Getaway Review and what I would have like to know before I cruised

[drneal]

So I'm just back from my first NCL experience on the NCL Getaway.

I went with my family of 4. Wife, Son 13, Daughter 10. My brother's family of 4 and my father.

We have cruised several times with Royal Caribbean and Disney. My brother had cruised with NCL before and booked this trip. We were invited as an after thought. After reading many reviews about the ship I had low expectations and was very pleasantly surprised.

We had a mid-ship mini-suite and the kids had an inside cabin. I though the rate was very good and we had the beverage package included.

Dad had the balcony.

We had to split up the adults as we were told that there has to be a guest 21 or older in the cabin unless the cabins are connecting or next to one another. However, when we booked our next cruise on the ship with the connecting/adjacent cabins they still wanted an adult in each cabin. It just creates a small problem when getting the beverage package as they want everyone in the cabin to get the same package.

I checked in on roll-call prior to going and enjoyed the meet and greet. My father booked his cruise 2-3 weeks prior to sailing and was told that the beverage package was not included within 30 days of sailing. After speaking with several other passengers I found that they were able to get very good deals including the beverage package in the week or two prior to sailing. Also it appears that people pay various rates for the same cabin depending on when they book or what deals are available when they book. Take home: do your home-work and check with different websites and travel agents.

We sailed on Sunday Feb 14.

As we were flying from NY in February I decided to fly down on Friday. We stayed one night at the Hilton Miami airport. That is a huge airport and we thought about flying in FLL next time but the flight out on Delta was super easy and it was only 12 min ride from the port.

We stayed at the Doubletree Biscayne on Saturday night. Close to great dining and we woke up and saw the ship form our balcony. Easy to get to the port...but I had my kids staying with my in-laws up in Aventura so I rented a car to get them and had to drop off the car outside the port. It was a $16 cab ride back to the port. The hotel was closer than the Avis/Budget drop off. No big deal.

So....

Day 1 Sunday

Got to the port at 9:20 AM, because I REALLY wanted the Vibe pass. My wife was not on the same page with me on this as she would rather sleep in. We were on an odd floor so we went to terminal C, Dad was on even so he went to terminal B.

We got group 3 and Dad got group 4. We just missed group 1. Basically group 1 and 2 board the same time. We boarded at 11:45 and entered the ship on deck 7 and went down to guest services on 6. We got the Vibe pass but passed on the private cabanas. For an extra $22 my wife says that she would get the cabana. In speaking with other people the last passes were sold out by group 11. They give you a wrist band, that snaps on and off easily, to wear while in Vibe and a key card to enter Vibe.

We purchased the spa pass prior to going on the ship to save $20. We went up to the spa so my wife could get her spa services scheduled and we needed to get stickers on our card to use the spa.

Next stop Faming grill for lunch. All the reviews were very positive about Flamingo grill. I liked it but usually went to the buffet or one of the restaurants for lunch on the rest of the cruise. It's outdoors.

I had downloaded the iConcierge app for texting with the family a month ago. Everyone else just downloaded it that day. Mine needed to be undated and the cell service for Verizon was very poor. I was finally able to get some reception in the teen lounge.

The iConcierge app works for texting and calling....you just have to know how to use it. My daughter was able to use it on her iPod. It's not exactly like a text message that beeps when you get a text unless you happen to be using the app at the time. Rather you have to check it to see if you have a new message. We were happy to have it and even if you are not sure about it you know you'll probably get it for $7.95. Make sure you have the latest version BEFORE you get on the ship.

Unlimited beverage package. I don't think I drink a lot and would never buy it but as it turns out I guess I do drink more than I thought, but hey I'm on vacation. On a sea day I had 6 - 8 drinks. Its all included, including the tip but while in port and until you are out in international waters you will pay like 7% additional. When we opted for the beverage package on the next cruise they added $86 for tips and $25 for the kids soda package.

We never had a problem getting a drink at any bar. The mojito bar probably takes longer than most as they are labor intensive drinks but they are good.

