Norwegian Getaway Detailed Cruise Recap: March 20 - March 27, 2016

[Brooklyn1977]

Hello readers of Cruise Critic! During recent months I've enjoyed reading many of your logs recounting your latest cruises, so I thought I would reciprocate by describing a recent cruise that my wife and I went on aboard the Norwegian Getaway. I suppose it wasn't "that" recent as we sailed from March 20 - 27. But while the details are still fresh in my memory, I figured I'd better write them all down.

To provide a sense of who we are, my name is Phil and I'm 38 years old. My wife is Dana and she was 29 years old, turning 30 on March 25. We are both big fans of cruising, and Norwegian Cruise Line in particular, having sailed the Norwegian Epic in 2011 (while we were dating) and 2013 (within the first year of our marriage). With Dana's big 30th birthday coming up, I wanted to do something special and thought that a 30th birthday cruise was perfect.

We also had our eye on sailing the Norwegian Getaway as soon as we heard the announcement of this ship's homeport and name. A couple of reasons for that. With respect to the homeport, my wife and I are from New York City, but we prefer cruising out of Miami. That is because while NYC may be more convenient for us to cruise from, the water tends to be choppier, and the weather colder. Miami cruises tend to give us 7 days of consistently good weather, whereas sailing from NYC can be hit or miss, particularly in the non-summer months. With respect to the name, Norwegian Getaway called to us because in 2010, my wife and I met at a place called CLUB GETAWAY - a summer camp for adults in Kent, Connecticut.

In addition to it being Dana's 30th birthday, we were both looking forward to this cruise VERY much. It had been three years since our last one and during that time my father passed away, we purchased and moved into a house, and my mom had just survived a serious health scare of her own. So needless to say, we were craving a relaxing getaway where we could totally disconnect from the world. So in late January, we walked into the Liberty Travel in midtown Manhattan and booked the cruise, a roundtrip flight to Miami on Delta Airlines, and a one-night stay at Casa Claridge in Miami Beach since were arriving the day before the ship sailed. We could not wait and March 19 could not come soon enough!

Coming Up... our flight to Miami, our evening in Miami Beach, and gearing up for seven days aboard the Getaway.

[browniegirl]

Looking forward to all of your details! We are on the Getaway in October and can't wait!

 

Leah

[aubreyc1988]

Hello readers of Cruise Critic! During recent months I've enjoyed reading many of your logs recounting your latest cruises, so I thought I would reciprocate by describing a recent cruise that my wife and I went on aboard the Norwegian Getaway. I suppose it wasn't "that" recent as we sailed from March 20 - 27. But while the details are still fresh in my memory, I figured I'd better write them all down.

To provide a sense of who we are, my name is Phil and I'm 38 years old. My wife is Dana and she was 29 years old, turning 30 on March 25. We are both big fans of cruising, and Norwegian Cruise Line in particular, having sailed the Norwegian Epic in 2011 (while we were dating) and 2013 (within the first year of our marriage). With Dana's big 30th birthday coming up, I wanted to do something special and thought that a 30th birthday cruise was perfect.

We also had our eye on sailing the Norwegian Getaway as soon as we heard the announcement of this ship's homeport and name. A couple of reasons for that. With respect to the homeport, my wife and I are from New York City, but we prefer cruising out of Miami. That is because while NYC may be more convenient for us to cruise from, the water tends to be choppier, and the weather colder. Miami cruises tend to give us 7 days of consistently good weather, whereas sailing from NYC can be hit or miss, particularly in the non-summer months. With respect to the name, Norwegian Getaway called to us because in 2010, my wife and I met at a place called CLUB GETAWAY - a summer camp for adults in Kent, Connecticut.

