Norwegian Getaway 3/28-4/4 review from Florida Cruisers

[florida_cruisers2015]

I got SO MUCH out of other's reviews of the Getaway that I thought I would add some of my own. I didn't take pictures, like some did, so there are better threads if you want to see pictures of food. I probably won't remember to check back in to answer questions, but I'll try. Please search the forum.

 

My husband and I took this as our second honeymoon and our first time kid-free in about eight years. We wanted to relax, enjoy some quiet time, and reconnect. This review would be very different had we been traveling with kids, or if our goal was to party, as the activities we chose were based on our desires.

 

Ultimate Dining Package vs. Beverage Package

 

We stayed in a Spa Balcony and got the Ultimate Dining Package for free. We had a choice between that and the Beverage Package. We aren't big drinkers, but we did drink a lot on the ship, mostly because I wanted to try new things. We ended up spending $242.00 on drinks (not including the ice bar, because that's not included in the drink package), so it really didn't matter. If we'd have picked beverage and paid for dining, we'd have saved about $2. BUT had we had the drink package, we probably would have drank more. So there is that. I felt like we drank a LOT, because at home we rarely do.

 

 

Tips and Excursions

 

In St. Maarten we did the Discover St. Marten French and Dutch

 

We knew from other CC posts to sit on the left side of the bus. This still applies. Most of the things we saw were on the left and that included some breath taking views.

 

They told use to stay in the same seats, which I appreciated after almost losing souvenirs on an excursion in Grand Cayman where other travelers sat in our seat and we had to make a fuss to get the things we'd put under "our" seat back. On this trip they were clear about it, posted a sign about it, and we never had an issue.

 

Our tour guide was Rrrrrrafeal and he was a very friendly guy. He told us about the various statues we passed, the history of the island, how school works, the speed limit, the tourist industry, and all kinds of fun stuff. There is no soil on St. Maarten, so they import almost everything and it only comes in twice a week. It was fascinating to see that the houses there were made of materials that were available and would hold up in storms, and there was no landscaping to speak of. It was so different.

 

We stopped for an hour in the Marigot where we walked around the open air market. There was a lot of neat stuff to see. I honestly would have bought more if prices were marked. The only thing we didn't see on the other side was the butterfly displays that one man had. They were gorgeous. Everything else was available either on the Dutch side in a shop or on another island.

 

Highly recommend: Try the fresh coconut water and the sugar cane juice. Both were delicious!

 

Bathrooms: There are no bathrooms on the bus but there are restaurants and shops that will allow you to use it. The tour guide tells you which ones. I spent the first 15 minutes of this stop waiting in line for the bathroom. I highly recommend that you do all your business on the ship, many bathrooms on the islands are "pee pee only no poo poo" with very weak toilets and they ask you to put your paper in the trash instead of in the bowl. (This seems common for most places we've traveled.)

 

NOTE ON CIGARS: The vendors will tell you that you are allowed to bring cuban cigars to the US now. This is true BUT ONLY IF YOU GO TO CUBA to buy them. You are still not allowed to buy them on a third island and bring them home and the penalties are still severe. Remember the merchants will almost always try to get the sale rather than to protect your interests. (They'll tell you what they think you want to hear.)

 

We took advantage of the free wifi. We just stood in the middle of the market, searched for the open wifi, and connected. I uploaded a photo to facebook then logged off. (This was a tech-free week for me, other than using my phone for photos.)

 

Once we got back on the bus the tour continued. We saw (I think) the entire island, even if we didn't go to the beaches or the air field. I was very happy with that. I didn't want to spend any time at the beach (I fry and then peel and freckle, I don't tan, and we have gorgeous beaches at home), and I really didn't want to see the airplanes come in low. If you want to do either of those choose the longer tours.

 

We ended up choosing to be dropped off in Phillipsburg where all the shopping is. We had been told on the ship about the water taxi, so we knew how to get back and had the exact change ready. ($5 one way each, $7 round trip.)

 

Shopping was fun. We mainly went and collected all the freebies and then looked around. We bought Guavaberry rum, the only place you can buy it is on the island. You CANNOT get it in the US. It is yummy stuff. We also bought chocolate from the chocolate store (and you an buy a bag from them for about $3 so it doesn't melt, highly recommended).

 

The Del Sol and Cariloha (sp?) bamboo store were both better on Nassau, we thought. We didn't buy anything at the bamboos store on St. Maarten but did in Nassau because the store was bigger and they had more items.

 

Most of the coupons that you can get on the ship for freebies are also available by the hawkers on the island who want to get you in the stores. The "guaranteed" ships that the lovely Rita will tell you about give you an additional year through NCL when Rita scans your receipt. That said, many other stores advertise they have better prices because they don't pay the cruise ships commissions. I don't know if that's true--I didn't compare. I'm still very glad we attended the presentations by Rita for shopping and were educated about where to go, what to buy, etc. The tips on the taxis and water taxis alone was worth the time.

