NCL Getaway Review - Feb 28 - March 7

[ictcruiser]

This was our 4th NCL cruise and 7th cruise overall. I typically write a review right away upon return, but business travel left me with little time immediately following our cruise. I'm happy to share our thoughts and experiences, and hope someone else finds the information either entertaining or useful in making future travel decisions.

 

A little background on us: My husband and I share a cruisecritic ID. So, although we both use this ID, this review is mine, and the responses on this thread will be mine. My husband and I are in our 30's/40's with two young sons, ages 4 and 2. We live in the Midwest and typically take a big family vacation once a year, but enjoy other less elaborate trips throughout the year. I enjoy wine, cocktails, and fine dining. My husband likes cigars, live music and casinos. This year, my mother joined us on the cruise.

 

Our oldest son had been on a cruise with us before when he was 16 months old, and our youngest son is what you might call a "souvenir" from that same cruise. The boys were both excited about the cruise and going on an adventure. While we know traveling with young children can be taxing, we also enjoy spending time with them in new environments, watching them learn and explore, and experience new things. My biggest fear on the cruise was if one of the kids would fall out of the top bunk in their room or if (although our youngest is potty trained) he'd have some kind of a set-back and have an accident in the pool. Thankfully, neither happened!

 

We were excited to experience the Haven for the first time. Our prior NCL cruises had all been in suites, but this was our first time on a ship with The Haven. We had booked a 2-bedroom family suite. Our boys were excited about the "bunk beds" and having a ladder to climb. My mom was just excited that she could trade being our babysitter extraordinaire for a free cruise.

 

We flew to Miami on the Friday before our cruise. Our flights arrived in at approximately noon. We had made a prior reservation with Family Car Service--a local transportation company that advertised they provided carseats--to take us to the Hilton Downtown Miami. We used American Express points and booked this hotel because it looked like the rooms would be spacious. I'm not a huge fan of shared shuttles while on vacation...I like a vacation to relax, and shared transportation typically ends up with a lot of waiting on other people or additional stops, which can be challenging with kiddos. Preferring to control our own destiny, we got a Yukon/Suburban type vehicle. The driver met us at baggage claim and loaded all of our belongings.

 

When I was buckling the kids in the car-service provided car seats, I felt they were very cheap, and well-used seats. Also, I felt they could have been installed more securely--they were installed loosely with seat belts and NOT the LATCH system. On one of the seats, the straps of the five-point harness were twisted inside the buckle, so I took the time to re-thread it correctly and tighten the seats up. I think the driver was confused at what was taking me so long. Ordinarily, I'm kind of a go-with-the-flow type of person...but the trip from the airport to the hotel cost us $150 (because of the car seats and driver assistance with meeting us and luggage). It ended up being a <15 minute ride. So...Family Car Service = family rip off, in my opinion. I hate the idea of foregoing carseats with kids so young (even though its not illegal in a 'for-hire' car, I think it sets a bad precedent with our kids) there HAS GOT to be a better way for airport transfers. Entrepreneurs out there: start a family car service in Miami! The market is HUGE!

 

Thankfully, our room was available when we arrived at the hotel. We got settled in and got some foot at the bar in the lobby. We had come from freezing weather, so after a bite to eat, we all went down and for a swim. The boys loved being in the sun and water; my mom and I swam with them while my husband relaxed with a cigar and a scotch. Vacation had begun!!

[ictcruiser]

February 28 dawned grey and overcast. Upon waking up, I hit the gym in the hotel. I could see all of the ships already docked waiting to unload the passengers who would make room for us. Excitement was palpable in the hotel gym...everyone working out was embarking on a cruise later that day. We were all hoping the rain would hold off and allow for a festive sail away later that afternoon.

 

I had challenged myself to keep to my exercise schedule while on vacation. My husband and I had recently started eating Paleo at home and I'm very committed to my exercise regimen. This was our first big trip since making some health changes at the end of last fall, and I really hoped to be able to stay pretty consistent on the cruise. Luckily, the Hilton had some decent free weights because all of the treadmills and elliptical were full while I was down there. I guess everyone else was either also committed to similar goals, or using their last chance to burn calories before the week-long gorge-fest that can be cruising. Either way, the hotel had a decent gym (and I've seen plenty of them for business travel), and the view of the ships: thrilling!

