Looking for advice to help me choose:NCL Getaway W Carib or Carnival Conquest E Carib

[tusconcam]

Hi there. I'm hoping people can chime in on their experiences on one and or both (if possible) of these 2 cruises my spouse and I are in disagreement about for our next cruise.

 

I know that experiences are many/varied and subjective, but I would love it if you could put in your 2 cents worth about what you know/have experienced to help us make our decision.

 

First of all they both are sailing out of Fla-NCL out of Miami, and Conquest out of Ft Lauderdale so flight time is not an issue. We will be flying out of Toronto.

The itineraries are: NCL Getaway: Day at Sea,Roatan Honduras, Harvest Caye Belize, Costa Maya Mexico, Cozumel Mexico then finish with a day at sea.

 

How were the Port days with this itinerary for you? Any recommendations for things to do on this cruise? I hear that the NCL excursion options are quite pricey. Aren't they all lol. I would look to local private companies as an alternative. What did you find the ports were known for?

Their promotion is an inclusion of the ultimate beverage package(alcohol and soda) and covering the gratuities/tips, so some savings there.

What I think I like about this cruise is: Getaway looks to be a reasonable ship. Carnival Conquest looks fine too, but maybe just a different style. We have both sailed Oasis class ships with Royal Caribbean before and enjoyed those, so it would be nice to know how they compare.

My spouse really wants the cruise to be more ship centered, with mostly beach days. I am less about the ship and more about the ports visited. I have told her that her expectations re the ship may be a bit skewed as she is used to Harmony of the Seas (gigantic ship with various neighborhoods etc.). She thinks NCL Getaway will be closer to the RCL Oasis class ships more so than Carnival Conquest. From what I have heard/seen online that seems to be a fair statement. Is this correct?

 

The NCL cruise is a bit more inexpensive than the Carnival one, but not too much less.(depending on what we do on excursions too I guess) Both are balcony cabins we are looking to book.

Can anyone comment on your balcony cabin experience on any of these two? Is the NCL Getaway cabin larger?

 

Food is definitely subjective, but how was the Buffet on Getaway? The Dining room? Ditto for the Conquest? (it says it is open 24hrs?) It appears that there are quite a few more Free restaurants on Carnival than on NCL. Were they any good? How crowded were they? I imagine Guy Fieri's Burger joint would be very busy for instance. Who would you give the edge to (if you've been on both) between the 2 ships? What about hours of operation for venues and snack options (must be free of course)? Besides the free Dining room and Buffet, I was hoping to have a few fun, interesting restaurant options. Any ideas about this?

 

Entertainment: What did you think about your options on the Getaway? Do they require/have in place reservations for shows or 1st come/1st served? How was it getting in to what you wanted?The same question goes for Carnival Conquest.

We are late 40's/50 and not ready for the old age home yet, but what was the music like on either ship? Will we feel a bit old on either? Age range appears lower though on Conquest. The list of entertainment appears a bit low in detail in their descriptions when I looked up both ships, but I guess Carnival's Lido deck party and DJ Irie don't need much more description. What did you enjoy/recommend on either? Which ship has better entertainment choices for nighttime and more informal entertainment director led things in your opinion?

 

The Ports! Apples to oranges or apples to apples- not sure.

Getaway does (see above): Honduras- opinion and recommendation? Harvest Caye Belize? Same Q's Costa Maya Mexico? Ditto. Cozumel (have been here already and would do the Cozumel bar Hop again). Did you find that there was good value (I know most things related to travel aren't great value) to the excursions?

Carnival Conquest does: 2 days at Sea then: St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan PR, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, finishing with a Day at Sea. This is my preference really, but I really hope for feedback on these Ports' excursions- opinions and recommendations and value please.

 

The actual ship experience: Both appear to have smallish pools. Is that true? What was it like trying to get a lounger on the pool deck on At Sea days? We will have a beverage pckge on either ship; however on Conquest we have to pay so we may opt just for the soda pckge there vs both alcohol and soda package on NCL included. Not a huge deal to me. Do they offer waiter drink service poolside on either?

On RCL in the past, the soda package came with a thermos type mug and Soda machines that only work with these type of mugs, at a few spots on the ship+ you could get soda at poolside and at any venue, restaurant or bar. Do they have those machines on either ship? (It was a nice way to bring soda up to the cabin to stay cool in the mini fridge) Just curious; not a deal-breaker.

Activities: What other things are there to do that you enjoyed on either ship, besides drink and lay in the sun (a very good option of course). Any comments on what was offered? Lame events, amount of choice? etc.

Bottom line is: How was your cruise? If you can compare both, which one would you recommend?

Thanks so much.

