Norwegian Getaway Live Updates 3/20-3/27

[adidreh1234]

Thanks so much for live posting! So excited to cruise with you!

 

 

Are we on the same cruise??

[CocoCandy]

Thank you everyone for following my review! Hope you are finding it helpful. I promise to post pictures once i get to a place where internet is faster

 

Day 2 - at sea (originally supposed to be Great Stirrup Cay) so, our room is a family suite 12226, mid ship. It is on the same deck as the Splash academy. There were some noises last night unfortunately. I am not sure what the noises were, sounded like people running, chairs being move around, pounding on the wall, or something else. I could not fall asleep. But whatever, we are on a cruise, people are going to make noise. DD and DH had no problems sleeping.

We woke up at 7:30 and I immediately had a feeling we skipped port. We were supposed to have docked early and we were still at sea. Sure enough, captain came on the PA and announced that due to weather and six feet waves, he decided to skip the port and head straight to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I was ok with the decision since the weather looked terrible. There were dark clouds and was very windy. We took our time and got dressed to go to breakfast. We went to Savor. Again, I will post menus once Internet connection is better. I loved the huge selections on the menu. DH got eggs Benedict, and the eggs were poached perfectly. I just had simple eggs over easy with bacon. DD got the chocolate pancake and she was in heaven. Everything tasted amazing. Compare to RCL or Carnival, I think NCL has got the best food in complimentary restaurants.

After breakfast I went to sign up for shore excursions. We were on the fence about whether to do excursions in Ochos Rios, but since today was a sea day, we knew we would be going crazy after two sea days. I have say, I did not feel a bit crowded despite knowing there are 4000 passengers on board. I didn't wait for the shore excursion at all, and guest services lines looked pretty short too. I am pleased that NCL seemed to be super efficient in taking care of guests' needs.

DD was dying to go to the pool so we headed for the kids pool area. I agree with other people that chairs are hard to come by on sea days. We settled on a table in the garden buffet's outdoor seating area. It worked. We weren't going to sit anyway because DD wanted to be in the water nonstop. The kids park was awesome! Everything was made out of foam! I was glad that kids were throwing themselves around and parents didn't have to worry about them getting hurt. I did feel that some kids were way too old to be in that area. They were not playing nice and I had to stop a few of them from almost kicking DD in the head. DD and I had a wonderful time but the clouds were coming in, so we decided to go to lunch.

Lunch was at O'Sheehan's. I loved the fish and chips. It was well seasoned. DH had wings and shepher's pie. DD loved the fish and chips as well. The Beer selection there was great, DH was happy and had a Peroni.

After lunch, we went to Carlo's Bake Shop. The cupcake in my opinion was too dry which was a bummer :( plus it was a la carte so we paid $11 for two cupcakes. But whatever.

DH went to take a nap while DD and I went to the waterfront and walked around. I have to say again, I am pleasantly surprised that I did not feel crowded one bit. I never had to wait in line for a drink or bathroom. And at every bar there seemed to be plenty of seating.

I took DD to the Splash Academy, she wanted to go the crafts activity and puppet show. We had to wait in line for 10 minutes as parents were eager to drop their kids off for a while. DD did not have any separation anxiety what so ever, I felt they were well organized. DH and I then went to the casino. The casino was dead! No one was playing any games. We lost $80 quickly at Roulette, ugh! We went to the waterfront and sat next to the Sugarcane bar ( my favorite), and relaxed for about 30 minutes.

We picked DD up and headed to dinner. We stopped by O'Sheehan's for a quick game of air hockey. Dinner tonight was Teppanyaki. Overall, food was decent. Chefs put on a great show. I thought the dinner was a bit long. We are used to being in and out in about an hour back home, and today took two hours. DD was fading quickly, so we ate eally fast. I had the seafood dish with lobster, scallops and calamari. I thought the flavors were great. DH had filet mignon and chicken, he said chicken was dry but filet was excellent. Photographers came around to take picture of your family with the chef. At the end of the dinner they gave ou the picture and a bill for $20 of you want to buy it. I bought it because I wanted DD to have the picture to remember the trip by. I am a sucker for these kind of things.

