Should we book Getaway - Help!

[KarimaJ]

I have read many things about Getaway and have a several questions I need help with. Family of 3, our daughter is 11 years old. We're looking at Western Caribbean itinerary.

 

It looks like you can make dinner reservations if you choose correct? If not there may be a wait?

You can reserve Vibe and Spa passes? What do you get with those, private areas to hang out in or anything else? it's not clear to me.

You can rent cabanas by the pool? How much is that, is it by the day or week? Is it worth it?

My daughter doesn't usually like kids clubs, are there long waits for the slides and rope courses/golf?

Some say it feels crowded and there aren't a lot of large spaces. We never felt crowded on Disney or RC even though there were lots of people.

I want a ship that knows how to move people without feeling like you're waiting for everything.

There are dining rooms and buffet always available right? Thats one thing I didn't really like about Disney, buffet only open certain hours and all they had besides that was a fast food burger/hot dog area.

Are there nighly shows like other cruiselines? I read you need to reserve and they don't havr them every night? Or you have to pay for them?

Thanks!

[garnet115]

See responses in RED.

I have read many things about Getaway and have a several questions I need help with. Family of 3, our daughter is 11 years old. We're looking at Western Caribbean itinerary.

 

It looks like you can make dinner reservations if you choose correct? If not there may be a wait?

Yes, you can make dinner reservations. I never had trouble just walking up when on the Breakaway, even with a line, but there are varying reports on this. If you are really concerned, make a reservation. I think only limited seatings are available for pre-booking the MDRs online, so you may have to wait until on board to reserve depending what time you are interested in.

 

You can reserve Vibe and Spa passes? What do you get with those, private areas to hang out in or anything else? it's not clear to me.

You can rent cabanas by the pool? How much is that, is it by the day or week? Is it worth it?

There are no Cabanas by the pool. Just in Vibe. In vibe you get a private space that is adult-only and has a dedicated bar and hot tubs. The cabanas are more expensive but also come with a credit towards food.

 

My daughter doesn't usually like kids clubs, are there long waits for the slides and rope courses/golf?

My dd (now age 12) also dislikes the kid clubs. She can spend all day on the slides and never found the wait to be too long. Certainly shorter than you find at water parks. We also found the ropes course to be a short wait, but that can vary. The only place where we really waited on a long line was for the rock climbing wall since it can only accommodate two or three people at a time.

 

Some say it feels crowded and there aren't a lot of large spaces. We never felt crowded on Disney or RC even though there were lots of people.

I want a ship that knows how to move people without feeling like you're waiting for everything.

You may feel crowded at times, especially in the pool and atrium areas.

There are dining rooms and buffet always available right? Thats one thing I didn't really like about Disney, buffet only open certain hours and all they had besides that was a fast food burger/hot dog area.

The buffet is open most of the day, although there may be times when they are changing over between meals and have less options available. The MDRs are only open certain hours and are usually closed when in port.

 

Are there nighly shows like other cruiselines? I read you need to reserve and they don't havr them every night? Or you have to pay for them?

Thanks!

Yes, there are nightly shows. Reservations are recommended for some (like Burn the Floor and Legally Blonde), but not for all. You don't have to pay for entertainment other than the dinner theater (Illlusionarium and Wine Lovers Musical), which combines a show with specialty dining.

[www3traveler]

I have sailed The Getaway a number of times will be aboard again over Christmas.

 

Most of the time the ship does not feel crowded except after the Muster Drill and when shows let out of the theater.

 

There are lots of dining rooms and the buffet is huge.

 

There are lots of quiet corners on The Getaway.

 

She is one of my favorite ships and I am very much looking forward to returning to Her.

 

Mandy