Getaway Review 5/24-31 (Our first NCL Cruise)

[susieq76]

Great review! We leave on the Getaway in 3 days! I can't wait and your review is giving us some fabulous tips! Thank you!

[novanoto]

We saw you guys in St. Thomas last week when Allure was in port as well. How would you compare your experience on Allure vs. Getaway? We're debating booking Getaway next January or going on Oasis.

 

My wife and I went on the Oasis two years ago and was on the same Getaway sailing as notthatpaulyd. I honestly think we liked the Getaway better. There's no denying that the layout of the Oasis and the different activities like the aquatheatre, etc., are unbelievable. But the entertainment/shows, etc., on the Getaway, we thought were better quality and production. We also thought the specialty restaurants on the Getaway FAR surpassed the Oasis. However, we liked the main dining room and casino on the Oasis more. I think it's a matter of preference and what you hold to be more important in a ship.

[notthatpaulyd]

Sounds like a weird question but is the the pic of the shower in a balcony room???

 

Yes it is in a balcony room. I believe it was category BD.

[notthatpaulyd]

Hi there

do you know which nigth is the seafood buffet ?

Thank you

miryam

 

Hi Miryam,

 

We didn't eat in the buffet for dinner any evening, so I cannot say what night this was (or if there was one)

[notthatpaulyd]

We saw you guys in St. Thomas last week when Allure was in port as well. How would you compare your experience on Allure vs. Getaway? We're debating booking Getaway next January or going on Oasis.

 

Great question - in fact it was my biggest fear going into this... how could this ship possibly live up to the amazing Allure!?

 

We both absolutely loved this ship. I would be more apt to book this ship again before I would book Allure again, and am very excited to try the Escape in the coming years. The one major advantage I'd give the Allure was in the production value of the entertainment. While the game shows and evening activities were a blast on GA, they did not feature the same polished value that AOTS had (great example of this is the instant replays they did live for Quest, Belly Flop, etc.)

 

They did use the giant screen in the Atrium to show different camera angles during the big game shows, and even did a "loser's lounge" for one of the shows (more on this later), but overall the Getaway polish was just a tad more professional feeling.

[notthatpaulyd]

My wife and I went on the Oasis two years ago and was on the same Getaway sailing as notthatpaulyd. I honestly think we liked the Getaway better. There's no denying that the layout of the Oasis and the different activities like the aquatheatre, etc., are unbelievable. But the entertainment/shows, etc., on the Getaway, we thought were better quality and production. We also thought the specialty restaurants on the Getaway FAR surpassed the Oasis. However, we liked the main dining room and casino on the Oasis more. I think it's a matter of preference and what you hold to be more important in a ship.

 

It's funny, I just wrote my reply to kunta67 before I read yours and we said basically the opposite things!

 

To each their own of course, but the one thing we can agree on is that the Getaway is as good or better of a ship than the super mega flagship Royal ship!

[kunta67]

It's funny, I just wrote my reply to kunta67 before I read yours and we said basically the opposite things!

 

To each their own of course, but the one thing we can agree on is that the Getaway is as good or better of a ship than the super mega flagship Royal ship!

 

That's good to know, my wife and I absolutely had a blast on Allure especially with all the different neighborhoods, casual food options, and entertainment. We've never been on NCL and we thought if we're going to try it, we might as well go on their newest ship. How do the specialty restaurants compare to RCI's in your opinion?

 

Plus another thing in our mind is Oasis will be coming off it's fall drydock so we're curious what enhancements might come to the ship. How did you guys like the outside seawalk concept vs the Royal promenade, Central Park, and Boardwalk?

Edited June 4, 2014 by kunta67

[notthatpaulyd]

Day 3: Monday, May 26 - At Sea

We were excited for another day at sea, and really loved the fact that we started this itinerary with a long stretch of sea days before we made our way to our first port on Day 4.

 

We started our day the same way we started the day prior, Garden Café, towel station... I may not have mentioned, but your room comes with two towels, that you can exchange daily, or more frequently I suppose, at the onboard towel station which is on the starboard side of the pooldeck. You can also "sign out" towels to your room card, but you need to sign a form essentially saying you are on the hook for $25 per towel. When you return them, they just cross your name off the list... anyway, we landed at the pool around 11am in the same spot as the days prior.

