Just Off Getway-3-15-14 Review and Tips

[lattegirl10]

Hello all, I'm posting this thread for all those cruisers that are sailing the Getaway this weekend and in the near future. Also, for those cruisers who have cruised other cruise lines and have pre-teens and teens. Overall, the ship was amazing and we loved it. We would definitely book it again, that's how much fun we had. With that said, here's our review:

Parking: We parked at the Port, it was easy and fast.

Embarkation: We arrived at the Port at 9:30am- We arrive there early so we could be first in line for a cabana and vibe. It worked but I'll talk about that later. Check-in was easy.

First Impressions: The ship is beautiful and staff welcomed us with smiles, no complaints.

Guest Services- Deck 6- This was the first place we visited when we got on the ship. Thanks to cruise critic we were 2nd in line and got Cabana #2 in Vibe.

Cabins: We were on deck 12 in a family balcony. The cabins were smaller than other balcony cabins on other cruise lines, and the balcony was super small. They should rename the balcony to ledge. Which would probably be more accurate? But, as long as I can see the sunrise and sunset from the ledge I'm a happy camper.

Activities: This area exceeded all other cruises I've been on (Disney Dream, Carnival Breeze and RC Oasis) the ropes course and plank was challenging and fun. Once you get over the initial fear that you are not going to fall, you become empowered. The zip line is the final obstacle of the ropes course so you have to go to the end to swing across to the other side. Speaking of the zip line, I did the long zip line in Labadee, Haiti and onboard the Oasis of the Seas. I was more hesitant about this one because you have to run off the platform and swing like Tarzan. Super fun!!!!!!!! They have a trampoline which my son enjoyed. The arcade was huge and had a lot of games to choose from. Also, they had bowling and arcade type games in O'Sheehans as well on Deck 7. They had 5 waterslides. Two covered tubes that were fast and fun, one uncovered for kids and scary adults and the drop slide. My husband did the drop and he said it was fun but scary and he didn't want to do it again.

Ship Entertainment: Legally Blonde was cute, the actors top notch. Burn the floor was good, husband liked all the girls shaking their bottoms . The illusionarium was fantastic. Magic, comedy and a meal. It was worth the money for premium seats. The Cruise Director, was funny he was from Turkey and I don't remember his name but the planned activities were really fun. We played bingo, deal or no deal saw all the late night interactive shows and were all very fun. The comedians were super funny and were worth seeing.

Next post will be about the food, cabana and tips for others.

[gelo7]

Welcome back, great start.

[thephillykid]

We a are one of those going on this Saturday and we can't wait. Thanks for taking the time to write the review.

Howard

[PACRUISINNANA]

My daughter and I were on this same cruise we can't say enough about the ship the crew and the entertainment is fantastic. We can't wait to board her again.

[Kdiamond55]

We were also on the same cruise and on deck 12 in the family section.

 

Did you hear/feel a lot of vibrations in your room? We all did. In fact my son and I are still feeling a little swaying/woozy today. We also always felt swells and swaying when we were in the dining areas, like Cagney's/Moderno/Teppenyaki. That was my only real negative. In fact we had the same effects on the Epic too, but never on any Royal ship and never even on the Sky which we've cruised many times. I wonder if it has to do with the way these ships are built (the squareness of them).

 

Anyway it was a fantastic ship! We had some perfect weather too!

[lattegirl10]

Food:

 

We visited Teppaniki on day one and we were not impressed. We go to Hibachi restaurants all the time and the food and presentation was not good. The chef used almost a dozen eggs for the fried rice, the rice was to salty, and when he was chopping food flew everywhere including my water. Again, if this was my first time I would say never again but we have been to different Hibachi restaurants and the chefs were very neat and precise. Anyway, it didn't spoil our trip. The buffet was good, I had the lobster tails and shrimp skewers on the second night. Its good to know whats going on so you can plan your dinners and entertainment around the themed nights. The flamingo cafe on deck 15 I think was unbelieveable. They cook for quality not quantity so the food is more seasoned. O'Sheehans was in a great location, and I had the wings, fish and chips and chicken tenders. I tried the chicken fry on the chicken fry night and it was not good. But late night, O'Sheehans will be your best friend, trust me! Savor and Taste were ok. But, the buffet at lunch had better food.