A regular pour is 1.25 - 1.5 oz on the ship so they seem "small" and I usually liked to get 2 at once. Not a problem as long as I had my wife's card with me.

They have different alcohol and beers at different bars. You can get anything you want. You can get ultra premium like Johnny Walker Blue or Don Julio 1942 for $3 supplement.

The pool does get crowded but there are plenty of places to find a lounge chair.

We signed the kids up for kids club. My 13 year old son was interested in the activities more than his 10 year old sister. Good to know:The child has to be at least 10 to sign themselves out of kids club without a parent. As it turned out they were very busy with the water slides, ropes course, rock wall and mini-golf that they didn't get to kids club as much as we thought they would.

The room. We had a mid-ship mini-suite. The only real difference between the mini-suite and the balcony is the size of the bathroom. The mini-suite has a full shower with multiple jets and the balcony has a stall shower. Body wash and shampoo dispensers are in there shower. Bring your own conditioner if you need it. There is a hair dryer in the room.

I would usually just shower in the spa anyway.

The balcony. Yes it is small but it is adequate to sit and read a book for a couple of hours or having a drink at sunset. I brought a pair of binoculars and enjoyed sitting out on the balcony. There are 2 chairs and a small table. If you want a larger balcony with lounge chairs you can opt for a cabin in the back or front of the ship with a larger balcony but if you want mid-ship you will have a smaller balcony.

We had dinner the first night at Tropicana for the 9 of us. Dinner and service were both good. We did find that dinner in the dining rooms was about 2 hours and breakfast/lunch was 1 hour.

After reading other reviews I was sure that I would need reservations. It seemed I could only get 5:30 or 8:30. On those nights that I went at other times I only waited 5 - 10 min. I really enjoyed this freestyle dining. The food was the same in all 3 dining rooms but the buffet always had a large selection and O'Sheehan's was open but only had the prime rib the first and last night.

I found the food and choices to be better than average and enjoyed all my meals. Prime rib and fish and chips were my favorites. The wings at O'Sheehan's were served room temperature...biggest food complaint of the cruise.

We went to "Howl at the Moon" the dueling piano show. Great live entertainment on the ship. All reviews I read were positive regarding the live entertainment and I was not disappointed.

More to come.....

[Clarea]

Looking forward to more, thanks.:)

[Mistizoom]

Great review, looking forward to more. Good to know about the O'Sheehan's prime rib nights. My husband really wants to try it. I have a reservation for Tropicana the first night but may switch it out.

[Timbek2]

Enjoying the review!

[shukapaw]

Great review. Anxiously awaiting more.....

[Keith1010]

Thanks for writing this.

 

Keith

[xcell]

Can't wait to read more...

 

Could you leave a blank space between paragraphs...easier to read...

[Cruise-mom]

Very informative, thanks for sharing.

[Mandy412]

Good review! I loved this cruise and like you, I had low expectations.

[TSUmom]

Enjoying and looking forward to more...

[Sundiego]

Nice review! We were on your cruise (but didn't join the roll call this time!)

 

We went to O'Sheehan's on night #1 for the prime rib and were told they weren't serving it that night due to the new menu change (that were introduced on our Getaway sailing). So I'm curious, did you actually eat the prime rib on night #1? Because we were told no way-no how, so we went to a different restaurant that night. We did have the prime rib the last night and it was very good :)

 

Back to the new menus... we thought the service in the main dining rooms was VERRRRY slow. We actually ate at the buffet 3 nights because of the slow dining room service. It was not the servers fault... they were awesome! But there was something wrong in the kitchen, like there was a learning curve with the new menus or something. Not really complaining ~ we managed to eat more than our share lol.

 

I was surprised how EASY it was to get a drink. We've been on the Getaway before and enjoyed the ship but I was a little apprehensive this time after reading reviews here that the bar service was impossible due to the number of passengers with a beverage pkg. We had no problems.

 

Sorry for the long post, didn't mean to hijack your review :)

 

~Denise

[tampadee]

Great review, looking forward to more!