 

We had the breakfast buffet at the hotel and lounged around the room for the rest of the morning. At about 11:30, we walked down and got in the hotel van/shuttle to the pier. There were only 2 other couples with us in the van (good, for me because I really struggle feeling like cattle :-) and we made the trip to the pier in under 10 minutes.

 

Check in and security screening went very smoothly. We were ushered into the Haven check-in area to get our photos and ship cards. While there, we met several other Haven guests. Everyone was excited to get on board! After waiting less than 30 minutes, we were ushered through all of the lines, got our embarkation group photos (if you wanted them) and then made our way on board. We had a small umbrella stroller for our youngest and one of the crew members escorting us on board, pushed him up the ramp to the ship. He was laughing and smiling and dancing while pushing the stroller. It looked like he was enjoying our son, and our little guys felt like they were leaders of a parade!

[ejkmomco]

We leave on 5/30/15. Very happy to read your review :-)

[ictcruiser]

One of the greatest things about being a guest in the Haven was the way we were escorted on and off the ship. There was a single elevator in the front elevator bank that they had turned onto "Priority." I think they were using this to bring all the Haven guests up after check in. We were escorted into the Haven lounge where the waiters and bartenders were mixing up drinks and passing sliders and shrimp cocktails.

 

Sincerely, I was so nervous about booking the Getaway. I knew how big the ship was...I love cruising but crowds of people is the last way I wanted to spend my vacation. Our prior cruises had been on the Dawn and the Star...they are much smaller ships. We had huge balconies on those ships with loungers on them, so we mostly hung out in our room/balcony. My husband really sold me on the "ship within a ship" concept and promised I wouldn't feel like a citizen of a small city on this ship. I have to admit (don't tell him I said this) he was right!!! The Haven is a wonderful concept and perfect for our family.

 

My mother and I both wanted to order the Viva Vino package. We each got four bottles and figured that would work for us to roughly split a bottle of wine each day.

 

Our room was ready very soon after we arrived in the Haven lounge. I was very thankful because by this time it had started raining. Kind of a bummer of a way to start a cruise, but we committed ourselves to having lunch and exploring the common inside areas of the ship until we could get outside.

 

We met our butler Lahni and our concierge Adrian. Our room was fantastic!! There was an unbelievable amount of storage, and the boys were so excited to have their own room. They explored every nook and cranny and cubbie. We checked in with the steward, Paul, and asked him to make up the beds in the boys bedroom as a single on the bottom and the pull-down from the ceiling. Our boys both still take daily naps so this would be best for them to have access to their beds any time of day. While our actual bedroom was not much bigger than the king bed it contained, the bathroom was off the charts. I loved having a bathtub to give the kids a bath and the views from the windows above the sink and in the shower were kind of fun (scandalous?) to enjoy.

 

We had lunch in the Haven restaurant - I had a salad and the mahi, my husband had a steak. Our boys both got macaroni and cheese and nearly ate themselves into a coma--the portions were huge, and I think they were happy to find something on a menu that they liked so well.

 

After lunch, we went to sign our 4 year old up for the kids club. I knew he would love it, but he was a little uncertain because when we went there were just big empty rooms and not very many other kids there with their parents. He got a bracelet on his wrist that indicated which group he was in. Our 2-year old got jealous and wanted a bracelet too...the staff of the kids club was so nice: they made him a little bracelet out of the teenage group's color (so there would be no confusion) and we wrote his name an our cabin number on it with permanent marker. In hindsight, I'm glad we did this.

 

The boys took naps after we made one walk through the ship to check out the Sponge Bob pool. They couldn't wait to swim in it, but it was still drizzly and cold, so getting them to sleep wasn't that difficult. We ended up putting one to bed in each of the bedrooms so they wouldn't keep each other up (they don't share a room at home so when they are together, they just want to play).

[ictcruiser]

This is the escorted stroller ride our youngest got during embarkation:

 

 

This is the Haven courtyard on the first day while still docked in Miami. Notice the dark and gloomy skies.

 

 

These are two pictures of inside our suite: one of the living room, and one of the view out of the window in our bathroom

 

 

Edited March 28, 2015 by ictcruiser

[Saraphine]

Looking forward to the rest of your review, especially with focus on the Haven. I too am not much into crowds and will probably be spending most of my time in the Haven.