In addition to it being Dana's 30th birthday, we were both looking forward to this cruise VERY much. It had been three years since our last one and during that time my father passed away, we purchased and moved into a house, and my mom had just survived a serious health scare of her own. So needless to say, we were craving a relaxing getaway where we could totally disconnect from the world. So in late January, we walked into the Liberty Travel in midtown Manhattan and booked the cruise, a roundtrip flight to Miami on Delta Airlines, and a one-night stay at Casa Claridge in Miami Beach since were arriving the day before the ship sailed. We could not wait and March 19 could not come soon enough!

Coming Up... our flight to Miami, our evening in Miami Beach, and gearing up for seven days aboard the Getaway.

 

I've been on the Getaway 2x and besides a few things I would change about her, I love that ship :)

[cincicruisers]

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[Kealy]

Following and enjoying your review.

[MandyMommyof2]

I love the Getaway! Sounds like a much needed vacation for the both of you. Can't wait to read more!

[sailingthrulife]

Following.. on Getaway in September. Thank you for your review. Can't wait to read more

[Carolina Girl 99]

Our first and only cruise so far was on the Getaway a year ago. We loved it so much we are booked on her again in October with browniegirl :D

 

Still love reading current reviews!

[browniegirl]

It sounds amazing!!

 

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[Stillfloatin']

Can't wait to hear the details

[srun04]

I'm curious to hear how you liked Casa Claridge as I am staying there before my cruise in October.

[filledwiththefire]

Following.. .can't wait to read more!

[tropical83]

Looking forward to your review!

[Brooklyn1977]

In the days prior to our cruise, we logged on to NCL.com and made our reservations. This is highly recommended to do in advance of a cruise to ensure one receives their top dining and entertainment preferences, as well as shore excursions. When Dana and I booked this cruise, they were only offering one "free at sea" amenity so we chose the Specialty Dining package. We're not huge drinkers and were more excited about eating at the specialty restaurants for free - especially since NCL moved to ala carte pricing. So we logged on and made our reservations for Cagney's (the steakhouse), Le Bistro (the French restaurant), La Cucina (the Italian restaurant) and the Illusionarium (the dinner and magic show). We also booked our seats for Legally Blonde and Burn the Floor. For excursions, we were doing a Great Stirrup Cay-Ocho Rios-Grand Cayman-Cozumel itinerary. We decided to book beach excursions at Bamboo Beach in Ocho Rios, and Tiki Beach in Grand Cayman. With these reservations set, our anticipation was mounting, and we spent the last few weeks before our cruise buying new vacation clothes!

Saturday, March 19

The night before I called for a car service and it arrived right on time to pick us up from our home in Brooklyn to JFK airport. Our flight was set to leave at 11:30 and we got there pretty early so we had breakfast in the terminal. For the first time in our lives, we experienced ordering food through tablets attached to our table, and paying by swiping our credit cards through devices also attached to the table. I hear that this is a new amenity that is becoming more common including at one of the restaurants on the new Norwegian Escape. The wonders of modern technology - one doesn't even have to speak to their waiter anymore! After our meal, we arrived at our gate only to learn that our flight was delayed a couple of hours. Strong headwinds along the eastern seaboard were causing air traffic control to back up all flights along that route. This is why I always prefer to fly in the day before a cruise leaves. Never know what sort of travel delays you might encounter. Eventually we did board and were on our way! I'd like to say the flight was uneventful but that is not the case. The strong winds contributed to a great deal of turbulence. The pilot attempted to fly around the turbulence by deviating from our course and flying all the way to the Bahamas before turning back around to approach Florida. Despite his best efforts, we still hit an air pocket causing the plane to actually drop for a moment. It is a good thing Dana and I were fastened in our seat belts because our bodies actually lifted off of the seat. Others on the plane who were standing, hit the ceiling. It was a scary moment! The pilot got on the intercom apologizing for "bumping us around a bit." In my head I'm thinking "You've got to be kidding me. Just get me to this cruise." Eventually we landed in one piece, retrieved our luggage and were off in a cab to our hotel - the Casa Claridge on Collins Avenue and 35th Street in Miami Beach. This is a beautiful boutique hotel, recommended by our travel agent. Upon our arrival, we were given complimentary glasses of champagne and the concierge and bellhop were both extremely friendly. The concierge even agreed to call at that moment to reserve us a car for the next morning's trip to the cruise pier. The place is stunning with a luxurious living room filled with red plush furniture and candlelight, a funky black and white elevator that causes the colors one is wearing to really pop, and a bar and restaurant (which we would sample the next morning for breakfast). After relaxing in our room for a bit (and decompressing from our flight), we went outside and walked one block to Miami Beach. Before the sun set, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the boardwalk before going for a casual dinner at Carabba's Italian Grill. We had a good meal and then retired back to our hotel to get a good night's sleep for an exciting day ahead.

