Getaway 7/23-7/30 review: no splash academy offered!

[drew2d]

We just finished that itinerary. We were extremely disappointed that once we were onboard they told us the Splash Academy was closed. We spent $6k to basically do what we do at home but on a ship with the tiny room. We had plenty of things planned for our kids but we were looking forward to adult dinners and the kid movie (usually an upcharge at splash academy) nights so we can see shows. We aren't huge cruisers but we were sold on it since we have no reliable baby sitters at home and wanted some adult evenings and we can drive to the port and not risk flying anywhere right now with a high risk of delays (and bored kids stuck in an airport). 

 

So what did you get instead? There were kids all over the place unsupervised as some parents obviously did not care to follow the 13+ rule to move around the ship unsupervised and the staff did not ever step in. The splash pad / kiddie pool was unusable with some really naughty unsupervised kids there bullying the younger ones etc. It was horrible. 

 

It was our first time on the Getaway. Not sure if it's not a Caribbean ship, but the Getaway pool deck space and kid pool was very small for the size. There was lots of dead space on the ship that could of had a better purpose (American Diner, landing areas on the stairs from 15/16 etc.). The food at Cagney's was questionable too. 12 oz lamb chops were really like 4 oz and all fat... they did provided a second option after I pointed it out but their stated weights on all the steaks was clearly not what you get. I asked the server how the lamb was and he talked it up, then overhead him tell the next table not to order it! You could tell they were really holding back on expensive ingredients even at the specialty restaurants.

 

All this will make us think very carefully about cruising with kids or cruising on NCL again.

Edited August 1, 2022 by drew2d

[Colorado Buffalo]

I was on same ship with you.

Unfortunately from what I hear is that Splash Academy was a Covid casualty the previous week.

In these times we live in one can't count on things going as planned. I'm happy we went to St Thomas as the previous 3 or 4 sailings didn't.

 

I did notice lots of unsupervised kids. Not trying to be mean or anything but the ones who seemed to be the loudest with no regard to rules didn't speak English. Not sure if crew couldn't communicate with them or not.

 

We ate at Cagney's and had the most amazing meal. Steak was the perfect cut and size-wise was 

not skimpy.

 

Do agree that American Diner is a bust. Never busy. They can do so much with that space. 

Maybe a Mexican restaurant ?

 

[Pat.D]

28 minutes ago, drew2d said:

The food at Cagney's was questionable too.

 

I've found Cagney's to be very hit and miss this year.  Last March I had a wonderful meal there on the Epic, and 2 weeks later on the Joy I had to send back my plate as the steak was nothing but disgusting fat and gristle. 

[n4w]

46 minutes ago, drew2d said:

and the staff did not ever step in.

It's not worth it.  Imagine all the complaints staff would get from those parents who would be so offended if a stranger stepped in to tell their child to behave.  Likely the same reason why you and others didn't step in; it's going to reflect worse on you than anyone else, staff is not there to babysit.

[drew2d]

1 hour ago, n4w said:

It's not worth it.  Imagine all the complaints staff would get from those parents who would be so offended if a stranger stepped in to tell their child to behave.  Likely the same reason why you and others didn't step in; it's going to reflect worse on you than anyone else, staff is not there to babysit.

I agree tough spot for all around. Would of rather of had them go get the kid and tell them to find their parents. They need some sort of system because it could also back fire when one of the kids is hurt and their parent can't be found. Saw a few "stranger" parents consoling other's kids that got banged up at the kiddy pool. I saw plenty of security type staff walk around though.

 

We were often one of 4-5 parents in the arcade out of 20-40 kids and quite a few not old enough to be wandering around unsupervised. 

 

At least the American Diner had a staffed bar right around the corner from the arcade we took advantage of as no one was ever there... 

Edited August 1, 2022 by drew2d

[stevee1982]

This was our first NCL cruise.  I am trying to be as fair as possible here as we did have some fun.  It was tough to be with a 5 and 7 year old though.  Just some weird quirks - like the ship plans on the app make reference to mini golf (it was removed 3 years ago). The arcade was our consolation for the splash academy being closed.  It was congested and chaotic with little parental supervision.  The staff seemed a bit burnt out to me and who could blame them. We tried Le Bistro and Teppanyaki. Le Bistro was a bust for us and I like French food. Sea Bass was awful.  As for Teppanyaki, the kids enjoyed it but it is by no means worth the money (luckily it was free for us). 

I am sure people had fun. I understand the times we live in as well. However, I don't think we will try NCL for the foreseeable future.  