[Summerknight]

Following, seriously considering our first NCL cruise on this ship.

[ictcruiser]

For dinner on our first night, we booked the Illusionarium. Because it was dinner and entertainment, I knew that our kids would be relatively well behaved. We had booked the show in advance, and not knowing the layout of the area well, we booked a booth/banquet table seating. While walking down to the show (everyone in the Haven was escorted by Adrian, the concierge) Adrian said that he had taken the liberty of moving us to table seating as all the booth/banquet tables are along the back wall. With the kids, he thought the table seating would be better.

 

We ended up with second row seats! The wait staff came around and asked about food allergies, and I requested a gluten free meal. For the kids, they had options other than the prix fixe meal--I'm pretty sure our kids got macaroni and cheese again. The adult meal was a salad, with a beef filet and three shrimp. I believe the side was potatoes. DH and mom and I all actually thought the food was very good. Was it the best steak I've ever had? Certainly not, but I've had plenty of plated dinners with filet as the main course and this was definitely on par. For my gluten free meal, I believe my shrimp had a different breading and then when the "trio of desserts" came out at the end of the meal, my plate only had the flourless chocolate cake.

 

The show was GREAT! I highly recommend it. Our kids were amazed by the magic (as were we!) and our four year old volunteered and got called up on stage to help with one of the tricks. He was such a ham, and we were very proud of him. Several people came up after the show and commented about how impressive such a little guy was on stage. We were thrilled, as parents, to hear such nice comments about our kiddo.

 

The only comments I would add as critiques to the Illusionarium is that both my gluten free meal and the kids meals came out at different times than everyone elses--they were later. So, while I expect this as an adult, our kids struggled a little bit with waiting.

 

Towards the end of the show, our 2 year old got a little fussy so my mom picked him up and took him to the back of the theater. I believe it was the Manager of the dining portion of the show came up and asked if there was anything should could do to help; my mom just said he was a little fussy and didn't eat his dessert. The manager offered to bring him some plain fruit (which my kids LOVE) and mom accepted. For the rest of the show, he sat on her lap eating berries, melon and pineapple...happy as a clam.

 

If you are considering this venue for a meal an entertainment--do it!! The magic is great and its very entertaining for people of all ages.

 

That evening, our four year old went to the kids club the first time and my mom walked around the ship with our two year old. I believe they went to check out "his kids club" (Guppies?) which happened to be conveniently located just outside the entrance to the Haven. It was a room with playmats and toys on the floor with a bench along the wall for parents to sit on. Our littlest guy loved this place...he went multiple times a day and just liked having something special just for him.

 

DH and I went to the Welcome Aboard show the first evening. We got to see portions of almost every entertainment on the ship. The dancers from Burn the Floor were amazing, and although we kind of wondered how good the harmonica player from the Grammy Experience would be, he was really, really good. Sponge Bob, Dora and Diego even made an appearance and we regretted not bringing our kids to the show (they love plays and musicals).

 

After the welcome aboard show, we went to pick up our 4yo at Splash Academy. I think we picked him up about 9pm. The evening hours for Splash Academy are generally 7-10:30, and our kids usually go to bed about 8pm. We didn't realize that most people leave their kids in the kids area until 10:30 when it closes. The staff of Splash Academy asked us if everything was ok....if anything was wrong? We were kind of clueless...Nope, it was just bedtime for him :-)

 

My son and I went back to our suite and I think my husband (more of a night owl than any of us) went to check out the casino.

[watchdiva]

I love reading your review. We are sailing the Getaway in January and it is our first time on one of the megaships and I'm somewhat apprehensive about how crowded things will be. Did you use the private Haven sundeck and if so, did you have any problem finding an umbrella for shade up there?

[ihavecats]

 

When I was buckling the kids in the car-service provided car seats, I felt they were very cheap, and well-used seats. Also, I felt they could have been installed more securely--they were installed loosely with seat belts and NOT the LATCH system. On one of the seats, the straps of the five-point harness were twisted inside the buckle, so I took the time to re-thread it correctly and tighten the seats up.

 

I just want to point out that there is no safety difference between using the seat belt or lower anchors when installing a car seat. This is of course assuming it's installed correctly for either option.

