4/25 Getaway Highlights

[Wedgie Wedgie]

Synopsis:

Our fifth NCL cruise. We booked about 6 weeks ago and received the UBP, UD, daily tips of $14.95 pp paid and $300 OBC.

 

We had our most comfortable cabin yet- #9916 Haven aft suite. This is a fantastic cabin w/2 full baths, ginormous balcony and 880sf. Yes the Haven is nice but the true comfort laid within our own balcony. The Haven had quite a few young families that let their kids run amuck, no thanks.

 

Did the Illusionarium on first nite, free for UD'ers. Haven concierge took us all down to the front row seating, we did not book in advance- simply upon arrival. Great show, probably the best magic I've seen on land or sea. Food was only so-so and the only time during the week I had that impression.

 

The bar service was fine and snappy. We had many, many drinks all over the ship. Sugarcane mojito was our fav for daytime drinking. Nighttime we would have a martini before dinner at the Prime Meridian bar which was right between Cagneys and Moderno. Great bartender Haidi (sp?) took care of us before and after dinner at the bar. The only time I ordered something above the free $11 was Remy XO cognacs listed for $16, we were charged $5. Normally we have a bottle of wine with dinner but since we had the UBP we just ordered by the glass for free. Plenty of very nice selections.

 

Chef's table was Tues nite. It was our second chef table experience and has been the highlight of our last two cruises. Menu has not changed since our Jewel cruise last year. I asked the chef about a new menu and he said all of the chefs are currently collaborating on a new menu. Food was superb, service could not have been better and the very good vino flowed to your heart's content!

 

We were invited for a private galley tour by the chef for thur. We were the only ones out of the 12 diners that showed up. I find it fascinating to witness the cleanliness and efficiency to feed over 6000 people daily. Also, he showed us the crew's dining room- The Gator Grill. I had alot of fun with this later. I asked our concierge if she could make us a special reservation, she said "of course, which restaurant would you like?" When I said the Gator Grill, she paused quizzically and then roared with laughter. After that every crew member I chatted with I told them I just ate at the Gator Grill and they loved it!

 

St. Thomas we did the gondola ride up to the top of the mountain right by the dock. It was ok for photo ops. We then took a $4 pp cab ride downtown and did a little shopping and then hoofed it back to the ship for free cocktails and food.

 

Tortola we booked the ship's Baths excursion. This is a spectacular beach and great walk through the caves. Think Leonardo Dicaprio in his movie "The Beach", it was that beautiful. While we did dock directly it might as well have been a tender as you take a 45 minute ferry ride directly off the ship to Virgin Gorda. By the time you get back to the main dock you only have about an hour before you must be back on board. Next time we go to Tortola I will just hop a cab and explore that island.

 

Nassau was ok for a little shopping, we bought some carvings and fake Oakley sunglasses.

 

The Getaway is a beautiful ship and we will probably sail her again. NCL showed their best stuff on this cruise!

[Sand and Seas]

Sounds like a wonderful week. Glad to hear you enjoyed this ship. Did you enjoy the entertainment? Who was playing in the Grammy experience?

 

Thanks for posting and getting us excited for our Getaway cruise:D

[Cruise-Crazy]

Thanks for the info, I'll be there in a few weeks. I was thinking of doing the Chef's Table. I have done it several times on various Carnival ships.

[Wedgie Wedgie]

Sounds like a wonderful week. Glad to hear you enjoyed this ship. Did you enjoy the entertainment? Who was playing in the Grammy experience?

 

Sugar Blue ripped it on harmonica with a very progressive jazz band in Grammys. As I mentioned I thought the Illusionarium show was superb. Burn the Floor was great. Comedians were LOL funny.

 

I was really impressed with the new ship, food, entertainment and overall service. Our previous 4 NCL experiences were ships half the size and I worried that the Getaway would seem like a floating sardine can with 4000 passengers- not the case. It never seemed too crowded and I believe the ship was totally booked. We did have Haven embark and disembark privileges and it was a breeze.

 

We are looking at The Escape next. We spoke with many supervisors onboard the Getaway that are leaping over to The Escape. The new ships all begin with the A-Team staff. The Getaway just took on it's second wave of staff members but they were all great.

Edited May 3, 2015 by Wedgie Wedgie