Getaway April 11-18th

[Lori3015]

First of all I was so sad to get off the ship this morning!

 

WE loved the Getaway so much. Cruising with me in my Aft Large Balcony cabin was my fiance and in a separate inside cabin my best friend.

 

We are all low to mid 40s and was our second cruise the first was many years ago on Carnival.

 

What we loved: Aft large balcony!!! We had three loungers, two chairs and a small table. We loved watching the ship pull into and out of ports. We loved getting cool pics of the islands from our balcony. We did feel motion and you could hear the rumble of the engines and the wake but it was very relaxing to sit out there and watch the wake and listen to the engines. I didn't feel anymore motion there than I did in Tropicana or many other places on the ship.

 

We also loved all the activities. Burn the Floor. Howl at the Moon. Grammy Experience. We did not do Illusionarium. We loved watching the atrium games each night after dinner. Water slides, ropes course were fun but I have to say the ropes course to me was a bit daunting!

 

We spent most sea days sunning at Spice H2O. It was not crowded and you didn't have to rush up early to get a seat. There were no kids and the waterfall feature was just enough to cool you off if you get hot. Bar service here was great. The servers came around often and were very interactive.

 

Dinners were mainly in Tropicana, one night at Cagneys which was awesome food but very very very slow service. Cagneys wasn't very full. The service in Tropicana is awesome and they were packed. We also had one dinner in La Cucina which was mostly empty and the food was pretty good. Service was good there too. Most breakfast and lunches were at Garden Cafe and/or in Flamingo Grill. Flamingo Grill has amazing grilled chicken and yummy rice and beans. Garden cafe food was mostly all good except the only downfall is keeping the food hot. By the time you get to your plate is just barely warm. They have a huge variety though. I am not a fan of O'Sheehans. That pot pie everyone raves about to me was very blah. I had some appetizers at Shanghai noodle bar and they were very good and it's now complimentary.

 

Negatives: One main pool vs. 4100 mostly adult passengers. This is a real problem. The kid pool was empty but not very conducive to sitting around the pool and having a drink with adult conversation. I realize the Haven has a pool, but the rest of the ship needs at least two more useful pools for that many people.

 

Did I mention the service at Cagneys was snail-like??

 

Smokey casino when walking through. It does get pretty bad in the evenings.

 

There was some minor soot on our balcony, but the benefit far outweighed the negative here.

 

Nickel and diming all over the ship....room service is now $7.95, bowling $5, arcade games, iConcierge is $7.95, Illusionarium is extra, ship tours are extra, pay to get in spa, pay to get in Vibe,pizza, etc. It adds up fast!

 

All in though, we had a fantastic time and didn't let any of the negatives ruin our day. I would definitely go on the Getaway again! Getting on the ship was a breeze, getting off the ship was just as fast. We arrived at the port around 11:30 and rooms were ready at 1:30. First day lunch was in o sheehans and the service was fine just the food is mediocre.

[Sand and Seas]

Thank you for the great review! We are sailing on the Getaway in 3 weeks and I can hardly wait. We are booked in a MiniSuite but after reading your review we may need to look at an Aft with large balcony next year. Can't wait to check out the Spice H20 area. Were they serving my favorite frozen drinks?? We love the Mudslides and BBCs:D

[martyandjanice]

Thank you for your review! My husband and I cruise at the end of August. I was curious about the waterfall feature in Spice. Was it like a shower? I don't think I have ever seen pictures or heard of this. Do they have hot tubs in Spice?

[Mistizoom]

Thanks for the review! I did not realize Getaway has bowling. I am a bit scared about the ropes course too, but I suppose I'll give it a try.

[Lori3015]

The water feature at Spice H2O is a little odd, you step down a few steps and it's about shin deep with cool water, there are seats you can sit on and the water comes down in front of you. There is also a feature where you can turn on the water and it comes down like a big rain shower.

 

There are also two hot tubs in spice.

 

I think my fiance drank about 15 mudslides this week! He had them for breakfast. Good thing for the UBP!

 

There are also several places you can sit at Spice where they can open up umbrellas for shade.

 

We had thought of getting Vibe beach club passes but were glad we didn't. It looked very empty every time we looked that way and I bet it was too hot with no pool or way to cool off.

[Sand and Seas]

 

I think my fiance drank about 15 mudslides this week! He had them for breakfast. Good thing for the UBP!

 

 

Now we know the best place to hang out. My hubby loves those Mudslides too....now he's going to want them for breakfast! Glad we chose the UBP:D

[lwrandall]

I'm not sure if you realize using the iConceirge is free. Unless you wanted to use it for onboard texting, passenger to passenger calling or using your cell phone to call ashore at low rates. You can use the free functions such as viewing your onboard charges and viewing activities. Almost all ships charge for shore excursions. These excursions are run by local companies. If you want free excursions you would be paying A LOT more for your cruise. By the way I was onboard the Getaway the time you were. Beautiful weather the whole week.