Edited June 13, 2016 by Brooklyn1977

[coolcruiser86]

Loving the review so far! We will be on The Getaway again in October and I'm excited to hear more about your experiences!

[Brooklyn1977]

Sunday, March 20

 

Cruise embarkation day! Yay!

 

After having breakfast at Casa Claridge's in-house restaurant, we were on our way to the cruise port. I took the below picture of the ship once we arrived at the drop-off area.

 

 

We arrived a little after 10:30 a.m. and went through check-in very smoothly. Since the ship was still not ready to receive incoming passengers, we waited in the waiting room inside the terminal until a little before noon when we were let onto the ship. Walking down the enclosed gangway and boarding the ship always fills me with such anticipation. Here's some pictures of Dana and I boarding.

 

 

 

 

Once aboard the ship, we were thoroughly impressed by its beauty. Since it was too early to go the rooms, we walked around and let it all sink in. Vacation had arrived!

 

 

[Brooklyn1977]

Sunday, March 20 - continued

 

Our initial walk-through of the ship included a visit to the spa, where Dana was interested in scheduling a massage. The lady at the spa suggested booking one on the early side of the cruise. The next day included a port-of-call at Great Stirrup Cay so Dana opted to wake up early and have the massage prior to our tendering over to the island. So she booked one for 8:30 a.m. They asked me if I wanted to book a treatment too and I declined, preferring to sleep in a bit instead!

 

Now we were getting hungry and decided to have lunch at Taste - one of the complimentary dining rooms aboard the ship. On our very first cruise in 2011, we went to the Garden Buffet upon embarkation and it was a madhouse. So from that day forward I decided that our embarkation day lunch would not be at the buffet where we'd be fighting crowds, but instead at a quiet, relaxed restaurant setting. Sure enough Taste was pretty empty when we arrived, meaning we had excellent service! We both began with Vietnamese Chicken Pho soup, and then I had fried chicken with mashed potatoes while Dana had fish and chips. We decided to skip dessert since it was only our first meal and we had a whole week of eating ahead of us. This surprised our waiter who, as we got up to leave, said "No dessert?!" Sorry, buddy but we have to pace ourselves.

 

 

 

With time to kill before the rooms were ready, we sat in the Atrium for a bit until hearing the call over the loudspeaker at about 2 p.m. that rooms were ready!

 

 

We arrived in our Balcony Room 11768 and began to settle in! We each left one bag of luggage outside the ship to be checked in and mine arrived promptly. Oddly Dana's had not yet arrived which is why only mine is pictured below. But we figured it would come soon enough.

 

 

[Brooklyn1977]

Sunday, March 20 - continued

 

At 3:30, it was time to head on downstairs for the mandatory drill. NCL really makes this easy on everyone. All you have to do is go to your designated area, let them scan your card proving you attended, and then watch a VERY short demonstration on what to do in case of emergency. It was literally over in five minutes. After doing previous embarkation drills in the casino and noodle bar, this time our location was the computer cafe right off of the atrium. It was the longest time I'd spend in the computer cafe the entire cruise since our objective was to completely disconnect for a week! We left the ship's phone number with our parents back at home so they could reach us in case there was an emergency back home, but otherwise, anything would wait until we got back. Freedom.