 

In St. Thomas we did Castaway Shipwreck Sail & Snorkel

 

Overall I would highly recommend this tour for inexperienced snorkelers like us who aren't very athletic. We were somewhat sore the next day, but it was tolerable. The crew was GREAT, very friendly. I felt safe the whole time. Five stars!

 

TAKE THE BLUE TOWELS. We didn't know that we were supposed to take the pool towels with us and by the time they told us there wasn't time to run up to grab them and come back. So we were towel-less!

 

The walk from the ship was quite a long one. We met in the Getaway Theater on Deck 7 at 920, followed our ship guide to the pier and between a quarter mile and half a mile out. Then we were met by our cabin boy after a short wait and walked the rest of the way. Two other Castaway Girl boats were being boarded at the same time and they did a great job making sure everyone was able to get on the correct boat.

 

Once we were at "our" boat, we had to take off our shoes which were placed in a bin. This is a barefoot boat. Then we were able to crowd onto the deck for a brief introduction for the crew (Sam and Karl are the only two whose names I remember). Once we were on the way we could sit anywhere we wanted that was safe. Once we spread out there was plenty of room. Soda and water was freely available, so you do not need to bring water bottles on with you. I greatly appreciated everyone on board spoke English as a first language and was clearly understandable. It was very easy to communicate with them. Film underwater cameras were available to purchase.

 

Watching the island as we moved away from it was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Gorgeous views! It was a true pleasure to view that Caribbean blue water, the clear skies, and the mountainous and beachy views for the 45 minute trip to the cove. The ride didn't bother me at all, but one of our new cruise friends needed to face the front to avoid feeling sea sick. Several passengers had their sea sick bracelets or bands on. No one actually got sick, though, and I didn't hear anyone complain other than needing to feel the wind on their face. (I don't get sea sick, so for me it was a fun ride.)

 

There are two bathrooms on board in case anyone needed to go. It is a marine vessel so, "If it didn't pass through YOUR system, it's not going to pass through YOURS." Typical for most boats, there is the toilet for waste and a waste basket for any paper needed.

 

One of the passengers was in a wheelchair and she was able to be safely on board, maneuver around (with some assistance), and snorkel. I did not ask what her conditions where, however, so if you're planning a trip you should ask for your personal situation.

 

On the way out we were given our safety vest, flippers, and snorkel gear. We also signed the "ship's roster/waiver". Standard release that basically says if you get hurt you won't sue them and you take responsibility for your own safety. They made sure the flippers fit and told us not to wear them yet. Once the boat was in castaway cove, we had a safety briefing. We were told how to put on the mask, how to keep it from fogging. We also learned the hand signals for "help", "Diver, are you okay?" and "I'm okay." They used these to check in with us in the water, especially those who were a little slower. We also learned to avoid the bouys and lines in case any creatures had made a home there and what not to touch.

 

Getting off the boat had two options. One was the fun way (the one I took), basically sitting on the side of the boat, putting on flippers, then jumping off holding my mask. There was also a stairwell down, but the line was long and I had no issues jumping. There were two guides who went in with the passengers. Each had an orange safety device. The first 40 in the water were with Karl and the second 40 in the water were with another.

 

At first most everyone was a little clumsy in the water. Honestly I didn't enjoy getting kicked and bumped into constantly. Once we were in for awhile (we were in the water about 45 minutes) then most people (except the kids) got a feel for where to be and it wasn't quite so crowded.

 

The water was some of the saltiest I've ever been in and even without my safety vest inflated it was easy and effortless to swim and float .If I got tired (I don't swim often) I was able to basically just float face-down and rest.

 

There were some fish but not as many as I'd hoped. They did a wonderful job of telling us what kinds of fish there were. Karl brought up a sea urchin (the safe kind) for us to see. They also told us the fascinating history of the ship wreck. I was fascinated by that part.

 

We moved through several areas as a group. There was an option to do your own thing but you had to have a buddy. They showed us where it was safe to go as the currents can be quite strong. Since I wanted to make sure I found out all the cool information my husband and I both stayed with the group.

 

The water was beautiful and clear and was warm enough that I never felt cold. We could see all the way to the bottom. Diving down was easy without any air in the vest (and it was easy to deflate/add air as needed), but I personally cannot equalize pressure and as hard as I tried to hold my nose and blow, it was really painful. I have the same issue in air planes and at the bottom of residential swimming pools, so I was not surprised. My ears hurt mildly for about two days after.

 

The ship wreck itself again had a fascinating story, but it didn't match up with my expectations. In my head I was picturing a ship wreck as if Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean had made it. You know... 1700/1800's galley ship, captain skeleton still at the wheel, chests of treasure... (I didn't really expect the treasure, or the skeleton, but that kind of ship.) This was a early 1900s cargo ship that sank in the 1960s. I won't share the story and ruin the surprise for you, but instead of a beautiful sailing ship from days of old, it was a hunk of metal broken into several pieces. We still really enjoyed it, but it hand't matched the picture in my head.

