NCL Getaway... my thoughts

[QuickieGlenn]

I was on the Getaway on the Feb 5 Sailing and had a totally different take on the Getaway. I saw my room steward 4-5 times a day, he was very nice and went above and beyond in helping with our needs. We ate a lot in the Garden Cafe, never had a bad meal, and the Italian restaurant, which was great and we were served in a timely manner. O Sheens a few times good food too. You need to figure out the flow of people and where to avoid at certain times, same thing for all events on the ship. This is the same for all the ships we have been on. You are not alone on the ship .

[scarlet-amelia]

Finally got to read through all these new postings. wow... I had no idea the ship actually sailed with 4600 passengers. In all fairness, I'm sure this had a lot to do with many of the issues I had.. (overcrowding.. poor service, etc).

 

A note about Harvest Caye. My husband talked to the Captain, and he said that the issue was windage, however, I absolutely agree with the poster above about the sand. We could CLEARLY see the entry from where our cabin was, and the sand bar was so high that I would not have attempted it on our 22" sailboat, let alone a huge cruise ship. But, the captain is the expert.

 

I also wanted to reply to the person who said they prefer the ability to eat when they want, and not be stuck sitting at a table with other people. We do too... but , both Princess and RCCL offer freestyle cruising. (although they may call it something else). So, it's not just an NCL thing.

 

And lastly, regarding pre-booking the restaurants. I did get that advice, and decided against it. After long conversations about it we decided that we wanted to see the restaurants atmosphere, menu, and wait to see if we made some friends who may want to join us. I wasn't complaining about "not getting in"... I was complaining about the restaurants showing being "sold out" for reservations, but the restaurants being only 1/3 full. That was my point.

 

I appreciate the replies, as it's great for future cruisers to get many perspectives...

[bkpjlp]

We just got off the Getaway today, and let me preface this with this was our first cruise, so we don't know what to compare to. For service, they work very hard and very long hours. I too noticed employees were polite, but that's it. I decided this could be due to cultural differences. With 70% of the employees Filipino, they certainly were not like Jamaican employees we experienced before. There was no "hey mon!" or other conversation, but again, it could be cultural or instructed by management.

 

We also noticed at dinner, servers were consistently slow in refreshing beverages. That very well could be management. The slower they take to refresh, the less beverage they use and more money they make.

 

We ended up preferring the buffet over the specialty dining. We saw the menu at Cagney and nothing looked good, so we went to the buffet instead. We also have 3 kids and they were happy at the buffet and they would get good fruit servings, so it was fine.

 

I also felt very scheduled but then I got in the groove and it wasn't that bad.

 

We felt the ship was too large for us but this is also the first time we traveled during Spring Break...everyone is hopping with tourists. Miami and South Beach are crazy, but 'tis the season.

 

The comedians and Million Dollar Quartet were fabulous! I didn't see any issues with embarking or disembarking, but again, I don't know what to compare it to. I would likely look for a smaller ship in the future, but would be happy if we ended up on the Getaway again.

[easyboy]

We just got off the Getaway today, and let me preface this with this was our first cruise, so we don't know what to compare to. For service, they work very hard and very long hours. I too noticed employees were polite, but that's it. I decided this could be due to cultural differences. With 70% of the employees Filipino, they certainly were not like Jamaican employees we experienced before. There was no "hey mon!" or other conversation, but again, it could be cultural or instructed by management.

 

We also noticed at dinner, servers were consistently slow in refreshing beverages. That very well could be management. The slower they take to refresh, the less beverage they use and more money they make.

 

We ended up preferring the buffet over the specialty dining. We saw the menu at Cagney and nothing looked good, so we went to the buffet instead. We also have 3 kids and they were happy at the buffet and they would get good fruit servings, so it was fine.

 

I also felt very scheduled but then I got in the groove and it wasn't that bad.

 

We felt the ship was too large for us but this is also the first time we traveled during Spring Break...everyone is hopping with tourists. Miami and South Beach are crazy, but 'tis the season.

 

The comedians and Million Dollar Quartet were fabulous! I didn't see any issues with embarking or disembarking, but again, I don't know what to compare it to. I would likely look for a smaller ship in the future, but would be happy if we ended up on the Getaway again.

Thank you for your honest assessment.

[kathiewe]

Sorry for your experience, thanks for sharing.

 

We just got off the Getaway today and will be doing a trip report with pictures later in the week after I get caught up with work projects and grad school deadlines. Our experience was not the same as yours, in fact we loved her so much that we are moving nect year's Spring Break booking from the Dawn back to the Getaway.

