Getaway! May 6-13 Trip Report & Review

[Big E Dawg]

Following along. Nice thorough review. We liked the location on the 14th floor. This coming January will have a angled balcony. Did they provide you with a 3rd chair or better yet a lounger? Thanks.

~Gary Ray

 

We just got off the Getaway this morning. We had room 14150 with the angled balcony. It had two chairs and a lounger. Also a small table.

[WitnessProtection]

Following along. Beautiful pictures and great review! Thanks for all of the great info. :)

[natefish95]

I just got off the Getaway today so I'm really excited to see how our experiences compare. I'll hopefully get around to starting mine sometime this week. You were much more diligent with taking photos than I was!

 

 

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[mytern2]

We just got off the Getaway this morning. We had room 14150 with the angled balcony. It had two chairs and a lounger. Also a small table.

 

Great to hear this - we have this room in Jan '19.

[MaryBethV]

We have been on 20 NCL cruises, and have been on a few more than once. We do not compare any with previous cruises/ships; we just go along with what they have/offer/etc. ;p No two cruises are the same.

 

Getting great service is crapshoot, getting bad service is crapshoot also. Also getting great food is crapshoot, and getting not so good is a rare crapshoot (as we mostly like NCL food ;p). We are patient people and sometimes kid when we're not getting good service. Like one time (in a MDR) we got the entrée before the starter, we put it aside and told the waiter that we were waiting for the starter. :cool: But in most cases we get super service in MDR.

 

You have a great, laid back attitude and I agree with you... to a point. Yes, there will be good and bad. Take the good and don't let the bad ruin your vacation! However, I think comparing two almost identical ships in the same brand - Norwegian - can tell you how consistent they are with standards for product and service. Or in some circumstances - when things like their smoking policies/areas are quite different from one ship to another almost identical ship - those differences are something that would lead me to book a cruise on one ship over another.

[MaryBethV]

After rolling out of Moderno, we went back to the rooms, which Riena had turned down.

 

 

 

Monday, May 7th | Sea Day

Good morning!

 

 

 

[MaryBethV]

Since our kids were not even close to being up yet, DH and I headed down to Taste/Savor for breakfast around 9am. They had a staff member there trying to divert people to the Garden Cafe, saying that there was a 20 minute wait at both Taste and Savor. It didn’t seem that busy in the restaurants and it would take just as long to get an elevator up to the Garden Cafe, find a table, etc., so we opted to wait at Savor… and were actually seated after only waiting 7 minutes.

 

 

Our server was Patcha from Thailand and even though he (and all the servers we saw) seemed to be on top of things, it was obvious that it was taking a long time for food to come out. I’m guessing the kitchen was backed up and that was the whole reason for the initial wait as well. Putu (who I think was a head server) was checking on everyone and stopped at our table to chat. It was so nice to talk with him and learn a little bit about his life in Bali! There are incredible people working on this ship and you rarely get time to talk with them - so we were thankful for the opportunity to chat with Putu.

 

Our breakfast was delicious! I had the eggs Benedict, DH had an omelet, and we ordered the multi-grain waffle to share (the honey yogurt wasn’t our favorite - but the waffle itself was crazy good).

[SBNDers]

My wife and I will be in room 14842 on the June 10th Getaway sailing. Can't wait until we sail. Thanks for the review. Steve

 

Our rooms were ready! We had balcony rooms right off of the aft elevators on the starboard side - rooms 14840 (kid’s room) and 14842 (our room with an angled balcony).

 

Miami from our balcony.

 

Pros:

-great location - one floor up to the Garden Cafe and two floors up to Spice H20 and Entourage (the teen lounge) - a quick elevator ride down to Cagney’s, Moderno, Taste, Savor, and the Tropicana Room

-nicely decorated with plenty of storage

-the drop-down bunk bed in the kid’s room was really sturdy and we were able to have it left down so that our 15yo could always have a place to crash when needed.

-we loved our angled balcony!

 

Cons:

-our room (14842) must have been under a service area of the Garden Cafe or something - the scraping/moving noises we heard at all times of the day and night were more than a few chairs being moved. It wasn’t horrible by any means, but noticeable. If you are a light sleeper, it might be an issue in this room.

-Though overall the ship and room are in really great condition... small things are showing wear - such as the veneer on the closet handle had come off, and sheets, bath towels, and beach towels occasionally had noticeable stains on them. This was not the case on the Escape - though the Escape is a little bit newer.

 

 

 

 

The bathroom amenities. The shower had a shampoo/conditioner combo (I highly recommend bringing your own conditioner - so glad I did!) and body wash. At the sink there was a hand soap dispenser which was great. And these were on the shelf - a bar soap (didn't use), and lotion (used a little - was nice to have).

[cruisegal415]

Following. Enjoying your review and the photos!!

[thistimeplease]

Enjoying the review, love the photos.

[jdvmd]

Following!

[MaryBethV]

After breakfast we walked around the pool deck for a bit. Gorgeous day!

 

 

 

 

Then we headed back to the room to round up the kids for the CC meet & greet which was in Cagneys at 11am. We signed in and NCL had yummy little smoothies and muffins for everyone. Zach, the cruise director (who was brand new - he came on the ship at the start of this cruise), introduced some of the officers and hotel directors. Then they all left (no interaction with anyone - which I think was a missed opportunity on their part). However, I know they are all very busy and have demanding jobs. Since we weren't participating in the gift exchange or the slot pull - we left soon after as well. Thank you to those who put the m&g together!