 

We were asked to get back on the boat, which was the hardest part for me. I took my flippers off before putting my feet up, but did it too soon. I didn't realize what a difference they made until I tried to move forward without them. Also, I missed where the bottom step was and banged my knee pretty hard. So my tip would be to wait to take the flippers off until you're right there, and feel where you need to put your feet.

 

Once on board our items were collected and we were able to find another seat. They did a high-five role call to ensure each and every passenger was on board. More water and soda was available. They also had a rum punch that we were welcome too. It was not a strong rum punch by any means. Two cups didn't make me at all tipsy, and usually I am a cheap date. It was tasty and refreshing, and that's what counts.

 

They also had a snack mix. I have a peanut allergy and asked if it had peanuts. She said no peanuts, and she was very kind about letting me read the bag for myself. No peanuts! Yay! (Double check for yourself if you have an allergy just in case they change brands or the supplier changes their recipe.)

 

The wind was on our side so it took us less time to get back. Watching the island as we got closer was just as much fun as when we went out. Lovely views.

 

Overall I highly recommend!

 

In Nassau we just walked around.

 

We didn't do the excursions for a few reasons. One, we have passes to Adventure Island so paying for Atlantis for the water park area didn't make sense. We also live about three hours from Discovery Cove. For about $100 less than Atlantis we can do the dolphin swim AND play all day and not have to worry about meeting the ship. Since we want to take the kids and my mom there we opted to skip those excursions.

 

Originally we were going to just stay on the ship, but decided to collect our charms from Diamonds International and see what other stores had to offer. It was a long and slightly confusing walk from the ship. Nassau had by far the best view from our balcony, but it was our least favorite city.

 

Don't miss the straw market. There are many vendors selling carvings that are gorgeous. You can definitely haggle here! We brought my mother back a gorgeous piece for $50 with turtles and fish... amazing. If you don't haggle you won't get a price you're happy with. They expect this.. and the worst that can happen is they say no and you walk 10 feet to try again.

 

People in Nassau were incredibly pushy. They forcefully ask for tips, try to lead you away, and we even saw vendors putting hats and such on kids and then trying to make the parents pay for it. You can always say no and walk away. Please don't feel guilty or rude or like you're being mean. I promise you--it's okay. Don't buy anything you don't love. If you're given something "complimentary" and they tell you you have to tip or that you're tip isn't enough, hand it back and walk away.

 

The shops in Nassau were half closed; we arrived on good Friday. Most of the islands have a very strong Catholic faith. We were able to get our Diamonds International charm to complete this trip's set. The Del Sol store was in the Cariloha store; both seemed to have more options than St. Maarten. (This could be an incorrect perception.) We bought a set of king-sized sheets for $200 (their new line is $249, but I thought the classic ones were softer) and got a $25 off coupon. Socks were buy 3 get 1 free. Shirts for women were 40% off, but men's were full price. We noticed most of the stores had the same deals between the islands, but the selection was slightly different. Especially at Diamonds International. As Rita says, if you see it and you love it, BUY IT. You can always exchange it at the next DI shop, and you can take advantage of their upgrade policy on the next trip.

 

 

Ship Stuff

 

Cabin

 

We were in a starboard balcony. We had great views for the trip. I'm so very glad we upgraded from inside to a spa balcony. Our steward was Wiwiek and she was awesome. Our balcony was mostly private. If I stood at the railing to look out I could see a little bit of my neighbors' balconies. On other decks you could look up to see the balconies, but where we were you couldn't see up to it. The bridge could see it, but above and below and mostly side-to-side was private.

 

The room itself was big enough for the two of us, and the couch could have slept a third person. I don't know that I'd want to stick someone else in there though, it may have felt crowded. The bathroom was big enough for one person at a time, and there was no sharing the shower.

 

The shower was my one complaint. When the water ran it sounded like cow bees or cows playing bagpipes. It's hard to describe. The water gets very hot, so be sure to check it before you step in or wash your hands at the sink. (Our hot water heater at home is set for safety with two kids, so we can have ours at the hottest and not scald; the ship didn't seem to have a setting like that.)

 

Because we were in a "spa" class room we got additional toiletries. The cabin only had one dispenser for hand soap at the sink, and in the shower had shampoo and body wash. NO CONDITIONER. If you are not in a spa class, make sure to pack conditioner. We received an Elemis travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion, as well as two shower caps, and bars of soap for the sink. Again, one of the main complaints we heard from other passengers was that they hadn't packed conditioner and there wasn't any in the cabin.

