GETAWAY Review (brief)

[Pia1913]

Ship was great and we had a wonderful time. The End. Is this not enough? ;) Well.........then I must give some more information, right?

 

 

We live about 60 miles North of the port, so traveling and boarding was uneventful. My husband uses a wheelchair and we were able to go directly to our cabin instead of dragging the carryon to lunch. Afterwards I immediately went to the box office to secure reservations to all shows; i.e. those I had not already reserved on line. Also rearranged our dining reservations, since we had the UDP and I wanted to switch days and times. Our cabin on deck 11 was close to the aft elevators; great location to get to most of the dining venues.

 

 

Our Cruise Critic meeting, held in Cagney's on the first sea day had a huge turnout. That goes for passengers as well as staff. Nine major staff members attended, as well as others. Memorable were: Hotel Director, Food & Beverage Director, Cruise Director, Executive Chef and Restaurant Mgr. There must have been about 20 in toto. All staff interacted with us and hotel director especially. He is the nicest guy; Sean Wurmhoeringer. I had the pleasure of talking to him many times during the week, as well as the restaurant mgr.; another great guy - Tanberg D'Souza. Oh yes, besides the usual NCL setup for CC of coffee, tea and pastries, they also made smoothies for everyone.

 

 

This ship is BIG, especially when you're pushing a wheelchair. Darn all that carpeting! But we loved every minute of it. Our breakfasts were always in the Garden Cafe and most lunches at O'Sheehan's. I'm not crazy about the shops; not enough logowear. Jewelry? I can do without it and that's the biggest shop of all. In any event, we didn't take the cruise to shop, nor did we take the cruise to do shore excursions. We vegged. We read. We spent time on the balcony. Being Floridians, we never go to the pool. Heck, we sold our house to get rid of the pool. :) We've also been on more than 100 cruises, so that basically encompasses most of the world.

 

 

Shows: Burn the Floor is phenomenal; Legally Blonde - OK. Levity comedy club was great; 3 different comedians performed and Howl at the Moon is not to be missed.

 

 

Any questions? Go for it!

[ellen4257]

sounds like a great time! was there any problem getting reservations to the shows? which ones needed the reservations? thanks.

[LrgPizza]

Not enough logowear! I'm not sure I've seen anyone mention that before, but now that you have, I totally agree!

 

Glad you had a wonderful time. I love Getaway.

[Pia1913]

sounds like a great time! was there any problem getting reservations to the shows? which ones needed the reservations? thanks.

 

You need to have them for the big shows; comedy shows you can almost always get into the last 10 minutes. I originally had late reservations for the big shows, but was able to switch them to the early shows. You really should do this one day one.

 

Also for Illusionarium. Early show on first night was packed. But that was probably due to the fact that it was included in the UDP.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Pia1913

[MandyMommyof2]

Sounds like a great time!!

[WoodsDrive]

I agree, it was a great cruise. I didn't get time to really meet many people at the M&G besides those who sat around us.

 

We had no problems reserving shows or specialty restaurants.

 

We were gifted twice with treats from the hotel director. I don't know if it was because we were celebrating our anniversary or what, but it was nice.

Edited June 1, 2015 by WoodsDrive

[CCBB]

How early can you book the shows and specialty restaurants? We also have the UDP and would like to book the Illusionarium show on the first night asap. Do you know if they charge you when you do the booking and refund you later on the ship? Or, does the system recognize that you have UDP and waive the charges when you book on line?

[bzzltyr]

Pia-I'm glad to hear a review that comes from a wheelchair perspective. My daughter is in a wheelchair and we are taking our first cruise on Escape in about six months.

 

If you don't mind I'd be curious on a few things for your experience while in a wheelchair.

 

1)Were there any limitations on the ship or ports that were hard to get to or not accessible?

 

2)Did you have a accessible room? If NOT how was the shower and space to wheel around? We are a family of four and they had no accessible rooms so I'm curious how ugly my space will be in a regular balcony room.

 

3)When seeing shows is handicap seating limited or stuck at the top? When you made a reservation did you have to specify wheelchair seating and was there room for you to sit with him?

 

Any other tips or observations would be much appreciated.

[DrNora]

How early can you book the shows and specialty restaurants? We also have the UDP and would like to book the Illusionarium show on the first night asap. Do you know if they charge you when you do the booking and refund you later on the ship? Or, does the system recognize that you have UDP and waive the charges when you book on line?

 

 

You can book 90 days out, suites 100 days.ypu can book online or you can call.when we booked with UDP

For our upcoming cruise, we entered the time and # of guests and the total would be zeroed out. You put the reservations in your virtual cart and the total due is $0.00

 

We booked ours before the 18% gratuity, so I don't know if that is included or will be charged to,us on board.

