NCL Norwegian Getaway - Feel free to ask

[AlmiranteChurruca]

Just back home from Getaway's first post dry dock cruise (10 days Southampton to Barcelona). I am not into writing reviews, sorry about that, but will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

I am an experienced cruiser (33 cruises, 17 with NCL) and this time I cruised solo in a studio cabin.

 

In a nutshell, having previous experience with the company I have to say the cutbacks are noticeable to the loyal customers, but the experience has been a mostly pleasant one and I would cruise with them again despite the numerous itinerary changes and some annoying flaws. I would give it a 4 out 5. 

[DorothyB]

I will be in a solo balcony in October.  

Just curious - did you see cookies?

 

Was there a cruise critic meet & greet?

 

I have friends that sailed on the Getaway last year and were really bothered by the smoke near the restaurants.  I'm hoping that the smoke smell some say remains dissipates enough to not be noticeable near the restaurants by then 🙂

[stellarose33]

first time on NCL and getaway next summer.  any tips/pics/ helpful information would be great. I am in an angled balcony on 10th floor. 

[sheshe01]

What were the biggest  cutbacks you noticed? I heard on earlier threads that a new restaurant "Q" was being added? Is this correct?

[stellarose33]

where is a quiet place to chill and catch some rays?

buffet have good vegetarian options?

in person muster?

entertainment?

[AlmiranteChurruca]

23 minutes ago, sheshe01 said:

What were the biggest  cutbacks you noticed? I heard on earlier threads that a new restaurant "Q" was being added? Is this correct?

 

Mostly cutbacks at the specialty restaurant menus. Gone are some "signature" dishes (porterhouse at Cagney´s, scallops at Le Bistro). Of course, you will notice this only if you have cruised with NCL before. Not really a big issue for me, what remains on the menu has been consistently good at all the specialty venues I went to.

 

Q has NOT been added. That was just a rumour pre dry dock that turned out to be false in the end.

[AlmiranteChurruca]

39 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

I will be in a solo balcony in October.  

Just curious - did you see cookies?

 

Was there a cruise critic meet & greet?

 

I have friends that sailed on the Getaway last year and were really bothered by the smoke near the restaurants.  I'm hoping that the smoke smell some say remains dissipates enough to not be noticeable near the restaurants by then 🙂

 

Saw no cookies at the solo lounge, just the same two types of pound cakes every day.

 

Cannot answer about the M&G. Sorry.

[AlmiranteChurruca]

41 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

I will be in a solo balcony in October.  

Just curious - did you see cookies?

 

Was there a cruise critic meet & greet?

 

I have friends that sailed on the Getaway last year and were really bothered by the smoke near the restaurants.  I'm hoping that the smoke smell some say remains dissipates enough to not be noticeable near the restaurants by then 🙂

 

Smoke was never an issue for me (non smoker). You could smell stale smoke when passing through the casino area, but was never a issue in a any of the restaurants.

[AlmiranteChurruca]

30 minutes ago, stellarose33 said:

where is a quiet place to chill and catch some rays?

buffet have good vegetarian options?

in person muster?

entertainment?

 

Yes, lots of quiet places on the smaller upper decks upstairs from the pool area (at least on this cruise).

 

Vaguely remember a greens/salad area at the buffet, but cannot tell you much more than that. Not being a buffet lover I really never paid too much attention to the food there, although I can say that I enjoyed the few things I tried.

 

No in person muster, just card scanning and free to go. You are supposed to watch a video during check-in or pre-cruise.

 

Entertainment quality / variety is a matter of taste I guess, but I enjoyed it in general with Million Dollar Quartet the absolute highlight.

[stellarose33]

2 minutes ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

 

Yes, lots of quiet places on the smaller upper decks upstairs from the pool area (at least on this cruise).

 

Vaguely remember a greens/salad area at the buffet, but cannot tell you much more than that. Not being a buffet lover I really never paid too much attention to the food there, although I can say that I enjoyed the few things I tried.

 

No in person muster, just card scanning and free to go. You are supposed to watch a video during check-in or pre-cruise.

 

Entertainment quality / variety is a matter of taste I guess, but I enjoyed it in general with Million Dollar Quartet the absolute highlight.

thank you thank you thank you.  we  did splurge on a balcony if I want quiet place to read but love to sit in the sun (don't need the pool) and read my books. thanks.

