Honeymoon Help Norwegian Cruise selection!

[Ericab1985]

We are looking for a cruise for our honey next April! There are two 15 day Transatlantic cruises from NY to Rome.  Same itinerary slightly different port times but nothing significant. One's on the Escape and the other on the Getaway. Depending on which room the Getaway is about $300 to $400 more and sails 5 days later.  After ready reviews on both ships I've gathered the Escape seems to more favorable. I'm leaning towards booking the Escape and saving money for a slightly nicer ship but I feel like I'm missing something!!!!! Can anyone offer any insight between the two ships and sailings that I'm missing? 

 

Also, Does anyone have any experience booking through Cruiseone? I had a horrible experience booking through a travel agency once and I'm a little skittish now!

 

Thank you all for your help. 

[beerman2]

Haven't been on Getaway, however we've done 3 on NCL with Escape being the Best. (Epic and Bliss the others).

 

The Howl at the Moon on Escape was fantastic along with the waterfront.

 

Deck 18/19 outside Vibe is a great location with a bar. No pool but hot tub and not nearly as crowded as pool deck.

 

Specialty Restaurants were all good, the only issue was LeBistro , you had to sit inside due to the smoke from Casino above.

[myjillian]

I take it your not Irish and that's the reason your not looking into the Star??Or did you just want to go into Rome??? Another way to do it is The Star and then take the train out of London into Paris and send a couple days there before flying home. Just a thought.  Let's face it your going to be on your honeymoon.  Having done all three ships and all of the ports I would suggest thinking out of the box and doing G.B. then the train and ending up in Paris...get your tickets ahead of time for the evening at the Eiffle Tower then a dinner cruise down the Seine.😍

[1025cruise]

I'm not sure I would pick a TA for a honeymoon. But that's just me. If you want to go to Europe, I would either do a cruise already there, or do a land tour.

 

With regard to your other question, we are not allowed to discuss travel agents on this site. Even though it is a website, it is still a travel agent.

[JamieLogical]

I have been looking at the Escape's TA next April, because I love the Escape and it does seem like a good price for 15 days. I too was curious as to why the Getaway's TA is more expensive. All I can think is that there is a slightly higher demand in the week that the Getaway sails versus the Escape sailing? Maybe to do with Easter or Spring Break? Between the two, it would be an easy choice for me! We have the Escape tentatively penciled in right now. Only hesitancy to pull the trigger is that we are doing our first MSC cruise in September and don't want to commit to more NCL sailings (beyond our already-booked Encore sailing in December) before we determine if we want to do more cruising with MSC.

Edited April 4, 2019 by JamieLogical

[prwilson33]

I have been on the getaway and the escape and I would go with the Escape. Not only is it newer, but I loved the vibe of that ship and the layout. As for using a TA...  I have always self booked and dealt with NCL on my own. I have never had any issues and never had any bad customer service experiences. Ever. NCL has always been top notch for us and I prefer them over anyone. We hit the EPIC on Saturday, so I am interested in what is to come. I am considering keeping track and doing a thorough review, if my time allows. I get a little exhausted with all the negative reviews on CC to be honest. A lot of the stuff I read I have never experienced with NCL and I honestly mean never. I know it is all about perspective and everyone has their own viewpoints, but it baffles me sometimes. So, I would suggest doing self booking and then calling in and getting assigned to a NCL cruise consultant.

Congratulations on the marriage. The Mrs and I are celebrating 10 years this month with our Epic voyage.

Edited April 4, 2019 by prwilson33

[FLAHAM]

They have significantly raised the prices on the Getaway since I booked it last fall, undoubtedly to direct traffic to the more recent Escape voyage. Also, the Getaway earlier did (but no longer does) offer double Latitude points, which may not mean much to you. They are both nice ships.  Bear in mind that transatlantics skew toward older passengers.  I like them:  they have a good duplicate bridge program on sea days and I get to read a whole lot while drinking.  You may not get to use the pool or the outdoor decks (or your cabin balcony) a whole lot because of the (likely) cool weather.  I'm not certain I would recommend a transatlantic for a honeymoon--but hey, we all look for different things.  Best wishes for a great honeymoon to you.