 

We were a multi-generational family of 7, all with different tastes, interests, and energy levels. We shared the cruise, but not every experience. Still we all had a GREAT time! Service was exceptional, people were friendly, food was very good in some place and great in others, and yes there were a lot of people but there was a lot of ways to get quiet, alone time.

 

This is why we love NCL in general, and the Getaway in specific, there is something for everyone, at every age and every interest.

 

Sorry you didn't have the same experience as we did. I hope you find another cruise line & ship that does.

[ClevelandCruisin]

Loved the Getaway... Steward was amazing and would check on us from time to time.

Aft balcony was perfect!

[LadyG888]

Sorry for your experience, thanks for sharing.

 

We just got off the Getaway today and will be doing a trip report with pictures later in the week after I get caught up with work projects and grad school deadlines. Our experience was not the same as yours, in fact we loved her so much that we are moving nect year's Spring Break booking from the Dawn back to the Getaway............

 

Did you make Harvest Caye? They didn't on the March 5th sailing. We are on the March 26th sailing and I am getting very excited!

[adjensen]

Now it looks like you have to set up dinner reservations 90 days in advance, decide what day you want to see "burn the floor" or some other show 3 months before you sail, or perhaps not eat at a restaurant or see a show.

 

No, that is not the case. We sailed on the Getaway last week, and for reasons beyond the scope of the question, I couldn't make reservations for anything until the week before we sailed. I was able to get into Cagney's, Moderno and Teppanyaki at pretty much the times we wanted (admittedly, we eat early.) We also got Burn the Floor and Million Dollar Quartet reservations when we wanted them (again, early.) We booked the comedy shows when we were on the ship, without a problem.

 

Even without reservations, no one was turned away from either show we attended -- standbys didn't get the best seats, but there were lots of empty seats along the sides of the theatre. And I'll agree with the earlier poster who noted that the speciality dining venues had lots of empty tables -- I expect that's due to staffing issues, not them intentionally keeping people out to reduce the number of meals available.

[adjensen]

Did you make Harvest Caye? They didn't on the March 5th sailing. We are on the March 26th sailing and I am getting very excited!

 

Yes, the cruise last week was able to go to Harvest Cay. Personally, it was a whole lotta "meh." Lots of little vendors selling chotskies, a big pool and a decent beach. One restaurant (a couple of the little vendors were selling food) and a couple of bars, all "pay for" (not complimentary or subject to the Ultimate Beverage Package.) On the plus side, unlike Belize City, you don't have to tender in or worry about getting mugged.

 

If we ever stop there again, we will probably just stay on the ship.

[kathiewe]

Did you make Harvest Caye? They didn't on the March 5th sailing. We are on the March 26th sailing and I am getting very excited!

 

Yes, we did make it to Harvest Caye. It is a beautiful beach/pool destination. Honestly, for us living 5 miles from the beach in Venice, FL, it felt a lot like home so DH never left the ship and DS and I just we went out walked around, got a coconut to drink and a few trinkets to take home, and then went back on board to enjoy the ship without many people around. However, our family from Chicago loved lying on the beach and soaking up the sun. Lots of other kids had sand toys and one couple even did a really cool sand sculpture that I will show in my trip report.

 

The walk from the beach to the dock is less than 5 minutes so its a good rest day no matter if you spend it on the beach or on the ship.

 

Enjoy!

[anthonyg1996]

Who was the captain

 

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[KeithJenner]

14. No promenade deck. (I really missed this feature!)

 

What is the difference between the waterfront and a promenade deck?

[bkpjlp]

We felt the same thing about Harvest Caye. I donned to go there again, but it was a nice beach day with no excursion planned, so we were on no schedule. There were dolphins swimming just outside the swimming area and starfish in the water, so that was fun. It was an early trip, so it was cool on the beach at 8:30am.

[NCruiser2012]

I am so sorry your cruise was so bad. I have been on 3 NCL cruises on the large ships and have never experienced what you have. We are cruising on the Getaway this summer. I do not look forward to the small balconies, but I like the itinerary.

 

You mentioned nickel and diming. What did you pay for that you did not expect?

 

Still wondering what you had to pay for that you did not expect?

[csopi]

What is the difference between the waterfront and a promenade deck?

 

 

On the Waterfront almost half the deck is used by outside seating for specialty restaurants and bars, which actually is a great idea by NCL. Loved being able to have dinner outside on a beautiful night and to have drinks at the Mojito bar while watching the sun set.

Spent a lot of time on the Waterfront, my favourite place on the Getaway.