[AlmiranteChurruca]

56 minutes ago, stellarose33 said:

first time on NCL and getaway next summer.  any tips/pics/ helpful information would be great. I am in an angled balcony on 10th floor. 

 

Just some random thoughts...

 

Crew I found to be excellent. Very helpful and always with great attitude towards guests. Feel free to tip, but they will provide great service without further encouragement. Be nice to them and they will be nice to you.

 

About the nickel and diming all I can say is that yes, there will lots of upcharge offerings but I really never ever felt pushed to buy anything I did not want to.

 

What else can I say, I enjoyed the cruise very much. Not perfect but not a disaster either. Set your mind into vacation mood and I am pretty sure you will enjoy it too.

 

[cruiseny4life]

Thank you for posting and helping us understand what happened to Getaway during her dry dock!! 

 

I've got at least one question as I'm booked to sail our lovely lady in February. Do you recall if the Million Dollar Quarter cast is still performing Broadway Unplugged on the cruise? Is it in the theatre or Illusionarium? And, what is the frequency of the offerings.

 

I know, I know...lot of questions. Thank you again!! 

[AlmiranteChurruca]

3 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Thank you for posting and helping us understand what happened to Getaway during her dry dock!! 

 

I've got at least one question as I'm booked to sail our lovely lady in February. Do you recall if the Million Dollar Quarter cast is still performing Broadway Unplugged on the cruise? Is it in the theatre or Illusionarium? And, what is the frequency of the offerings.

 

I know, I know...lot of questions. Thank you again!! 

 

Yes, performing at Illusionarium (did not attend though, I guess I was making a fool of myself at the consistently PACKED karaoke venue 😆) but I remember seeing it listed at least once on the freestyle daily. Just be aware of the fact that they are still in the ongoing process of implementing changes regarding entertainment (so we were told at the behind the scenes tour) and things could be very different for upcoming cruises.

[AlmiranteChurruca]

A (very) loose list of some cruise highlights.

 

Starbucks. Being a heavy coffee drinker the Starbucks package was well worth the money. And man, was the team there working hard and always with a smile! It never ceases to amaze me how with around 4000 souls on the ship they manage to remember your name after just a couple visits and always greet you any time you show up there.

 

Same goes to some the nicest and funniest bartenders I have ever met. Special mention for Ferdinand at the La Cucina bar. Best place to get a nice glass of wine pre or post dinner and strike a nice conversation with a bright guy. Same goes to Mark and Winnie at the Sunset Bar. And also to the bald guy (did not catch his name, sorry) at Syd Norman's. Asked for water the first evening (I am strange, I know 😁) and did not have but promised to get some for my next visit. Guess what? He complied!

 

Specialty restaurants were all consistently good. Never had a bad meal at any of them. Besides, with the non refundable onboard credit we got as compensation for the itinerary changes I purchased extra specialty dinners and I ended up never going to the MDR. Ocean Blue and Cagney's are my top favourites. Le Bistro also very nice. Even La Cucina (which I originally had no intention of going to) ended up being a very pleasant surprise as well.

 

Even the buffet was a positive surprise. As mentioned earlier, I am not a buffet person and openly admit I try to avoid it as much as I can. However, the food I had there the very few times I stopped by was tasty, well seasoned and cooked to perfection. Also had lovely meals at American Diner, O'Sheehans and the Savor/Taste MDRs (lunch only). I have zero complaints about the food. Cutbacks? Yes, for sure, but still so much to choose from.

[roddy good boy]

I’m still wondering about the water for purchase situation. Some indicate they received 1/2 liter cans, some still report the 1 liter cartons. The NCL website was once updated to 48 1/2 liters, but is back to 24 1 liter. All that to ask cans or cartons? 

[AlmiranteChurruca]

8 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

I’m still wondering about the water for purchase situation. Some indicate they received 1/2 liter cans, some still report the 1 liter cartons. The NCL website was once updated to 48 1/2 liters, but is back to 24 1 liter. All that to ask cans or cartons? 

 

No cartons in sight for the whole duration of the cruise. It was cans all the time and at all venues, except for the specialty restaurants where you get the glass bottles (Aqua Panna and San Pellegrino).

