bkrickles1

I'm going to say that it will feel crowded if it's cold or there's bad weather. Some of the larger ships have an observation lounge which helps, but Getaway does not have this venue. Thermal suite would probably sell out fast for a sailing this time of year, so you'd want to jump on it if you book. Drink package does include mocktails, but no water or specialty coffees. It's essentially alcohol/non-alcohol drinks and soda up to $15. I'm sailing Getaway late April, so weather will be warmer, hopefully. Good luck with your decision.

I look forward to your review. We've sailed Joy twice in the last 18 months and had a great time each sailing. We wanted some different entertainment options, so we chose Getaway for next April for that reason and it also worked out date wise as it falls on my daughters birthday too. And, it's a 10 day sailing which my wife and daughter are very excited about. Already purchased Vibe passes to improve our daytime experience and I expect we'll enjoy the cruise immensely, as we always do.

I'm sailing Getaway in April and I've read somewhere that she has it too.

And I'm sure the comedy shows are there for all the sailings that start and end in the US, like all the Caribbean cruises. Thanks for Replying.

Yeah, I was speaking specifically about Getaway, which is what you started out doing. I'm well aware of the production shows being taken away, but that doesn't apply to Getaway. As far as I can tell, and many on here have confirmed, the entertainment hasn't changed or had anything taken away. So again, what drastic changes in entertainment did you experience specifically on Getaway? TIA

Exactly! I already knew this from my research. Lmao 😂 Thanks for confirming.

Could you do me a favor and explain the drastic changes in entertainment choices on Getaway? I'm booked for April, 2024 on Getaway and, from going through the website and reading these forums, I was under the impression that really nothing had changed from an entertainment standpoint. I'm aware of the fleetwide changes in some services, as I've sailed Joy twice in the last 18 months. We booked Getaway for 10 days because the entertainment is different from Joy, Encore and Escape, which is what our last 4 sailings were on. We were looking for something a little different. Please let me know what's been taken away so I may plan accordingly. TIA

My daughter docked at Taino Bay in May

I'm doing the math of what you described and I don't understand how you got to $160pp. Is that with drinks and food? The trip itself sounds like it's $82pp r/t. Thanks for explaining how to do it. I did ncl excursion last time and we're returning in April and haven't booked excursion yet, but definitely want to return. We hung out in front of Hendos, which is next door to soggy dollar, as they have nicer lounge chairs and umbrellas.

My sailing on Getaway for 4/19/24 hasn't changed. It's probably a couple of dollars more than when I booked. I check once per week, so I'm still hoping for some reduction before final payment.

I sailed Joy in the summer of 2022 and 2023 and, both times, ate at FR for lunch and used one FAS meal for 4 items. 1st time with my daughter and 2nd with my niece. It was not questioned and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience.

I was on Joy in July and was told that they don't hold back passes. But, I was told that there are typically cancellations and that frees up some passes after embarkation. I've pre-booked Vibe for a Getaway sailing in April for the first time. We always have others travelling with us, many times with children, and we end up not wanting to be away from them all day. This trip in April is just me, my wife and my daughter, so it's the perfect time to book Vibe and we're all super excited to experience it. If some of our friends and family decided to join us, we could potentially cancel our passes prior to sailing and those passes could be made available after boarding. I think that's probably how it might happen for others. My wife would kill me for saying it, but I kind of hope nobody joins us. LMAO!!

Yes! Awesome venue!

I disagree "mostly" with the nickel and diming. Every cruise line has their unique way of pricing and packaging the product they offer. To me, it's clearly laid out and I always know exactly what I'm getting into. A little research and ownership of what you're purchasing is more important now than in the past and if you are surprised or confused it's on you. The pandemic crushed the entire cruise industry and required everyone to raise prices and reconstruct things just so they could survive and provide all of us with a cruise product that's still pretty damn good if you're a reasonable person. I began cruising, as an adult nearly 33 years ago, so I am aware of how things used to be. I'm also aware that the world has changed just a little bit too. Our last 4 cruises have been on NCL, but I always look at RCCL and Celebrity too when I'm planning. Apples to apples, with all fees, taxes, upcharges, and whatever else you can think of, NCL has always provided us with more for less. The one caveat in my research is that we like to drink a little more on vacation. If you're a drinker, NCL is a tremendous value with their FAS perks. And, we just sailed Joy in July, post pandemic, and the service and entertainment was excellent in spite of cutbacks. We enjoyed it so much that we've since booked a 10 sailing on Getaway for next April.

I agree. Nothing like being in there with the crowd and the music right in your face. I mentioned the Waterfront option because you can't always make every show and you may have some time to kill before doing something else or you're just taking a stroll. We were on Joy in July and one night we volunteered to babysit for my 1 and 5 year old nieces. We were walking along the Waterfront and there was a show going on inside the Cavern Club and we took a seat and enjoyed the music as we sipped on a cocktail. The 1 year old was sleeping and the 5 year old had some space to play and run around. We did make it inside the Club 2 other times for shows, so we also got the full experience. Excellent use of the amenities!

But there are speakers out there, so you can comfortably listen to the shows while sipping on your favorite cocktail and gazing out to sea!

I am so looking forward to Syd Normans on Getaway next April!! And I have no problem waiting on line a little. I did it on Joy in July, waiting for the Beatles tribute and got fabulous seats up by the stage. My wife brought me cocktails while I waited and the time flew by. So much fun!!

Just like I met people in July at Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda, who paid $49 per person for a transfer back and forth from the pier instead of the $14 per person we always pay when we visit. That's the one I'm always surprised about!

I'm sailing Getaway at the end of April, 2024 for 10 days and I just booked Vibe for $289 per person. It's my first time booking Vibe. We always cruise with others. Usually anywhere from 10 to 20 people and it always includes children, so we never have had the opportunity to book Vibe without dumping the majority of our group. And my wife loves to be with the kids too much to not spend the majority of our time with them. This time it'll be just my wife, myself and our 23 year old daughter. Not only will Vibe get us away from the crowds, it'll be nice if the 3 of us want to go have a nice sit down breakfast or lunch and not leave someone behind to save chairs. We can come and go as we please and always have space to enjoy our day. So looking forward to it and definitely will be worth it!

Thanks for the review! We've sailed Joy twice in the past 16 months and thoroughly enjoyed both sailings. We especially thought the staff was terrific! We had Club Balcony suites both sailings and, as good as our cabin steward was in 2022, the one this year might have been our best ever! And while I'm with everyone not loving the cancellation of Footloose, I can tell you that this year we didn't go because we saw it last year and there was still so much entertainment at night. We love live music and there was an abundance of it on Joy every single evening. At least 6 musical acts every night and we made the rounds to all of them! That's in addition to 2 comedians, Elements, Magician and many things in the atrium. We were thoroughly entertained!

Lmao 😂! Thanks for the funny reply. I was referring to any drawings that showed alterations to the OL on Encore or Bliss. Most everyone on here knows about Joy and it's scheduled refurb and why they're so easily able to convert part of the ol into cabins. No worries!

I know because in all of my years on CC and reading Bird's posts, she has never claimed to work for NCL. And if she doesn't work for NCL, she doesn't know. And, I didn't skip over anything. You made a statement, then I made a statement. You made another statement, then so did I. And what was drawn is not plausible in my humble and reasonable opinion.

With all due respect, Bird has no insight here. She doesn't have the blueprints for the Joy refurb and there is zero evidence that anything will ever be done with the other observation lounges on the other ships. This thread is only providing agita to the not so experienced who believe almost anything.

Lmao 😂

Definitely