 

After the drill, it was time for the sailaway party at Spice H20! This is the one time of the cruise where it's impossible to get on an elevator because all 4,000 people on board have the exact same idea. So we hoofed it up the stairs and got seats at the bar where we enjoyed our first alcoholic drinks of the cruise. I don't recall the name of the drink but it was the "drink of the day" and it was red. As the ship pulled away from Miami, we waved goodbye to the other ships still at port and settled in to enjoy the party. We were introduced to our Cruise Director - Dan the Man - and his staff, and were amused by the dancing hijinks that ensued. After finishing our drinks, we got involved with the dancing as well, including participating in the largest conga line at sea. After about 40 minutes, we decided to head back to our room and get ready for the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived back at our room hoping to see Dana's luggage there, but to our disappointment, it was not. I mentioned this to our room steward who said they were still working on bringing up the bags. But after a while had passed, we started to get nervous, so we went downstairs to Guest Services. There was a pretty long line but what could we do. Fortunately there were staff members asking people on line if they could help them with anything. So we explained our problem to a crew member and they pulled us off the line and brought us into one of the behind-the-scenes rooms where the luggage was being offloaded. They explained to us that with 5,000 pieces of luggage, they were still working on it and invited us to look around and see if we spotted her bag. We did not but they promised us that if it was left at the check-in that it was indeed on the ship. I explained that we had reservations to see that night's Illusionarium show and they advised us to go and enjoy it and if her bag was still not delivered when the show got out, to go see them again. We were really hoping it would not come to that!

 

Anyway while the thought of Dana possibly not having her luggage was stressing on us, at 8 p.m. we went downstairs for the Illusionarium show. It was amazing and really took our mind off of things. Before it started, we had a good time chatting with other cruise passengers. First we spoke with an elderly couple from Kansas City, who just happened to be sitting right next to us earlier the day when we had lunch at Taste. The man was a KC Royals fan and I'm a NY Mets fan so we bonded over the recent World Series. Then once seated inside the Illusionarium, we sat with a family from Pittsburgh. Both the couple from KC and the family from Pittsburgh were staying in The Haven and asked if we were doing the same. We responded, no, just a regular balcony room for us! Dinner at the Illusionarium began being served - a prosciutto appetizer before the show began, steak and shrimp once it started, and a dessert trio to top it off. It was delicious but challenging to focus on the food when my eyes were peeled to the stage. To this day I'm wondering how they pulled off so many of those tricks. I literally saw people disappear in front of my eyes. I guess it's magic.

 

Even more magical than the show was our return to our stateroom to find Dana's luggage inside! Our room steward brought it inside the room and I immediately saw why my bag arrived early and her's did not. My NCL tag with the pre-printed room number was still intact. Her's had fallen off and was replaced with another. The room steward later told us that he was eventually able to identify it by matching her name on her luggage tag with our room number. We thanked him profusely and felt as if a huge weight was lifted off our shoulders. Dana happily unpacked her bag and we then took a late-night stroll through the ship. We walked around the perimeter of the Getaway's outdoor waterfront deck which is a smart innovation and something lacking on its older ships. We relaxed on one of the outdoor couches before deciding to turn in for the night. It had been a long day and there were many great days still to come!

 

Oh yeah, here's our sailaway photo!

 

[cruiser82]

I hate it when my luggage takes a long time to arrive, I always start thinking of the worst case scenarios. Looking forward to the rest of the review!

[Cruisin'Christine]

I'm wondering, since you've recently been on the Getaway, does the ship have Margaritaville?

[Brooklyn1977]

I'm wondering' date=' since you've recently been on the Getaway, does the ship have Margaritaville?[/quote']

 

There was no Margaritaville when I sailed in March but I've heard there are plans to convert the existing Flamingo Grill into one. I'm not sure what date that might take effect though.