[Lori3015]

I wasn't talking about port excursions, I meant if you want to tour the ship.

 

I also knew iconcierge was free, so why can't the texting be free?

 

They have tons of arcade games for kids but each one is a pay feature. Why not a few free ones for the kids?

 

Like I said we had a great time but I just feel like you do get dinged here and there for things that I feel should be complimentary. We had perfect weather, the staff was wonderful, and I would go again in a heartbeat.

[mjkacmom]

As a parent, I can tell you that arcade games are never free, on ships or on land! Heck, I remember my parents dropping me and my sister at the huge arcade at the Contemporary at WDW with our roll of quarters, while they headed to the pool.

 

Cruise fares are much lower than what they were decades ago - charging for the extras is how they make their money. Plus, if areas like the spa and vibe were free, they'd be packed. I like the option of knowing I can pay for a quiet adult area.

[Jaco5NC]

So glad you had such a wonderful time with perfect weather! We are looking forward to our turn in October:)!

[asubaru]

Thanks for writing your experiences. Sounds like a wonderful time!

 

Re: Cagney's. I find it ironic that you now are charged 18% service charge for painfully slow service. On two of my latest cruises, Cagney's was a 2+ hour experience without dessert. It's annoying to have to flag down a server to order. It's not a big deal to me that I have to pour my own wine either but, for $35.40pp, I expect better and faster service.

[cruisewingman]

I was on this trip too! I was also sad to get off the ship last Saturday!

 

As far as background goes, my gf and I are in our early 30s and we are from Toronto. I eat out too much and like to think that I have a reasonable palette for food. My previous experience with the food on Epic in 2012 was terrible (i.e. one slice of apple and the rest was jelly in the apple pie) so I had pretty low expectations. On this Getaway trip, we had a balcony room and had the UBP.

 

What I liked:

• The striploin steak is a thick cut served with garlic butter! If you're Canadian, I'd say that it's just a touch under the Keg's quality. I had it 3 times and it wasn't always cooked perfectly. Order it one level rarer than you normally would. It's worth putting on proper clothes for. The steak at the buffet is not this thick nor is it made to order.
  
• The sun lounging area at the front (bow?) of the ship is CRAZY hot. It was nice and quiet. But there was very little bar service.
  
• The balcony in our room was awesome. And having the UBP was a wonderful luxury to have. I boozed way more than I normally would and it was nice to be able to try new things without worrying. The UBP covers almost everything you can think of except the really expensive stuff. Note that in Miami, there is a liquour tax that is not covered by the UBP that may be $0.75-$1.10 per drink.
  
• The selife with the plane landing at Maho beach was definitely worth the cab fare. Take a cab @ $10 per person. The ship charges $50 per person.
  
• I wish the St. John Beach Escape and Snorkel Tour ($70) lasted longer! Trunk Bay was a gorgeous beach. They have done a great job of preserving it. This excursion alone makes me want to select an itinerary that has a longer port stay in St. Thomas.
  
• The french fries on the ship taste like McDonald fries. Amazing.
  
• +1 for the prime rib and chicken pot pie at O'sheehans
  
• No line ups at any of the MDRs for dinner
  

 

What I didn't like:

• The pool is way too small. Music is always blasting in the main pool area.
  
• Hard to get a good sun deck chair along the sides of the ship. All the chairs are also rammed together.
  
• Restaurant hours - Everything seemed to shut down at 9:30 pm including the MDR and the buffet. Even the crepe station at the buffet shut down at 9:30 pm. After 9:30 pm, the buffet only had snacks.
  
• There was plenty of seating at the buffet but there was very poor variety in the food. Beyond the staples (i.e. burgers, pizza, mac & cheese, and salad) there were very few new dishes to choose from every day. For example, there were few specialty dishes that changed every day (pecan crusted fried chicken was super yummy, ox tail stew).
  
• Cagneys - The steak was definitely better quality than the MDR (and even a step up from the Keg) and there were two servers per table. The service was quick at the 6pm seating but… the shrimp cocktail sauce was basically ketchup and the sides were a disaster. The sides were all made to order so they presented well compared to the MDR sides which are usually cut out of a larger portion but the Cagney sides fell short of expectations after that. The gratin potatoes were swimming in roux. Cagney fries were meh. Beets were gross. Given the experience with the starters and sides, I'd only come back if I fell into some money. If my parents came with me, there's no way I'd pay cover charge for four people there.
  
• Inconsistent quality at O'sheehans. One time the wings were piping hot at dinner time. But they were barely luke warm for a late night snack. The spinach dip at the late night snack was also gross.
  
• The Casino got crazy smokey in the evenings. Don't cross on the 7th floor if you want to avoid smelling like smoke.
  

You might want to know:

• Embarkation day - Head to the dining room for lunch. It was empty so it wasn't awkward that I had a carry-on luggage and knapsack with me. There aren't a lot of areas in the dining rooms that are stroller friendly though.
  
