Review: Norwegian Getaway Thanksgiving cruise

[JMB1969]

So no pics, because i am swamped catching up with work since returning.  That said, it was a WONDERFUL cruise!  

 

Background....I have been on 3 previous cruises, but my last one was 25 years ago!  My first ever cruise was in 1987 on the SS Norway, and 2 later cruises in the 90's on Carnival.  This was the 1st cruise for my husband and our 13 year old son.  

 

Embarkation on 11/18/19 was a breeze.  We flew into Miami the day before and stayed at the Hampton Inn Blue Lagoon, primarily because they had a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel, a shuttle to Port Miami, and free breakfast.  When your son is a 6'2" 13 year old football and basketball player who eats his weight in food everyday, that is a BIG perk, LOL!  Anyways, hotel shuttle got us to the port at 11 am, and we were checked in and on the ship within an hour.  And this brings me to the only real complaint I had about the trip.  We went to the buffet for lunch ( I know, big mistake) and there was literally no place to sit, either inside or out.  We walked around for 20 minutes trying to find a table before we jumped on one as another family was leaving.  Otherwise, all was well.  Rooms were ready by 1:30 and bags were to room by 3:30.  

 

The Ship:   We thought the Getaway was a wonderful ship, and in great condition, considering she is scheduled for dry dock early next year.  Granted, it had been 25 years since I have cruised, so not much to compare it to, but all of us were impressed.  The hubby and kid spent many hours in the pool, the basketball court, and on the water slides.  It was a holiday cruise, and was sold out, so there were some lines on for the slides, but nothing unbearable.  We never had a problem finding a deck chair.  My favorite place on the ship was the waterfront.  I would often go there, sit, read, get a drink, and enjoy the ocean.  It was never crowded, even though cruise was sold out.  

 

We has the SDP, and ate at Ocean Blue (fantastic food and service), Moderno (very good food and service) and Cirque Dreams and Steam (food was Meh, but show was AMAZING).  Ate in the buffet most mornings for breakfast (again, the 13 year old....) and the MDR's the other nights for dinner, including Thanksgiving night.  We thought the service in the MDR was excellent, as well as the food.  Ate at O'Sheehan's  once for lunch, and the food was fine.  Not great, not bad.  

 

Found a bartender at Mixx Bar ( his name escapes me at the moment, but from Bali) who made the absolute BEST dirty martini I have ever had.  We tipped him well the 1st night, and from then on, he recognized us by sight, and started our drink order without us ever needing to tell him what we wanted.  This was the bar we went to most nights.  

 

Entertainment:  Dueling Piano's was great fun, and we went on 2 different nights.  They were incredibly talented and funny, and it was a good time.  As mentioned before, Cirque Dreams and Steam was an amazing show.  We also saw Million Dollar Quartet, and LOVED IT!!!!  Great performances all around!   Even the 13 year old liked it!  We also enjoyed the shows in the atrium....Deal or no Deal, the Pyramid Game, etc.  Although as I have read previously, there is not NEARLY enough seats in the atrium for the more popular events.  

 

Cabin:  We were in a balcony stateroom (13886) and thought is was adequate.  Balcony was not large, but was big enough.  Loved having a coffee maker in the room, and every morning (I am an early riser) I would make a coffee and sit on the balcony.  Some of my favorite times.  Our room steward was GREAT!  Always went above and beyond to accommodate our requests.  We had Ice bucket refilled 2 x's a day, he left us extra creamer and coffee (without us having to ask) and really just added to the overall level of pampering we felt throughout the cruise.  He was also tipped will at the end of our cruise.   

 

Ports of Call:  We stopped at Harvest Caye, Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.  The only shore excursion we booked through NCL was the Monkey River Tour in Harvest Caye.  Getting on and off the ship in the ports of call was never a problem....except in Harvest Caye.  For some reason we stood in line for 30 minutes waiting to get off the ship.  We do not like artificial cruise ship ports.  Rather we like getting to know a bit about the culture of the places we are in.  Monkey River tour out of Harvest Caye was very good.  Boat ride up the Monkey River and we saw numerous birds, turtles, iguanas, crocodiles.  We heard howler monkeys on and off throughout the boat ride.  We stopped at one point along the river bank, got out and literally hiked in the rainforest.  Our guides "called" the howler monkeys, and we saw several in the trees.  It was awesome.  

 

Roatan was far and away our favorite port.  We took a private tour with Victor Bodden, played with capuchin monkeys and got to hold a sloth (the absolute best part of the entire cruise!).  We they went to West Bay Beach where we went snorkeling from the shore.  GREAT snorkeling!  lots and lots of fish and even a stingray.  Then a lunch at a local restaurant (amazing food) and did some souvenir shopping.  It was an amazing day.

 

In Costa Maya we did the Mayan Experience tour through Native Choice.  Went to the Chacchoben ruins, but the highlight was the trip to a Mayan Village.  The Mayan women tought us how to make corn tortillas, and we each got to make our own (not nearly as easy as you would think!).  We toured their gardens, where everything they need is grown on site (fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc).  It ended with the women preparing a traditional Mayan lunch for us, consisting of homemade tamales, empanadas, rice, black beans, chicken, fruit, hibiscus tea.  Everything was absolutely DELICIOUS!  I would highly recommend this tour for anyone who wants to get our of the port and see "real" Mexico.  Speaking of which, I am so glad we did this tour, because I absolutely HATED the actual port area of Costa Maya.  So incredibly artificial and touristy.  Ugh.  

