Quick Getaway review 4/10 - 4/17

[ThirstyFrog203]

I'm not one for long drawn out reviews, so this will be short and sweet.

 

I'm sold. This was our 4th cruise overall. First with Norwegian. Previous 3 were all with Carnival. It was night and day. We were extremely disappointed with our last Carnival cruise and wanted to try something new. We were not disappointed.

 

We had the Beverage package and 4 nights of the Dining package. I highly recommend the beverage package. Drinks on board can be pricey. Our bar tab would have easily been $500 or $600+ without it and we are not heavy drinkers, but did drink steadily throughout without getting drunk or hungover.

 

This cruise line is most definitely geared towards adults. The main pool was adults only.. the MAIN pool. It was fantastic. 4,000+ on board and never felt crowded. Always got in the hot tub when we wanted. Never had to wait. Always found a deck chair. Although it did get a little tough on sea days.

 

The lunch buffet at Flamingo is pretty solid. They have this coconut pastry that i could not get enough of.

 

Spice H2O was a pretty laid back and quiet place during the day. Got wild at night, especially the great and famous "Glow Party". Bring all white clothing for this event. They really go all out.

 

4 nights of the dining package - First was the French Bistro. Very good, although i would prefer the duck to not be minced. It was pleasant though. Second was italian at La Cucina... This was the worst IMO. Not bad, but not very good. My wife's filet was cooked medium rare to perfection was flavorless. My pasta dish was just ok. Third was Teppanyaki, the Hibachi place. Our cook was a lot of fun and the food was very good. Just wish we had more energetic table mates. Two of them looked like they were at a funeral. We nicknamed them Donnie & Donnie Downer. Fourth was the Brazilian Steak House "Moderno". Did not realize how a Brazilian steak house works. They just keep coming by with different meats and you have you have a card on your table that you flip to green if you want more or red to stop... Once we figured it out, it was great. You got to try several things.

 

Ports

 

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Unless you have an excursion here, i'd recommend staying on the ship. Once you get off the pier you get relentlessly hounded. I was offered pot twice, cabs about 157 times and had to deal will highly aggressive con men selling you stuff. I got suckered into buying this wooden aztec heads because he jumped in front of me and said he had something free for me. He carved my name into it, then grabbed another carved my wife's name and said it would be $20. I talked him down to $10 but felt i deserved that. I should have known better. If you do get off here. JUST KEEP WALKING. Don't stop to talk to anyone. Find a bar and go there. They don't hassle you inside. I had a "Blended Bob Marley" at a local bar and it was quiet and nice... Brutally humid day, but sunny.

 

Grand Cayman

Our second time here. First time was a bit rainy. This day was beautiful. We had a snorkel excursion here at a wreck site and a beautiful reef area. Saw some very large fish including 3 tuna swimming under our boat. Another great weather day.

 

Cozumel

Did the Play Mia Deluxe Beach day here. Very nice beach area. Lots of palm trees if you wanted a shady spot. Open bar, Nice pool area. Water at this beach was a bit murky and very rocky. Bring your water shoes if you do this. We ended up spending most of our time around the pool. Another great weather day but very hot... Those cold towels that Norwegian welcomes you back with is a little piece of heaven. They also had a DJ on the dock blasting music and we had to dance the red carpet back on the ship. I'm a shy dancer because i'm so bad at it, lol. But i had fun with it.

 

Great Stirrup Cay

Great beach area. We did the Jet Ski excursion. Never rode a jet ski before. Let's just say, I am hooked. Once you get the hang of it, it is adrenaline pumping fun. I want one. Water is nice. Some rocks in the water but mostly nice sand. You'll enjoy yourself here... Again, perfect weather.

 

As a side note, before getting to GSC, we had a sea day. We were stopped for about 4 hours because we came across are small raft carrying 8 cubans trying to flee to Florida. We needed to sit until the coast guard arrived to pick them up... It was something else to witness all this. I felt bad on two accounts. I felt bad for the Cubans on the raft but i also felt bad because i seemed more concerned about the delay possibly eliminating our stop in GSC and missing out on the jet ski's. They were successfully picked up by the coast guard and we were on our way at full speed. I believe we only lost an hour at GSC.

