Getaway thoughts

[cusematt4]

Hi,

 

I am debating a family cruise on the getaway over the holidays.  It’s double the price of a comparable Royal caribbean cruise.

 

has anyone sailed on this ship post Covid recently?  How is the entertainment on the getaway, especially for an extended period of sea days in the cold over the winter?

 

What are your thoughts on everything from main dining to speciality restaurants, shows, fly on acts such as comedy and live music?

 

Thanks.

[Treasure Hunter]

We were in the Haven on the Getaway in February from New York to the Bahamas. It was a great cruise. The Casino was amazing. I play the slots and had four hand pays! They didn't even bother to ask my name by the end of the cruise, just paid me. We were all screaming and dancing. The entertainment was fabulous. Million Dollar Quartet ( we saw it in Chicago and then on Broadway ) was every bit as good as the the original, and then the cast did a second show ( more intimate) that was very enjoyable called Broadway Unbound. Service was terrific and that includes other dining venues like O'Sheehans with yuummy Reubens and wings. An all around fabulous time.

[Treasure Hunter]

The comedy was hit and miss ( a little stale ) . Not as good as Princess . We enjoyed the other entertainment. 

[www3traveler]

Christmas on the Getaway is magical.  Lots of beautiful decorations especially the huge Gingerbread Village display.

 

On Christmas Eve the Hotel Officers go caroling through the dining rooms and led carols in the lobby.

 

Christmas Morning Santa Claus arrives with great fanfare and gifts for the kids.

 

Great fun   Cannot wait to do it again.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, cusematt4 said:

Hi,

 

I am debating a family cruise on the getaway over the holidays.  It’s double the price of a comparable Royal caribbean cruise.

 

has anyone sailed on this ship post Covid recently?  How is the entertainment on the getaway, especially for an extended period of sea days in the cold over the winter?

 

What are your thoughts on everything from main dining to speciality restaurants, shows, fly on acts such as comedy and live music?

 

Thanks.

In general, NCL entertainment has greatly exceeded Royal since the post-covid restart. There have been times that you could print the entire RCCL entertainment schedule on a business card. We have been on 7 post-restart cruises (1/2 on Royal, 1/2 on NCL) and NCL has been a lot better at bringing back "normal" entertainment on their ships. 

[MeMetwo]

11 hours ago, cusematt4 said:

Hi,

 

I am debating a family cruise on the getaway over the holidays.  It’s double the price of a comparable Royal caribbean cruise.

 

has anyone sailed on this ship post Covid recently?  How is the entertainment on the getaway, especially for an extended period of sea days in the cold over the winter?

 

What are your thoughts on everything from main dining to speciality restaurants, shows, fly on acts such as comedy and live music?

 

Thanks.

We were on Getaway the first week of August and it was a wonderful cruise.  The food was excellent in all the venues in which we ate.  Le Bistro and La Cucina were especially good.  The main dining room and buffet were also very good, in fact better than most cruises we’ve been on.  The entertainment was terrific.  Million Dollar Quartet and Burn the Floor are not to be missed.  Enjoy your cruise.

[Viajera7]

On 9/3/2022 at 12:17 PM, BirdTravels said:

In general, NCL entertainment has greatly exceeded Royal since the post-covid restart. There have been times that you could print the entire RCCL entertainment schedule on a business card. We have been on 7 post-restart cruises (1/2 on Royal, 1/2 on NCL) and NCL has been a lot better at bringing back "normal" entertainment on their ships. 

I think it depends on the ship. I have been on 7 cruises so far this year. 2 of them Royal, 3 NCL and 2 Carnival. The entertainment on the Brilliance of the Seas was just ok but on the Ovation was very good and different with a robot show and the group Mosaic that had a show 2 days in a row to meet demand. I was on the NCL Dawn in June and the Jade in August with some similar shows but the violinist and the singer were better on the Dawn. I only had been on the Getaway once (second time will be next month) but I see that they still have the Million Dollar Quartet and Burn the Floor which are good shows.

[wolft927]

I will be on the Getaway for the September 29th 9 night cruise. I will be doing a live review starting from the day before driving from North Carolina to Port Canaveral. Review will be of traffic hotel and of course the beautiful Getaway. 

[graphicguy]

Don’t miss the band in Syd Norman’s….OUTSTANDING!

[luvsboozecruises]

Great ship and Great crew, bartenders are really  fantastic, only wish they had the big screen at the pool, show's were also excellent.

[dbrown84]

11 hours ago, luvsboozecruises said:

Great ship and Great crew, bartenders are really  fantastic, only wish they had the big screen at the pool, show's were also excellent.

so are you saying they don't have the big outdoor screen on the pool deck?  I'm going to be on the Getaway next month and was hoping to watch the NFL games on the outdoor big screen.

[qek585]

In terms of entertainment and food, it was fantastic! Bun the floor and million dollar quartet are not to be missed. Junked was good too but not $30/pp good... Loved the live band playing the entire Fleetwood Mac Rumours album from start to finish.

 

Ate at all the complimentary places and they were all pretty good. O'sheehan's was a great place to eat, unwind and watch the many shows and events in the atruim.

 

The ship itself though was meh... I travel with my wife and 2 girls, ages 8 and 11, and a good 40% of the ship was inaccessible to them due to it being exclusively adults only, though that might be a good thing for couples. AND before someone says that they have the arcade and the splash park, might I remind you that there are places for adults to drink and relax EVERYWHERE else on the ship. Spice H20 takes up huge space, some of the best space too, and was never busy, wasted potential IMO. Several kid friendly amenities were taken away or still closed, like the mini golf course and bounce house. By far the worst issue I have with the ship is the smokestack! It is right next to, and blows noxious diesel fumes right into, the ropes course, basketball court and running track. We didn't even try these because we knew it'll expose us to it. 