 

Cozumel:  The hubby and son wanted to do the Atlantis Submarine tour.  It was fine...they enjoyed it, and it WAS cool to dive down to over 100 feet. Saw lots of fish, sting rays, and even a shipwreck.  But after the great snorkeling in Roatan, the sub just didnt do anything for me.  That said, my boys enjoyed it, so it was all good.  

 

Disembarkation:  Was a breeze.  From the time they called our group to the time we were on the shuttle to the airport was less than an hour.  

 

Overall:  We LOVED the Getaway!  Thought everything from the ship to the service was amazing!  We definitely want to cruise again, and given our experience on the Getaway, we will strongly consider NCL.  I am going on another cruise in February 2019....a 5 day girls only cruise on RCL's Independence of the Seas.  I will be very curious to compare it to the Getaway.  

 

Feel free to ask questions.  I will do my best to answer.  Thanks for reading!  

[fielddreamer]

Please give me a little feedback on your cabin about the size. We are looking to sale on the ship in the Med 2020 !

[JMB1969]

3 minutes ago, fielddreamer said:

Please give me a little feedback on your cabin about the size. We are looking to sale on the ship in the Med 2020 !

Well we had 3 large individuals in the room, given that the 13 year old is taller than the hubby.  King size bed for the hubby and I, and the couch converted to a twin bed for the kiddo.  Lets face it, cabins are not spacious, unless you are in a suite, which we were not.  That said, it was adequate.  The balcony was not large.  Big enough for 2 people to sit, but not for 3.  Bathroom is only big enough for 1 person to be in there at a time, but 1 person can can get ready in the main cabin while the other is in the bathroom.  We LOVED that there was a coffee maker in the room.  

 

Overall, we thought the room was comfortable for 3 adult size people, especially since the balcony adds extra seating.  

[JMB1969]

A few more things I forgot to mention....definitely reserve specialty dining and shows in advance.  And by advance, I mean before you get on board.  We reserved our specialty dining and show seats when reservations opened up about 3 months in advance of sail date.  We also made reservations for the MDR for Thanksgiving evening, figuring that would be a crowded, popular day.  glad we did, as by the end of the first day, very few open times were left in the specialty restaurants, and there were wait times for the MDR on Thanksgiving evening.  Just be prepared and plan in advance and there will be no problems.  Otherwise no wait ever at any of the MDR's.  

 

Storage:  there was plenty of storage in the room.  Our 2 large suitcases and 2 carry ons all fit under the bed.  Plenty of hangers in the closet for what we needed, and plenty of shelving space for our clothes.  I was worried about not having enough storage space in the bathroom for all our toiletries (ok, all MY toiletries) but there was plenty.  Shower was also decent size.  not large, but bigger than i thought it would be.   

[cleanandsober88]

Thank you JMB1969 for your review. Sounds like you, hubby, and your boy enjoyed yourself. Will be on her end of January  for the second time. 59 days to go!

[dolita22]

Sounds like you had a great time! We sailed the Getaway just a few weeks ago, at the end of October. Very much enjoyed it! If you liked the Getaway, check out the Escape. That's our favorite NCL ship, and it seems like many others like it just a smidge more than the Getaway.

 

Have fun on your Indy cruise! We sailed the Indy for our honeymoon in 2014. Loved the itinerary, but the ship, staff, and food were just mediocre after having sailed -- and come to love -- NCL on previous cruises. But that was 2014, and everyone's different, and I have no doubt you'll have a great cruise.

[JMB1969]

14 minutes ago, dolita22 said:

Sounds like you had a great time! We sailed the Getaway just a few weeks ago, at the end of October. Very much enjoyed it! If you liked the Getaway, check out the Escape. That's our favorite NCL ship, and it seems like many others like it just a smidge more than the Getaway.

 

Have fun on your Indy cruise! We sailed the Indy for our honeymoon in 2014. Loved the itinerary, but the ship, staff, and food were just mediocre after having sailed -- and come to love -- NCL on previous cruises. But that was 2014, and everyone's different, and I have no doubt you'll have a great cruise.

Thank You!  I so enjoyed the Getaway I find it hard to believe the Indy can top it!  But I will be on a cruise, with by best girlfriends, so guarenteed to have a good time.  That said,  I will definitely sail NCL again.  Have heard nothing but good things about the Escape, and would love to see Bermuda, so that may be our next family cruise!  

Edited November 29, 2018 by JMB1969

[Ben100014]

Great review, thanks so much for sharing! Would you happen to know who the officers were onboard? Also, I’m not sure if you would know this, but do you know who the concierge was onboard?

 

Thank you!

[JMB1969]

3 hours ago, Ben100014 said:

Great review, thanks so much for sharing! Would you happen to know who the officers were onboard? Also, I’m not sure if you would know this, but do you know who the concierge was onboard?

 

Thank you!

I only have first names for most, and sorry, do not have name of concierge.  

 

Captain:  Roger Gustavsen

Cruise Director:  Mandy Jones

Hotel Director:  Mario.....?

Food and Beverage Director:  Loredana....?

Exec. Housekeeper:  Jose.....?

Exec Chef:  Rodney....?

 

Sorry, those are all I can remember.  I wanted to take a picture of the officer posting on board the ship but forgot.  

[northernrose]

Excellent points thanks

[CarolinaColada]

What did you think of the Cruise Director?  We often find that they can take the cruise to a different level if they are great.

[JMB1969]

I liked her!  That said, saw a post from a more recent sailing on the Getaway, and it seems there may be a different CD now?