NCL Getaway... my thoughts

[scarlet-amelia]

So, I just got back from a Western Caribbean cruise on the Getaway, and wanted to share my thoughts. First I wanted to state that I truly believe that a cruise/vacation is what you make it. That being said, my husband and I had a fantastic trip. We made friends, did tons of things, and had a great time. Now, the pro's and cons of the Getaway...

 

Pros.. .

1. The entertainment was absolutely the best I have ever seen on the seas. Without any doubt.

2. Thermal spa was a wonderful space to go.

3. The "Vibe beach club" was worth every penny

4. ports were lovely! (just a note, we didn't get to go to Harvest Caye because the captain determined that the wind was too strong to get into the port safely. Good decision. We ended up having an extra day at sea, and that was just fine with us)

5. excursions were fantastic!

6. the boat was impeccably clean.

 

Cons... (way too many, but I'll post those that are most relevant)

1. The boat was completely over crowded, in comparison to the other ships we've been on. For example, RCCL's voyager of the seas is almost the same size, with 1000 less people.

2. very small rooms. (RCCL's voyager's comparable suites were 264 sq. feet.. where the Getaway was 208 sq. feet)

3. Tiny balconies... (RCCL's voyager's balconies were 75 sq. feet... the Getaway's balconies were 32 sq. feet)

4. workout center was too small. for example.. for almost 4000 people, there were 15 treadmills, and 4 of them were out of order. and no sign up sheet) Often times had to leave without working out

5. Food was almost inedible. The entire week, I had 1 food item that was so good that I wanted to go back and have it again. The rest of it was really terrible.

6. The drinks in the Vibe had absolutely no alcohol in them. How do I know? I am a complete light weight. about a 1/4 cup of a regular margarita and I am tipsy. I drank all day long (frozen drinks) and never once got even slightly tipsy. in comparison... at night, about half a glass of wine, and I was done... very disappointing, considering it cost us a significant amount of money to upgrade to get the unlimited beverage package

7. service was HORRIBLE!! I'm going to list a few examples. I am sure most people will think these things are tiny.. and some of them are, however, an entire week, and tons of tiny things really added up.

a. we never met our cabin steward.. never saw him/her once... Didn't know how to find them. Needed help several times, and couldn't find him/her. Had to search our floor to find someone to help us.

b. had 3 times when we didn't have silverware on the table. Asked the server multiple times for silverware so we could eat our meal. Finally got it after 10 minutes and our food was cold. One time, my husband got so frustrated that he went behind the servers counter to get our own.

c. were never asked if we wanted a drink at dinner

d. one time we finally asked for a glass of water, and the server went and got glasses... plopped them down on the table. They were soaking wet as if they just were washed. and this was in a specialty restaurant.

e. no niceties, or small talk...

f. never asked if we wanted something else.

8. On Monday, we went to reserve our specialty dining all the restaurants were sold out. and yet, when we went past the restaurants, they were 75% empty.

9. Same with the entertainment. The shows were completely sold out. We went at the last minute, and the theatre was only half full.

10. embarkation and debarkation was the biggest freaking mess I have ever experienced!! We were one of the first people in line to get on the boat... (9:15) and we ended up waiting in the holding area for over 2 hours) We selected the last debarkation time... and waited a half hour after our designated time, and the line went completely around the entire 7th floor! we didn't get off the boat until 11:30. insane!!

11. process for meeting our excursions was also the most disorganized mess I have ever seen.

12. This was by far the most expensive cruise we have ever taken because of all the nickel and diming.

13. The pools were so small (for 4000 people) that we never even got in the pools because they were overcrowded, not to mention so noisy we couldn't even hear each other talk. (as opposed to both Princess and RCCL who have quiet pool areas for adults only, away from he craziness)

14. No promenade deck. (I really missed this feature!)

15. I wanted to take some yoga classes, but they cost money. (free on other cruises we've been on)

16. when our port was cancelled, they announced that they had an updated "freestyle" news letter. We listened to the announcements, and were instructed that we could go to the buffet to get the updated agenda. We went all the way to the buffet, and they had no idea what we were talking about. They finally got a supervisor. The supervisor told us that we must have misheard the announcement because the "freestyle" was outside the workout center. So, we walked to the other end of the ship to the workout center.. and of course, they had no idea what we were talking about. So we waited a bit, and went back to the buffet. NOW they knew what they were talking about, but they were all gone. We finally had to go down to deck 6 to get one from customer service. (run arounds are never fun!)