 

There was a single-cup coffee maker that you could also use to make tea with by heating water in it. An assortment of teas and sugars was also in the cabin. The coffee we had at start was decaf, but our steward brought us regular coffee upon our request.

 

The mini-fridge was emptied upon our request as well and we used it for storing our water bottles. (YOU CAN BRING A CASE OF WATER WITH YOU... THIS WILL SAVE YOU A LOT OF MONEY. DO IT!) We also used it for our extra "bucket of beer" items, as we don't usually drink 6 beers at any given time. This saved us money on the drinks and also let us spread them out.

 

I had packed a hair dryer, but the cabin already had one. it was near the coffee pot/mirror/vanity area.

 

We don't usually unpack. There was storage, but I don't know if it would have been adequate. I hung up my two nice dresses so they'd stay looking good, but that's as far as we got.

 

The water from the tap in the bathroom is perfectly fine and drinkable. So save your water bottles for walking around. One bottle of water was about $2 on the ship for a normal sized one. I got a case of 24 from CVS on sale for $3.99. We took several in our back pack for each island visit and greatly appreciated having them just to walk around with.

 

We were on floor 14 and had a quick walk down the hall and then up the stairs to get to the spa.

 

Spa Passes

 

If we didn't get a spa-class cabin we'd spend the money to get the passes. That's *why* we got the spa cabin. We got a balcony and access to the spa for less than a regular balcony plus spa pass would have been.

 

The only thing I didn't like is that we had to wait for the front desk people to take our key cards and give us the access pass to the spa area each time, then wait to reverse the process after. Usually it was pretty fast. We used the spa area 5 out of 7 days, and twice on a few of those days. But we did have to wait a few times if there were a number of people who were waiting to check in for their appointments. We had a sticker on the back of our room key that gave us access to this; the actual spa unlocks with the special pass that you have to get from them. The spa was open 8a-10p every day except the last, then it was 8-8.

 

When you walk in you pass a women's changing area and then the men's. Then you go around a corner. There are lots of towels available and a self-serve beverage area with lemon flavored water, regular cold water, and hot water for an assortment of teas. As you walk further in there are a number of regular loungers overlooking the view (and it was a great view, deck 15, glass all the way around).

 

Once you get past that, there is the therapy pool and the stone loungers. I want one of these... At first I'd lie down and be like, "this is hard, why would..." and before I could finish that thought my tension would melt away and the heat would start penetrating. Lovely. Great place to take a nap.

 

We watched the ship pull into Nassua from those loungers and it was amazing.

 

The therapy pool has a hot tub that probably seats 8-10. There's also a really bubbly zone that you stand in. I didn't "get it" until I found out if I stood on the side, planted my feet, and held onto the rails, it was like a full body vibration/tapotement massage that felt fantastic on muscles unused to all that walking around.

 

There were also 4 stations on each side of the therapy pool with rails that you could hang onto and a button. Press the button and two strong jets come on, stacked on top of each other. I spent a long time using that to work out knots.

 

The waterfall feature was okay... I thought it was too hard. I literally had to hold onto my bathing suit straps or it would undress me. It also pushed me around. My husband, however, loved it.

 

At the back of the water was a place where you could sit and be in some strong bubbles.

 

If you walk past the pool there are several showers, a sauna, a sauna version that's not nearly as dry, a steam room, and the salt room. The salt room was gorgeous. Crystals on the walls and ceilings... lovely.

 

Hubby has rheumatoid arthritis and the therapy pool and hot tub kept him mostly pain-free during the trip. We've thought about a jacuzzi at home. It's wonderful for him. I highly recommend the spa passes.

 

It was quiet... sometimes. The hard part is that it's so loud (the water makes a lot of noise) that if you want to talk to someone you almost have to shout and then it echos. The first day there was almost complete silence, but after people would start to have conversations and we'd have to ask the staff to tell them to shut up. Yep, we were those people. There were signs everywhere asking people to be quiet, but every day it was pretty noisy. (Not nearly as noisy as the regular pool decks.)

 

Again, totally worth the money as far as I was concerned.

 

 

Classes

 

We signed up for a package of 3 yoga classes each. $12 a piece or $30 for the three. So it was $72 after the gratuity. There were limited spots so we reserved our spots and had to pay at that time. Unfortunately we didn't do the other classes after the first one due to schedule conflicts the second day and wanting to sleep in the first day. Yoga on the ship wasn't as hard as I'd thought; just a little difficult to balance more than usual. The teacher was great. The other classes cost more money; spinning, kick boxing, and TRX.

 

Shows

 

I loved loved loved all the shows. I'm going to list them here in order of my favorites.

 

#1: Howl at the Moon Dueling Pianos

 

We didn't catch this until the last night, and I'm super sorry. It was a BLAST. The performers were funny, talented, got the crowd involved, and it was some of the most fun I had the whole time on the ship. I found out we have a HatM bar about an hour away and I cannot wait to go. This is in the same place as the comedy shows, so it only happens a few nights on the cruise. Check it out at an earlier in the week show so you can do it again if you love it. No reservations were available; people came and went.

