MommyRobin

7 hours ago, momsince96 said:

Great review!!  We were on the Getaway last June and we LOVED the ship and the staff, but we did not enjoy the ports.  You've made me want to try the ports again to see if maybe we just did them "wrong".  So glad you had a great vacation!

Absolutely try the ports again. I am frugal, and I wasn't going to spend money on the excursions that we did. I honestly think that if I hadn't, we wouldn't have enjoyed the ports either. I would have loved to have been able to do an excursion in Harvest Caye as well, as I bet that would have changed my mind on that port, too. 

I forgot to add that disembarking was super easy and fast. We took our own luggage which I think really helped things along. We made it to Miami airport for our 12:00 flight with lots of time to spare. 

We just got back from a great Spring Break vacation aboard the Getaway. It was my husband and I (in our 40's), dd (15) and ds (12). It was our first time cruising but we were with a party of 24 and everyone else were experienced cruisers. I'll give a run-down of our personal experiences.

First day (March 10) - we had a package from our travel agency that included flights (from Toronto). Everything worked out totally fine with no rush, despite some minor delays due to a bit of an ice storm. I don't think that I'll fly in the same day again though just because I found the worry too stressful. We landed in Miami around 11:30 and were around the ship maybe around 2ish? Can't quite remember. We had 2 rooms - one balcony and one inside, both on the 14th floor, aft. I really liked this location as I found it really close to the buffet, aquapark, video arcade, etc. Both rooms were very comfortable and clean. Arnold did a fantastic job of cleaning our room, most days twice a day. He was lovely. After muster and getting something to eat at the buffet, we explored the ship. Dd's best friend was also traveling with us and needless to say, we didn't see the girls too much on the ship. Surprisingly, they didn't enjoy Entourage (tried a few times but found it boring), but they found loads to keep them occupied. I'll mention a random bit here - we had paid for myself, dd, her bff, and bff's mom to have the social media package. NCL "messed up" and gave us all the highest internet package instead (but only charged us the social media package). Bonus! Now, I will say that connectivity was sometimes sketchy. But towards the end, the girls went down to the internet cafe. The guy there did something or other to their phones and they were able to connect much more consistently after that. Before the trip, ds had broken his finger and had a splint covering his palm and fourth and fifth fingers. We were prepared for him to not be allowed to do the water slides or ropes course but he was thrilled that he was able to do both. He only did them once each but he was so happy that he got to experience it. He spent the rest of the time on the ship doing things like playing pool, mini golf and in the arcade. He also had a friend traveling with us and both boys shared the arcade package. There were no issues with this and we found that they made great use of it. Our weather was beautiful the whole trip, although there were a few nights where we could feel a lot of movement from the ship. I was the only one in the family who got seasick, but that was just one night.

I'll give my take on food throughout the trip, keeping in mind that we only ate at the buffet, Savor, Tropicana and O'Sheehans: I thought that the buffet was great. Lots of different choices, and everything tasted great. We ate breakfast there every day and lunch on sea days. Our group ate at Tropicana most evenings. Most of us were fairly underwhelmed. The menu is not huge, and only a few items change each night. Each time, we'd order something expecting it to be amazing. It was often plated beautifully, but didn't taste amazing. Don't get me wrong- most things were good, just not great. Same with the one night we went to O'Sheehans. We also thought that we'd try something different and go to Taste/Savor only to find that it was the exact same menu. It got a bit old. The number one complaint though was how long the meal took. The shortest amount of time was 2 hours. We sat and sat between courses.

Now I'll give my take on our ports, from least favorite to most. It should be noted that our most favorite were the absolute highlight of our whole trip:

Harvest Caye was our least favorite, although it was still ok. The pool was beautiful, but it was very difficult to find any loungers. It was much easier to find some on the beach, but the beach was not enjoyable. The water was murky and the "sand" (crushed sea shells) was painful. Dh and some friends played beach volleyball for a while and his feet hurt after.

I liked Costa Maya more. Originally, our plan was to find a nice beach in the neighboring village but the water was really rough that day so that plan went out. Instead, we found a beautiful pool in port. All of the loungers were on sand, making it a makeshift beach, and there were inflatable rings to lie on in the pool and pool volleyball. The kids all had a great time. We had to agree to spend $15 a person at the restaurant there, which was fine. There were different free shows around too, kind of like buskers. Ds won a free pass to the treetop aviary so he and I spent probably about an hour up there. It was neat and I got some beautiful pictures.