15. overall, the cruise was much too casual for us. (just a personal preference. I'm sure that many guests really liked this, but it wasn't for us. )

 

At the end of the day, as i said, we still had a great time, despite the terrible experience with the service and disappointment with the features of the boat. Still, I would NEVER take another NCL cruise again.

[denatravels]

I'd hate to see the rest of the cons list that you deemed "not relevant". I had to go back after reading this to see if I misread "we had a great time".

 

 

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[scarlet-amelia]

I'd hate to see the rest of the cons list that you deemed "not relevant". I had to go back after reading this to see if I misread "we had a great time".

 

 

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Sorry... I was just being honest and shared my experience. I'm sure many people love the NCL experience. We, however, did not. But, we did the things we loved.. spent time together.. relaxed, and made friends, so still a fun trip. But we just prefer the other cruise lines...

[perditax]

Have been reading LOTS of reviews about bad disembark on the GA lately. Anyone know what's going on?

 

Restaurants being "sold out" but mostly empty has been something I've read over and over and over again. That one's a real head scratcher. Don't they want that upcharge money? Or is the idea now ...

 

1) offer "free at sea" but jack up fares ...

 

2) then make it difficult to get your "free" meals?

 

No idea.

 

I've been on the GA twice, and I mostly like it (a bit less since they removed the free Flamingo Grill, sigh), and I have a third coming up next month to use up my last NCL deposit. I'm not bothering with the SDP this time, just getting free internet (which I assume will be as terrible as ever). Looking forward to some alone time and the thermal spa, but overall I think it'll be a farewell to the ship, possibly to NCL.

 

And yours isn't the only report that has me dreading disembark. 11:30, that's not an exaggeration? I wonder when the next cruisers got to board ...

 

 

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[MizDemeanor]

Ouch. A short time for us to see... fingers crossed.

[tcrandal]

Was on the Getaway a year ago last month, and we had quite a different experience. I suppose maybe some was due to the fact that we stayed in Haven, but we went to the specialty restaurants and did similar things and had nothing but great service. I imagine the crew may have bad weeks, which isn't acceptable, but as you said, "a vacation/cruise is what you make of it".

 

I'm sorry for your bad experience, I'm reminded by reading the many reviews for cruise ships that experience is definitely in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes it takes a few bad events to really knock a vacation off kilter and make even the smallest issue a big one.

 

I can't wait until our next cruise in 30 days on the Escape! I've compared RCCL with NCL quite a bit and while the ships look great with activities, the rooms didn't compare for bang vs buck. To each their own, no matter how or who you cruise with, enjoy the vacation!

 

EDIT: I do always like to look at previous posts of those who have posted about a large amount of issues, or even those that rave about certain cruises. At 50, you know when you go into something with a negative vibe, it usually doesn't end well.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2430878

Edited March 17, 2017 by tcrandal

[easyboy]

A long list of cons. But glad you still enjoyed your cruise. Thank you for your honest feedback.

[mjkacmom]

Boarding doesn't start until around 11:30, your check in time was 9:15, and issues with disembarkment are usually out of the hands of the cruise line (who want to get folks off ASAP). It's always unfortunate when people don't cancel reservations, but not much you can do about it, especially at the a la crate restaurants. With 4000+ passengers, you really do need a reservation system for shows.

 

On the BA, I booked the spa pass as soon as I saw the pool deck - never spent any time there, too small! I think the UBP (especially free) has made service worse.

[scarlet-amelia]

Was on the Getaway a year ago last month, and we had quite a different experience. I suppose maybe some was due to the fact that we stayed in Haven, but we went to the specialty restaurants and did similar things and had nothing but great service. I imagine the crew may have bad weeks, which isn't acceptable, but as you said, "a vacation/cruise is what you make of it".

 

 

EDIT: I do always like to look at previous posts of those who have posted about a large amount of issues, or even those that rave about certain cruises. At 50, you know when you go into something with a negative vibe, it usually doesn't end well.

 

 

The Haven probably had a lot to do with your good experience. I understand it is really nice. My husband and I talked about it, and we think the problem with the service was due to the overcrowding on the ship. There were just so many passengers that the crew couldn't take time with anyone.

 

As for the "previous posts".... I did have some reservations in December however, I upgraded my room, got the specialty dining and UBP, and also decided to get a "Vibe" pass, to resolve my concerns. After that I felt absolutely fine about the ship. We were actually very excited to go on it. The issues that came up were completely unrelated to my initial reservations. But, did those reservations end up affecting my experience? perhaps... But I honestly think I would be disappointed with any ship that had as many "cons" as the Getaway did. But who knows.