Edited April 4, 2019 by FLAHAM

[Ericab1985]

1 hour ago, myjillian said:

I take it your not Irish and that's the reason your not looking into the Star??Or did you just want to go into Rome??? Another way to do it is The Star and then take the train out of London into Paris and send a couple days there before flying home. Just a thought.  Let's face it your going to be on your honeymoon.  Having done all three ships and all of the ports I would suggest thinking out of the box and doing G.B. then the train and ending up in Paris...get your tickets ahead of time for the evening at the Eiffle Tower then a dinner cruise down the Seine.😍

Haha no I'm not Irish but my Fiance is! I would love to do an itinerary like that but unfortunately he really wanted to do a cruise to the Bahamas and I wanted a trip to europe so this was our first married couple compromise!  I totally agree on those Seine evening cruises though ! So beautiful!

[Ericab1985]

4 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

I'm not sure I would pick a TA for a honeymoon. But that's just me. If you want to go to Europe, I would either do a cruise already there, or do a land tour.

 

With regard to your other question, we are not allowed to discuss travel agents on this site. Even though it is a website, it is still a travel agent.

A TA wasn't my first choice either but he loves cruising and I love europe and this cruise has some really nice ports so we compromised! 

 

Thank you I didn't realize that!

[Ericab1985]

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I have been looking at the Escape's TA next April, because I love the Escape and it does seem like a good price for 15 days. I too was curious as to why the Getaway's TA is more expensive. All I can think is that there is a slightly higher demand in the week that the Getaway sails versus the Escape sailing? Maybe to do with Easter or Spring Break? Between the two, it would be an easy choice for me! We have the Escape tentatively penciled in right now. Only hesitancy to pull the trigger is that we are doing our first MSC cruise in September and don't want to commit to more NCL sailings (beyond our already-booked Encore sailing in December) before we determine if we want to do more cruising with MSC.

I think that's what we will end up doing! Let me know if you decide to come, we'll have to meet for a drink!

[Ericab1985]

3 hours ago, prwilson33 said:

I have been on the getaway and the escape and I would go with the Escape. Not only is it newer, but I loved the vibe of that ship and the layout. As for using a TA...  I have always self booked and dealt with NCL on my own. I have never had any issues and never had any bad customer service experiences. Ever. NCL has always been top notch for us and I prefer them over anyone. We hit the EPIC on Saturday, so I am interested in what is to come. I am considering keeping track and doing a thorough review, if my time allows. I get a little exhausted with all the negative reviews on CC to be honest. A lot of the stuff I read I have never experienced with NCL and I honestly mean never. I know it is all about perspective and everyone has their own viewpoints, but it baffles me sometimes. So, I would suggest doing self booking and then calling in and getting assigned to a NCL cruise consultant.

Congratulations on the marriage. The Mrs and I are celebrating 10 years this month with our Epic voyage.

Thank you! Congratulations on 10 years!  I've had really  great and not so great experiences on the Norwegian Cruises I've done. We did the Gem and the bartending service was really excellent, the service at the regular dinning was hit or miss on service, I couldn't get a wine refill at dinner to save my life.  However we did the breakaway 2 years ago and the only decent service at dinner was in the specialty restaurants. Servers were standing around talking and we couldn't get water, drinks etc. It's annoying but you get the same thing in restaurants back home too. I don't understand why people let it ruin their vacation though.

[Ericab1985]

1 hour ago, FLAHAM said:

They have significantly raised the prices on the Getaway since I booked it last fall, undoubtedly to direct traffic to the more recent Escape voyage. Also, the Getaway earlier did (but no longer does) offer double Latitude points, which may not mean much to you. They are both nice ships.  Bear in mind that transatlantics skew toward older passengers.  I like them:  they have a good duplicate bridge program on sea days and I get to read a whole lot while drinking.  You may not get to use the pool or the outdoor decks (or your cabin balcony) a whole lot because of the (likely) cool weather.  I'm not certain I would recommend a transatlantic for a honeymoon--but hey, we all look for different things.  Best wishes for a great honeymoon to you.

