My Getaway Review 12/17-12/24

[mommyto2monsters]

This was the second cruise for my hubby and I, first bringing our two kids ages 8 & 10. The Getaway is a large beautiful ship (really large compared to the Spirit that we sailed for our first) and it has activities throughout to keep everyone entertained.

 

Balcony cabin #13848 was perfect for our family of 4, had the standard two twins pushed together and a couch with a pull down bunk above it which was ideal for the kids. Our room steward Roberto was amazing and the kids asked him daily what kind of towel animal he would be making

 

Water slides, Ropes Course, Trampoline.....the kids had so much to do on deck!

 

Splash Academy: I can not say enough at how wonderful the youth counselors are! My kids loved going to the activities scheduled throughout the day and asked often to stay for the after hours (for a fee of $10 per hour for 2 kids). Spy night, Island Survival, Pajama Party, and so much more. My daughter cried the the last night I had to pick her up because she was going to miss her friends and the counselors so much!

 

Cruise Director Andre is truly amazing! He is engaging with all the guests and makes a point to meet and talk with every single cruiser. My husband started talking with him about Star Wars, Dr. Who and I chimed in with my Harry Potter obsession and I felt that he would sit there and talk all day if he didn't have the tight schedule he does. (PS if you are a true HP nerd as I am, Andre's HP trivia is not to be missed!)

 

Million Dollar Quartet - DO. NOT. MISS. THIS! What a phenomenal show! It kept the entire audience engaged and was amazingly entertaining. My kid were talking about it all day the next day!

 

Specialty restaurants:

1. Teppanyaki: If you like your standard Hibachi style show, this is perfect! Comes with Miso soup, a seaweed salad and garlic fried rice. I chose the shrimp and filet and was not disappointed. The chef at our table was singing and keeping our table laughing the whole time. The kids are not on the dining plan but he still slipped them some rice :) He also made origami animals for the kids which they loved!

2. Cagney's: So good! My husband had the pork belly appetizer which he said was the best thing he had eaten, wedge salad and the porterhouse. I had the oysters rockefeller (which I had never had before, but figured I'd try them out) they were delicious! I also had the lobster bisque with huge lobster chunks, and the filet. We had the raspberry creme brûlée for dessert and it was so good! Make sure you don't clean your plate at any course or you will be stuffed!

3. La Cuisina: Pasta and italian fare. My husband loved it, I felt it was good, but not 100% my favorite. The beef carpaccio is wonderful for a starter!

*We attempted to do Moderno, however it was a rougher sea day and my husband and son could not sit at the back of the boat due to the motion. We had to leave and they were kind enough to cancel that reservation so it did not count against our UDP

 

Ports:

1. Roatan: This was the only port we did an excursion. We brought the kids to Anthony's Key and it was such an experience. After a short bus ride we arrived at the resort with beautiful crystal clear blue waters. Our kiddos have been wanting to swim with dolphins for the longest time so we fulfilled their wish. Anthony's Key has a large natural enclosure for the dolphins and you can tell they are well cared for. I have seen other dolphin encounters where the animals are kept in a glorified large cement tub and this is so different from those experiences. We waded out waist deep into the ocean and interacted with our dolphin Ellie and her trainer Kane. It was educational and informative and they truly love these gentle creatures.

2. Harvest Caye Belize: Beautiful beach and lots of shops. Personally I didn't care for the for a fee drinks/food. We ported at Great Stirrup Cay last year and enjoyed it much more with the drink and food option with our cruise package. We didn't feel that we needed to go back to the ship for lunch. $23 for 2 drinks at the Landshark bar was more than I wanted to splurge on

3. Costa Maya: we had experienced this port before and it has built up it seems from last year. Shopping and many vendors. Family went on the excursion to the ruins and loved it.

4. Cozumel: SHOPPING! Tons and tons of shopping and availability to go on excursions. We did not take advantage of much due to a kiddo starting to feel ill but there are many options

 

All in all we had a wonderful time and are ready to go back! Good thing I have my CruiseNext deposits to use ;)

 

Merry Christmas!

[Clarea]

Thanks for your report/review. Glad you had a wonderful time. Merry Christmas!

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review and so happy you had a great time.

 

Happy Cruising.

 

 

Happy Holidays.

 

 

Keith

[easyboy]

Glad you and the kids had a wonderful cruise! Nice that the kids finally had what they wanted - an encounter with the dolphins.

 

 

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[barbarossa_hoosier]

Thanks for the review!

 

Our girls are 10 and 9, and going on their first cruise in about a week and a half. Any suggestions for them, for getting the most out of the youth programs, etc.?

[mommyto2monsters]

Get to the splash academy before the muster to register, we went right after and got in and out quick but the line was getting long. They have themed nights (survivor, spy, glow party, pajama party). Keep an eye on the itinerary for the kiddos that they give. They give you the week up front so the kids can pick and choose right off what they want to go to and what to skip. The late night from 10:30-1:30 is $6 per hour per child, $10 for 2 in one family. They had Mario kart night, and extensions on some of the later activities.

 

 

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[CruzinMel]

Thanks for the review!

 

We are looking at a cabin on deck 13 kind of near Splash Academy - how noisy was it there, if you remember?

[mommyto2monsters]

We were in 13848, couldn’t hear a thing from Splash Academy

 

 

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