[hansolosmom]

thanks for your honest review. I had some of the same feelings when we were on Breakaway. We were in the Haven but when we were outside of it, you could feel the difference in both the service and the overcrowded-ness.

 

I agree with perditax who mentioned the specialty resataurants, it does seem like there have been several reviews about not being able to get reservations but then the places are empty.

 

I'm glad you had a good time, but recognized the fact that NCL is not for you.

[BostonGal35]

for some reason your name looks familiar, and i remember you asking all sorts of questons wherein you got answers. so that said, if you are the same person, you were told by many to book dining and shows ahead of time. the fact you waited until on board, again, if you are the same person im thinking of, means you just simply chose not to listen to any advice that may have made your experience better.

 

as for the Getaway itself, it is by far our least favorite ship in the fleet.

[zqvol]

I was on last week and for the most part had a completely different experience. I am not going to go point by point and counter what the OP said, but I will say that regarding food I eat in the main dining rooms for every meal and did not have one bad experience. I had water being refilled constantly, and wine was refilled as often as I needed it.

 

I did not feel that the ship was over crowded at all. It is a big ship, but it did not feel any more crowded than any other mass market line. The atrium is IMO a design error which makes that part of deck 6 seem to be crowded at times.

 

Embarkation was quick, once they started calling groups at the usual time of 11:30. I was on the ship within 15 minutes and I had group 13. Disembarkation was another problem that was 100% within NCL's control. As soon as you were off the ship the line disappeared,, but it took forever for them to scan key cards to get off. Customs has done it right by eliminating the cards you have to fill out unless you have something to declare. Show them your passport and you are on your way.

[NCruiser2012]

I am so sorry your cruise was so bad. I have been on 3 NCL cruises on the large ships and have never experienced what you have. We are cruising on the Getaway this summer. I do not look forward to the small balconies, but I like the itinerary.

 

You mentioned nickel and diming. What did you pay for that you did not expect?

[Acf57]

Thanks for this information, we are sailing in October on a TA cruise on the Getaway and all of the information will be helpful. Please can someone tell me what is the Vibe Beach Club?

[Clarea]

Thanks for the very detailed report.

[mcd2745]

We are recently off the Getaway also (3 weeks ago). Completely agree with OP on several fronts - especially about the service. It was abysmal. Particularly our room steward as well. Debarkation was an unorganized mess. Saw the same things at the specialty restaurants. No reservations available, but always 1/2 to 3/4 empty. However, it seems if you walk up to the restaurant, they likely will get you in - and usually pretty quickly. Balconies are ridiculously small. You have to turn the chair sideways just to be able to sit in one.

 

Where I would disagree is that we thought the food was pretty good overall (lousy service getting the food aside), and with it being too "casual". Being our first NCL cruise, that was one aspect that I really enjoyed. I very much liked not being tied to the same dinner time each night, and not having to worry about dress codes.

[Kfamilycruise]

Thanks for this information, we are sailing in October on a TA cruise on the Getaway and all of the information will be helpful. Please can someone tell me what is the Vibe Beach Club?

 

Vibe is an adults only area that you can pay for to be in for the cruise. Only way to get it is to get to port very early. There are only 70 (ish) passes and Haven has priority.

 

I'm so glad OP still had fun. I can't understand the food and service. I went on Getaway 2 years in a row and had amazing food, drinks and service -- both in and out of the Haven.

[csopi]

Was on the Getaway 26 Feb to 5 March. Had an absolutely fantastic time.

Embarkation was a breeze . Got to the port at 9.30 was 5th in line. They started check in 45 minutes later. After check in we were taken to a holding area were there were comfortable seats, juice and water was available. Embarkation started at 11.30 we had group 3 cards were on the ship in 10 minutes.

We embarked on deck 7 with our luggage(24" rolling luggage). Carried it down one floor to 2 main dinning rooms and stopped at the bar for drinks( dinning room was opening 20 minutes later at 12.00).

Finished drinks and had window seats for lunch .

Food was great, by the time we finished, rooms were ready so we took elevator to room and unpacked.

 

Never had any issues with entertainment or specialty dinning. Booked everything 1 minute after the 90 day window opened. It pays to be prepared if you do your homework , you just need to read.

 

Food was great in all MDRs , specialty dinning restaurants and O'Sheehans. Buffet was average(only ate there twice for breakfast). Not bad, just nothing special.