[zqvol]

if you want beaches go to the west, plus Getaway will have more to do than Conquest, and is a much newer ship.

[Loving My Life]

I haven't sailed either of these ships, but I have sailed with both NCL and Carnival and I've been to most of these ports. Based on what you've stated, I think you will enjoy the Getaway more than the Conquest but I like the Carnival itinerary much better.

 

St. Maarten has beautiful beaches (some are clothing optional). Grand Turk is a lovely beach and you can swim up to (and get pictures of) the ship. St. Kitt is a pretty island and it does have some beaches although not as beautiful as you will find in St. Maarten and Grand Turk. We did a fun and picturesque island tour there that included the fort and the beach. I also love San Juan. Pretty sail in with the fort. We've done the forts, strolled through old San Juan, eaten some fabulous meals, night kayaked in the biobay, and visited El Younque. So much to see and do there. There are beaches, but again, not as amazing as St. M or GT.

 

That said, Coz obviously has beautiful beaches and I just love the unspoiled beauty of Rostan. I've heard, however, that many people are not as pleased with Harvest Caye as other cruise line private islands due to coarse sand and limited/expensive food. I love Belize for ruins and cave tubing but you can't do any of those things from Harvest Caye.

 

Sounds like you guys need to decide whether the ship or the ports are the most important to you. Enjoy!

[arlodog]

Lots of questions, hope I can help some. We have been on Getaway twice and have a third time booked for November. I have also been on Oasis class, but not Conquest (we don't really prefer Carnival).

 

If you are looking for beaches and activities on board I would go with NCL. The Oasis class ships IMHO do a better job with the crowds due to their layout, but Getaway is fine except for the pool area. It is too crowded pool side. You can find a lounger, but it may be on the deck above. There are tons of free evening activities and shows on Getaway. The UBP and ability to try different drinks really makes the cruise affordable for us compared to other lines.

 

We never do ships excursions and are doing the same itinerary in November. Belize is the only port where if you aren't interested in staying on their private island you will have to do a ship excursion as they don't allow outside vendors. Costa Maya is just a relaxing beach day. We will either go back to Blue Kay or Tropicante. Cozumel has a ton of fun things to see and do--our favorite port! Roatan is another easy port to do on your own. We have been with both Rony's tours and Victor Bodden a couple of times and would recommend either. Both are great and will make sure you enjoy your day. Go to the port of call boards for ideas of what to do on these islands.

 

We have never paid for any of the dining venues as we are fine with the choices of the free ones. We always find plenty to eat and it is very similar between the two lines as far as the main dining rooms. The entertainment choices are great on the Getaway. They have howl at the moon, burn the floor and Million Dollar Quartet for free. Stand up comics and various parties/activities around the ship if you want. No need to pay additional for the wine lovers or other entertainment if you don't want to.

 

Hope this answers a few of your questions!

 

Karen

[babynurse06]

My opinion is probably a little skewed, because Getaway is my favorite ship, and I'm not really a Carnival fan but I would pick Getaway hands down. If you loved Oasis class ships, the Getaway isn't quite as big, and I find it much less crowded, but make no mistake...she's still a BIG ship. You'll definitely get the mega ship feel. Also, Little French Key in Roatan is probably my favorite beach excursion that I've ever done anywhere. I would absolutely recommend that. For the basic package, which includes transportation to the island as well as an amazing lunch and 2 drinks, it's about $85 per person, which I find very reasonable. Honestly, the main dining room food on Carniaval, RCI and NCL is pretty comparable, although I much prefer NCL's freestyle concept. NCL's specialty restaurants are better than the other 2 lines. Hands down. My opinion of course, but I've tried them all. The entertainment on Getaway is phenomenal. Million Dollar Quartet is fantastic. Howl at the Moon (dueling pianos) is my favorite entertainment at sea. There are a million interesting things to check out on the ship. I can't say enough good things about it honestly. I've been on getaway 4 times now. I'm sailing Escape for the first time in october, and I'm very excited about it, but I think I'm going to miss Getaway a little. I also, personally, think that NCL's staff is leaps and bounds above CCl or RCI. They really are amazing. And they totally make the trip. I'm sure you'll have s great trip no matter what you choose. I'm even debating a CCL cruise myself. I swore I'd never cruise them again, but I find myself wavering a little to try Vista

[purpletequila]

The only reason to consider Carnival Conquest over the Getaway is the itinerary.The Conquest is old. Came into service in 2002 so despite its refurbishment, keep that in mind. Getaway is just a few years old.

Carnival will definitely have an overall younger demographic (first cruisers, groups of 20 somethings etc) in my experience, but like you said, you're not ready for the home yet so that is subjective. But Getaway will have something for all of you and it is most definitely closer to the style of RCL.