After dinner, we came back to the cabin and now getting ready for bed. One of the things I love about the family mini suite is the bath tub!! DD can take bath and we get a double sink! DH and I don't have to elbow each other while brushing out teeth.

Now it's winding down time, tomorrow is another sea day.

 

Sorry to hear you had to miss the port today. We had to miss it on the Getaway as well on the March 6 sailing.

 

If you haven't tried Shanghai Noodle yet, I recommend trying the panda fruit salad and 5 spice ginger chocolate cake. Yes, the desserts lol... I found them to be really tasty!

[sailboat49]

great review! 6 bucks for a cupcake though!?!!?

 

Thank you everyone for following my review! Hope you are finding it helpful. I promise to post pictures once i get to a place where internet is faster

 

Day 2 - at sea (originally supposed to be Great Stirrup Cay) so, our room is a family suite 12226, mid ship. It is on the same deck as the Splash academy. There were some noises last night unfortunately. I am not sure what the noises were, sounded like people running, chairs being move around, pounding on the wall, or something else. I could not fall asleep. But whatever, we are on a cruise, people are going to make noise. DD and DH had no problems sleeping.

We woke up at 7:30 and I immediately had a feeling we skipped port. We were supposed to have docked early and we were still at sea. Sure enough, captain came on the PA and announced that due to weather and six feet waves, he decided to skip the port and head straight to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I was ok with the decision since the weather looked terrible. There were dark clouds and was very windy. We took our time and got dressed to go to breakfast. We went to Savor. Again, I will post menus once Internet connection is better. I loved the huge selections on the menu. DH got eggs Benedict, and the eggs were poached perfectly. I just had simple eggs over easy with bacon. DD got the chocolate pancake and she was in heaven. Everything tasted amazing. Compare to RCL or Carnival, I think NCL has got the best food in complimentary restaurants.

After breakfast I went to sign up for shore excursions. We were on the fence about whether to do excursions in Ochos Rios, but since today was a sea day, we knew we would be going crazy after two sea days. I have say, I did not feel a bit crowded despite knowing there are 4000 passengers on board. I didn't wait for the shore excursion at all, and guest services lines looked pretty short too. I am pleased that NCL seemed to be super efficient in taking care of guests' needs.

DD was dying to go to the pool so we headed for the kids pool area. I agree with other people that chairs are hard to come by on sea days. We settled on a table in the garden buffet's outdoor seating area. It worked. We weren't going to sit anyway because DD wanted to be in the water nonstop. The kids park was awesome! Everything was made out of foam! I was glad that kids were throwing themselves around and parents didn't have to worry about them getting hurt. I did feel that some kids were way too old to be in that area. They were not playing nice and I had to stop a few of them from almost kicking DD in the head. DD and I had a wonderful time but the clouds were coming in, so we decided to go to lunch.

Lunch was at O'Sheehan's. I loved the fish and chips. It was well seasoned. DH had wings and shepher's pie. DD loved the fish and chips as well. The Beer selection there was great, DH was happy and had a Peroni.

After lunch, we went to Carlo's Bake Shop. The cupcake in my opinion was too dry which was a bummer :( plus it was a la carte so we paid $11 for two cupcakes. But whatever.

DH went to take a nap while DD and I went to the waterfront and walked around. I have to say again, I am pleasantly surprised that I did not feel crowded one bit. I never had to wait in line for a drink or bathroom. And at every bar there seemed to be plenty of seating.

I took DD to the Splash Academy, she wanted to go the crafts activity and puppet show. We had to wait in line for 10 minutes as parents were eager to drop their kids off for a while. DD did not have any separation anxiety what so ever, I felt they were well organized. DH and I then went to the casino. The casino was dead! No one was playing any games. We lost $80 quickly at Roulette, ugh! We went to the waterfront and sat next to the Sugarcane bar ( my favorite), and relaxed for about 30 minutes.