 

We also saw "Burn The Floor". This type of thing is not for me. That being said, i was impressed with the skill and choreography of the dancers. I was entertained. You should check it out. The theater offers great leg room but not much arm room. I started getting uncomfortable about 45 minutes in.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation was really smooth. They are very good with santitation. Hand santizer stations everywhere and people make sure you do it before eating. They carry spray bottles for your hands if you skip the stations.

 

I didn't cover everything here. If anyone has questions, let me know and i'll do my best to answer.

Edited April 19, 2016 by ThirstyFrog203

[ThirstyFrog203]

Also, we had one of those slightly extended balconies on deck 10. Great room, quiet and tons of storage. We always did inside rooms to save money but i don't think i can ever go back now

[helen haywood]

Our first cruise with NCL was on the Getaway! Not our first cruise by any means, but our first NCL. We absolutely LOVED both Getaway (The Waterfront!) and the NCL concept in general! Welcome to the club!

[ThirstyFrog203]

Our first cruise with NCL was on the Getaway! Not our first cruise by any means, but our first NCL. We absolutely LOVED both Getaway (The Waterfront!) and the NCL concept in general! Welcome to the club!

 

Thanks! I left out the Waterfront.. Great area. we sat out there and had hot delicious lobster rolls from Ocean Blue

Edited April 19, 2016 by ThirstyFrog203

[www3traveler]

Did you met any outstanding staff?

[tropical83]

Thanks for your review! I also have only sailed Carnival. Next month I sail my first NCL cruise on the Getaway. Can't wait! I don't have any issues with Carnival. NCL offering the free beverage package is what got me to book a cruise with them.

[alexmom]

I'm so glad to hear about the main pool being adults only ! The pools are my 'happy place' on a cruise ship.

 

Did you see "Burn the Floor" or "Howl at the Moon" ? Did you eat in the MDR at all ? Did you do the ropes course or any other activity ? Is there any "don't miss" experience or any tips you'd like to suggest ?

 

It will be my first cruise with NCL on the Getaway in February. I'm a little nervous and a lot excited.

 

Thanks,

Kristine

[ThirstyFrog203]

Did you met any outstanding staff?

 

 

I'm bad with names, but this one guy up in the breakfast buffet would come by singing this blueberry muffin song, that had me laughing.

[ThirstyFrog203]

I'm so glad to hear about the main pool being adults only ! The pools are my 'happy place' on a cruise ship.

 

Did you see "Burn the Floor" or "Howl at the Moon" ? Did you eat in the MDR at all ? Did you do the ropes course or any other activity ? Is there any "don't miss" experience or any tips you'd like to suggest ?

 

It will be my first cruise with NCL on the Getaway in February. I'm a little nervous and a lot excited.

 

Thanks,

Kristine

 

We saw Burn The Floor... very well done. Ropes course is a lot of fun. The waterslides are great! I was like a big giant kid with those things. The comdian we saw in Headliners was very funny. The Ice Bar (not included in beverage package) was a cool unique experience.

[ThirstyFrog203]

Thanks for your review! I also have only sailed Carnival. Next month I sail my first NCL cruise on the Getaway. Can't wait! I don't have any issues with Carnival. NCL offering the free beverage package is what got me to book a cruise with them.

 

The beverage package is what got us in as well. This and all the options available to you, whether it be food or entertainment really outnumber Carnival by a wide margin. So much to do on this ship that you may not get everything in. We were never bored.

Edited April 19, 2016 by ThirstyFrog203

[ThirstyFrog203]

We saw Burn The Floor... very well done. Ropes course is a lot of fun. The waterslides are great! I was like a big giant kid with those things. The comdian we saw in Headliners was very funny. The Ice Bar (not included in beverage package) was a cool unique experience.

 

We ate in the Tropicana Room one night. All 3 MDR's had the same menu. Food was good and service was quick. We both had the Beef Wellington and was very flavorful

[tropical83]

The beverage package is what got us in as well. This and all the options available to you, whether it be food or entertainment really outnumber Carnival by a wide margin. So much to do on this ship that you may not get everything in. We were never bored.