[ictcruiser]

I love reading your review. We are sailing the Getaway in January and it is our first time on one of the megaships and I'm somewhat apprehensive about how crowded things will be. Did you use the private Haven sundeck and if so, did you have any problem finding an umbrella for shade up there?

 

You will LOVE it! I used the sundeck a handful of times--twice by myself and once with my husband. I always had options for loungers or clam-shell type beds and it was very peaceful and not crowded. The Haven staff works the upper and lower decks so if you want a drink or a snack they are very quick to help, but not bother, you. This is one of the reasons I love the Haven...compared to the adult-pool area, it was practically deserted!

[ictcruiser]

I just want to point out that there is no safety difference between using the seat belt or lower anchors when installing a car seat. This is of course assuming it's installed correctly for either option.

 

This is true, especially since they wouldn't have known the weights of our children (I think LATCH maxes out at a combined seat + child weight that could possibly mean for the seat to correctly be installed, it MUST be installed using a seat belt), however, they were very, very loose and I could move them easily with little effort.

[ictcruiser]

Another reason I was initially hesitant to book this cruise was that our itinerary had only three ports of call and two sea days in a row. Now...don't get me wrong, I LOVE sea days, but I've found in the past that I enjoy ports more than sea days and I always worry I'm going to run out of things to do on the ship. We did a 3-port / 7 day cruise out of LA to the west coast of Mexico and I swore "never again" for that itinerary.

 

Here are the reasons I've since changed my mind:

1) The Getaway--though very, very large, has TONS of things to do. There are still things I wanted to do but missed the chance to.

2) The sea days are in front of the week, and the last full day on the ship is actually a port day. The reason I struggled with the Mexican cruise is that I felt rushed...we were in Puerta Vallarta on a Wednesday with two sea days before disembarking on Saturday...that left us nothing to look forward to and I felt rushed off ship. That is NOT the case with the current Getaway itinerary.

 

My mom and I woke early to hit the gym. She did a 7am stretching class followed by a 7:30 Abs class --these were free classes, attended by a handful of people, and in her opinion very good (she is very active and exercises regularly). It was a normal cardio day for me, so I elected to hit the treadmills. I've run on a treadmill at sea before, but I'd always been facing towards windows that looked over the front of the ship. The Getaway cardio machines do face windows...but the look out over the starboard side of the ship. Our first day at sea we were really moving...it took me a bit to get my bearings: both of running on a treadmill AT SEA and couterbalancing the normal sway of the ship, and running forward while seeing the sea moving past me going left to right. I was successful, but it did take some concentration.

 

For Sunday breakfast, we ordered room service. Our kids our big breakfast eaters, and do reasonably well in restaurants, but I hesitate to throw them into eating 3x a day in public where they are expected to sit an behave. Our butler delivered breakfast promptly, as ordered almost every day of our cruise. We typically got scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, and fresh fruit with apple juice (for the kids) and coffee.

 

Since the day began sunny and warm, my kids immediately wanted to go check out the Sponge Bob pool. This was a great area and very entertaining for them. It was not salt water! The little pool in the middle was about 18 inches deep with two small slides going down into it. There were also some water features which sprayed water from one of the walls and up from the floor. My kids could have played for days in there!

 

That morning was a cruise critic meet and greet. My husband and I normally attend, although this time we were feeling a little unprepared having not been as active on our roll call as we typically are. The M&G was in Cagneys. What I really liked about this one was there were a nice number of ship and hotel officers that attended, but rather than be a "sit and listen" it was more of a social hour / mix and mingle. JC Sanchez was our cruise director. He introduced maybe 6-10 of the senior managers of various departments, and then the officers just came out and interacted and visited with us. There was no "this is what I do...do you have questions?". It was just a few one-on-one conversations with officers. For me, I thought the style was well done---it was casual and very personal. This was our first time attending a M&G like this and we both enjoyed it very much.

 

After the M&G, we did the waterslides with our oldest son while grandma played with our younger son in the Sponge Bob pool. There are 5 waterslides on the ship: a purple "family slide" that is pretty tame, two "whip slides" that are red and orange, and then two "drop slides" that are blue and green. The only height restrictions were that you had to be 48 inches tall to ride the drop slides (and I think, weigh over 100 lbs). We started on the purple slide and our son LOVED it. We knew that he would. We got him comfortable doing that slide, and even to the point where we could sit and watch him go without walking up the stairs and going each time.

