Just off the Getaway....it was fantastic!!!

[riddle]

I can't believe I have this question as I have sailed on the Getaway several times but...where is the Columbian Grill?

[justhappy]

I can't believe I have this question as I have sailed on the Getaway several times but...where is the Columbian Grill?

 

Not the OP, but from their comments I think they mean the Flamingo bar and grill on deck 16. But then again maybe they meant Moderno, not sure if they have plantains there.

Edited September 19, 2015 by justhappy

[NOSaints1]

So what would you say the difference between Breakaway and Getaway? And which one do you say is better?

[Sand and Seas]

So what would you say the difference between Breakaway and Getaway? And which one do you say is better?

 

We have been on both but enjoyed the Getaway a little more for two reasons.

First, we love the Flamingo Grill (and those fried plantains). Breakaway has a grill, but we like the Latin flair to the food at Getaway's Flamingo Grill. Second, we find it much easier and cheaper to fly into Miami and get a reasonable hotel to stay at the night before. Also have enjoyed staying a few days after cruise at South Beach.

 

Both ships are great and have good entertainment options. And if you want to go to Bermuda (which is great!) Breakaway is a great ship. But we also LOVE the Caribbean so the Getaway is our preference.

[NOSaints1]

I've been to Jamaica, Cozumel and GC on Carnival, my DW and I've been to Grand Turk, Nassau, and Jamaica on the Breeze and we went to St Thomas, St Lucia, St Kitts, Barbados, St Maarten on the Valor out of San Juan, next Oct we're going on Adventure out of San Juan to Aruba, Bonaire, Curaco, Antigua and St Maarten we booked in CDN dollars on the Adventure, which is beneficial to us to book in CDN, were also looking at the Oasis class, my question is do you book the Getaway for some of the ports we've visited or do you book the Breakaway to Bermuda. So would you go for the ship or the port?

[darienill]

MDR question

 

The menus in the MDR. I see you mentioned shrimp on day one. Was there any other shellfish dishes? Seafood? was service slow? any other comments?

[Sand and Seas]

I've been to Jamaica, Cozumel and GC on Carnival, my DW and I've been to Grand Turk, Nassau, and Jamaica on the Breeze and we went to St Thomas, St Lucia, St Kitts, Barbados, St Maarten on the Valor out of San Juan, next Oct we're going on Adventure out of San Juan to Aruba, Bonaire, Curaco, Antigua and St Maarten we booked in CDN dollars on the Adventure, which is beneficial to us to book in CDN, were also looking at the Oasis class, my question is do you book the Getaway for some of the ports we've visited or do you book the Breakaway to Bermuda. So would you go for the ship or the port?

 

Them Getaway is our favorite NCL ship so far ...Escape coming up! We have been on 3 cruises on her. The crew seems happier and friendlier than Breakaway, but only one cruise on that one so maybe that has changed.

[nuvibeJaiy]

Great review. I'm sailing out on Sat. How much is a mojito on the ship? I wanted the UBP, but since there are 4 adults in the cabin, all of us would be forced to buy it. And that got pricey.

[texasag]

Thanks for the review we leave in 3 weeks. I'm hoping to do some Christmas shopping on the ship, by chance did you notice prices of watches, purses? Coffee maker in the room? Do I need to bring my own coffee no big deal if we need to. I usually bring the box of individual half and half.

[jewliana]

Great review. I'm sailing out on Sat. How much is a mojito on the ship? I wanted the UBP, but since there are 4 adults in the cabin, all of us would be forced to buy it. And that got pricey.

 

I'm so sorry. I had the drink package so didnt pay much attention to prices but I "think" I saw $11 that was including tip

[jewliana]

Thanks for the review we leave in 3 weeks. I'm hoping to do some Christmas shopping on the ship, by chance did you notice prices of watches, purses? Coffee maker in the room? Do I need to bring my own coffee no big deal if we need to. I usually bring the box of individual half and half.

 

Honestly, I have never seen great prices in the shops on the ship. But, I take advantage of buying brand names at places like Stein Mart for instance, had the same prices that the ship did on Michael Kor handbags.

 

They supply you with coffee pods and the little tiny creamer pours. It is replenished daily

Enjoy your cruise!!!

[Eeyores#1Fan]

Thanks for such a good review! We are avid Disney cruises stepping out of our comfort zone to try NCL and Royal. You answered several questions I've been trying to find answers to especially getting off the boat. We are taking the train down from NC and was trying to see if we needed to stay a night after we got off because the train leaves Miami at 11:50am. Knowing that it may take an hour to disembark I will let me family decide :)

[SUNNYGIRL45]

Thanks for such a good review! We are avid Disney cruises stepping out of our comfort zone to try NCL and Royal. You answered several questions I've been trying to find answers to especially getting off the boat. We are taking the train down from NC and was trying to see if we needed to stay a night after we got off because the train leaves Miami at 11:50am. Knowing that it may take an hour to disembark I will let me family decide :)

 

Hi Timika, we are Disney fans too, although not as many cruises under our belts. After our experience on a free cruise on Royal, we said we would never stray from Disney again. However with the prices on DCL lately, we are excited to try Getaway next year! It is encouraging to read that Disney cruisers like her so much. I hope you will do a review . I would love to see what you think!