 

The only disappointment I can name was the Illusionarium show.

How many ways can you make someone disappear in a box, and the dinner itself that came with it was mediocre at best.

With the exception of the 2 Psychics from Germany (they were amazing) the rest was not worth the money spent. Should have used the money for another night at one of the specialty restaurants

 

Burn The Floor was an amazing show . The dancers from this group also perform at the main dinning room Tropicana but you need to be there early, the performance is usually from 6-6.30 pm.

 

The crew were always smiling and friendly, service was A1 everywhere on the ship, with bartender "Jenny" at the Mojito bar on the Waterfront being the best.

 

Disembarkation was a breeze as well. Had flight out of FLL at 12am.

Had breakfast at O'sheehans at 6am . Was second in line at 7.15 for self disembarkation. Was off the ship at 7.30 got into a taxi and was at Fort Lauderdale airport by 8.15am.

 

Had a fabulous first cruise on NCL , ( have cruised on other lines before). I have already booked for March 2018 on the Getaway again .

Ship was beautiful, crew friendly and seemed happy, service was great. UBP and SDP were fabulous additions, NCL was super value for the money spent, yes the balcony was a little tight, but not a huge issue.

[perditax]

Re food, I will say I went in summer 2015 and summer 2016, and though the food quality had edged up a notch (loss of FG notwithstanding) on the latter cruise. But I am mostly a buffet person, due to lack of patience with MDRs.

 

As I said earlier in thread, I'll be back in the GA next month, possibly for a farewell tour, and I already have my thermal suite pass purchased so not worried about crowds. Mostly just worried about this disembark thing. Have bad memories of standing in a 45 minute line on Escape last fall while recovering from noro or food poisoning.

[Shayhooper]

My family and I were on the Getaway 4 weeks ago and it was as close to perfect as you can get. The only fly in the ointment for us was the crazy long disembarkation process and the slight disappointment that we didn't get a towel animal one night. You know how kids love the towel animals.

 

For us, we knew the balconies were small going in so we booked a large balcony as we have before and LOVE them. Our cabin steward Jamie took great care of us but that could have been influenced by the $20 we slipped him on the first day. The rest of the crew was simply amazing, always cheerful, prompt, and gracious. Our every request was met with a smile and crew members were constantly paying special attention to our 7 year old daughter. The food was exactly what we expected - OK in the buffet, same as Applebees or Olive Garden in main dining rooms, and considerably better in the specialty dining venues.

 

Now, all that said, I do agree with OP on a few things. The pool is small, way too small for a ship this size. It wasn't a problem for us because we wouldn't hang out at the pool even if it was abandoned and we got our pool fix at Harvest Caye. We did also hear that people had trouble making reservations in the specialty dining after the first day or so. Again, not our experience but that is because we only booked La Cucina on board without any problem but generally that is the least popular venue. Finally, we don't book ship excursions for the exact reason that OP complained about. Regardless of the line, they tend to be overpriced and overbooked. We have had much better luck booking direct.

 

I wish OP had lead with her last complaint. "overall, the cruise was much too casual for us. (just a personal preference. I'm sure that many guests really liked this, but it wasn't for us." If you are looking for a more formal, same server every night, finer dining experience, NCL most likely won't be a good fit and that is OK. While the lapses in service are not acceptable (who wouldn't be peeved if they didn't see their steward all week?), the complaints would likely be better received if we knew going in that this style of cruise isn't what you want.

 

NCL works so well us for us because we enjoy the more casual atmosphere. We would be miserable on a cruise where getting dressed up 2 nights a week and dining with strangers at your table was standard. It just isn't our cup of tea but my guess is that that is more what OP was hoping for. Don't blame her for being disappointed.

 

Personally though, I would give just about anything right now for a piece of brownie cheesecake from the pub followed by a mojito outside on the 8th deck.

[easyboy]

Was on the Getaway 26 Feb to 5 March. Had an absolutely fantastic time.

 

Had a fabulous first cruise on NCL , ( have cruised on other lines before). I have already booked for March 2018 on the Getaway again .

Ship was beautiful, crew friendly and seemed happy, service was great. UBP and SDP were fabulous additions, NCL was super value for the money spent, yes the balcony was a little tight, but not a huge issue.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for the feedback.

[krj9999]

I was also on the March 5 sailing, and will offer my observations (first time on a megaship).