 

Vibe/Cabana: After getting over the happiness of getting a cabana in vibe, I was able to see clearly. The Vibe Beach Club on the Getaway is overrated. There were so many areas right outside of vibe that you could get a chair in or out of the shade. If you didn't know about vibe, you didn't or wouldn't miss it. However, the cabana for the first 3 sea days were well worth the money and on board credit. Howver, the ship has so much to offer, I got board and wanted to watch movies in the atrium and go to bingo and participate and explore. But I did enjoy the waiters bringing me fresh grapes and melons, cold towels and drinks to my cabana. Btw- when I left the vibe area, waiters were giving people around the vibe area cold towels too.

 

CASINO: Last but not least, the casino. What's always interesting to me is that not to many people talk about the casino in the reviews, yet its always packed. Well, I'm changing that. I witnessed people (plural) receiving jackpot handpays everyday. Yes, everyday. I can say everyday I won between $100 and $300 my husband did too. The jackpots people were winning were 5,000, 10,000, 3,000, 25,000. This is just one day. Some people have alot of luck. You will have some luck in the casino, the key is not playing the money you won back. But you will get the fever, especially when people are hitting mega big wins on both sides of you. Great Casino, yes it's smokey but just avoid the people who are smoking and you will be ok.

 

Overall, I loved it, now here are the tips, these are just some things I wish someone told me:

 

1. Do go to Guest Services on Deck 6 to try to get Vibe/Cabana passes. If you don't get them, no sweat, there are several areas around vibe and the haven to enjoy.

 

2. Having a large late lunch at the buffet and/or the Flamingo will be more satisfying than being disappointed at your Dinner choice. Then you can always snack at O'Sheehans late at night.

 

3. Continuing form #2- Dinner takes a long time and most activites start at 7pm. If you have dinner reservations anytime after 6:30pm you will miss alot of the planned activities.

 

4. No lines or waiting for slides and ropes courses on port days, so I would really utilize the sea days for relaxing in the sun and exploring leisurely through the ship.

 

5. We learned towards the end of the trip that the gift shop price matches on alcohol if you take a picture of the item and price while at a port.

 

to be continued.....................

[lattegirl10]

We were also on the same cruise and on deck 12 in the family section.

 

Did you hear/feel a lot of vibrations in your room? We all did. In fact my son and I are still feeling a little swaying/woozy today. We also always felt swells and swaying when we were in the dining areas, like Cagney's/Moderno/Teppenyaki. That was my only real negative. In fact we had the same effects on the Epic too, but never on any Royal ship and never even on the Sky which we've cruised many times. I wonder if it has to do with the way these ships are built (the squareness of them).

 

Anyway it was a fantastic ship! We had some perfect weather too!

 

 

 

Actually, I did feel the ship move alot. Usually you don't feel as much swaying on the newer ships.

[mommiejaxx]

CASINO: Last but not least, the casino. What's always interesting to me is that not to many people talk about the casino in the reviews, yet its always packed. Well, I'm changing that. I witnessed people (plural) receiving jackpot handpays everyday. Yes, everyday. I can say everyday I won between $100 and $300 my husband did too. The jackpots people were winning were 5,000, 10,000, 3,000, 25,000. This is just one day. Some people have alot of luck. You will have some luck in the casino, the key is not playing the money you won back. But you will get the fever, especially when people are hitting mega big wins on both sides of you....

 

What specifically were you playing and were most people winning on table games or slots?

[SissasMomE]

CD is Sinan Ulucay. Best CD on NCL!!

[lattegirl10]

What specifically were you playing and were most people winning on table games or slots?

 

 

 

I only play the slots. So that's what I was referring to. I won't post the names of the machines, but they were the most popular ones you would find at the land casinos.

[lattegirl10]

My son enjoyed the 10-12 year old club and my 14 year old enjoyed the entourage. But be warned, registration on the first day was really backed up for the younger kids. Parents were asking the craziest questions and adding 3 and 4 people to the pick up list, And just standing there.

[Zoey]

Thanks for taking the time to provide your review. I think you've probably also alleviated a lot of people's frenzied concern of thinking they HAVE to get a Vibe pass or their cruise will be a total disappointment.

[DrNora]

I love your style, latte girl!!

In the few minutes it took to read your posts I , I have had my few iggly feelings relieved-like"oh , no- does the casino stink?( I don't mean smoke) is the arcade too small?