We picked DD up and headed to dinner. We stopped by O'Sheehan's for a quick game of air hockey. Dinner tonight was Teppanyaki. Overall, food was decent. Chefs put on a great show. I thought the dinner was a bit long. We are used to being in and out in about an hour back home, and today took two hours. DD was fading quickly, so we ate eally fast. I had the seafood dish with lobster, scallops and calamari. I thought the flavors were great. DH had filet mignon and chicken, he said chicken was dry but filet was excellent. Photographers came around to take pictures of your family with the chef. At the end of the dinner they gave you the picture and a bill for $20 if you want to buy it. I bought it because I wanted DD to have the picture to remember the trip by. I am a sucker for these kind of things.

After dinner, we came back to the cabin and now getting ready for bed. One of the things I love about the family mini suite is the bath tub!! DD can take bath. We also get a double sink! DH and I don't have to elbow each other while brushing out teeth.

Now it's winding down time, tomorrow is another sea day.

[adidreh1234]

great review! 6 bucks for a cupcake though!?!!?

 

I got a latte also, I forgot! The latte was $2.95. So cupcakes were $4 each. DH paid the bill so I didn't see the exact breakdown, he just said it was around $11.

That's expensive! I wouldn't have paid except I promised DD we woul get a cupcake after lunch. I couldn't exactly not keep my promise :)!

[DocMomma13]

Thank you everyone for following my review! Hope you are finding it helpful. I promise to post pictures once i get to a place where internet is faster

 

Day 2 - at sea (originally supposed to be Great Stirrup Cay) so, our room is a family suite 12226, mid ship. It is on the same deck as the Splash academy. There were some noises last night unfortunately. I am not sure what the noises were, sounded like people running, chairs being move around, pounding on the wall, or something else. I could not fall asleep. But whatever, we are on a cruise, people are going to make noise. DD and DH had no problems sleeping.

We woke up at 7:30 and I immediately had a feeling we skipped port. We were supposed to have docked early and we were still at sea. Sure enough, captain came on the PA and announced that due to weather and six feet waves, he decided to skip the port and head straight to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I was ok with the decision since the weather looked terrible. There were dark clouds and was very windy. We took our time and got dressed to go to breakfast. We went to Savor. Again, I will post menus once Internet connection is better. I loved the huge selections on the menu. DH got eggs Benedict, and the eggs were poached perfectly. I just had simple eggs over easy with bacon. DD got the chocolate pancake and she was in heaven. Everything tasted amazing. Compare to RCL or Carnival, I think NCL has got the best food in complimentary restaurants.

After breakfast I went to sign up for shore excursions. We were on the fence about whether to do excursions in Ochos Rios, but since today was a sea day, we knew we would be going crazy after two sea days. I have say, I did not feel a bit crowded despite knowing there are 4000 passengers on board. I didn't wait for the shore excursion at all, and guest services lines looked pretty short too. I am pleased that NCL seemed to be super efficient in taking care of guests' needs.

DD was dying to go to the pool so we headed for the kids pool area. I agree with other people that chairs are hard to come by on sea days. We settled on a table in the garden buffet's outdoor seating area. It worked. We weren't going to sit anyway because DD wanted to be in the water nonstop. The kids park was awesome! Everything was made out of foam! I was glad that kids were throwing themselves around and parents didn't have to worry about them getting hurt. I did feel that some kids were way too old to be in that area. They were not playing nice and I had to stop a few of them from almost kicking DD in the head. DD and I had a wonderful time but the clouds were coming in, so we decided to go to lunch.

Lunch was at O'Sheehan's. I loved the fish and chips. It was well seasoned. DH had wings and shepher's pie. DD loved the fish and chips as well. The Beer selection there was great, DH was happy and had a Peroni.

After lunch, we went to Carlo's Bake Shop. The cupcake in my opinion was too dry which was a bummer :( plus it was a la carte so we paid $11 for two cupcakes. But whatever.

DH went to take a nap while DD and I went to the waterfront and walked around. I have to say again, I am pleasantly surprised that I did not feel crowded one bit. I never had to wait in line for a drink or bathroom. And at every bar there seemed to be plenty of seating.

