A Lengthy Review of a Fantastic Cruise on the Getaway [10/03 - 10/10)

[FloaterGirl]

Paul,

Thank you for your review. We will be on the Getaway next week and I'm wondering if you have any information you can share regarding "a la carte" pricing in the speciality restaurants and some items (e.g. prime rib) being "a la carte" in the MDR. Did you notice this? Also, we use to love the calamari and popcorn shrimp for lunch in the MDR. Do you know if they still have these items on the menu?

thanks in advance!

[PaulInPGH]

Paul,

Thank you for your review. We will be on the Getaway next week and I'm wondering if you have any information you can share regarding "a la carte" pricing in the speciality restaurants and some items (e.g. prime rib) being "a la carte" in the MDR. Did you notice this? Also, we use to love the calamari and popcorn shrimp for lunch in the MDR. Do you know if they still have these items on the menu?

thanks in advance!

 

They hadn't switched to the new a la carte model when we cruised, so I don't know anything about it, though my hunch is that there are probably quite a few threads about it here on CC.

 

Regarding lunch, I must admit, we were so in love with the Flamingo Grill that we ate there for lunch every single afternoon, so I have no idea what might have been in the MDR.

 

Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Have a great cruise!

 

Cheers.

[PaulInPGH]

Well, it's definitely been a while. I've not given up writing this thing, but finding the time and energy to do it has been hard.

 

That being said, I do intend to finish it. I like to have these reviews as records of our trips; it's fun to go back and read them and relive the fun. So, I'm still going to be posting, slowly but surely.

 

Onward...

[PaulInPGH]

Day 5: a Day of Self-Realization in Tortola

 

We awoke on Wednesday morning eager for our only shore excursion of the trip. We weren’t scheduled to depart until 10:00, but we tried to grab breakfast somewhat early (for us anyway) in an attempt to beat the massive crowds at the Garden Café.

 

We ended up making it off the ship by about 9:25 and it was lucky we did, because there was a great deal of confusion about when our excursion was set to leave. First, we were told the excursion was set to leave at 10:00 (as we expected) and to wait nearby to be collected. Then, a completely different person called out the name of our excursion and said “hurry, the bus is loading up and getting ready to leave.” Definitely confusing.

 

We followed the lady who told us the bus was about to depart and we managed to make it on board, where we waited for another 25 minutes until we left…at 10:00.

[PaulInPGH]

Now, let me tell you a little about the tour we booked and why it was a stupid choice. It was called the Tortola Party Tour, which honestly should have sent up red flags when we booked it, but hindsight is 20/20 and all that. Picture being in an open-air safari type bus, surrounded by drunk, obnoxious, loud, annoying people for four plus hours. I’m sure you’ve all encountered the type, I just wasn’t thinking too clearly about the “party” part of the tour and this is what we ended up with.

 

And these people were not young 21 year olds or college party kids; they were people the same age as me and my wife—early 30s. That somehow made it even worse. I realized, not long after boarding the “party bus,” that I am way too old for this stuff. Singing bad pop tunes and powering through gallons of rum punch just don’t hold much appeal for me.

[PaulInPGH]

Anyway, not to belabor the point, but the group we were stuck with made it difficult to enjoy the tour. Spectacular vistas and informative commentary from our driver were both lost to constant drunk singing and carrying-on. I should also note, if you are at all afraid of heights, this might not be the tour for you. I spent pretty much the entire tour white-knuckling the seat in front of me, in constant fear that we were going to go careening off a cliff.

 

We did stop for a couple nice photo opportunities and about an hour lunch at a quiet beach, but overall I was not happy with the tour. I liked Tortola quite a lot—it was very pretty country and the locals we met were very friendly—but next time I will take in its sites in a different, more subdued manner.