 

#2: Burn the Floor

 

This was fantastic. The dancers made it look effortless. I was entertained every minute. The costumes and the dancers were gorgeous. Must see. This was in the theater. Reservations were recommended.

 

#3: Legally Blonde the Musical

 

Even my husband loved it! I highly recommend that you see this. It's very well done, and we cracked up several times. This was in the theater. Reservations were recommended.

 

#4: The Illusarium

 

The food, honestly, was decent. I don't have a complaint about it. But it was nowhere near as good as the other dining options. The show was fantastic. There were five types of magic. Several had my jaw dropping. The actors were great and the costumes... it was all steam punk and the costumes were all really well done. I'd probably have rated this higher if they hadn't had technical difficulties with the show. We had about a fifteen minute break and it lost some of the impact.

 

(Also, one of the grand masters came to the piano bar and made a request... they invited him up on stage. He could play so very well. I was very impressed and it made the piano bar that much fun because I felt like I had a connection to him, having seen him in a prior show.)

 

#5: Andrew at Headliners

 

We didn't get a chance to see Tom. We saw Andrew at the early show and it was packed with kids. He was funny and we enjoyed the show.

 

#6: The Grammy Experience with Sugar Blue

 

Nobody blows a harp like this guy. Again, an amazing show. It was a little loud for me (a lot on the ship was quite loud, but this was a little too much). We didn't stay more than 45 minutes because it was the night was had to have luggage outside our door before 11pm and I wanted to go to the dueling pianos as well.

 

 

We did not see Wine Lovers the Musical, as I'm allergic to sulfites and wine sets off both headaches and asthma in me.

 

 

Traveling with Peanut, Cucumber, and Shellfish Allergy

 

 

I have an allergy to cucumber and peanuts, hubby has one to shellfish.

 

A paramedic friend told me the trick that if I take an antihistamine I can sometimes pre-empt reactions. I still have my epi pen and inhaler with me at all times, but I've had fewer reactions from incidental contact. (If you eat a PBJ sandwhich, touch the table, and then I come and touch the table, I might have a reaction. I haven't since taking Zyrtec.) Your mileage may vary with this tip.

 

The thing I loved most was after being greeted at each restaurant the very next question was always, "Does anyone have any allergies?" Each restaurant server was great at pointing out what we could or couldn't eat, and if we really wanted something the chef usually would accommodate us and prepare it separately. If cross-contamination was an issue, they'd tell us. (For example, the fried rolls at the sushi restaurant do not have shellfish, but the same oil is used to fry shellfish.) Neither of us had any problems or any reactions. Even the chef at Teppanyaki cooked everything before he did anything with the shellfish and then didn't do any of the shrimp flinging bits. We deeply appreciated it. Also, the only peanut-based items I saw were a reeses dessert and one other thing that had PB flavor. The great majority of items were peanut free. The staff, however, didn't understand tree nuts vs. peanuts. If I said peanut allergy they'd steer me away from ALL nuts. And to be fair, that's safer as many nuts are cross-processed.

 

Note: We did NOT tell the cruise lines ahead of time about our special diets. They advise you to do so. You can also request tomorrow's menu at the dining room and the chef will special make dishes you can eat, but you have to do it in advance. But we had NO problem finding plenty to eat.

 

On to the Food!

 

I won't post pictures or talk super specifically as others have done so and have also pointed out that my perfect meal might be completely different than yours. Food is subjective.

 

We had the dining pass and made use of it.

 

Night 1: Illusarium early seating and then Cagney's at 9:30

 

We did not have a reservation for either going on the ship. NCL won't let you reserve the magic show online. We called guest services when we got on the ship and reserved the 5:30 show. Later we were hungry and went to the irish pub. She said, "You have the dining pass, why not go to one of those?" Even though it was almost closing time we took a chance and Cagney's sat us right away! Yay!

 

Cagneys was amazing. I'm a huge steak lover. I ate steak almost every night. We hit Cagneys three times during our cruise!

 

Night 2: Cagney's Again

 

Night 3: Savor early then Le Bistro late

 

We had a late seating and were hungry, so we checked out Savor. We checked out the dining menus daily and honestly, we'd have been happy without the UDP if we hadn't been able to afford it (or gotten it free with our booking). They had yummy food, great service, and a lot of the specialty dining items did make it through the rotation in the MDRs.

 

Night 4: Brazillian Steak House

 

Make sure to try the pineapple as it goes around. It was so good I had extra for dessert. They had a fabulous salad bar. Honestly I'd be happy to eat there just for that. Then the meat was varied and all of it was good. Some of it I didn't like, but that was preference. The quality was excellent.