 

Today's speciality drink, the Rebellious Fish, had quite the positive reputation on CC, so we started our day with two of these. You could buy it for just under $7 in a regular glass, or $9.70 in a take home "fish bowl" glass that said "Norwegians Drink from the Bowl." I figured we were on vacation, so what the heck? We splurged a bit and got the fun glasses and it was delicious!

 

 

We grabbed lunch around 1230, and, for the first time, ate at the Flamingo Bar and Grill (which is just above Garden Café on deck 16). It featured a delicious buffet of cuban food like yuca, plantains, chorizo, fried potato balls, moro, etc. We absolutely LOVED the food. I highly recommend you eat your lunch here at least once. It's also a much smaller area, and is slightly hidden behind the stacks/rock wall/slides, and thus there is rarely much of a crowd.

 

After lunch we headed back to the pool just before the "Battle of the Sexes Pool Game," which was a head to head battle of funny activities. According to Kayla, the girls have been undefeated since GA launched...ANNND, they won again this time around. I won't spoil much, but I'll add this pic because it gives a hint at the ridiculousness of some of the games...

 

 

After that, there was a slight break in the action before the "What's in the Bag Pool Game," where they set up 10 chairs and asked for volunteers. I was in the mood, so I decided to venture my way up and grab a seat. The game, without spoiling a thing, was essentially a mini version of the Quest at the pool. Led by Zesty Zach, and assisted by Junior, the staff would show us an item that they took out of a pool bag and we would need to run and get the items from the crowd. A chair would be removed each round, so if you were the last back with the item, you were out. For the sake of protecting the "integrity" of the game, I won't tell you any of the items we had to get... but I will tell you that I won! Here is me with my awesome winning t-shirt (and my game face I guess!):

 

 

After this, I had a spike of adrenaline and was ready for some adventure! I asked (convinced) Lindsay to join me on the Ropes Course and slides. We made our way up to the Ropes Course, on Deck 17 Aft. There was absolutely no wait at all, which was nice, because I was expecting that on Sea Day people would be taking advantage of the "amenities." They put you in a safety harness and then you make your way over to a set of stairs and clip in. It's really interesting how it works, and is essentially a rail system. There is an overhead track that you are attached to, and it gives you a certain degree of freedom to navigate the course how you would like. To prevent traffic jams, they do have some of the junctions blocked off to force you to go in a certain direction. You start by going to the top of a set of stairs and you immediately feel the wind. It was SO windy. I loved the thrill of it, but a young lady in front of me really started panicking. Fortunatley for her, it's not to hard to turn around at that point. This DID NOT help Lindsay's confidence but I convinced (forced) her to come along for the experience (she later thanked me). The plank is on the opposite corner of where you start and is totally optional. There are also a few round platforms along the course that allow you to be slightly over the water if you choose to. The rest of the course is comprised of "tight ropes," and balance beams, some more difficult to traverse than others... at no point during the course did I feel nervous... We did see on person fall, but he was suspended from the harness and then just regained his balance. We made our way over to the plank and no amount of convincing would get Lindsay to do it (or join me). Nonetheless, it was something I had to do. I have a fear of heights, and this was a moment to conquer that! I was surprised by the fact that this part of the course is unsupervised and you navigate out yourself. This was the only area on the course where there was a bit of congestion, as many people wanted to go out on the plank, hesitated and froze before going out, or were watching their loved ones venture out into certain death. The line here is quick and self governing, and a moment or two after we arrived at the plank, I was making my way out. It was absolutely exhilarating and beautiful. It's not terribly obvious, but when you get to the end of the plank, there is a red carabiner just dangling there. This is the shutter for the two cameras. There is one fish eye lens right in front of you, and then one further out taking a wide shot of you out on the plank, 18 decks above the raging sea! After looking at many people's pictures in the photo shop, and of course buying mine, I think looking straight ahead at the nearby camera creates the coolest picture. If you are looking at the far camera, the near one just captures the side of your head. I actually saw a few couples who went out together and took their pic like that (some even sat on the plank!). Here is my picture (which was $20 in the photo shop):

 

 

Finally, after the plank there is a short zipline that you fly across (they take your picture on this too, the camera is half way through to the left) and then make your way back down the stairs to return your harness.