 

My husband then split from us to try the drop slide. It looked scary as heck to me!! He came back and said how "awesome" it was, and that I should try it. They are very strict about the rules on this slide: no jewelry and no rivets / metal on the back of your swim suit. I walked almost all the way to the top to try the slide, and chickened out! 1) Its WINDY that high up and 2) I saw how they load people in that thing and it looks like a coffin and GOES STRAIGHT DOWN. When DH saw me, he gave me a hard time about not going...I used the excuse that I had my wedding rings on and didn't want to leave them at our chairs. He said he would hold them, but that I would love it if I actually went on it. So I tried again...determined not to chicken out.

 

When you get in the slide, you stand straight up-and-down on a little platform inside the tube. A glass door closes over you (like a coffin, I swear!) and the attendant uses a key to LOCK YOU IN. Then, a recorded voice says: "Launching! In 3...2....1!!!" And the floor drops out and you fall straight down!

 

But again (shhhhh!) my husband was right. I LOVED IT!! It was incredibly smooth, thrilling, and seriously lasted all of 5 seconds. I think I did it about 10 times again throughout the week.

 

After swimming, our boys loved to finish off their pool time by either going to get soft serve ice cream at the buffet or by having "family hot tub time" in one of the two Haven hot tubs. It was a little windy on Sunday, so the warmth of the hot tub and protection from the winds inside the courtyard was a perfect way to ease into nap time.

[ictcruiser]

Sponge Bob made a celebrity appearance at our Meet and Greet

 

 

This is my lunch salad in the Haven restaurant on Sunday

 

 

A few of the waterslide pics - this was one of the highlights of the cruise for our 4yo; he could go on 3 of the 5 slides on board and they were even fun for adults.

 

 

[ejkmomco]

So fun to read your review!! Questions for you: I've read varying opinions about what time to get to the pier on embarkation day. You got there around 11:30am. We too are in a Haven suite (:) ). How long were the lines before you got to the Haven lounge/waiting area? My sister doesn't really want to get the port and just sit around and would prefer to get to the port around 11:30, but I'm concerned about long lines. On our cruise, there are not many Haven rooms left. What was the capacity of the Haven suites on your cruise? Thank you!

[ictcruiser]

So fun to read your review!! Questions for you: I've read varying opinions about what time to get to the pier on embarkation day. You got there around 11:30am. We too are in a Haven suite (:) ). How long were the lines before you got to the Haven lounge/waiting area? My sister doesn't really want to get the port and just sit around and would prefer to get to the port around 11:30, but I'm concerned about long lines. On our cruise, there are not many Haven rooms left. What was the capacity of the Haven suites on your cruise? Thank you!

 

There were no lines at all! Between the time our bags were taken by the porters to us going through the metal detectors and bag scanners, we were in the Haven check-in lounge in 5 minutes. We waited there about 30 minutes (they have some light refreshments and beverages) and then we were escorted onto the ship.

 

We were cruising before most of the spring break crowd. I never felt like the Haven area was very crowded. Although I can't speak to an actual "number", we never had an issue getting a seat in the restaurant for any meal, a chair on the pool deck, or a lounger on the top deck. I'm assuming most ships sail fairly full...but its possible there weren't alot of rooms / suites holding more than 2 people. We only saw a few other kids in the Haven, and we NEVER had trouble getting a hot tub for just our family.

[Disneycruisers]

Great review....we are cruising on her in 65 days.

[ictcruiser]

For dinner on Sunday night, my husband and I had reservations at Cagney's. I really love this restaurant, and felt they continued to perform outstandingly on the Getaway as well. We used one of the bottles I had purchased with my Viva Vino package, and although the server took a little while to actually fetch the bottle, every thing else was great. I had a ribeye--cooked perfectly: medium rare. My husband had a ribeye, but also added on lobster tails. They were delish (he shared!). Choosing to deviate from our Paleo eating habits, we decided to split a creme brulee...this was the only item that kind of disappointed me. While flavorful, it was just...cold.

