Someone will be able to ask a pastry chef this question - it was on the birthday cake my husband got so I have put the concierge to work with this task (as if she needs more to do - but I'll tip her for it.) It looks and tastes like Fluff to me but I'd still like to get the exact 411 on it.

Edited May 7, 2015 by SuiteTraveler

[SuiteTraveler]

Thank you Suite Traveler. I had already goggled the Haven menu but the site only showed the lunch menu, however now Knowing that it always stays the same gives us some insight for planning at mealtime. All the menus look absolutely delicious!

 

Scroll down here to post #9 with the Epic club menus:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=25117630

The waffle now comes with berries and whipped cream. They have 86'd the French dip at lunch, but the menu appears otherwise the same for breakfast and lunch. I don't recognize any difference between the dinner menus from Epic and what we had the other night.

 

At breakfast they also have a wide assortment of dry cereal, fruits, cold cuts, cheeses, smoked salmon rosettes, breakfast pastries and croissants. You must order juice (extra charge), there is still French press coffee and tea. But on the other hand they will make anything you want if they have the food items handy. This morning my husband got a mango and orange juice smoothie. I added a side of bacon to the Traditional Eggs Benedict. Yesterday I asked for jalapeno in my omelet (Cinco de Mayo) and they were able to accommodate that, but they didn't have any picante sauce or Mexican style taco sauce or hot sauce - only Tabasco. Cappucino is now extra charge.

[adbnva]

we are doing back to back. it is the same, but we figured if we liked something we can do it again, and if we hear about something great we can do it the second week. we are older and have been on a lot of cruises so we hope this works well. we have to fly to port, so we'll get more bang for our bucks. a 2 week vacation. I certainly would not want to fly from Australia for a 7 day vacation. you might just book another cruise and maybe get off on sat and get on another ship on sun. we have done that. ad

[Beaver1975]

Scroll down here to post #9 with the Epic club menus:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=25117630

The waffle now comes with berries and whipped cream. They have 86'd the French dip at lunch, but the menu appears otherwise the same for breakfast and lunch. I don't recognize any difference between the dinner menus from Epic and what we had the other night.

 

At breakfast they also have a wide assortment of dry cereal, fruits, cold cuts, cheeses, smoked salmon rosettes, breakfast pastries and croissants. You must order juice (extra charge), there is still French press coffee and tea. But on the other hand they will make anything you want if they have the food items handy. This morning my husband got a mango and orange juice smoothie. I added a side of bacon to the Traditional Eggs Benedict. Yesterday I asked for jalapeno in my omelet (Cinco de Mayo) and they were able to accommodate that, but they didn't have any picante sauce or Mexican style taco sauce or hot sauce - only Tabasco. Cappucino is now extra charge.

 

 

Next time ask for Sambal. Yum!!