[Kvnfla11]

On 6/20/2024 at 2:13 AM, AlmiranteChurruca said:

 

No cartons in sight for the whole duration of the cruise. It was cans all the time and at all venues, except for the specialty restaurants where you get the glass bottles (Aqua Panna and San Pellegrino).

Good to know about the cans, thank you. I wonder if that is a Europe thing versus a US/Caribbean thing. I was going to order water but don't like the though of carrying multiple 500ml cans around during my excursions. Guess it's refilling my nalgene bottle at the buffet each day.

[roddy good boy]

6 minutes ago, Kvnfla11 said:

Good to know about the cans, thank you. I wonder if that is a Europe thing versus a US/Caribbean thing. I was going to order water but don't like the though of carrying multiple 500ml cans around during my excursions. Guess it's refilling my nalgene bottle at the buffet each day.

I imagine they’re going to lose out on a lot of sales with this move. Reports are that the canned water isn’t very good. I need to drink 64 oz of water a day, so I was planning to buy the largest package. Now, I’m going to accept what others have stated (that the ship tap water is fine to drink) and bring a refillable water bottle. 

[AlmiranteChurruca]

37 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

I imagine they’re going to lose out on a lot of sales with this move. Reports are that the canned water isn’t very good. I need to drink 64 oz of water a day, so I was planning to buy the largest package. Now, I’m going to accept what others have stated (that the ship tap water is fine to drink) and bring a refillable water bottle. 

 

I also drink A LOT of water each day and had no issues whatsoever with the taste of the canned water. What are those reports exactly complaining about? Really curious about that.

[roddy good boy]

27 minutes ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

 

I also drink A LOT of water each day and had no issues whatsoever with the taste of the canned water. What are those reports exactly complaining about? Really curious about that.

Really? Maybe I’ll try a smaller order and decide for myself. I read a few reports that said the taste was off. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I should have known to just try it, because my husband hates the taste of a certain bottled water (Dasani) that tastes great to me. 

[AlmiranteChurruca]

3 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

Really? Maybe I’ll try a smaller order and decide for myself. I read a few reports that said the taste was off. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I should have known to just try it, because my husband hates the taste of a certain bottled water (Dasani) that tastes great to me. 

 

All I can really say is that the taste was always neutral to me. I know some waters have a somewhat more "salty" or "mineral-rich" edge to them, but did not feel that was the case. On the other hand, the few times I had tap water poured in the glass I felt that, although drinkable, it had a noticeable "water pipe" aftertaste to it. As you say, try both and make your decision. 😉

[The Traveling Man]

On 6/19/2024 at 1:40 PM, AlmiranteChurruca said:

Just back home from Getaway's first post dry dock cruise (10 days Southampton to Barcelona). I am not into writing reviews, sorry about that, but will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

I am an experienced cruiser (33 cruises, 17 with NCL) and this time I cruised solo in a studio cabin.

 

In a nutshell, having previous experience with the company I have to say the cutbacks are noticeable to the loyal customers, but the experience has been a mostly pleasant one and I would cruise with them again despite the numerous itinerary changes and some annoying flaws. I would give it a 4 out 5. 

Hats off to you for the choice of your avatar / nom de plume.

[SeekingKillerWhales!]

On 6/19/2024 at 11:40 AM, AlmiranteChurruca said:

Just back home from Getaway's first post dry dock cruise (10 days Southampton to Barcelona). I am not into writing reviews, sorry about that, but will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

I am an experienced cruiser (33 cruises, 17 with NCL) and this time I cruised solo in a studio cabin.

 

In a nutshell, having previous experience with the company I have to say the cutbacks are noticeable to the loyal customers, but the experience has been a mostly pleasant one and I would cruise with them again despite the numerous itinerary changes and some annoying flaws. I would give it a 4 out 5. 

As a coffee drinker did you try the coffee machine in the Studio Lounge? Does it make a decent coffee/latte, etc.?

 

Also, any noise issues in your cabin? Were you in an adjoining cabin?

 

Thanks!

[stellarose33]

any reviews with pictures? like about 2 ish years old? I love to do my research. 

[stellarose33]

sail and sustain bar where they make drinks from leftover fruit? I saw a YouTube video from last year with it.