[Mistizoom]

Nice review! We were on your cruise (but didn't join the roll call this time!)

 

We went to O'Sheehan's on night #1 for the prime rib and were told they weren't serving it that night due to the new menu change (that were introduced on our Getaway sailing). So I'm curious, did you actually eat the prime rib on night #1? Because we were told no way-no how, so we went to a different restaurant that night. We did have the prime rib the last night and it was very good :)

 

Back to the new menus... we thought the service in the main dining rooms was VERRRRY slow. We actually ate at the buffet 3 nights because of the slow dining room service. It was not the servers fault... they were awesome! But there was something wrong in the kitchen, like there was a learning curve with the new menus or something. Not really complaining ~ we managed to eat more than our share lol.

 

I was surprised how EASY it was to get a drink. We've been on the Getaway before and enjoyed the ship but I was a little apprehensive this time after reading reviews here that the bar service was impossible due to the number of passengers with a beverage pkg. We had no problems.

 

Sorry for the long post, didn't mean to hijack your review :)

 

~Denise

 

Thanks for the info about the prime rib. I guess I will keep my reservation for Tropicana the first night and see how it goes! Glad to hear there was prime rib available one night at least. Would love to see any dailies or menus from either you or the OP!

 

Edited February 22, 2016 by Mistizoom

[drneal]

Sundiego,

 

So I did not go to O'Sheehans the first night but in speaking with another passenger that went to O'Sheehans he too was told that they did not have prime rib that night so he ordered a hot dog, only to see a different server bring another passenger the prime rib. Needless to say he was able to have the prime rib on the first night.

 

I had the prime rib at Tropicana (or any of the dining rooms as they all have the same menu) on the 5th night. Plenty of prime rib.

 

I'll work on more later tonight

[Sundiego]

Sundiego,

 

So I did not go to O'Sheehans the first night but in speaking with another passenger that went to O'Sheehans he too was told that they did not have prime rib that night so he ordered a hot dog, only to see a different server bring another passenger the prime rib.

That's funny! It was advertised all over the ship... you know how they have tables set up when you first board so you can make your dinner reservations for the week... there were "framed photos" of prime rib advertising O'Sheehan's for night one so we were really surprised when we were told "nope, new menu, we don't do it on the first night now". Am curious what the "correct" answer is! Thanks for sharing a little insight :)

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Following along. Cruising GA 5/15 & very interested in your experience.

[Karma_]

thanks for posting! makes me hopeful about getting vibe pass even though im boarding group 3

[kapcruiser]

Thanks for the review

[teachatthebeach]

We are sailing in 3 weeks. Thanks for the review!

[Mistizoom]

Sundiego,

 

So I did not go to O'Sheehans the first night but in speaking with another passenger that went to O'Sheehans he too was told that they did not have prime rib that night so he ordered a hot dog, only to see a different server bring another passenger the prime rib. Needless to say he was able to have the prime rib on the first night.

 

I had the prime rib at Tropicana (or any of the dining rooms as they all have the same menu) on the 5th night. Plenty of prime rib.

 

I'll work on more later tonight

 

That's funny! It was advertised all over the ship... you know how they have tables set up when you first board so you can make your dinner reservations for the week... there were "framed photos" of prime rib advertising O'Sheehan's for night one so we were really surprised when we were told "nope, new menu, we don't do it on the first night now". Am curious what the "correct" answer is! Thanks for sharing a little insight :)

 

Thank you both, glad to hear there was plenty of prime rib!

[Samtay]

Can't wait to hear more....cruising in April!

[drneal]

Day 2... Seaday.

 

Tried a pub crawl at the Prime Meridian bar at 9:30 on sunday night prior to the meet and greet but it was basically 2 couples as people had a hard time finding the bar. I chose prime meridian, between Cagneys and Moderno on deck 8, at the suggestion of a previous poster who said that the other bars were to crowded to find other members.

 

Seaday. I slept in and went to Taste for breakfast at about 9 AM and had no problem getting a table. Breakfast took about 1 hour.