 

Etc etc etc

 

Thanks,!,,

 

Nora

[mommiejaxx]

I only play the slots. So that's what I was referring to. I won't post the names of the machines, but they were the most popular ones you would find at the land casinos.

 

Thanks, I have only played slot machines about 3 times in my life and never have played table games but it's nice to know for our upcoming cruise. I might have to try them out again! And thanks for the great review!!

[LrgPizza]

Great review! Thank you so much.

[barnacle_boy]

I was on this sailing as well. I've done several other cruises on her sister Breakaway, in a variety of ocean conditions, and I can definitely say that these ships are amongst the most stable passenger ships ever built. Even Oasis and Allure, with their unmatched 6m metacentric height, will move in response to swells and even moderate and large wind waves. The "vibration" or jerking motion of the ship in reaction to wind waves produced by local weather phenomena is, in fact, a telltale sign that a ship has a high metacenter with fantastic and immediate righting response. The most famous example of this is, of course, the great French liner Normandie, known by many sailors to be a "stiff and snappy roller." While sailing the Atlantic on the sea day between St. Thomas and Nassau, we encountered what are known as swell waves, which are quite different from wind waves. Swells are waves that have been created by distant weather phenomena (this is why the wind speed was rather low and the surface of the water was undisturbed). Swells exhibit lower frequencies, greater wavelengths, more regularity, and can carry more energy and thus create a different reactionary response from the ship. We appeared to be sailing into the swells, and the strong pitching movement we experienced is quite typical of this.

[kiyoko]

I was on this sailing as well. I've done several other cruises on her sister Breakaway, in a variety of ocean conditions, and I can definitely say that these ships are amongst the most stable passenger ships ever built. Even Oasis and Allure, with their unmatched 6m metacentric height, will move in response to swells and even moderate and large wind waves. The "vibration" or jerking motion of the ship in reaction to wind waves produced by local weather phenomena is, in fact, a telltale sign that a ship has a high metacenter with fantastic and immediate righting response. The most famous example of this is, of course, the great French liner Normandie, known by many sailors to be a "stiff and snappy roller." While sailing the Atlantic on the sea day between St. Thomas and Nassau, we encountered what are known as swell waves, which are quite different from wind waves. Swells are waves that have been created by distant weather phenomena (this is why the wind speed was rather low and the surface of the water was undisturbed). Swells exhibit lower frequencies, greater wavelengths, more regularity, and can carry more energy and thus create a different reactionary response from the ship. We appeared to be sailing into the swells, and the strong pitching movement we experienced is quite typical of this.

 

Wasn't this the best sailing ever? Problem is that the standard has now been set so high that we are spoiled forever. I didn't think that there was any unusual ship movement and thought the ship quite stable. Can't wait until May to go back and get to all the things we didn't have time for as well as redo some of the things we did. Hopefully, one week will be enough, but I doubt it.

Edited March 24, 2014 by kiyoko

[Bunnynme]

Sounds like you had a great cruise. Reading all these reviews makes me wish I was sailing sooner. Thanks for sharing.

[Still Dreaming]

Thanks for the review! Good news about loungers available with out vibe passes.

[jlcd66]

Thanks for posting! We sail on 4/12 and can't wait!!

[jlcd66]

Thanks for posting! We sail on 4/12 and can't wait!!

[mtns2sea]

Thanks for the review. I really appreciate the tips that you included.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[tray98]

Thank you! We are going on the Getaway in August. Can you tell me the cost of the Bowling and Arcade? My 6 yr old will be very interested in those!

[Momofcandk]

Thank you! We are going on the Getaway in August. Can you tell me the cost of the Bowling and Arcade? My 6 yr old will be very interested in those!

 

 

$5 per game. Small pins n balls not reg size but lots of fun. It's located in the adult bar area

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[bluesea777]

Thanks for taking the time to provide your review. I think you've probably also alleviated a lot of people's frenzied concern of thinking they HAVE to get a Vibe pass or their cruise will be a total disappointment.

 

I agree.

 

When it's your first time on a new ship you want to explore and do things - why waste time in Vibe?

 

We are planning to take a B2B on Getaway in the fall and will decide whether or not to get the Vibe pass for the 2nd week - we'll see after the first week.

Edited March 25, 2014 by bluesea777