 

At this point, Lindsay was all in, and we decided to race each other down the free fall slides (the blue and green ones). It was a little confusing to navigate which stairs took you where, but it was mostly because I didn't take the time to read the signs... so read the signs and you'll be fine. If you intend on going down these slides, it is important that you are not wearing any jewelry at all... none. Countless people had to leave rings, watches, earrings, etc at the top and then come back to retrieve them. Lindsay and I both entered our slides (I went in first in left slide) and watched as the capsule door closed around us. Because I went in first, my anxious wait was a bit longer! Once both doors are closed, the attendant tells you to lean back and cross your arms... before you know it you hear "3... 2... 1..." and WHOOSH! The floor drops out, you scream, and within seconds you're flying through this thrilling slide. I would say the whole ride lasts maybe 5-10 seconds but it was a blast. As soon as the floor drops, they take your picture... but you have NO CHANCE of looking good for this one ;).

 

Quick tip on the "action cameras" like the plank, zipline, and slides... unlike all other photos on the ship they do not ask for your room number (after every other photo they type your cabin number into the camera and it tags the photo so you go to your specific binder, listed on your card, in the photo shop to quickly and daily find your pictures). The ropes course shots are displayed in the traditional cruise photo shop style so it requires a bit of hunting...and at no point did I see any slide pics (I wonder if it's because the slide can sometimes have an adverse affect on bathing suits!). The trick (or tip) here, is to remember what day and time you went through the ropes course or did the slides. There are touch screen displays that you can swipe your card in and search the action cameras by day, time, and area (blue slide, green slide, plank, zipline). We did not do this, so it took us a while to find our pics as we only knew the day, but forgot what time. Once you find your pic, you can add it to your cabin so it will then be easier to find when you are ready to purchase.

 

What a day this was!!! We needed a nap and nap we did.

 

After our nap, we had our first speciality dinner at La Cucina. We ate outside at the Waterfront, which was beautiful, but Lindsay got a little woozy from the sea (she was facing aft, and refused to switch with me). This meal, unfortunately, was average at best. I got the chicken parm and Lindsay the meatball and pasta dish. Our favorite part of this meal was actually the bread! It came fresh out of the oven with four different infused oils to dip it in (pesto, garlic, thyme, and chili). The reason I say this meal was average, is that the quality of the meals in the free dining areas was as good if not better than the quality of the meals at La Cucina... additionally, there wasn't anything terribly unique on the menu. While it is the least expensive of the speciality dining options, I would not do it again.

 

At 9pm, we made our way to the Atrium and watched the Family Feud game... it was fun, but definitely not the best, nor a "must see." If I were to do it over, I probably would have gone to see one of the comedians. After the gameshow, we made our way to the casino for our first trip, and used our SlotPlay.com coupon in a few slot machines. We played for maybe an hour or so, and ended up walking away with $38 of our $50 (that we only payed $25 for). I had the most fun at the big Deal or No Deal slot machine, and ultimately screwed up in switching out my $25 case for a $5 case... womp womp womp!

 

That ended our fun filled day and night, and we headed back to our room ready to enjoy our first port day at St Maarten.

[notthatpaulyd]

That's good to know, my wife and I absolutely had a blast on Allure especially with all the different neighborhoods, casual food options, and entertainment. We've never been on NCL and we thought if we're going to try it, we might as well go on their newest ship. How do the specialty restaurants compare to RCI's in your opinion?

 

Plus another thing in our mind is Oasis will be coming off it's fall drydock so we're curious what enhancements might come to the ship. How did you guys like the outside seawalk concept vs the Royal promenade, Central Park, and Boardwalk?