 

Yeah, I've read people on here say that the rates are higher to compensate for NCL giving out the free beverage package. However when I priced out 7 day cruises on Carnival plus the beverage package, NCL came out quite a bit cheaper so it was definitely worth it for me!

[Clarea]

Appreciate the report.

[Keith1010]

I enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

[chesapeake2atlantic]

ThirstyFrog203, thank you for your very informative posts.

 

Quick comment and question: One of our group of travelers :rolleyes: is concerned about the Zika virus.

 

Did you notice many mosquitoes in your ports? (We are going to Costa Maya, too.) Would you think it's too blazing hot + humid to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants? I cannot imagine how warm/humid it is down in Mexico right now, but it would seem too hot for anything but shorts/t-shirts.

 

Thanks!

[Honeymooner15]

 

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Unless you have an excursion here, i'd recommend staying on the ship. Once you get off the pier you get relentlessly hounded. I was offered pot twice, cabs about 157 times and had to deal will highly aggressive con men selling you stuff. I got suckered into buying this wooden aztec heads because he jumped in front of me and said he had something free for me. He carved my name into it, then grabbed another carved my wife's name and said it would be $20. I talked him down to $10 but felt i deserved that. I should have known better. If you do get off here. JUST KEEP WALKING. Don't stop to talk to anyone. Find a bar and go there. They don't hassle you inside. I had a "Blended Bob Marley" at a local bar and it was quiet and nice... Brutally humid day, but sunny.

 

 

Completely agree with this. My dad got suckered by the same guy as did another person in our group. He's not exaggerating about the 157 taxi offers! It was crazy. Head to margaritaville. Get a nice drink, get some wifi and enjoy the awesome beach next to it. That part was perfect!

[ThirstyFrog203]

ThirstyFrog203, thank you for your very informative posts.

 

Quick comment and question: One of our group of travelers :rolleyes: is concerned about the Zika virus.

 

Did you notice many mosquitoes in your ports? (We are going to Costa Maya, too.) Would you think it's too blazing hot + humid to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants? I cannot imagine how warm/humid it is down in Mexico right now, but it would seem too hot for anything but shorts/t-shirts.

 

Thanks!

 

dress for the weather and try not to concern yourself with Zika... odds of getting are slim. didn't notice many mosquitoes as we alsways stayed close to shore and the ocean breeze keeps them away

[shipbound2]

I'm not one for long drawn out reviews, so this will be short and sweet.

 

I'm sold. This was our 4th cruise overall. First with Norwegian. Previous 3 were all with Carnival. It was night and day. We were extremely disappointed with our last Carnival cruise and wanted to try something new. We were not disappointed.

 

We had the Beverage package and 4 nights of the Dining package. I highly recommend the beverage package. Drinks on board can be pricey. Our bar tab would have easily been $500 or $600+ without it and we are not heavy drinkers, but did drink steadily throughout without getting drunk or hungover.

 

This cruise line is most definitely geared towards adults. The main pool was adults only.. the MAIN pool. It was fantastic. 4,000+ on board and never felt crowded. Always got in the hot tub when we wanted. Never had to wait. Always found a deck chair. Although it did get a little tough on sea days.

 

The lunch buffet at Flamingo is pretty solid. They have this coconut pastry that i could not get enough of.

 

Spice H2O was a pretty laid back and quiet place during the day. Got wild at night, especially the great and famous "Glow Party". Bring all white clothing for this event. They really go all out.

 

4 nights of the dining package - First was the French Bistro. Very good, although i would prefer the duck to not be minced. It was pleasant though. Second was italian at La Cucina... This was the worst IMO. Not bad, but not very good. My wife's filet was cooked medium rare to perfection was flavorless. My pasta dish was just ok. Third was Teppanyaki, the Hibachi place. Our cook was a lot of fun and the food was very good. Just wish we had more energetic table mates. Two of them looked like they were at a funeral. We nicknamed them Donnie & Donnie Downer. Fourth was the Brazilian Steak House "Moderno". Did not realize how a Brazilian steak house works. They just keep coming by with different meats and you have you have a card on your table that you flip to green if you want more or red to stop... Once we figured it out, it was great. You got to try several things.