[js]

Was on the Getaway 26 Feb to 5 March. Had an absolutely fantastic time.

Embarkation was a breeze . Got to the port at 9.30 was 5th in line. They started check in 45 minutes later. After check in we were taken to a holding area were there were comfortable seats, juice and water was available. Embarkation started at 11.30 we had group 3 cards were on the ship in 10 minutes.

We embarked on deck 7 with our luggage(24" rolling luggage). Carried it down one floor to 2 main dinning rooms and stopped at the bar for drinks( dinning room was opening 20 minutes later at 12.00).

Finished drinks and had window seats for lunch .

Food was great, by the time we finished, rooms were ready so we took elevator to room and unpacked.

 

Never had any issues with entertainment or specialty dinning. Booked everything 1 minute after the 90 day window opened. It pays to be prepared if you do your homework , you just need to read.

 

Food was great in all MDRs , specialty dinning restaurants and O'Sheehans. Buffet was average(only ate there twice for breakfast). Not bad, just nothing special.

 

The only disappointment I can name was the Illusionarium show.

How many ways can you make someone disappear in a box, and the dinner itself that came with it was mediocre at best.

With the exception of the 2 Psychics from Germany (they were amazing) the rest was not worth the money spent. Should have used the money for another night at one of the specialty restaurants

 

Burn The Floor was an amazing show . The dancers from this group also perform at the main dinning room Tropicana but you need to be there early, the performance is usually from 6-6.30 pm.

 

The crew were always smiling and friendly, service was A1 everywhere on the ship, with bartender "Jenny" at the Mojito bar on the Waterfront being the best.

 

Disembarkation was a breeze as well. Had flight out of FLL at 12am.

Had breakfast at O'sheehans at 6am . Was second in line at 7.15 for self disembarkation. Was off the ship at 7.30 got into a taxi and was at Fort Lauderdale airport by 8.15am.

 

Had a fabulous first cruise on NCL , ( have cruised on other lines before). I have already booked for March 2018 on the Getaway again .

Ship was beautiful, crew friendly and seemed happy, service was great. UBP and SDP were fabulous additions, NCL was super value for the money spent, yes the balcony was a little tight, but not a huge issue.

 

Thank you OP.

 

We sailed February 26. We saw our room steward maybe three times our whole week but our room was always taken care of twice a day and always had fresh towels so I really didnt care.

 

I agree about the gym. I would get there most of the time between 630-7 am and run and then do the rower. Although workable, the rowing machine display was broken. I had to watch the clock to know what I needed to next time wise and had to guess how quickly I was doing the reps. Also, it was an older machine. They should upgrade. If I got to the gym later than 715 am, I would get the last treadmill and by the time I was done, people were waiting. Way too small. Im sailing Escape in July and it looks like they have added more treadmills. There were two broken when I sailed. They were closer to the entrance. I told the guy who did the abs classes (they were good) but never saw anything done and they stayed that way all sailing and so did the rower.

 

I agree about drinks at dinner (or lunch) but Im one that wants to sit and have my drink order taken first. I found on past cruises on all lines, Im always waiting too long for my drink to come (or order). I quickly found the solution to just get a drink at a bar and take to dinner with you and order the next one when we see your waiter. I dont get stressed or annoyed and I have my drink, win-win lol

 

 

csopi, I just wanted to say I was on your sailing and fully agree. Also I said to my dh that we always have great cruises but the staff on Getaway just seemed happy.

 

We also had a 12 flight from FLL and could have made 10:30-11 am.

 

Booked Escape for July and cant wait!

 

 

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Edited March 21, 2017 by js

[KeithJenner]

On the Waterfront almost half the deck is used by outside seating for specialty restaurants and bars, which actually is a great idea by NCL. Loved being able to have dinner outside on a beautiful night and to have drinks at the Mojito bar while watching the sun set.

Spent a lot of time on the Waterfront, my favourite place on the Getaway.

 

 

 

Yes, I'm very familiar with the Waterfront. I've spent many hours walking round it on the Breakaway, Getaway and Escape, as well as just sitting on the chairs or at a bar out there.

 

I don't see how the presence of the restaurants stops it being a promenade deck.

 

I am intrigued as to what the OP was looking for in a promenade deck that the waterfront didn't offer.