OHHHH ok thank you! Thank makes so much more sense. When I first looked I never saw the escape back in february. I was looking for Double points I'm sorry I missed it. Damn if only he proposed a couple months earlier!!!!!! I'm actually glad to hear that about the crowd The families with kids get really old.  

[JamieLogical]

29 minutes ago, Ericab1985 said:

I think that's what we will end up doing! Let me know if you decide to come, we'll have to meet for a drink!

 

If you do end up booking the Escape, you should join the Roll Call for the sailing so you can participate in the Meet & Greet and whatever other events the group decided to do:

 

 

[myra711]

I'm going to be the dissenting vote here.  I've been on the Breakaway (sister to the Getaway) and the Escape, and I much preferred the Breakaway.  I thought that the atmosphere on the Breakaway felt much less crowded.  I will say that the crew on the Escape was extremely service oriented, and that was a plus!

Congratulations on your marriage!  May you sail on together for many many years.

[Ericab1985]

16 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

If you do end up booking the Escape, you should join the Roll Call for the sailing so you can participate in the Meet & Greet and whatever other events the group decided to do:

 

 

Yes we definitely will be at the Meet & Greet!

[Ericab1985]

16 hours ago, myra711 said:

I'm going to be the dissenting vote here.  I've been on the Breakaway (sister to the Getaway) and the Escape, and I much preferred the Breakaway.  I thought that the atmosphere on the Breakaway felt much less crowded.  I will say that the crew on the Escape was extremely service oriented, and that was a plus!

Congratulations on your marriage!  May you sail on together for many many years.

Thank you so much!!!! We did the breakaway two years ago and the service at the regular dining was horrible. After waiting tables all through high school and college having good service is important to me! I don't know if they were trying to limit my ultimate beverage package but I couldn't get a drink at all at dinner. My wine would come way after our meal

[derek005]

We have been on the Getaway five times and the Escape four times (booked for Dec 19) and both are great ships. My favorite of the two is the Escape. Both ships have a lot to do and you can't go wrong booking either one of them. Enjoy!!!

[graphicguy]

Been on both.  There really is no “wrong answer”.  But, I’m freshly off the Escape in March.  As someone else said, “I liked the feel” of the Escape.

 

That said, I sailed in the Haven on the Getaway.  That’s a cruise experience that is fantastic.  Don’t know your budget, but for a honeymoon, Haven is such a great experience.

 

My impressions of my recent Escape sailing.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

[drvmywifecrzy]

If you gamble at Caesars properties you can get comps or at least discounts

[bluesea777]

We have been on both Escape and Getaway, as well as on Breakaway and Bliss, and I have just had a look in NCL.com … so, if I were you as married couple going on honeymoon TA cruise I'd vote for Escape!

 

Doesn't matter when, but early May should be ideal in Rome - nice weather and before the summer rush!

 

As for cabin category choice - go for M9 Spa Mini-Suite - you get a mini-suite with great bathroom that includes a large walk-in shower and the M9 gives you access to the Spa that would be ideal for the long TA cruise with many sea days. Second choice would be MA, MB, MC Mid-Ship Mini-Suite if you aren't a spa person. Forget about the Large Balcony mini-suite M6 because the weather and sea conditions are crapshoot for you to be able to enjoy the big balcony.

 

If you like to drink, make sure to choose the Unlimited Open Bar as one of the Promos, HANDS DOWN!! This will give you the freedom to choose what you want to drink - either to enjoy as usual or to try taste. there are cocktails, martinis, highballs, wines, etc. Be warned this will incur a 18% charge/fee to your cruise total (that would be $267.30 per person) but it's well worth it as the drinks have become pricy on cruises (our last cruise was less than a month ago and you'd better believe me).

 

Any questions fire away in my direction as we have been on 5 TAs that includes one Escape and one Getaway!

 

Use NCL.com for booking - forget travel agents.