I took DD to the Splash Academy, she wanted to go the crafts activity and puppet show. We had to wait in line for 10 minutes as parents were eager to drop their kids off for a while. DD did not have any separation anxiety what so ever, I felt they were well organized. DH and I then went to the casino. The casino was dead! No one was playing any games. We lost $80 quickly at Roulette, ugh! We went to the waterfront and sat next to the Sugarcane bar ( my favorite), and relaxed for about 30 minutes.

We picked DD up and headed to dinner. We stopped by O'Sheehan's for a quick game of air hockey. Dinner tonight was Teppanyaki. Overall, food was decent. Chefs put on a great show. I thought the dinner was a bit long. We are used to being in and out in about an hour back home, and today took two hours. DD was fading quickly, so we ate eally fast. I had the seafood dish with lobster, scallops and calamari. I thought the flavors were great. DH had filet mignon and chicken, he said chicken was dry but filet was excellent. Photographers came around to take pictures of your family with the chef. At the end of the dinner they gave you the picture and a bill for $20 if you want to buy it. I bought it because I wanted DD to have the picture to remember the trip by. I am a sucker for these kind of things.

After dinner, we came back to the cabin and now getting ready for bed. One of the things I love about the family mini suite is the bath tub!! DD can take bath. We also get a double sink! DH and I don't have to elbow each other while brushing our teeth.

Now it's winding down time, tomorrow is another sea day.

what happens if you miss a day at port? Do you try to catch it on the way back or just skip it and have another day at sea?

[Kfamilycruise]

Are we on the same cruise??

 

Ha! No, I meant we are living vicariously through you since you are live posting.

[tropical83]

which room did you book for the may 22 getaway?!

 

I am looking into booking but the prices have shot up to 700 for an inside when they used to be 550...

 

 

I have a Guarantee Balcony booked. I originally had an inside cabin booked. But I noticed that the price for a Guarantee Balcony dropped to about the same as the inside was when I booked. My travel agent called and got us upgraded to a guarantee balcony. I think the price of the inside when we originally booked back in January was $749.

[sailboat49]

I have a Guarantee Balcony booked. I originally had an inside cabin booked. But I noticed that the price for a Guarantee Balcony dropped to about the same as the inside was when I booked. My travel agent called and got us upgraded to a guarantee balcony. I think the price of the inside when we originally booked back in January was $749.

 

 

Wow so it was 750 after taxes for inside?

 

Right now it's around 680 after taxes and fees for guaranteed inside so I'm really tempted to bite. Still kicking myself for missing the 550 after taxes deal....!

[tropical83]

Wow so it was 750 after taxes for inside?

 

Right now it's around 680 after taxes and fees for guaranteed inside so I'm really tempted to bite. Still kicking myself for missing the 550 after taxes deal....!

 

Actually no I believe that was before taxes or prepaid gratuities.

 

I think the rate your getting right now is pretty good...if you book it maybe just keep an eye out and if the price drops try calling to see if they can do anything for you.

[CocoCandy]

Don't forget to try the Flamingo Grill for lunch!

 

I enjoyed the days they had ropa vieja ( Cuban shredded beef) the best, but their black beans and rice are so good.

 

They also offer 3 delicious desserts (that are far superior to anything offered in the Garden Cafe lunch) which are: rice pudding ( arroz con leche) , flan ( made with cream cheese and is so amazing) , and tres leches cake.

[adidreh1234]

what happens if you miss a day at port? Do you try to catch it on the way back or just skip it and have another day at sea?

 

If the port is skipped its skipped, no trying to catch it on the way back. We just had another day at sea

[adidreh1234]

It pains me that I can't post any pictures due to the slow internet. I promise I will soon!

 

My impression so far of the Getaway has been that service is outstanding. I read other threads about how service sucks on the Getaway, but we have had a very different experience so far. With the exception of one grumpy bartender, everyone is super friendly and accommodating. DD is being treated like a princess. Our room steward is awesome. DD requested a towel monkey and she got one tonight! Also, food has been amazing. I have not had a bad meal.