[Beer Belly]

We were on the Getaway back in April. There were kids in the adult Hot Tubs (between 4 & 10), at one time, about 6, including what looked like a 4 year old in swimmies, after 1/2 hour, the Wife asked them to please move on so the adults can use the adult Hot Tub, they left with no issues. Then came the 10 year old who jumped in the adult pool, not realizing how deep it was, held another kid under water to help her stay afloat, a parent jumped in to pull the kid out from drowning, as soon as he reached the surface, vomitted from water intake.....Pool closed, no incident report to NCL, I checked a week after the cruise.

[JeninIndy]

We also missed Splash Academy earlier this spring on the Breakaway- no break whatsoever from our kids! Thankfully it was available on the Encore last month, but I noticed they no longer offered the late night service for a fee- pickup was 10PM sharp. We were happy it was back, but sad there was no pajama party like there usually is on the last night!

[drew2d]

50 minutes ago, stevee1982 said:

This was our first NCL cruise.  I am trying to be as fair as possible here as we did have some fun.  It was tough to be with a 5 and 7 year old though.  Just some weird quirks - like the ship plans on the app make reference to mini golf (it was removed 3 years ago). The arcade was our consolation for the splash academy being closed.  It was congested and chaotic with little parental supervision.  The staff seemed a bit burnt out to me and who could blame them. We tried Le Bistro and Teppanyaki. Le Bistro was a bust for us and I like French food. Sea Bass was awful.  As for Teppanyaki, the kids enjoyed it but it is by no means worth the money (luckily it was free for us). 

I am sure people had fun. I understand the times we live in as well. However, I don't think we will try NCL for the foreseeable future.  

We tried 4 specialty restaurants. My wife just wised up and ordered the Filet Mignon at each stop. The descriptions of everything else always fooled me and I ordered it and was always disappointed (especially seafood) but her filet was always pretty good and cooked right. Le Bistro was our favorite with the steak tartare, escargot and filet and my wife enjoyed the ambiance it offered. 

I ended up spending more on nicer wine than I ever had. The bottles included in the beverage package were just... not good and I'm not a wine snob. We drink whatever is BOGO at Publix lol.

 

 

[Black Magic]

I was on this same cruise and this was the first NCL cruise for the family.  I have a teenager(who stayed in the cabin most of the time 🙄), so we didn't experience the lack of things for kids. I will say that I was disappointed in layout of the ship.  The pool deck was tight and crowded, even the way they arranged the loungers above the pool deck was odd.  Instead of one row facing the pool and one row facing the ocean.  Everybody got a nice view of the person directly across from them.  We ate at Cagney's and La Cucina, both were underwhelming.  The service at Cagney's was strange.  We(3 of us) were seated and ordered before a group of 6, yet were served after.  Not to mention, our sides came out several minutes after our main dish.  The shows were great, the stateroom was nice and the itinerary was wonderful.   And for the opinion that NCL is classier that Carnival, I can say that I couldn't see it.  People are people regardless of the brand of cruise line.

[raitch]

Sounds like your trip was a bummer, I’m sorry. I agree that the pool area on Breakaway/Getaway is super congested and the pool is tiny.  It must be incredibly frustrating for people who just want to lounge at the pool.  

[dandelpino]

Yikes! I'm booked on Breakaway with a toddler in a couple of months and I really don't like the direction NCL is heading. They scrapped the under-3 fee based nursery fleetwide and then raised the kids program age from 3 to 5. Now it seems like they struggle to staff the kids program altogether. 

 

I like NCL and the Haven is awesome but I ask myself if I really want to keep giving them my money considering how parent unfriendly they are becoming. I'm not one to dump my kids at the kids program all day but 2 hours in the evening so my wife and I can enjoy a quiet dinner, a show, or some time in the casino is greatly appreciated on vacation.

[makdex]

Was on the same cruise as well.  My teen was not impressed with Entourage nor I when I met the staff and went and did his own thing. The food at Cagneys we had was great my wife got a filet mignon and I got the ribeye which was huge.  Buffet was blah as usual and the Dining Rooms were hit or miss with some very good dishes and others not so great.  Someone told me the kids club was closed and it was nice to see the young kids set down on the floor by the bar in the Casino and left to color every night while Mommy and Daddy went to gamble.  Thank god I had Vibe so I could get away from everyone because I had no intention of trying to find a seat at the pool area.  One saving grace was we hit all the ports  and the music was outstanding from the dining room,  to the million dollar quartet group, and the Syd Norman band.   Despite the hiccups we did have a good time however next time I do NCL I have decided to pay full price for Haven.

[Pat.D]

On 8/2/2022 at 10:53 AM, Black Magic said:

The pool deck was tight and crowded

 

Unfortunately the pool deck setup on the Breakaway, Getaway and Escape is hot garbage.  It's claustrophobic and closed in, I don't know what they were thinking. Fortunately on the Bliss and newer ships they finally got it right and opened it up so the deck is a LOT more pleasant.