 

Night 5: Teppanyaki

 

We eat at a local place several times a year. It's our "go to" spot for birthdays. The one on the ship, however, blew them away. It was the best we've ever had. The chefs played off each other and it was a lot of fun.

 

Night 6: Le Bistro

 

Our second night there was just as good as the first. I'm super glad we changed from the italian place (none of the reviews I read here were glowing, and everyone I talked to on the ship that had eaten there was unimpressed) to hit Bistro again. Yum. Also one of the quietest dining locations. (Teppanyaki was super loud. Cagneys was also, but different. Rather than because of a show, it was just the way the noise of everyone talking carried.)

 

Night 7: Cagney's

 

I'm bummed that it was our final chance to eat at Cagney's. Honestly it was fantastic. I wasn't disappointed with anything we tried there (except that I found out I don't like truffle oil) and could eat there again and again.

 

O'Sheehans

 

We at here a few times. The wings were great, had good flavor and the hot wasn't nearly as hot as the medium I get back home. The pot pie was great, the fish and chips were good (and no where near as breaded as a previous poster, I was happy to see). Service was slow, as others have mentioned.

 

Buffet

 

Washy Washy! There were hand-washing stations everywhere and attendants to make sure everyone entering had sanitized hands. Everyone I saw used the tongs, but that doesn't mean everyone does.

 

There was a wide range of food available for breakfast and lunch and dinner. My favorites were the eggs Benedict (perfect eggs every time), the omelet station, the Belgian waffles, and later the crepes. (I overstuffed my crepes, 1-2 fillings would have been better.) If you don't see something you like, keep walking, and even try the other side.

 

Extras:

 

Noodle Bar

 

I tried the pot sticker/dumplings which were great, the glass noodles I'd read so much about (not to my taste, but hubby liked them), and he got a beef bowl that I really liked. I wouldn't have missed eating there, but wanted to try it.

 

Sushi

 

I would have eaten at the sushi bar every day for lunch, but it was closed on port days. It was amazing. So fresh, so good... We ordered more sushi than we ended up being able to eat the first day and our bill was only $25. In town we eat sushi for about $60 and that's just filling. The other days we ordered just enough and it was about $18. With the UDP if you like sushi this is a steal. Highly recommended.

 

We did not eat at pay to eat seafood place, as I don't really like seafood and he was allergic to most of the menu. We were thrilled with all the rest of our dining options.

 

Massages and Spa Treatments

 

One of the best specials was the first day. We went for the raffle and tour and got a freebie neck and shoulder rub. (This means they tried to sign us up for a massage the whole time... don't expect to relax during this part. But do check it out.) We had the polish couple and they were awesome.

 

We ended up signing up for the couple's massage hot stone treatment for $149 each. After gratuity it was $175 each. YES, they do try to upsell you during the treatment. I didn't get upset about it.

 

I'm one of the pickiest massage people you'll ever meet and I'd been on a "can't get a good massage" streak for about two years. Well... the one I got on the ship broke that streak. It was one of the best massages I've ever had. I had the polish man. Hubby agreed, he had the polish woman. Highly recommended.

 

I kept waiting for other specials, but the best one was a repeat (hot stone or bamboo for $149, usually almost $200). They had the 20 - 20 - 20 where you pick three (scalp, foot/ankle, hand, back, mini-facial) for $119 several days. They also had the 75-minute where it was a full body massage and scalp and foot etc (which to me is normally in a full body so I wasn't impressed) and that was $149. We didn't end up getting anything else. Even with the 10/20/30 deal (each service you book is a higher % off) we didn't feel it was a great deal.

 

Because I knew the prices from previous daily sheets (thanks guys!) I'd had a massage prior to going and have a few set up after, all of which are less than what it would have been full price on the ship.

 

All the other services were priced accordingly and high compared to on land. However, if all the technicians were as good as their massage therapists, I'd say it's well worth the price. If you want something pampery but not expensive, there is a scalp treatment that's about half an hour for $30. I wanted to do this but didn't find time.

 

Ship Tour

 

For $70 you can go on a 3-hour tour of the ship. This requires a LOT of narrow stairs, so if you have problems with stairs you may want to skip it. It was really interesting. You start in the Illusarium, see backstage, then go to the crew areas. You learn about food preparation, sanitation, how they handle water and waste, laundry (which was really interesting), and you get to see the bridge. You get a commemorative photo holder as well for each person on your tour. The tour is limited to 16, however there were 18 in our group. I really enjoyed it, but I like seeing how things work. Dress in layers. A lot of the tour is hot (kitchens, etc.) with lots of standing so you'll get warm, but bring a sweater because touring the freezers is cold. You MUST wear closed-toed sneakers.

 

Portraits

 

In our town a professional photo portrait session is a minimum of $250 and then there's charges on top of that depending on how many images you want and what you want to do with them. (Note: I do mean professional; not the craigslist part-time shooters.)