Tammie (MAGICFOR2 on the DIS)

Edited November 5, 2015 by SUNNYGIRL45

[rmarlins101]

yes leaving on November 29th 2015 super excited and this is my second trip on the getaway,absolutley blown away on the friendly staff and availability of bartenders for that drink package...so much fun sitting in the Jacuzzi at night watching a movie on the big screen.. cagneys was amazing with the best steak ive eaten ever... super fun time and leaving in two weeks woohooo

[newmexicoNita]

I appreciated being able to read reviews before embarking on our cruise so I wanted to return the favor.

We have not sailed with NCL for a very long time. We have been pretty loyal to RCL and Celebrity. We saw a fantastic deal for this cruise. Balcony with the drink package. We jumped on it and are so glad we did!!

 

Embarkation

We live in Central Florida so we drove down and parked in the garage right across from the ship. No hassle parking although expensive. It was $140 for the week. However, I never had to question if the vehicle was secure. It was very quick walk to the ship and back on return,

The embarkation process was pretty painless. We got there about 11:30a and were on board within an hour.

 

We had a quick lunch in the buffet. We enjoyed the buffet and thought it was very well set up. All week long we never had to wait in lines even at the busiest times because they set up the same item in stations in multiple places. We had very good luck with tasty selections all week long when we made the buffet our choice.

 

We booked our dining in the Tropicana. We never waited. We LOVED the dining room which reminded me of an Art Deco Miami Supper Club from the past. It was lovely!! The band that played was soft and romantic not brash and annoying. Many couples danced. The burn the floor dancers did 2 floor shows during the week. The food and service were great. My favorite choices were on night one the grilled shrimp. They were seasoned well and cooked to perfection. My other favorite dish was shredded beef short ribs over gnocchi. OH MY!!! Each bite was so savory and delicious!

 

We did specialty dining at Cagneys. I LOVE the way we did it! We went at 6p as we left St Thomas. We ate outside and the views as we left and the sun set were gorgeous! The food was great and we were glad we did it!

 

We also did Illusionarium. The food was Ok, the show was OK. I am glad we did it but would not do it again.

 

We saw burn the floor and legally blonde. Legally Blonde was a bit too fluffy and long but enjoyable. Burn the Floor was outrageously good> DO NOT miss it!!

 

We had a good run in the casino. We spent several hours there every day and didnt loose much $$ :-)

 

We loved some of the other dining venues. O'Shean's was very beautiful. Loved the dark warm woods and cozy feel. The food was Ok. Not great, but I appreciated a 24 option.

 

The Columbian Grill was amazing. I had asked my husband to keep my away from the plantains because they are full of carbs and sugar but I could not keep away. I did intentionally only place no more than 3 on my plate and enjoyed the other offerings there. They had a cilantro sauce I would have eaten with a spoon :-)

 

We had the drink package and found that the hours of open bars was very good. We had great service except while in port in Miami while everyone was waiting for their rooms to be ready. It was dreadfully difficult to get even one drink but that was the only bump in the road as far as bar service.

 

My favorite bar was the Sugar Cane bar. They make amazing Mojitos and despite thinking i was going to just have Jack and Diet coke..(again trying to keep the carbs low) I just had to try that one Pineapple Coconut Mojito and the rest of the cruise that was my drink of choice!! OH so GOOD!!!

 

We thought the room and service were good. Felt spoiled by the coffee maker in the room. We brought our own coffee flavor enhancer and enjoyed it very much. I do wish cappuccino was included on the drink package as I am used to that with RCL and Celebrity. The balcony was so narrow you have to turn your chairs sideways but still, I love to be able to walk out and enjoy the breeze and views. Just letting you know what to expect :-)

 

We did the trivia events and actually won the 70's music session! Wahoo!! We have the key chain to prove it!! :-)

 

Debarkation was a bit disappointing. I know has nothing to do with ship but we had to stand in a very long line that at times didnt move for over 5 minutes for at least an hour before getting to the agents. Once there it went very fast.

 

All in all I would highly recommend NCL and the Getaway. Loved it!! Lots of quiet spaces with a ship that was almost full. It was never an issue.

 

If you have any questions I will do my best.

 

thanks, you are making me wish this was about Aug of 2016 so we would only have a few weeks before our Getaway cruise. It seems as though the Getaway is almost everyone idea of the perfect ship.