We all LOVED Cozumel, because of where we chose to go - Paradise Beach. There were 14 of us that day and we had all booked the all inclusive package (online ahead of time, separate from NCL). It was very easy to get 8 and 6 passenger vans to take us there. The 8 passenger van was $32 each way. We were treated VERY well at Paradise Beach. Now, we got there early - probably about 9:30, which helped us secure plenty of loungers right by the water, as well as a large table in the restaurant just steps away. I was nervous because there were 7 ships in port that day. It got busy, but never jam packed. Christian and Paco looked after us all day, and kept the food and booze coming and coming (so.much.tequila!). We are a really fun group and I think that that definitely helped, and they fed off that. Everyone raved about what a great time they had.

Our most favorite day of all though was spent in Honduras. I booked 22 of us a "Monkey Fun and Beach Break" tour through Roatan Ocean Adventures. I cannot stress enough how amazing it was. And very reasonable, too - $35 a person. It was easy to find our guide once we got out of the port. First, we went to Daniel Johnson's Monkey and Sloth hangout. We got to interact with the birds, have monkeys climb over us and cuddle with a sloth. We were really looking forward to this and were not disappointed. The next part was a total surprise. I knew we were going to a beach, but I wasn't able to find anything online about it so I didn't know what to expect. We ended up at the most beautiful beach I had ever been to. It's hard to describe, but the way it's set up has different beaches that are fairly inaccessible from each other (all equally gorgeous from what I could see). So different parties were dropped off at different parts. The end result was that it was very quiet. It felt like we had our own private beach. On this beach was also things like swings, hammocks, and a high up pier that we had fun jumping off of. There was also a shop and a bar and restaurant that was reasonably priced. It was the most perfect day. I think the whole day cost my family $200 which included lunch and drinks. If anyone reading this is going to Roatan this excursion will seriously make your vacation. 

I should also mention how much our family loved the Glow Party. Seriously, what a great time. I heard fantastic things about the 80s party as well but dh and I were worn out that night. We had such a fun time at karaoke one night as well - ds even got recognized a few times from it throughout the cruise which was hilarious (it's not every day that a 12 year old will belt out Twisted Sister and Kiss to a room full of adults, lol).

All in all, it was a great time. We loved it, although all the experienced cruisers in our group said that they prefer Carnival. I'm thinking that we'll be needing to try that line out as well to see which we prefer.

That's for 2 adults and 2 teens. 

17 minutes ago, wardamnweagle said:

What does it take the price to?

$192 US. I think down from $214 if memory serves. Plus, booking the fun passes online (no code needed) gets $4 off each one.

One of my favorite luxuries in the summer is to go out to a restaurant with a great patio. Is there anywhere to eat outside at one of the "free" restaurants on the Getaway? It would be so nice to enjoy the sunset!

Thank you! That is perfect!

We are traveling on the Getaway soon. What kinds of specific activities can my 12 year old son look forward to in Splash Academy (he has a broken finger so can't do the water slides or ropes course that he was so excited about. Just trying to cheer him up with the other fun things that he can do.)

1 minute ago, Nola26 said:

He won't be able to use ropes course or slides or rock wall.

 

He can use sports court, mini golf, big chess, ping pong shuffle board, kids/teen club,  bowl, arcade and pool if device can get wet.  Library has board games too.

Thanks so much. That's crummy since he was looking forward to those things but the bright side is that yes, it can get wet so he'll still be able to do lots. 

Nevermind,  found a promo code that worked (SUNSHINE for anyone who needs it).

Just tried to use the promo code "carnival" and it looks like it's expired! I don't want to get the AI tonight if a new code is likely to come out in the next day or two. Anyone have any experience?

I posted a few weeks ago about my son breaking his finger. We saw the surgeon today. We asked about doing all of the fun things on the ship (waterslides, ropes course, kids club activities) and he said that we really have to use our own judgement.  My son got a removable splint put on and the physiotherapist told us that as long as he's comfortable doing activities with the splint then he can do all of the above-mentioned things. We are on the Getaway this Sunday so we are going to see how rough everything looks and how likely it looks that he might bang it up again to decide which activities to let him do. 

My question is this: I know that Norwegian won't let you on the waterslides with a cast. But does anyone know if they will let him on with a smallish splint? What about the ropes course? I just got off the phone with Norwegian to ask. The rep said that it shouldn't be a problem but I got the impression that she was guessing. I know a big reason that they won't let you on with a cast is because it can scratch the slide, but I'm wondering if they'd be ok with a splint? Or if we got a bagged covering for it?