Taste and savor are basically the same room. Both are across from one another. Taste is on the Starboard side and decor is brown and pink. Savor is on the port side and decor is brown and blue.

 

10 AM there was an interesting lecture in the atrium on the mechanics and construction of the ship with videos. Followed by Q&A with the captain and chief engineer.

 

11 AM. Roll call meet & greet at Cagney's. Thanks Jim! Got to meet fellow roll call members, senior staff and had some smoothies. It was nice seeing the people we met during the rest of the cruise. I would recommend checking out your roll call.

 

Went on all the slides. The "drop" slide should not be missed. You need to weigh at least 100 lbs....or you may get stuck.

This is a good time to mention that it was winter break and there were A LOT of kids. About half the cruise. They were all well behaved. The lines for the slide were probably longer than usually but on the plus side the bars were a lot less crowded.

 

Next up to vibe. Have you heard that it gets windy up there? So did I....but it was too much for me. Got my first drink of the day and headed down to taste for lunch.

 

Made it to the spa in the afternoon. I felt compelled to try to go everyday as I paid for it. 2 saunas, steam room and a salt room. Hot tub and thalassotherapy pool. Loungers and hot tile loungers by the windows.

You only have access to the lockers if you have the spa pass. You can also buy a spa pass for the day.

 

Dinner at Savor.

 

I went to the comedy show at 9. I showed up at like 8:30 to get a seat and this is when I found out that you need tickets. It's not a big deal but I had to stand on line until 8:50 to get in and if you have reservations you go right in. But everyone who wants to get in will get in. I enjoyed to comedians and went to several shows.

 

After the comedy show I went to the atrium for the "not so newlywed game" where I had a great time seeing my brother and sister-in-law answer some uncomfortable questions. It only got better everyday when the show aired on the stateroom TVs and their kids got to find out where the "strangest place they made whoopie" was. Consider yourself warned.

 

Don't miss the Mojito bar on deck 8.

 

Casino for $6 blackjack. I don't like smoke but I was still able to spend some time in the casino.

 

They always had some party up on deck 16 in Spice H2O at 10:30 but I only went by to check it out.

The cruise director seemed to be all over all day. Lots of partying if you want and live music if thats more your scene.

 

Back to the room. Comfortable bed. We had a room where the couch is closest to the door and the bed is closer to the balcony. I liked this set-up as I had never seen it before and it gives you more room to get into the closet. The room configuration alternate on the ship so if you have two adjoining rooms you will have one with the bed closer to the window and one with the couch closer to the window.

I have read reviews where people mentioned the lack of outlets in the room. As they all stated there are 2 US and 1 or 2 european outlets. Based on others reviews I bought a 3 outlet power strip with 2 USB ports for charging phones. It also had a surge suppressor which was good to have as the US outlets caused my 1 AMP iPhone charger to heat up. You don't need to bring a mini power strip but its only $20 at Staples.

Again as stated you cannot charge your electronics in the room if you do not have a key card in the slot by the door when you are not in the room. Bring an old key card if you plan on charging electronic devices when you are out of the room.

 

More to come...

 

Some pics:

Getaway; pool deck at 7:30 AM; Vibe; Balcony at sunset

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Thanks for more. Please continue.

[Jezo]

thanks for posting! makes me hopeful about getting vibe pass even though im boarding group 3

 

How do you know what boarding group you are before you get there?

[drneal]

How do you know what boarding group you are before you get there?

 

You don't know what boarding group you are in !

Prior to going to the port you select an arrival time when you do your paperwork online. 9:30-10, 10-10:30, ...

You get to the port by 9:30 (if you want group 1-4) a little later isn't a big problem, and you get your boarding group number as you get off the escalator once you've gone through security and checked in.

If you are in terminal C you will have odd numbers 1,3,5...

If you are in terminal B you will get even numbers 2,4,6...

They start boarding special needs passengers first then group 1/2, group 3/4...

 

It does add a bit of stress to the embarkation process but it won't ruin your vacation.