 

We did the italian and Brazilian on RCI and the italian and steakhouse on NCL... I unfortunately don't remember them too well, but I would probably rank them:

 

1. Cagney's Steakhouse NCL

2. Brazilian Churrascaria (I don't remember the name) RCI

3. Royal Italian (don't remember the name) RCI

4. La Cucina Italian NCL

 

As far as the neighborhoods go, I enjoyed the Boardwalk, but it was just so far away from everything else. We only went there for shows in the aqua theatre. We were on deck 8, so Central Park for us was merely a walkway. I liked the idea of it, as it was nice, but I live and work in NYC so I get a fair dose of the REAL Central Park Daily :), and finally the Royal Promenade was very nice, but we only spent time there when walking through or going to the pizza place. NCL's 678 Ocean is a close replica of the promenade, and I actually think it was a bit nicer.

 

RCI's theater was definitely much larger than NCL's, but we literally spent 15 minutes in the theater during muster, and that's all.

 

I missed the flow riders, but NCL's slides and Ropes Course were way cooler!

 

I was really nervous going on NCL, especially since Carnival's Liberty was such a HUGE letdown for us after starting our cruising lives on Allure... and I was truthfully blown away. It felt like the perfect size and really met our needs quite well.

[novanoto]

We did the italian and Brazilian on RCI and the italian and steakhouse on NCL... I unfortunately don't remember them too well, but I would probably rank them:

 

1. Cagney's Steakhouse NCL

2. Brazilian Churrascaria (I don't remember the name) RCI

3. Royal Italian (don't remember the name) RCI

4. La Cucina Italian NCL

 

As far as the neighborhoods go, I enjoyed the Boardwalk, but it was just so far away from everything else. We only went there for shows in the aqua theatre. We were on deck 8, so Central Park for us was merely a walkway. I liked the idea of it, as it was nice, but I live and work in NYC so I get a fair dose of the REAL Central Park Daily :), and finally the Royal Promenade was very nice, but we only spent time there when walking through or going to the pizza place. NCL's 678 Ocean is a close replica of the promenade, and I actually think it was a bit nicer.

 

RCI's theater was definitely much larger than NCL's, but we literally spent 15 minutes in the theater during muster, and that's all.

 

I missed the flow riders, but NCL's slides and Ropes Course were way cooler!

 

I was really nervous going on NCL, especially since Carnival's Liberty was such a HUGE letdown for us after starting our cruising lives on Allure... and I was truthfully blown away. It felt like the perfect size and really met our needs quite well.

 

This. To a T. Since I was on the Oasis, my dining experience was a bit different (no brazilian on the Oasis, etc.), but I can say that Cagneys surpassed the Oasis steakhouse, as did all of the other specialty restaurants. My wife and I were very impressed with the specialty restaurants on the Getaway. We had the UDP included in our rate, so we tried all but Ocean Blue and we didn't have even remotely of a bad thing to say about any of them.

 

When I said we enjoyed the entertainment more on the Getaway, I was referring to the main shows, i.e., Legally Blonde and Burn the Floor. I went in not necessarily caring about either, and was wowed by both of them. On the Oasis, I found myself extremely bored with Hairspray, which was a show I liked when it was on broadway. My wife actually fell asleep during it. But as notthatpaulyd said, the other entertainment, game shows, etc., were better on the Oasis.

 

For what it's worth, since getting back from the Getaway, for our next cruise, I have found myself almost exclusively looking at NCL, specifically the Breakaway, the Escape and the Epic. I just felt that good about the Getaway.

[notthatpaulyd]

When I said we enjoyed the entertainment more on the Getaway, I was referring to the main shows, i.e., Legally Blonde and Burn the Floor. I went in not necessarily caring about either, and was wowed by both of them. On the Oasis, I found myself extremely bored with Hairspray, which was a show I liked when it was on broadway. My wife actually fell asleep during it. But as notthatpaulyd said, the other entertainment, game shows, etc., were better on the Oasis.

 

 

 

Makes sense. We unfortunately never made it to Burn The Floor or Legally Blonde but we didn't hear a single bad thing about it. We also didn't see Chicago on the Allure FWIW.

 

That being said, I think the wow factor of the Illusionarium was on par with that of the crazy cirque de soleil style aquabatics show from Allure.