 

Ports

 

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Unless you have an excursion here, i'd recommend staying on the ship. Once you get off the pier you get relentlessly hounded. I was offered pot twice, cabs about 157 times and had to deal will highly aggressive con men selling you stuff. I got suckered into buying this wooden aztec heads because he jumped in front of me and said he had something free for me. He carved my name into it, then grabbed another carved my wife's name and said it would be $20. I talked him down to $10 but felt i deserved that. I should have known better. If you do get off here. JUST KEEP WALKING. Don't stop to talk to anyone. Find a bar and go there. They don't hassle you inside. I had a "Blended Bob Marley" at a local bar and it was quiet and nice... Brutally humid day, but sunny.

 

Grand Cayman

Our second time here. First time was a bit rainy. This day was beautiful. We had a snorkel excursion here at a wreck site and a beautiful reef area. Saw some very large fish including 3 tuna swimming under our boat. Another great weather day.

 

Cozumel

Did the Play Mia Deluxe Beach day here. Very nice beach area. Lots of palm trees if you wanted a shady spot. Open bar, Nice pool area. Water at this beach was a bit murky and very rocky. Bring your water shoes if you do this. We ended up spending most of our time around the pool. Another great weather day but very hot... Those cold towels that Norwegian welcomes you back with is a little piece of heaven. They also had a DJ on the dock blasting music and we had to dance the red carpet back on the ship. I'm a shy dancer because i'm so bad at it, lol. But i had fun with it.

 

Great Stirrup Cay

Great beach area. We did the Jet Ski excursion. Never rode a jet ski before. Let's just say, I am hooked. Once you get the hang of it, it is adrenaline pumping fun. I want one. Water is nice. Some rocks in the water but mostly nice sand. You'll enjoy yourself here... Again, perfect weather.

 

As a side note, before getting to GSC, we had a sea day. We were stopped for about 4 hours because we came across are small raft carrying 8 cubans trying to flee to Florida. We needed to sit until the coast guard arrived to pick them up... It was something else to witness all this. I felt bad on two accounts. I felt bad for the Cubans on the raft but i also felt bad because i seemed more concerned about the delay possibly eliminating our stop in GSC and missing out on the jet ski's. They were successfully picked up by the coast guard and we were on our way at full speed. I believe we only lost an hour at GSC.

 

We also saw "Burn The Floor". This type of thing is not for me. That being said, i was impressed with the skill and choreography of the dancers. I was entertained. You should check it out. The theater offers great leg room but not much arm room. I started getting uncomfortable about 45 minutes in.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation was really smooth. They are very good with santitation. Hand santizer stations everywhere and people make sure you do it before eating. They carry spray bottles for your hands if you skip the stations.

 

I didn't cover everything here. If anyone has questions, let me know and i'll do my best to answer.

 

 

 

 

I may be going on the Getaway 10/30/16 what time did the ship port in Miami and did they have a self debarkation ?

 

Thanks

 

Gary

[ThirstyFrog203]

I may be going on the Getaway 10/30/16 what time did the ship port in Miami and did they have a self debarkation ?

 

Thanks

 

Gary

we were back in Miami by 6am at the latest. We were fully docked when i woke up at 6:30. We had a later flight so instead of sitting in an airport all day we did a "hop on, hop off" bus tour of Miami. So we got off the boat around 8. Self Debarkation is an option but let them know ahead of time you want to do that.

[Moorendman]

Good review and hopefully of value to others taking the Getaway from Miami. We were on the same cruise which was our second one with NCL , indeed only our second cruise ever. We travelled from England via Frankfurt with two days in Miami Beach beforehand.

 

Several things I would agree with. The cruise is geared towards adults although there were apparently 600 kids on board. We did notice that the bar service was a lot faster but then you rarely had to sign for drinks as we did on the Epic in the Med in October. Both times we had the UDP which was a great freebie when we booked.

 

The entertainment was great with something for everyone. The main band, Groove International, were outstanding and could "do" Soul, R&B and Motown as well as their Reggae stuff. All very talented musicians, the Bob Marley material was very, very accurately done. ( I saw Bob Marley live in 1975! ) The other onboard musicians and acts were also very good although the pianist/vocalist should ensure he always opens with " Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player". If you were on board you will probably understand.