[backsbanny]

With the udp you NO longer get free the illusionarium at first night if you cruise after september 1

 

 

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[oracer]

Pia1913 - thanks for the review. Wanted to find out if you went to one of the specialty restaurants and then to Burn the Floor and Legally Blonde. We have 5:30 reservations (table of 8) and didn't think we could make the 8:00 show, so we booked the 10:00 show. Do you think we could make the 8:00 show with 5:30 reservations?

[yukongold]

First time I have heard of smoothies being served...great!

[Pia1913]

How early can you book the shows and specialty restaurants? We also have the UDP and would like to book the Illusionarium show on the first night asap. Do you know if they charge you when you do the booking and refund you later on the ship? Or, does the system recognize that you have UDP and waive the charges when you book on line?

 

When is your cruise? If the Illusionarium is still an option, book it as soon as you get aboard. Yes, it will be charged to your account, but it will be removed under the UDP within 48 hours.

[Pia1913]

Pia-I'm glad to hear a review that comes from a wheelchair perspective. My daughter is in a wheelchair and we are taking our first cruise on Escape in about six months.

 

If you don't mind I'd be curious on a few things for your experience while in a wheelchair.

 

1)Were there any limitations on the ship or ports that were hard to get to or not accessible?

No problems at all. There was no place we wanted to go that we couldn't get to. They give you a list of all accessible restrooms, so even that is not a problem.

 

2)Did you have a accessible room? If NOT how was the shower and space to wheel around? We are a family of four and they had no accessible rooms so I'm curious how ugly my space will be in a regular balcony room.

 

Yes we had an accessible cabin which is very large. Regular balcony room will be crowded; good for two, not so wonderful for four. Just ask for a shower stool. I hope your wheelchair is a small one, because it won't fit through the door if it's not.

 

3)When seeing shows is handicap seating limited or stuck at the top? When you made a reservation did you have to specify wheelchair seating and was there room for you to sit with him?

 

Any other tips or observations would be much appreciated.

 

As for theater, passengers enter through deck 7. Wheelchairs enter through deck 6 and you go in early. My husband transferred into a regular seat, which he also did for meals. There is no place for a person who must stay in a chair to be at the lower level, so if that's the case, yes, you will relegated to the top.

[Pia1913]

Pia1913 - thanks for the review. Wanted to find out if you went to one of the specialty restaurants and then to Burn the Floor and Legally Blonde. We have 5:30 reservations (table of 8) and didn't think we could make the 8:00 show, so we booked the 10:00 show. Do you think we could make the 8:00 show with 5:30 reservations?

 

We went to all specialty restaurants and yes, made the early shows. We also had 5:30 reservations on show nights just to be sure. But the shows were at 7:30; not 8:00.

[WoodsDrive]

As for theater, passengers enter through deck 7. Wheelchairs enter through deck 6 and you go in early. My husband transferred into a regular seat, which he also did for meals. There is no place for a person who must stay in a chair to be at the lower level, so if that's the case, yes, you will relegated to the top.

 

I was disappointed when I saw the wheelchair seating in the main theater. A wheelchair user in a non-raised wheelchair might not be able to see over the partial wall in front of that section. I pointed it out to dh since we both work with persons with disabilities and make note of accessibility problems.

[Deb and Jack]

Hi Pia, I was sitting across from you at the M&G. You're right on for the top management, saw them repeatedly but not intrusive. Had a small issue and with my cabin and it was resolved immediately. Also, the smoothies were great never had them before. Debbie

 

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[Pia1913]

Hi Pia, I was sitting across from you at the M&G. You're right on for the top management, saw them repeatedly but not intrusive. Had a small issue and with my cabin and it was resolved immediately. Also, the smoothies were great never had them before. Debbie

 

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Hi Debbie: You saw what I had, and it wasn't a smoothie. LOL :D

[Deb and Jack]

Oh yes, a little early for me :)

 

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[bzzltyr]

As for theater, passengers enter through deck 7. Wheelchairs enter through deck 6 and you go in early. My husband transferred into a regular seat, which he also did for meals. There is no place for a person who must stay in a chair to be at the lower level, so if that's the case, yes, you will relegated to the top.

 

 

Thanks for all of the info. We can move her to a regular seat so she can see better so we will try that approach. Good to know you didnt have any trouble.

[njmomof2]

With the udp you NO longer get free the illusionarium at first night if you cruise after september 1

 

 

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I was under the impression that this was for cruises after July 1, not September 1.

[Nelle B]

Are there any area's with loungers that are not in the sun? We love to be outside to relax and read, but cannot be in the sun.

[neptune18]

There are many loungers in the shade but you'll have to get out early to snag them.