 

 

Day 3- At Sea. One of the major disappointments of the trip thus far is the weather. I know it's out of our control, but I am still bummed that for two days straight we have not seen any sun. I signed up for the Pilates class and was really excited for it this morning. Only to get to the fitness center and saw no sign of the class. I think it might have been cancelled. I wish I had gotten a call about it. no biggie, we got dressed and went to breakfast at O'Sheehan's. I had scrambled eggs and bacon, DD had French toast, and DH had country breakfast which is sort of like an Irish breakfast minus the blood sausages. He said it was really good. After breakfast, DD wanted to go to the video arcade. We had nothing better to do, most of the activities listed didn't interest us. We tried mini golf but line was too long. So We went to the arcade and had a blast. By mid morning, there was an announcement that the ship had turned clock back one hour, not sure why! It messed up our schedule slightly. We went to get lunch at Savor and it was operating on the new ship time so we waited a bit. Lunch was so delicious. DH and I both agree that food on NCL is far superior than RCL or Carnival. I felt the complimentary restaurant food definitely is high quality. Even the butter is a high end European brand. I had pho and fried chicken, and DH had pho and a burger which he said was cooked to perfection.

We were all exhausted so all three of us took a two hour nap. After nap we went to the pool. This part of the day was the first time I got a little annoyed with NCL. The kid's pool was closed due to a baby pooping in there earlier. All of the kids had nowhere to go and weren't allowed in the adult pool, so the entire area was really crowded. We couldn't find one single chair. We walked around for thirty minutes before finally settling down on two chairs outside the vibes club. I was so annoyed by then, DD was crying about the pool, and DH was grouchy from having to walk around for so long to find a chair. After a while we got bored and came back to the room to dress for dinner.

Dinner was at Moderno. Salad bar was amazing, I could have just eaten that alone.

I don't get seasick unless the ship is really rocky. I think because of the storm, water was really choppy today, but I put a motion sickness patch on my stomach and felt just fine.

I am excited for Jamaica tomorrow, we are doing the dolphin encounter!

[breezy270]

Thanks for posting, I'll be following along!

I sail the Getaway May 22!!

 

Tropical83 see you on the cruise! My boyfriend and I are on the Getaway May 22nd also!!! Cannot wait!!!

[tropical83]

Tropical83 see you on the cruise! My boyfriend and I are on the Getaway May 22nd also!!! Cannot wait!!!

 

awesome! It can't come soon enough!

[Honeymooner15]

Aren't YOU your wife's husband? :D

 

 

I believe he's talking about his wife's maid of honors husband

[jwlthief]

You are correct Honeymooner15. Given the big grin from SPB in da RVA, confident they get it as well.

 

Bet you didn't know "I'm my own grandpa"...:p

[daisyh]

Great review. I can't wait to read more!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[adidreh1234]

So sorry I have not posted in two days! The satellite was down and the Internet connection was really bad. Here is what happened on day 4.

 

Day 4- Ocho Rios, Jamica. We were so glad to finally see sunshine! By the time we docked, the sun was out. We got up early because we have the dolphin encounter excursion. The tickets said to meet at end of the pier at 9:20. DH doesn't like to be late EVER so we rushed through breakfast and went down to the gangway. Getting off the boat was a breeze. As we walked along the pier, we were enjoying the gorgeous view of the island with lucious greenery. The meeting point for excursions was a total mess. It was absolutely chaotic. No instructions whatsoever, and we were told to just go to the end of line and get a wrist band. We fought through some crowds and got to the end of line. Only to be told that we were too early! DH was really annoyed. DD was getting fussy too because there was no AC in the tent. Looked like they were calling groups to get on the bus every 10 minutes. I got into it with one of the workers there and demanded that they let us check in because I wasn't about to stand in the heat to wait, especially in the chaotic mess. Anyway, we got wrist bands and little did we know, we would have to wait another 30 minutes to get on the bus. This part was irritating but off we go to see the Dolphins.