 

 

 

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[Oldgoat61]

I have a couple of questions. 1) does the Getaway have a true promenade deck that makes a complete circle around the ship? And 2) did you feel crowded at all on the Getaway?

 

We have only sailed on NCL's smaller ships.

 

Thanks.....also, I am enjoying your review!:)

[aubreyc1988]

great review....we are going in august! we have sailed the allure before and loved it, so love your comparisons. was there a quest like show on getaway?

[notthatpaulyd]

great review....we are going in august! we have sailed the allure before and loved it, so love your comparisons. was there a quest like show on getaway?

 

 

There was not. Only the pool version I described.

 

Honestly, I don't think anything will ever match the Allure's Quest.

 

 

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[notthatpaulyd]

I have a couple of questions. 1) does the Getaway have a true promenade deck that makes a complete circle around the ship? And 2) did you feel crowded at all on the Getaway?

 

We have only sailed on NCL's smaller ships.

 

Thanks.....also, I am enjoying your review!:)

 

 

The Waterfront made a complete circle on the outside. The ship felt just right though and I never felt like I was walking too far side to side or front to back.

 

I never felt crowded. It was busy, but never over crowded or congested.

 

 

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[aubreyc1988]

There was not. Only the pool version I described.

 

Honestly, I don't think anything will ever match the Allure's Quest.

 

 

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we actually didnt do quest on the allure...we didnt know how fun it was. we did it on the Independence and wow, was one of the best parts of the cruise. will definitely miss the quest

[Cruisegirl2004]

I'm loving your review so far. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

Love the ropes course pictures!:D

 

I'm making lots of notes from your review - the tips are awesome by the way. I especially like the one about getting seating for the atrium shows upstairs! I love the drink pictures, and have made special notes to order them - they look so yummy.:D

 

Can't wait to read more!!

[Hanzz]

Great review. On Carnival, when you buy a drink in the souvenir cup, you can then trade it in for another but pay the non-souvenir cup price. The win is that the souvenir cups are bigger. Does anyone know if that the same on NCL?

[bearette]

Enjoying your review. Your gf has a great name but she spells it wrong. ( It is my name too).

 

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[notthatpaulyd]

Great review. On Carnival, when you buy a drink in the souvenir cup, you can then trade it in for another but pay the non-souvenir cup price. The win is that the souvenir cups are bigger. Does anyone know if that the same on NCL?

 

 

I don't know if this is an option. Sorry!

 

 

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[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Astrichel]

Loving your detailed review!! Keep

On sharing !

 

 

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[Geauxboy]

Great review! My Bride to be and I are sailing in September for our honeymoon!!

 

How was the motion on the ship? I have never gotten sea sick, but curious how it was on this large of a ship.

 

GREAT READ so far!!

 

 

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[notthatpaulyd]

Great review! My Bride to be and I are sailing in September for our honeymoon!!

 

How was the motion on the ship? I have never gotten sea sick, but curious how it was on this large of a ship.

 

GREAT READ so far!!

 

 

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Thanks and congratulations!

 

Lindsay can be quite sensitive to it, and never got "seasick." I'd say that you know the ship is moving at times, but it never seemed to bother us. It wasn't quite as stable as Allure, but way more stable than Carnival's Liberty.

 

Like I mentioned earlier, we read green apples help, so Lindsay ate one daily. We also brought ginger capsules, as we tried to stay away from any drugs that would make you feel woozy.

 

The only time we experienced motion sickness was on a cab ride in St Maarten!!! More on that as soon as I finish up my next day's review.

 

 

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Edited June 5, 2014 by notthatpaulyd

[Geauxboy]

Thanks and congratulations!

 

Lindsay can be quite sensitive to it, and never got "seasick." I'd say that you know the ship is moving at times, but it never seemed to bother us. It wasn't quite as stable as Allure, but way more stable than Carnival's Liberty.

 

Like I mentioned earlier, we read green apples help, so Lindsay ate one daily. We also brought ginger capsules, as we tried to stay away from any drugs that would make you feel woozy.

 

The only time we experienced motion sickness was on a cab ride in St Maarten!!! More on that as soon as I finish up my next day's review.

 

 

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Awesome thanks for the reply.

 

 

 

 

 

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