 

The ship had around 6 photo locations on the 6, 7, and 8 decks (where most of the activities happen), and the backdrops changed throughout the cruise. Please do yourself a favor, bring your favorite clothes and makeup and accessories, and go get your shots taken. There's no obligation to buy, and if you do get shots you love then you're going to save money. We had over 200 to choose from and it was a lot of fun.

 

Packages are 10 for $129, 20 for $199, and up. We opted for the USB for $19.99 so we have digital copies of all the ones we purchased. 1 photo is 19.99 (some from the restaurants and shows were 12.00) and you can get canvasses, metallic prints, etc. for more.

 

We did the pack of 20 plus USB card.

 

Other Activities

 

We highly recommend the martini tasting at the mojito bar. Hubby and I spent $15 and shared the five martinis. It was fun. Then later we ordered the mojito flight for $15 and tasted the six mojitos. The tastings and flights were about 3 oz each flavor/type. There were other tastings on board, but we missed them. Margarita, international beer, and maybe one other.

 

The Ice Bar was $20 each and it was a 16x16ish room with an ice table, an ice throne, and a bar made of ice. Drinks were pre-mixed. It was lit and pretty. But honestly, I was freezing, and it was an "oh, so this is what it is," reaction. None of the drinks were nearly as good as the ones mixed at the bars, and it was hard to enjoy it as we all stood around blowing puffs of steam and freezing. Hubby liked the experience; I liked that he liked it. I could easily have skipped this one.

 

Origami folding was fun. The atrium presentations (Teppanyaki, cupcake decorating, Q&As) were a fun way to pass the time. (We did not pay for the cake decorating classes; this was a free informational thing and kids got to participate.) There's almost always something going on.

 

Deal or No Deal: For $30 a ticket, it was worth playing once. If your suitcase on your card matches the screen you get a "match". 2 matches and you win an instant win card (like a scratch off). 3 matches and you get a free photo. Then after that you start winning money. Several people won $50 the first game and one person won $200 the second game. (You play two games each session.) You can win up to $5000 and a free 7 day cruise, but no one won either during our time on the ship. On stage the first person won a couple hundred and the second person won under a dollar. We meant to play again but missed the other two times. I won two instant win tickets that were duds.

 

Bingo: We were going to pay until we found out how expensive it is. $39.95 is the starter package all the way up to $69.95. No thanks.

 

Cruise Raffle: You get red tickets at each bingo and deal or no deal event you go to. On your last at sea day at the last bingo session that day you go to find out if you won a free cruise. But then they play bingo. We didn't want to wait, so we came back later and found out the drawing was after the first bingo game. You have to be present to win. So if you don't play bingo, I don't know if they always do it after the first round of bingo, but it might be worth staying.

 

The rock climbing wall and ropes course were dead on Nassau day so I did both. Climbing was a real challenge, even though I lift heavy, but I carry about 50 extra pounds so I had to haul all this up. They do help with the harness, and I was able to do it. It was fun and I recommend it. The ropes course was one of my favorite things on the ship. It was a lot of fun. But heights don't bother me at all and I have really good balance. You could pick which way to go, so if one way was super scary to you, there's a plank or something easy on the other side. Coming back got progressively challenging, so don't exhaust yourself early on. Walking the plank was a lot of fun and hubby bought me the photo for bragging rights.

 

Casino: Hubby was given $200 by me to play guilt-free and in cash. You can use your card to get chips and play slots and it goes on your room charges. We agreed we wouldn't do that. So we had a set amount of cash and once it was gone it was gone. You have to look at gambling as entertainment. Plan on losing the entire amount and have fun. If you stop having fun, stop playing and come back later. The casino was only open when we weren't in port.

 

 

Total Spent:

 

Over all we spent about $6000 if you count all the shopping we did. The cabins were about $3000 after all the taxes and fees and prepaying for the gratuities. We did shop on board for photos, I bought some jewelry for gifts, I got a new camera bag for me. Bar tab, massages, sushi, noodle bar, excursions... all that added up. It was worth it as our first vacation in over 12 years and we had the money to do it. We could have done the vacation on $3000 if we'd one an inside room and were more conservative. But hey... we had friends and family watching our seven year-old and I thought souvenirs were important. And bamboo sheets (sooooo soft).

 

 

I hope this was helpful!

[Leavethekidswithmom]

Wow no complaining! Glad you had a great cruise and thanks for the review.

[albo88888]

Wonderful review

[dennismc]

So nice to see a positive and informative review!

 

Thanks

[NLH Arizona]

Also so happy to read a review that is positive, thank you.

[florida_cruisers2015]

Thanks guys!

 

Honestly, I went into the cruise with a very particular mindset.

 

First hubby and I made a list of our objectives. What was important to us. What we wanted to get out of the cruise.