[allaboardwhosgoingaboard]

LOL :D oh my, I am getting a great visual in my head about your "Party Tour"!! Too funny!! I am sure there are folks on this site that would be all over that, however for myself and my husband (in our mid to late 40's and not too much into the whole drinking thing) are well beyond that type of partying ourselves and would be pretty disappointed with this tour, let alone... the heights!! :eek: yikes to that! Still, love your description!! It was great for a morning chuckle. :D

 

Thank you for carrying on with your trip! We all appreciate your writing skills and are thoroughly enjoying your review! Merry Christmas ~ Happy Holidays!

[PaulInPGH]

LOL :D oh my, I am getting a great visual in my head about your "Party Tour"!! Too funny!! I am sure there are folks on this site that would be all over that, however for myself and my husband (in our mid to late 40's and not too much into the whole drinking thing) are well beyond that type of partying ourselves and would be pretty disappointed with this tour, let alone... the heights!! :eek: yikes to that! Still, love your description!! It was great for a morning chuckle. :D

 

Thank you for carrying on with your trip! We all appreciate your writing skills and are thoroughly enjoying your review! Merry Christmas ~ Happy Holidays!

 

Thank you! Merry (belated) Christmas to you as well.

 

Cheers.

[tuscandream]

We were on the getaway the week after Thanksgiving, where is Spice H2O? Is that where they have the big screen TV? I don't recall seeing any waterfalls.

[PaulInPGH]

We were on the getaway the week after Thanksgiving, where is Spice H2O? Is that where they have the big screen TV? I don't recall seeing any waterfalls.

 

Yes, it's on deck 16 (very near the Flamingo Grill). The water feature is directly to the right after you walk through the entrance, directly opposite the bar area.

 

Cheers.

[PaulInPGH]

We returned from our tour at about 2:30, and since we had lunch on the beach, we only had a very small snack at the Flamingo Grill. This was the only day I managed to sample their absolutely delicious steak. Much to my regret, I discovered its charms too late, as it wasn’t served for the rest of the cruise. Ah well, next time.

 

Our afternoon proceeded in much the same way as the last couple days: a short, relaxing nap in our cabin, followed by a few early-evening drinks, mostly at the Mojito Bar. We did stop back to chat with our favorite bartender, Benjie, at the always-quiet Prime Meridian.

[PaulInPGH]

After another great dinner in the Tropicana Room, we spent a while reading in the library on deck 6. After having our fill of quiet, we went back to our favorite spot near the Atrium Bar and enjoyed listening to the live music in the Atrium.

 

At 10:00, we walked up to the Bliss Lounge on deck 7 for Karaoke. Now normally I love Karaoke—I used to play music professionally, so I enjoy singing. But, I was so put off by the drunken idiots from earlier in the day, the thought of singing in public kind of made me cringe. As a result, we just sat off to the side and enjoyed a couple truly excellent (and more mostly horrible) attempts at carrying a tune.

 

Bliss transitioned from Karaoke to a 90s themed dance party at about 11:00. I love 90s music, so we stayed for a few drinks and enjoyed the music. Eventually though, the long day caught up to us, and we headed back to our cabin and bed.

 

Up next: Day 6: Sickness Approaches

[Bellacruz54]

Thank you for the review! We just booked her after 5 cruises on RC. We are looking forward to something new but I was nervous...... Your review has me excited and reassured that we made the right choice! Thank you!

[kapcruiser]

Thanks for the great detailed review. We are thinking about cruising on getaway. Is Shanigabs free? Also, is there food available late night after the shows?

[PaulInPGH]

Thank you for the review! We just booked her after 5 cruises on RC. We are looking forward to something new but I was nervous...... Your review has me excited and reassured that we made the right choice! Thank you!

 

I'm sure you'll have a great time. As I said, we enjoyed our RCI cruises, but I'd give the Getaway the slight edge.

 

Cheers.

[PaulInPGH]

Thanks for the great detailed review. We are thinking about cruising on getaway. Is Shanigabs free? Also, is there food available late night after the shows?

 

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure which restaurant you're referring to. If you mean O'Sheehan's, the pub, that is free and they have food 24 hours a day. I think, other than room service, they are the only option for late-night dining.

 

Cheers.