 

We headed up to deck 16 for some sun and our 22yo had managed to snag two loungers together and gave them to his mom & dad. Brownie points for him. ;)

 

 

[MaryBethV]

After our fill of sun filtered through SPF70 :cool:… we met our three boys for lunch (daughter wasn’t hungry) and went to O’Sheehan’s. Since there weren’t available tables in the seated area we were directed to a hightop table in the bar area. I realized later that the menu in this area is also limited compared to the seated area.

 

 

I only saw one server in our area and he seemed quite overwhelmed. He eventually came by and took our order (well, he refused to take DH’s order for a hard cider - said he would be back for that). We ordered wings, fajitas, shepherd's pie, hot dogs, lemonades, and desserts. After a long wait, our food was dropped off at our table. No lemonades, no utensils. Ketchup was empty on our table (and from all the tables we checked around us). No return for a drink order… and no sign of our server :o - so we stole some utensils from an empty table and enjoyed our food (we loved everything except DH wasn't a big fan of the Shepherd's Pie). We watched Deal or No Deal from our table for a while (fun game!) and gave up on ever seeing our desserts or lemonades. We vowed to only sit in the seated section of O’Sheehan’s from then on - and our other meals/snacks at O'Sheehan's that week were good. Today, lunch just happened to be a bit of a slow-moving train wreck.

 

Love the sitting areas along the hallway (which we passed on our way up to the Garden Cafe because the boys wanted dessert).

 

[MaryBethV]

After getting something sweet, they decided to burn off their sugar high - the 23yo and 15yo did the ropes course, while our 22yo and 14yo played miniature golf underneath.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. "I'm afraid of heights" who had to be talked into doing the course by his older brother, ended up doing the entire course AND walking the plank. Glad I had grabbed my camera with long lens!

 

 

[thistimeplease]

I was so proud of myself after doing the ropes course on BA, it was way outside of my comfort zone. Really enjoying your review. We are cruising on the GA in July and will be in 14842.

[MaryBethV]

DH and I went back to the room and these treats were there from NCL.

 

Dinner that evening was in Taste with Dewa and his assistant, Anthony, for our servers (who were both really nice!).

 

 

 

 

I had the Classic Caesar Salad with Chicken and the Broiled Salmon (quite good). DH and one other son had the lasagna - it has a tasty bolognese-type meat/sauce, but virtually no cheese - so only OK. Our oldest ordered the Barbeque Shrimp Burger mainly out of curiosity I think, but he enjoyed it!

 

Broiled Salmon -

 

Barbeque Shrimp Burger -

[MaryBethV]

We just got off the Getaway this morning. We had room 14150 with the angled balcony. It had two chairs and a lounger. Also a small table.

 

Nice! Good to know you can fit a lounger on there. If we get an angled balcony again, we will ask. :)

[MaryBethV]

I was so proud of myself after doing the ropes course on BA, it was way outside of my comfort zone. Really enjoying your review. We are cruising on the GA in July and will be in 14842.

 

Good for you - you are brave! I was happy to just play photographer. :cool:

[fsa1155]

Loving your review. My hubby and I are taking our first Norwegian cruise in September. No kids or friends this time. Just the two of us. Looking forward to it. Keep the pictures coming. They're great.

 

 

 

Karen

[MaryBethV]

We skipped dessert again - this time because we had reservations for Burn the Floor!

 

 

What follows is my opinion only - please know that I realize that I am probably in a minority regarding my views and do not expect others to agree with me. The dancers were talented and very high energy - what a workout!!! However, overall, I thought the feel of the show was frantic & chaotic instead of artistic & impressive. The main theme was sensuous (and at times overtly sexual) from beginning to end... with the art of dancing seemingly a distant second. That very well may be what audiences want… just not what this fairly conservative mom feels is appropriate for her kids/teenagers (or what my husband and I would choose to watch ourselves). We did think that the male singer and the drummers were extremely talented and stood out for their talents.

 

Back to the room to gather our stuff for Roatan the next morning. We were greeted by this cutie.

 

 

Then our kids actually all crashed while DH and I headed to the…

 

… for a Raspberry Guava Mojito. HOW in the world did we not visit this place on the Escape?!? A perfectly light & refreshing cocktail.

 

 

 

 

We walked on the waterfront for a little bit and then headed to bed so we could get up early to meet our excursion guides.

[starfishee]

Excellent review so far, I always LOVE when people include photos in their reviews. I also love that you are only giving bits and pieces, leaves us something to look forward too! I've been on the Epic once and the Escape twice, going on the Getaway for the first time in October, so it is nice to read this review. Looking forward to the rest! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience!

[aubreyc1988]

 

 

… for a Raspberry Guava Mojito. HOW in the world did we not visit this place on the Escape?!? A perfectly light & refreshing cocktail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked on the waterfront for a little bit and then headed to bed so we could get up early to meet our excursion guides.

 

Raspberry Mojitos and the waterfront area are my favorite things about NCL!

[beatbandit]

Can’t wait to read more!

[iamchrisstone]

My buddy and I are heading on this bad boy June 3rd. Less than 2 weeks, I believe. We are EXCITED! I'm following hoping you post more LOL. Do you know the cruise directors last name?

[AmyChistopher]

My buddy and I are heading on this bad boy June 3rd. Less than 2 weeks, I believe. We are EXCITED! I'm following hoping you post more LOL. Do you know the cruise directors last name?

 

 

We ARE cruising then as well!!! from ATL