 

- The Vibe Beach Club, IMHO, takes up entirely too much space and may be worth every penny to those that get to use, but makes things so much more crowded for those that don't on sea days.

- The ship sailed with over 4,600 passengers (lots of Canadian families on spring break), so I'm assuming may have been a bit more people than some other weeks may see. I will agree the ship seemed crowded at times (especially pool area on sea days).

- Our front-facing oceanview room (#12100) was spacious enough, but we encountered noise issues (not sure of cause) which was disappointing and made sleeping more challenging.

- Fitness center; thought I counted 18 or 20 treadmills and didn't notice as many out of order. The separate weight room area was very compact and I was not impressed by the equipment (and a couple machines were out of order).

- Food; mostly satisfied with, desserts were richer than we have experienced in recent years on other cruise lines. Most disappointing meal was my porterhouse steak at Cagney's. The steak at Teppanyaki was much more tasty. [we took the 3 SDP incentive along with prepaid gratuities]

- Garden café; was ok. Could have used a bit more variety in lunch meats and surprised not to see any pre-made mixed green salads or grab-and-go deli sandwiches (like we've seen elsewhere). Hated the plastic guards that you had to flip up to get the desserts and fruits (poor design; especially for the bottom shelf).

- I will concur that service level left something to be desired. As in, in many cases it was self-service. Didn't see any staff in garden café providing assistance with drinks; or soliciting alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks. Nor did I see anyone come by in the casino when I was there. Perhaps partly a function of the UBP promotions to discourage consumption; I don't know.

- Cabin service and Latitudes; didn't see our steward the first couple days and he missed our silver status flyer (finally went down to cruisenext desk to inquire regarding). Never saw an invitation or message to attend the special Latitudes event. So didn't feel very valued as a return cruiser.

- Specialty dining and reservations; we had pre-booked 2 of our 3 about a month before the cruise. The third (Cagney's) wasn't available for day/time we wanted when I booked the others; so went down and reserved on-board right after we boarded the ship Sunday without any problem. Cagney's and Le Bistro were not completely full when we ate; Teppanyaki appeared to be for the most part.

- Shows and reservation system; new experience for me and in my view was not explained very well; nor were venues consistent in whether reservation were needed or not (and they could better note in the daily guide which activities need reservations). We booked one show (Burn the Floor) that we ended up not going to (though we did see them at the welcome show); but went to one comedy show in Headliners without reservations the first night (though the seats in Headliners are far from comfortable). And to be honest, I was very surprised how small the main theater was for such a large ship.

- Embarkation; we arrived around 11 am, quickly got checked in. But when we got to the departure lounge no seats available in our area. We had a group 14 boarding, and would say we got on-board right after noon. But didn't see anyone handing out champagne or another drink option once we boarded (which we've usually experienced elsewhere). So not overly welcoming.

- Disembarkation; agree absolutely chaotic. NCL seemed to blame port authority for a new process depending on country of passport (separate exit points) but not having sailed on Getaway before I can't comment on validity. Will say that once we got off the ship, we had a small delay to go down the escalator but got bags quickly and through customs/immigration without delay (no line to speak of). But, unless you lined up early for self-disembarkation, you likely experienced delays on the ship. Maybe some of the delay was too many people struggling with luggage trying to self-disembark which slowed down getting through the 2 card scanning machines; I honestly don't know (maybe NCL would be better off limiting the amount of luggage allowed to self-disembark?). But certainly more and more people are opting for self-disembark IMHO. Will say our departure group was scheduled for 8:30 and got called around 9. I believe we finally got off the ship around 9:40 or 9:45 (we were on the Alamo bus to the airport just after 10). I tried to find the end of the line when the group before ours was called, which was in the forward elevator area (that was jammed solid with people). The elevator area was still full of people when they called our group! What was the point? Once out of the elevator area we slowly moved forward in line past O'Sheehans to the atrium then through the casino before we looped back forward towards the exit.

- The outdoor walking/jogging track is poorly designed and not very functional when the rock-climbing wall was open (and also not correctly marked as no way was it 8 laps for a mile - probably more like 9).

- Casual dress; agree a bit odd to see t-shirts (or sports jerseys) and shorts in the main dining rooms, but doesn't bother me a lot.

- Internet and TV; didn't use the internet at all but the cruisenext rep indicated that the internet was fairly slow on this cruise, and we frequently had short-duration poor or no signal disruptions for the few actual TV channels available onboard.