Thank you for letting me know... it caused me to do a double take... when you click on the link, the word that is entered in automatically is spelled incorrectly! I fixed the spelling and all is good 🙂

Has anyone had any luck with Paradise Beach's "Carnival" promo code for 10% discount? Our date should apply  but no matter which date I put in, it says that the promo won't work. 

On 11/9/2018 at 11:15 AM, tbo said:

 

Do we know if the flat rate is $161 or is that based on a 7 day cruise, i.e. an 11 day cruise would be more? If we purchase just 1 and share then we save $15 with the flat rate.

It is a flat rate. We are going on the Getaway for 7 nights and it is still $161

39 minutes ago, outtabux said:

My son broke his arm two weeks before our cruise. He was 12 at the time. He was able to get a waterproof cast and he was able to do all the water activities on the ship. At one point I found him in the hot tub with his arm completely submerged in the hot tub. 😂 When we got home they changed out the cast and got all the sand out. Fun memories!

Did the sand cause irritation? That's a big worry of mine, as we have some beach days planned. 

Right now, I'm REALLY hoping that the specialist will fit him with a removable brace rather than a cast. 

30 minutes ago, Xmas515 said:

When my daughter broke her wrist first week of summer vacation, I paid extra for the "water" cast.  Allowed her to get the cast wet in showers, swimming, etc.  Best $ I spent.  I belive the cost was only $70 (Canadian).  Sending positive vibes to your son.  

Thank you so much. I'm from Canada as well and will definitely ask about this, as it would help immensely. 

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

All you can do is follow the doctor’s direction. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

 

Your ur son will enjoy the cruise.

 

The cast seems a bit extreme for a broken finger, but that’s what the ER docs will do. Hopefully your son will be back in a split soon. 

Apparently it's because the break is at the joint. It's the only way to stabilize it.

3 minutes ago, Briji04 said:

This happened to my son several years ago just before a spring break cruise. He actually ended with up with three screws being placed in his pinky finger. It was a basketball injury while at school. I’m not saying your son will need surgery tho. His broke on the diagonal and it was the only way. 

 

He simply wore a cast cover. The surgery left him with sutures not a cast but the new cast covers really do a great job keeping everything dry.  Just be sure it’s secure before he gets in any water. My son was able to snorkel briefly without getting any water on his dressing. 

 

Best wishes.  Happy cruising 

Yes, this was from basketball as well. I will look into cast covers. Thanks so much. 

So after assuming for almost 2 weeks that my son just had a sprain on his pinky finger, we found out today that he actually broke it. He's a very active 12 year old who has still been playing sports and barely complained about it. I just didn't like that it was still tender and swollen so we took him in today. He now has a cast from mid arm to his finger tips. 

We are supposed to leave on our first cruise (on the Getaway) in 2 weeks. He is SO looking forward to this, especially the water slides and all of the activities that you need 2 working arms for. 

We see a surgeon for a consult on the 5th and I'm praying that he will move my son into something that gives him more mobility and will allow him to go into the water more easily. 

Does anyone have any suggestions on any other ways to deal with this? He's a pretty "glass half full" kid and will make the most of the cruise regardless but will still be pretty bummed out if he can't do water activities. 

We are cruising on the Getaway next month. I'm starting to think about packing and what kind of clothes I'll need. I know that it will be hot on land for our port days, but what about out at sea, especially at night? What is the temperature like inside the restaurants and atrium? I'm wondering if it's still short and tshirt weather, or if I should pack slightly warmer clothing as well. I hate to be cold, whereas my husband hates to be hot.

On 8/14/2017 at 3:03 AM, karoo said:

 

 

 

Crocs- are you serious? I rate them as lower than flip flops/thongs. Never to even be seen out in public!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hate to say this, but crocs are making somewhat of a comeback with the teen crowd. Thank Post Malone for this 🤪

Thank you Bird Travels!

Wondering approximately how long Burn the Floor and Million Dollar Quartet are?

6 hours ago, Relax@Sea said:

You can put daily limits on there sign and sail cards.

If you don't just be prepared to be stop boarding at a port when you leave your Child on board at the kids center when you did not set a limit and the security tells you to go to guests services because your child has spent over $1000.00 in the game room while you were enjoying your day at port.

This happened to a Couple that was sailing with us with there 13 year old, and said that his son would rather stay on the ship then go to the port for a couple of hours.

This happened in 2012 and I still think there son is cutting there grass with no allowance since then.

Knowledge requires its compensation.

 

My son is lovely, but I can totally imagine him doing this. Very relieved to hear that I can put an amount on!