 

A large part of mine was to be in the moment. To really just enjoy everything that was going on, and to have a mindset of gratitude.

 

Our goals were to reconnect, spend time together alone, rest, eat good food, do what we wanted when we wanted, move our bodies, laugh, and have a good time.

 

I think that had a lot to do with it. We were so grateful to have the extra money to go on a cruise, to have friends and family take care of our dog and daughter so that we could go, for his boss for letting him have the paid time off work, to my patients for being flexible in scheduling so I could go this week, and to both being healthy enough to go. That mindset made it hard to complain or find fault. Yes, there were things I could have nit-picked, but honestly WHY? Why spend the time and energy focusing on the negative when we were so awash in positive and amazing and awesome?

[f1mauro]

Thanks for a great review even without the pictures. Nice to hear such a positive perspective of the cruise after all the negativity lately (some justified). I was really starting to worry about my upcoming December Breakaway cruise, now my big fear is running out of days to sample all those awesome eating venues :eek:

[david_sobe]

Welcome home and thanks for the review. Glad to hear Sugar Blue is still rocking the Getaway. He definitely was the surprise of the cruise. I wish we had more time to see him again but thankfully we went the first night. At times he plays so fast that it sounds like someone playing the keyboards. Incredible talent! Would pay to see him on land.

 

You made me hungry listing all those restaurants :eek:

[Sand and Seas]

Thanks for the wonderful review! You have me extra excited for our cruise on this ship in May. We had been on the Getaway last year and you have reminded me of things we didn't get around to that we need to try this next trip:D

[tanyaewa]

Awesome review!! Thx

[Dulcimer Dave]

That really was a great review. Very helpful. We're booked on the Getaway in September and are really looking forward to it. We go on cruises with a similar mindset that we're going to have a great time and not sweat the little things.

Hope we have time to see & do all that there is. The Getaway looks a little overwhelming at first but it won't be boring, that's for sure.

Thanks for taking the time to do this review.

[Carnac767]

Thanks for the informative review. We're preparing to book a Getaway cruise and your review will be a great help.

[jrbeccles]

I can tell your are truly a Florida cruiser like us. Nowhere did you mention laying on the beach, Vibe passes, chairs by the pool, or basically anything involving getting sun or warmth (and you were freezing in the ice bar of course). Those are normally the top priorities for our cruising friends from up north!

[lester81]

Thanks so much for your great review and positivity. Refreshing to read a post with no negativity. No vacation is ever perfect, such is life. It's refreshing to see a review that shows such appreciation for the ability and luxury to travel, relax, reconnect and just enjoy life. Thank you:) Looking forward to the same experience and outlook for our trip later this month.

[OvaDaTop]

What room were you in...I also had wiewek and she was great.

[elizamar]

Fantastic review, thank you! You covered so many things I wondered about [emoji106]

[MandyMommyof2]

Great review! Loved reading all about your trip. We are on the Getaway in 87 days :D So excited!!

[SAMMYR]

Enjoying your review of the Getaway. Plannng to be on the Getaway in November and could use some info. What the times for fixed seating and what times are the shows in the main theater? Thank you.

[salesmansam]

Thanks for a review that focuses on the positive. We sailed previously on the Breakaway and was worried after reading some of the reviews. We had an absolutely great time and approached it much like you did. We are set to sail the Getaway in October and I find reading newer reviews just whets the appetite for our cruise to come. Thanks again.

[rochelle_s]

Enjoying your review of the Getaway. Plannng to be on the Getaway in November and could use some info. What the times for fixed seating and what times are the shows in the main theater? Thank you.

 

You have a fair bit of time between now and your cruise to do some research. There is no fixes seating on any NCL ship and on the Getaway there is no main theater, certainly not as you would see on other cruise lines.

 

Happy researching! :) Lots of great info right here on Cruise Critic.

 

 

Rochelle

[Sleepwalker2341]

Thanks for the review.

 

We are on the Getaway May 9th, and we are really looking forward to it.

 

We have reservations already for Cagney's and Teppanyaki.

 

Can't wait!

 

John

[Zel&Paul]

We are cruising in September in this beautiful ship! Any advice on how the adult only pool areas are? I know Vibe is not free, but how about Spice H20? is it too crowded or depends on the time? I would appreciate your reply!

[GonzoWCS]

Thank you so much for this review. Short, sweet, and informative!

[ramidon1]

I enjoyed your review! Heading out on the Getaway 5/30/15. I so want a spa balcony but they are sold out....thinking we will try for the spa pass instead. The hydrotherapy pools & tile loungers are in a co-ed area, correct? I want to be able to enjoy it with hubby....

 

I see someone else asked you about Vibe....I'm curious if you have any info on that as well & if you thought there would be much of a need for it....I just really want to be able to find some quiet, shady lounge spots.

[Bockbutler]

So helpful [emoji2]