 

The only slight disappointment was Illusionarium which compared badly in my view with the excellent Cirque Dreams on Epic. Our seats, although Premium, were off to the side and it was all a bit Meh for us.

 

We loved the waterfront walk on deck 8 although strangely it was never crowded, the staff were all brilliant and the welcome back on board after stops was a treat.

 

We ate in the Tropicana and Savor once each for dinner and the food and service was excellent. The Noodle bar was also very good and much better than Shanghai on Epic. We bought a 3 meal package and ate at Cagney's which was superb, Moderno which was good but we didnt enjoy as much as Moderno on the Epic. Our visit may have also been influenced by a large family party with young kids who had little regard for other diners. you know the type: the men wear shorts and flip flops, checking their mobiles all meal while the wives swill Pinot Grigio and their kids run amok amongst other tables. They probably complained when they were childless about other peoples kids. This was after 8.30 too.

 

Our final meal was at La Cucina. This was the least enjoyable. NCL screwed up the booking of the 3 meal package and Illusionarium initially and this reared it's head again here on our last night. Spent too much time negotiating with both the restaurant and Guest services before getting what we had originally paid for. The food is a little heavy handed with sauce,lacked subtlety and the service was slow. I had an affogato for dessert which was remarkable as the espresso was cold but the small jug it came in was hot.

 

As regards the stops, in Jamaica we took the Bamboo Beach VIP trip at $90 , DONT BOTHER do the ordinary one at $60 instead, just another part of the beach and no cheap prosecco to drink. The hostesses talk a good game before lapsing into the background once you get there.

 

I cannot comment on Grand Cayman as we stayed on the boat having holidayed on Grand Cayman previously and pretty much covered all the excursion material.

 

Cozumel: we did Salsa and Salsa which was a great trip , very entertaining and really sociable. You make different Margaritas, Salsas and then learn the Salsa. Set us up really nicely for the Latin dance party in Spice H20 where another Salsa lesson was provided by a pair of excellent pro dancers from the Burn the Floor show.

 

Great Stirrup Cay is a lovely place although it would be nice to have more food stations apart from the main beach.

 

Spice H20 during the day was very nice too, watching Champions League Football on a big screen , getting a suntan with a Daquiri in hand, whats not too like!

 

Many of the staff were outstanding, the restaurant managers , the Internet manager Walter from Croatia who helped me out, the German lady on Guest services, the DJ Kevlar for his music quizzes. I love languages and mastering thank you in Tagalog ( Filipino ) and Indonesian goes a long way!

 

The Cubans on the raft was an interesting insight into human nature. I couldn't believe that people were moaning and complaining for a few hours minor inconvenience while their bellies are full of free food and drink, they should have been thinking there but for the grace of God...

 

How soon those sons and daughters of The Land of The Free forget that the vast majority of their ancestors were almost certainly migrants once!!

Edited April 19, 2016 by Moorendman

[firemadz]

I'm so glad to hear about the main pool being adults only ! The pools are my 'happy place' on a cruise ship.

 

I must say I find this highly disturbing and disappointing. We sail in less than two weeks on Getaway. Our first NCL cruise, and for this sole reason, possibly our only one.

[Sand and Seas]

Does the Flamingo grill still have those great fried plantains? I became hooked on them. Also can't wait for those Lobster Rolls from Ocean Blue on the Waterfront again! Thanks for your great review!

 

Less than 6 weeks until we are back on Getaway:D

[kapcruiser]

we were back in Miami by 6am at the latest. We were fully docked when i woke up at 6:30. We had a later flight so instead of sitting in an airport all day we did a "hop on, hop off" bus tour of Miami. So we got off the boat around 8. Self Debarkation is an option but let them know ahead of time you want to do that.

 

How much was tour bus? Where did you book it?

[Mistizoom]

I must say I find this highly disturbing and disappointing. We sail in less than two weeks on Getaway. Our first NCL cruise, and for this sole reason, possibly our only one.

What are you concerned about re: pools?

[dogboy]

Very nice review TF203. Thanks a lot.