 

 

I prefer the Eastern over the Western but that too is just a personal choice. I can tell you that if it came down to these 2 ships, I'd suck up the Western and go with the Getaway.

[purpletequila]

If anything like the Escape, pool will be a nightmare on Getaway and I forget if you mentioned how old your daughter is but if you're all over 18, you can try for Vibe passes and relax there...no pool but 2 hot tubs, dedicated bar, waiters etc, extra $99 but well worth it for the week. Or there is Spice H2O that has hot tubs, a bar and a wading area to cool off at.

[tidygirl]

My 2 cents. Hubby and I did Oasis last fall, Conquest in March and just of the Getaway yesterday on the Baltic cruise. Our family of 8 were all impressed with the Getaway its definitely more on the line of the Oasis. Ate at the buffet for all meals on the ship. We thought it was very good and afraid the scales will prove it!

Entertainment - you do need to reserve the Million Dollar Quartet, and Burn the floor, also there was a comedy show we missed as I didn't know we could reserve it. I'm not sure if it was because we were in the Baltic but the 1 sea day the family was bored and at night with repeat shows we had a couple boring evenings.

The rope course, water slides were nice but only saw 1 pool for ALL the people to use and 6 jacuzzis so that may be a big pain in the Caribbean.

The Conquest in my opinion doesn't compare! We went on that for different ports and cheaper in price but buffet at dinner was VERY limited and was disappointing. Hubby doesn't even want me to check Carnival any more even if its cheaper!

I guess you and the wife will have to decide whether the ship or ports are more important.

Just curious if you're flying from Toronto to Florida have you checked the prices from Buffalo? A lady told me it can be expensive flying from Toronto.

[debeni]

We took the NCL Western Caribbeancruise on the Getaway in January. We liked the ship so much that we have signed up for the Getaway 9-day Baltic cruise in august.

 

Some things we liked about the Getaway.

 

You get to choose options when you signup. We took a mini-suite with the Specialty dining (3 nights) and the Beverage packages. We were really pleased with the 3 specialty restaurants we choose. We only went to the buffet for one dinner (but it was really good) and then enjoyed the other complimentary restaurants the other nights. They were also fantastic.

 

You can get a glass of wine from any bar/lounge and take it back to your room.

 

There is lots of entertainment and we plan to explore more in august. We enjoyed sipping wine in the Mojito Cafe listening to good music and the Headliners comedy club.

 

Exercise: We used the fitness rooms several times to help burn the calories. There was new equipment for every muscle group and was never crowded during our visits. We walked around the waterfront (on deck 8). Each lap is a little more that a quarter mile so 4 lapses is a mile plus. In the morning, I ran laps on the running track on deck 16 (8 laps for a mile). You can take a detour and run up and down lots of flights of stairs around the pool.

 

Stateroom: We had a mini-suite. The bathroom had a dual-sink and was much larger and nicer that our previous cruise. We enjoyed having a comfortable place (couch) to sit. In the Caribbean, you can get BBC, CNBC, MSNBC and FOX news and some children's channels on the TV. The drapes are very thick and can darken the room even during the bright daylight. We bring binoculars to watch the shoreline past from the balcony.

 

Staff: They were all great and very helpful. No complaints only compliments

 

The Getaway was built in 2014.

 

We like that NCL does have a dress-up night. On a Princess cruise we took we could not go in the restaurants one night because it was dress up night.

 

[SNJCruisers]

Newer, larger ship. Much better entertainment and included drinks package. Slam dunk choice...Getaway. And I have 18 cruises on Carnival.

 

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[CoCoNut Willie]

We have cruised both, no comparison Getaway hands down.

[SNJCruisers]

I'm even debating a CCL cruise myself. I swore I'd never cruise them again, but I find myself wavering a little to try Vista

Keep the Horizon as well as a possibility and look into the Havana area cabins, available as inside, lanai balcony, aft balcony and suite.

 

 

 

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[babynurse06]

Keep the Horizon as well as a possibility and look into the Havana area cabins, available as inside, lanai balcony, aft balcony and suite

 

Those Havana suites are definitely what piqued my interest and started to make me reconsider my "no more Carnival" stance :D

[SNJCruisers]

Those Havana suites are definitely what piqued my interest and started to make me reconsider my "no more Carnival" stance :D

Only 2 out of my last 8 have been on Carnival, but after reading the positive aspects of the Havana area and seeing You Tube video, I was sold. Snagged inside Havana cabins over Labor day next year out of NYC and Valentine's day 2019 out of Miami on the Horizon

 

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