- Towel policy and reserving deck loungers. These go together in the sense that now with NCL charging a fee for missing towels staff can't remove towels from loungers not being utilized. We saw prime loungers by the pool "reserved" early in the day go unoccupied for multiple hours. We saw 2 towels reserving 4 loungers by clipping them along the top. And one night we had to track down our room steward as he not brought back fresh pool towels from the used ones we had left in the room (and certainly didn't want to get dinged $50 for 2 towels). There has to be a better system (RFID tagged towels?).

- We did not opt to make a cruisenext deposit. Not saying we won't cruise NCL again; but not totally enthused about everything especially for the megaships. Maybe if there's an itinerary that is unique and of interest to us.

- No late-night chocolate or midnight buffet? No sea day poolside cook-out? Not sure if a function of ship size, and/or just cost-cutting.

- But did appreciate the cupcake delivered to our stateroom on my wife's birthday (along with the special cake and happy birthday serenade in Le Bistro).

 

As far as ports go:

- Roatan; had pre-arranged a beach excursion to West Bay (Paradise Beach Hotel) primarily for snorkeling that did not live up to expectations (regarding nickel and diming, I will note that RCL's Taybana Beach Break is ~$20 per person less than NCL is charging for similar excursion).

- Harvest Caye; not really sure if they were honest about wind being the issue in not being able to port as it appeared like we were stirring up a lot of sand (not sure if we actually ran aground or not but assume must have been close). Certainly was disappointing as it was the only scheduled port we had not been to before (would be interested to know if other NCL cruises are also needing to skip the stop or not). The next day I saw a $30 per person credit show up on the account statement, I'm assuming related to port fees primarily (didn't hear or see any mention of this and had I not checked the account statement I may not have realized we even received a credit prior to the final printout at the end of the cruise).

- Costa Maya: took taxi to Tropicante and spent time on the beach there, by far the cheapest of our 3 beach outings in port. Will also note there was free wifi in the port area.

- Cozumel; took taxi to Paradise Beach and spent time on the beach and in pool there, by far the best internet connection we had of the 3 beach outings.

[johnritt]

My wife and I are booked on the Getaway next year, and I'm really reconsidering sailing on her. Not because of this review, but because of the need to preplan your day to day dining and entertainment choices.

 

I had stopped cruising years ago as I got tired of being told when I had to eat. Then discovered freestyle way back on the Majesty. That was heaven. We could do what we wanted, when we wanted because we didn't have to stop to get ready for a dinnertime that we might not at that time.

 

Now it looks like you have to set up dinner reservations 90 days in advance, decide what day you want to see "burn the floor" or some other show 3 months before you sail, or perhaps not eat at a restaurant or see a show. You had more freedom when you had assigned dining only 25 years ago.

 

If you want enough deck space you need to roller derby it to get in line to sign up for the beach club.

 

Back then when you were led by the nose only one time a day. Now you're led by the nose all cruise long.

 

And this isn't just NCL. I think almost all of the mainstream lines are doing this on their new or newer ships.

 

I've got another cruise reserved on the Dawn. It's not as fancy but no one will be trying to put a ring with a chain through my nose. I'll keep it for sure but I don't think that I'm up for a cruise that feels more like an escorted tour bus trip through the Caribbean than a cruise.

[wdsted]

Sorry, but this review doesn't resonate. RCCL and NCL are very similar products. And claims of horrible food, watered down drinks, and TERRIBLE service on GA are absurd. Next...

 

 

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[3CanadianBears]

About the room stewards - we have only been on 2 cruises, the Escape in January of this year, and Getaway last year - but I don't get the fascination with meeting the room steward. (not just on this post, but in general) On the Getaway, we had a very personable steward, knew our names etc... this year we hardly saw the steward. But, both cruises our rooms were super clean, towels replaced twice a day, towel animals, ice. I don't need a relationship with the room steward. If I remember correctly, there is a button on the in room phone to connect you with housekeeping/steward if you have a request.

 

About embarkation - the OP mentions VIBE passes. Is it possible the long wait at the port was because you arrived early and wanted to try for VIBE passes. (we did this both times, and knew we would be sitting in the boarding lounge for a few hours). Another time, we may skip trying for the passes and spend a relaxed morning in Miami, then walk up and board.

 

We avoided the buffet for anything other than an afternoon snack or ice cream and had good service in all the complimentary dining venues. We enjoyed all the food, had slow wine service the first few evenings however when we mentioned this to the officer in charge of the dining rooms at the Latitudes reception, he made note of our room # and the next few evenings I must say the wine was flowing :).