 

After dinner, DH and I hit up all the night life spots on levels 6-7-8 of the ship. Although there is no towering atrium on the Getaway, there are many specialty restaurants, entertainment venues, bars and the casino clustered around this 3-level section of the ship. The plus side of this is that everything is fairly close together, so "dinner and a show" is very easily done. I love all the smaller venues on the Getaway: the comedy club, the Grammy Experience, the Ice Bar, the Mojito bar, the cigar lounge...The Getaway does a GREAT job of breaking people up and sectioning them off. There is always a new place to explore; so you never feel like one of a herd. The downside of this layout is that the smoke from the casino can be smelled nearly everywhere on these levels. It didn't bother me enough to not go there (obviously!), but I did feel like I couldn't re-wear some of the clothes I only wore for an evening. Its quite possible I just have a nose like a bloodhound, but it seems silly to put the casino air open to the thoroughfare of the main night spots on the ship.

 

After dinner, we went to the comedy club. We love live comedy and thoroughly enjoyed the performers that were on the stage that night. We learned they rotate comedians, so its possible to see multiple comics in the same cruise. This venue also hosts the Howl At the Moon dueling pianos, but sadly, this is one of the entertainment features we never got a chance to see on our cruise.

 

After the comedian (which, although hilarious, my only complaint was that headliner's act was slightly too short) we wandered over to the Grammy Experience. Performing was a blues harmonica player: Sugar Blue. We were really impressed with his act during the welcome aboard show on Saturday night. Seeing him with a full band was even better. Although we were both looking a little side-eyed at the Grammy Award Winning Harmonica Player featured on the literature when we first boarded....we were eating our words when we saw him play. That dude can play and sing. Two thumbs up!

 

After the Grammy Experience, we wanted to have one more drink and then head back to our room. We decided to try the Ice Bar because we'd never done one before. For $20 per person, we got the use of huge fur parkas and two "free" vodka cocktails per person inside the bar. Here is our take on it: I'm glad we did it. Its a novelty, so check that box off the list. But we'd probably never do it again. IT'S FREEZING IN THERE!!! I was wearing a strapless dress and sandals. Those coats were really warm, but since they don't come with boots, my feet were ice cubes! The drinks were good...so if you want to look at it like "two drinks for $20" then maybe its a good deal. However, I normally like to savor my cocktails. We were so cold we shot those puppies back and sprinted out of there!

 

We made it back to our room (after the wine at dinner and the cocktailing afterwards, we were a wee bit tipsy) thinking everyone would be asleep. When we walked in our room, a little arm shot up from the club chair and waved at us! Our four year old stuck his head up and he was COVERED with a black Batman mask painted on his face! He'd had such a good time at the Splash Academy and was so excited about his face paint, he wanted to stay up until we got home to show us. Bless his heart...he was practically asleep in our arms, but I've never seen a cuter Batman.

[ictcruiser]

This is Spider Mountain. Although it took him some effort and time to figure it out, our four year old mastered this. Its 8 levels of bungee-type woven floors with a very twisty slide at the top. I was pretty proud he conquered it!

 

 

A couple more pictures of our suite: Looking back from the balcony to the living room, and then the balcony and furniture.

 

 

 

The lobster (add on $) and ribeye from Cagney's.

 

 

[ejkmomco]

Thank you for your reply about the embarkation lines - really appreciate the time you took to reply :-)

[ejkmomco]

Disneycruisers - we are also on the 5/30 Getaway cruise! Can't wait!!!

Anna

Edited March 29, 2015 by ejkmomco

[supercruiser7070]

Thank you for the very informative review ictcruiser! Were traveling on her soon :)

[ictcruiser]

Thank you for your reply about the embarkation lines - really appreciate the time you took to reply :-)

 

Absolutely! Thats what these forums are for!

[cruisingcasinos]

Hi, We were on the same cruise and met you in the Haven waiting room before embarkation and then later at the M&G. During the M&G, your DH raved about the illusionarium show. Made us determined to go see it and were we ever glad!

 

Great job on the review. It made me feel as if our cruise were yeaterday and not almost a month ago!

[ictcruiser]

Hi, We were on the same cruise and met you in the Haven waiting room before embarkation and then later at the M&G. During the M&G, your DH raved about the illusionarium show. Made us determined to go see it and were we ever glad!

 

Great job on the review. It made me feel as if our cruise were yeaterday and not almost a month ago!

 

I know right??? It really was a month ago...time flies and real life gets away from us. Glad you enjoyed that show!