The ride was really short, about five minutes. The sun was shining so we quickly forgot the disembarkation unpleasantness. We got to the dolphin cove and were given group numbers. We were in group 3, and were instructed to go sit at the end of the pier. We were getting excited as we see five dolphins just frolicking around and having a great time. Dolphins are my favorite animals so for me, this excursion was extra thrilling. We were given a quick lesson on how to touch the Dolphins and kiss them. The trainer also answered a bunch of questions about Dolphins in general. They started calling group numbers, everyone was given a life vest and instructed to go into an area where water was knee high. One of the Dolphins came over and everyone started taking turns with the dolphin. I can honestly say this was one of the coolest things I have ever done. I couldn't believe I got up so close to a Dolphin and even kissed her. DD was having a great time, DH had to hold her but she got to kiss the dolphin. We got pictures in the end on a CD, it was pricey $98 but we thought it was worth it.

After the Dolphins we took the shuttle back to the ship. There were others that got dropped off at a shopping center right down the street. We got lunch and went straight to the kids pool. DD and I spent two hours at the pool and were exhausted.

Dinner was at Cagney's. The food was amazing. Sorry can't post pictures now but will post once I get to Miami. DH had tuna, and I had snapper. Our waiter was the best. He went above and beyond to make sure the tuna was cooked to perfection. We filled out a comment card to give him good feedback.

After dinner, we walked around the waterfront to enjoy the full moon. There were so many activities we would have liked to go check out but since we are traveling with a small child, we couldn't take advantage of them.

We went to bed and started looking forward to Grand Cayman.

[coolcruiser86]

I can't wait to hear more about how your cruise ended!!:)

[adidreh1234]

It's been four days since we got back from the cruise, I finally have time to post about the rest of my trip.

 

Day 5- grand Cayman. I was super excited about Grand Cayman as I have never been to this island. We had signed up for the Trolley Roger tour of the island because with a four year old, we felt it was a light activity leveled excursion. The tender was easy, no line and ride was only five minutes. We got off the tender boat, and each cruise line had their own disembarkation port. We were greeted by the shore excursion staff only to be informed that the trolley had broken down and we should find our own excursion. At this point, I was just pissed. We have not had any luck with excursions and the fact that we were not informed of the cancellation really put a bad taste in my mouth. We walked around in the heat and saw a booth for Dscount Shore Excursions. There was a semi-submarine excursion. Basically it was a boat that has a cabin down below deck that has glass windows all around. We thought it was reasonably priced at $45 a person and half price for child. We had to walk five minutes to Atlantis. We waited ten minutes and the boat showed up. We got on the boat, and went below deck. It was awesome! Grand Cayman has the most beautiful Caribbean water I have ever seen. With the sun shining through, you can see everything clearly. Fish, coral reef, etc. the boat drove around the harbor for about an hour, we saw many different species of fish, and coral reef. We also saw a sting ray and sea turtle. It got boring after w while, but my four year old couldn't get enough of the fish! I was glad she had a good time.

After that, we took the tender boat back to the ship. Did not have to wait in line at all. Back on the ship, we decided on Flamingo grill for lunch. Food was once again amazing. The buffet had two different types of rice, plantains, pulled pork, chimmichurri steak, stuffed potato, yucca.

DD wanted to go to the kid's pool, we happily obliged. Since most people were on excursions, we had the pool pretty much to ourselves. We were in the kid's pool for two hours. Finally I had to sweet talk her into leaving because people were gradually coming back from the island, and more and more kids showed up. Many kids were in my opinion way too big to be in the kiddie pool, and they were not playing nice. Another reason I wanted DD to get out. I had to say something to few of the bigger kids and asked them to watch out for small children.

Dinner was Tropicana. So glad I booked it for that night. Burn the Floor had a mini performance there. It was a good show. I was hoping for Latin dances but they did mainly swing and jive. DD and DH really enjoyed it too. It kept DD occupied for a while without her having to ask for the iPad. Service was again outstanding from the wait staff.

We did what we did every night after dinner, which was a quick stroll on the waterfront and went back to the room to relax and get ready for bed.

 

I am quite impressed so far with NCL and how kid friendly the Getaway is. I love the kid's pool area, kids menu, splash academy. Also every person is super attentive to DD, wanted to make sure she was having fun. For this reason alone, I will probably always sail with NCL even though we had some hiccups with excursions.