• Cagneys - cover charge includes unlimited starters, 1 main, unlimited sides and unlimited dessert. If you want a second main, it'll cost you an extra $10. 2x 18oz ribeye steak for $40? Hmm.. Challenge.. Accepted?
  
• If you're tempted by a fashion watch (i.e. Citizen) on the ship, do yourself a favor and check to see how much it is in the port like Little Switzerland or even better on Amazon.com. You can even use data aggregator sites to review the historical prices on Amazon if you intend to get the best price possible. I was looking at a watch that was $420 on the ship, $390 at Little Switzerland in St. Maarten, and $320 on Amazon last December. If you want to advantage of the ship's price matching policy, you will need to take a picture of the watch/price tag (Little Switzerland has the price on the tag but most stores only have the MSRP on the tag) AND get a business card.
  
• If you get caught up in the $10 sales at TradeWinds (including buy 4 get 1 free), don’t fret if they run out of the style you like. Stop at Bijoux Terner at MIA where they have the same beach bags and some of the same wraps for $10 or 3 for $25.
  
• O'sheehans had prime rib 3x, Chicken and waffle 2x, and Ribs 2x so don’t' worry if you miss out on one of the specials there one night.
  

 

Final thoughts

I had a great time but would be open to trying a different itinerary next time with a longer stop in St. John or a different ship with more pools

[t2limar]

Hi Lori 3015: "I had some appetizers at Shanghai noodle bar and they were very good and it's now complimentary."

 

Do the complimentary appetizers only come with some food items with a fee?

Thanks.

[cruisewingman]

Hi Lori 3015: "I had some appetizers at Shanghai noodle bar and they were very good and it's now complimentary."

 

Do the complimentary appetizers only come with some food items with a fee?

Thanks.

 

I think everything at the noodle bar is free now. I'm from Toronto though so... I'm kinda snobby about my Asian food and didn't really feel like trying it on a cruise in the carribean.

 

At the Speciality restaurants, nothing is compliementary. The cover charge (+18% gratuity) includes unlimited starters and sides and ONE main.

[Nola26]

I was on this trip too! I was also sad to get off the ship last Saturday!

 

[*]Restaurant hours - Everything seemed to shut down at 9:30 pm including the MDR and the buffet. Even the crepe station at the buffet shut down at 9:30 pm. After 9:30 pm, the buffet only had snacks.

 

O'Sheehan's would have been an option for post 9:30 food:

 

"From Chicken Pot Pie to Fish n’ Chips to dinner specials such as Prime Rib, Lobster & Shrimp and all-you-can-eat ribs, O’Sheehan’s has all your favorite comfort food and beer on tap 24 hours a day."

[cruisewingman]

O'Sheehan's would have been an option for post 9:30 food:

 

"From Chicken Pot Pie to Fish n’ Chips to dinner specials such as Prime Rib, Lobster & Shrimp and all-you-can-eat ribs, O’Sheehan’s has all your favorite comfort food and beer on tap 24 hours a day."

 

For sure... but the dinner specials aren't 24 hours a day.. I think they shut down like at 9pm or so as well. There was no lobster & shrimp special on my sailing.

 

And like my post above said, I went once for a late night snack and it was underwhelming and not worth the calories.

 

So if you want a crepe after dinner (one of my gf's fave past times), you dont' have a lot of time to digest your first dinner!

[Susie51]

Thank you for your review.

[Lori3015]

Our biggest negative on the Getaway/Breakaway is the same as many others with one main pool for adults which is way over-crowded. I don't want to have to go up there at 7am to reserve a lounger by the pool area. I'm on vacation and I want to sleep in and go to the pool when I am ready.

 

I recently have done a lot of searching since our trip on Getaway and I have found the new ship coming out from Carnival called Vista is going to have two pools, a kids water area and a Havana pool area which is for Havana guests...but the nice thing about Carnival's Havana area is that it's totally affordable it even includes some inside cabins not just suites and penthouses. That could be a total of 3 adult pool areas to choose from, not just one. Like I said we totally enjoyed Spice H2O but basically on the first sea day we discounted ever being able to enjoy the main pool/area. That's pretty sad since we love being at the pool here at home.

[Nola26]

For sure... but the dinner specials aren't 24 hours a day.. I think they shut down like at 9pm or so as well. There was no lobster & shrimp special on my sailing.

 

And like my post above said, I went once for a late night snack and it was underwhelming and not worth the calories.

 

So if you want a crepe after dinner (one of my gf's fave past times), you dont' have a lot of time to digest your first dinner!

 

That is a quote directly from the Getaway description on ncl.com. Pasted only to show that that restaurant is 24 hours and would have more than snacks on the menu. The point was simply to show there is at least one 24hr complimentary option and that hope for food wasn't lost at 9:30pm.