Does the ship suit the cruise!

[Meg67]

Hi all,

 

I am a relatively new cruiser, so apologies if this comes across as being a stupid question but I am interested in the opinions of all you NCL experts.

I am due to sail on the Getaway this July to the Baltics, which I am very much looking forward to.... However my query is, does the Getaway actually suit a Baltics cruise.

Although I am really looking forward to sailing on her as I love the big ships, with all the fun things that she has to offer on top deck, she seems like a ship that is best suited for a more "Fun in the Sun" kind of cruise.

With it being the Baltics, even in July, I'm not counting on spending too much time in my swimwear and with only 2 sea days and long tiring port days I just can't imagine that the ship's outdoor facilities will be that well used.

I look forward to reading other peoples opinions :cool:

[KeithJenner]

Hi all,

 

I am a relatively new cruiser, so apologies if this comes across as being a stupid question but I am interested in the opinions of all you NCL experts.

I am due to sail on the Getaway this July to the Baltics, which I am very much looking forward to.... However my query is, does the Getaway actually suit a Baltics cruise.

Although I am really looking forward to sailing on her as I love the big ships, with all the fun things that she has to offer on top deck, she seems like a ship that is best suited for a more "Fun in the Sun" kind of cruise.

With it being the Baltics, even in July, I'm not counting on spending too much time in my swimwear and with only 2 sea days and long tiring port days I just can't imagine that the ship's outdoor facilities will be that well used.

I look forward to reading other peoples opinions :cool:

 

 

The I saw the title of this thread, I knew you would be talking about the Getaway in the Baltics.

 

In my opinion, no it doesn't. There is a lot about the Getaway which is designed for warmer weather, for example the Waterfront. I think that this will be very much underused in the Baltics.

 

We were there last August on the Star, and the pools were relatively busy. The weather was pretty good, but in my opinion not really quite warm enough for me to want to spend much time there.

 

There is also the issue about getting into Stockholm using a larger ship.

 

I wouldn't not to the cruise because of the ship, but I think that there are elements which will be under-utilised for much of the time.

 

Personally, I would have put the Getaway in the Med and used the Epic for the Baltics. There would still have been issues with the pool deck, but I think the waterfront would work much better in the Med. The Stockholm issue would have been the same though.

[punkincc]

While it's true that a warm climate would allow one to enjoy the best of both worlds in both outdoor and indoor amenities on this ship, as you pointed out, you only have two sea days, and it will be cool. Is there a ship available which has a pool with a retractable roof? If you were on that ship, how much time would you actually spend there? And how would the rest of the ship compare? Cruising in a cool climate, if I were you, I'd be much more interested in what's offered "inside" the ship as far as shows, restaurants and activities as that's where you'll likely be spending most of your onboard time.

 

I don't know what other ships are an option for this itinerary, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what the downside would be on sailing a ship with a lot of options for indoor and evening entertainment, which the Getaway has.

[KarlChilders]

I had these same thoughts when I saw they were taking Getaway there. I will say that the waterfront was underutilized even on our western Carrib. cruise. IMO, it's the best thing about the ship and people seem to just ignore it, which is fine by me.

[SandyAtSea]

We're going to be on the Getaway in Sept/Oct so it will be even colder and we're not expecting to be outside much at all. But we'll have a lot of entertainment and dining options. Much prefer that to being on an older ship like the Dawn or Star which I think were the ones who have done the Baltics in the past. I'm packing an extra suitcase for cold weather clothing!

[rjrpar]

Agree with punkincc, I don't see any downside. Anyways, the ship on an European cruise is not too important.

 

 

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[txagfan]

I looked at some of these baltics cruises and my main thought was some of the ports didn't make a lot of sense and can only assume that is due to the size of the ship.

 

 

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[KeithJenner]

I looked at some of these baltics cruises and my main thought was some of the ports didn't make a lot of sense and can only assume that is due to the size of the ship.

 

 

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I assume you are talking about the Stockholm alternatives.

 

It's not clear how much the size of the ship does impact that. The fact that the Getaway appears not to even be trying to get to the centre on many cruises does raise that question, although it's worth noting that even the Star didn't make it there a few times last year.

[Two Wheels Only]

On Getaway, even the Haven courtyard doesn't have a retractable roof.

[Travelling2Some]

In a similar vein, I had thought the Breakaway was not particularly suited to be sailing out of New York in the winter. Seems that the Waterfront might be useless for half the cruise.

[mugtech]

In a similar vein, I had thought the Breakaway was not particularly suited to be sailing out of New York in the winter. Seems that the Waterfront might be useless for half the cruise.

 

 

Others on other threads claimed it took forever to get to Russia on the smaller ships, with twice as many passengers it will take twice as long.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Hi all,

 

I am a relatively new cruiser, so apologies if this comes across as being a stupid question but I am interested in the opinions of all you NCL experts.

I am due to sail on the Getaway this July to the Baltics, which I am very much looking forward to.... However my query is, does the Getaway actually suit a Baltics cruise.

 

 

Excellent question, actually, and you are not alone in asking it. I was booked with a travel buddy for a 9-night Baltics cruise on Getaway for this summer out of Warnemunde. We ended up switching to a 14-night Baltics on P&O's Arcadia out of Southampton for $85 more by giving up our ocean view cabin for an inside GTY and foregoing the free booze. But we are also saving $850 by flying to London rather than Berlin.

 

This will be my fourth European cruise, and I know how exhausting they can be. So I'm going to take full advantage of our five sea days and do nothing but chill by the pool. Arcadia was built as a Vista-class ship for HAL before it was transferred over to P&O, so its main Lido Pool is covered by a magrodome roof and guarantees pool access even in poor weather. It's also an adults-only ship that carries 1,869 fewer passengers, so disembarkation at the ports should be much easier.

 

I'm sure you will have an awesome cruise on Getaway. I did an Iberian Peninsula cruise on Epic and it was a lot of fun. But for the Baltics I ultimately decided Getaway was not the right ship.