[ParadiseTattoo]

Just returned from the March 12, 2017 Western Caribbean sailing on Getaway. This was my third and will be my last cruise on NCL. Like some of the others I found the service awful in every venue with O'Sheeans by far the worst. There the servers speed by you with their heads down and avoid eye contact. It was nearly impossible to get a drink or order food. Although I felt the food tasted very good but it never came out hot. There are two different sections there and the sit down side was slightly better and had a larger menu. The extremely poor service alone will keep me away from NCL.

I didn't notice anyone mention the smoking onboard? This ship is a smokers paradise. Since I am not a smoker it is a deal breaker. The water front area is completely open to smoking even cigars. The casino occupies two decks, has an open atrium and you must walk through it for nearly everything and allows smoking. If you want to try the noodle bar which has great food expect to have someone playing blackjack and smoking 10' away.

We also did not see our room attendant until day 3. We could not figure out the do not disturb/ make up room switches and day 3 was the first time we had our room cleaned and towels changed. On RCI it seemed like the attendant was camping outside our cabin.

We did feel the food was pretty good across the board. But the meat at Moderno was very, very, very salty but had a great salad bar. I ordered the big porterhouse steak at Cagney's and it was exceptional. Noodle bar was delicious, sushi bar was not bad. Le Bistro the food was cold and sent it back. Since the service was terrible I never got a replacement meal and desert came instead.

Overall the ship was a disappointment, but the ports were great. Had a wonderful time at Little French Key in Roatan, Harvest Cay was nice and clean but expensive, paying $13 for a hamburger. Cozumel was fantastic and we rented a Jeep at Alamo in the port and drove around the island. Chen Rio on the far side is a must see. $60 seafood platter for four people is the best money spent on food ever. Delicious with an amazing view. Costa Maya was fantastic and should have been the model for Harvest Cay.

 

 

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[oskar95]

Yes, I'm very familiar with the Waterfront. I've spent many hours walking round it on the Breakaway, Getaway and Escape, as well as just sitting on the chairs or at a bar out there.

 

I don't see how the presence of the restaurants stops it being a promenade deck.

 

I am intrigued as to what the OP was looking for in a promenade deck that the waterfront didn't offer.

 

There IS in fact even a promenade deck on deck 6 below the Waterfront. Just sayin'

[adjensen]

The casino occupies two decks

 

Where does the casino extend past Deck 7? There were no gambling devices/tables on any other floor.

 

I agree with a lot of your other points, but smokers and casinos go together like white and rice, you're going to have that issue on every cruise ship on the planet.

[perditax]

We also did not see our room attendant until day 3. We could not figure out the do not disturb/ make up room switches and day 3 was the first time we had our room cleaned and towels changed. On RCI it seemed like the attendant was camping outside our cabin.

 

Really though?

 

 

It sounds like you're saying your room was on DND for three days, so what happened was ... the expected outcome.

 

(See the history of those on/off symbols here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_symbol)

 

That said, on my last GA cruise my stateroom cleanings were running extremely late, sometimes 3pm/8pm and later.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Good to see you Perditax!!

[jj5957]

There IS in fact even a promenade deck on deck 6 below the Waterfront. Just sayin'

 

The promenade deck on every other cruise ship we have ever been on completely circles the ship. My wife and I like to do a couple miles worth of laps when we get up every morning.

 

On the Getaway it only goes partly around the ship so we needed to walk through the forward lobby on every lap or turn around.

 

I was also on the March 12th cruise and agree that the smoke in the areas around the casino was bad. We hated how so many events were held in the atrium and it was always smoky and there was always too much traffic through there.

[KeithJenner]

Whilst many promenade decks do make a complete loop, they usually (at least on all the NCL ships) disappear into a tunnel of sorts at the front. I find walking through the forward lobby is more pleasant than most of those.

 

Anyway, that is preference really. That doesn't mean it isn't a promenade deck does it?

 

I'm genuinely asking. I honestly don't know what it is about the waterfront that means it isn't a promenade deck. Or is it because it doesn't go all the way round or has restaurants on it? I'm struggling to see why those two things make that much difference, but maybe it's just me.

[jj5957]

Whilst many promenade decks do make a complete loop, they usually (at least on all the NCL ships) disappear into a tunnel of sorts at the front. I find walking through the forward lobby is more pleasant than most of those.

 

Anyway, that is preference really. That doesn't mean it isn't a promenade deck does it?

 

I'm genuinely asking. I honestly don't know what it is about the waterfront that means it isn't a promenade deck. Or is it because it doesn't go all the way round or has restaurants on it? I'm struggling to see why those two things make that much difference, but maybe it's just me.

 

I'm not the OP, but my preference is to be able to make a complete lap outside. I do like the concept of the outdoor seating for restaurants however.