[qek585]

5 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

so are you saying they don't have the big outdoor screen on the pool deck?  I'm going to be on the Getaway next month and was hoping to watch the NFL games on the outdoor big screen.

The big screen is located in the back of the ship and in the atrium. The back of the ship consists of Spice H20, an adults only section of the ship. They play movies there rarely, most of the movies are played on the screen in the atruim. As for watching NFL games on it, forget it... They may have NFL games on somewhere if you're lucky, but I doubt they'll broadcast it on a giant screen. I was there in August and it was constant soccer, rugby and tennis only. The big screen in spice H20 plays a water scene almost 24/7, that's about it, and the atruim screen is almost always in use for trivia or something like it.

[dbrown84]

2 hours ago, qek585 said:

The big screen is located in the back of the ship and in the atrium. The back of the ship consists of Spice H20, an adults only section of the ship. They play movies there rarely, most of the movies are played on the screen in the atruim. As for watching NFL games on it, forget it... They may have NFL games on somewhere if you're lucky, but I doubt they'll broadcast it on a giant screen. I was there in August and it was constant soccer, rugby and tennis only. The big screen in spice H20 plays a water scene almost 24/7, that's about it, and the atruim screen is almost always in use for trivia or something like it.

You know, I'm thinking about the wrong space.  I am used to the big screen being on the deck above the pool, where the hot tubs and big open space (dance floor at night).  I guess this is spice H2O.  Where they have the parties at night.

[wolft927]

17 hours ago, DaggoB said:

Thank you Chief Mate

You are most likely correct. The lady on the on line chat did not know why. My wife talked to our NCL cruise consultant and he said that this is how they do it now. Typical. The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. 

 

4 hours ago, qek585 said:

In terms of entertainment and food, it was fantastic! Bun the floor and million dollar quartet are not to be missed. Junked was good too but not $30/pp good... Loved the live band playing the entire Fleetwood Mac Rumours album from start to finish.

 

Ate at all the complimentary places and they were all pretty good. O'sheehan's was a great place to eat, unwind and watch the many shows and events in the atruim.

 

The ship itself though was meh... I travel with my wife and 2 girls, ages 8 and 11, and a good 40% of the ship was inaccessible to them due to it being exclusively adults only, though that might be a good thing for couples. AND before someone says that they have the arcade and the splash park, might I remind you that there are places for adults to drink and relax EVERYWHERE else on the ship. Spice H20 takes up huge space, some of the best space too, and was never busy, wasted potential IMO. Several kid friendly amenities were taken away or still closed, like the mini golf course and bounce house. By far the worst issue I have with the ship is the smokestack! It is right next to, and blows noxious diesel fumes right into, the ropes course, basketball court and running track. We didn't even try these because we knew it'll expose us to it. 

I have to disagree with Spice h20 never being busy. Every day Spice H20 was slammed on my experiences on both getaway and breakaway. As far as the smoke stack, I did the ropes course several times and never had any issues with the Fumes. The Stack is at least 20 to 30 feet higher then the ropes course and smoke always seem to rise up. Running track is 10 feet lower then the ropes course so not sure how smoke would effect that. I am booked on the Getaway on the 29th this month and will enjoy all the attractions. 

[PATRLR]

4 hours ago, qek585 said:

The ship itself though was meh... I travel with my wife and 2 girls, ages 8 and 11, and a good 40% of the ship was inaccessible to them due to it being exclusively adults only, though that might be a good thing for couples. AND before someone says that they have the arcade and the splash park, might I remind you that there are places for adults to drink and relax EVERYWHERE else on the ship. Spice H20 takes up huge space, some of the best space too, and was never busy, wasted potential IMO. Several kid friendly amenities were taken away or still closed, like the mini golf course and bounce house. By far the worst issue I have with the ship is the smokestack! It is right next to, and blows noxious diesel fumes right into, the ropes course, basketball court and running track. We didn't even try these because we knew it'll expose us to it. 

Spent a lot of time on the track and never smelled any exhaust.  Maybe you should have tried it instead of dismissing it outright.

[graphicguy]

12 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

so are you saying they don't have the big outdoor screen on the pool deck?  I'm going to be on the Getaway next month and was hoping to watch the NFL games on the outdoor big screen.

Big screen at Spice H2O.  Big stage for the bands on the main pool deck.

[dbrown84]

Just now, graphicguy said:

Big screen at Spice H2O.  Big stage for the bands on the main pool deck.

Great.  Now i can hold out hope again that they put the NFL games on.  Especially since we'll be in port, so they ship ship should be somewhat empty.

[graphicguy]

Just now, dbrown84 said:

Great.  Now i can hold out hope again that they put the NFL games on.  Especially since we'll be in port, so they ship ship should be somewhat empty.

I think it depends on what the feed is.  I don't believe being docked or near the shore matters.  They contract with a programming provider that gives limited show choices.

 

But, I hear you.  If you're an NFL fan, would be great to get some of those games on board.

[wolft927]

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I think it depends on what the feed is.  I don't believe being docked or near the shore matters.  They contract with a programming provider that gives limited show choices.

 

But, I hear you.  If you're an NFL fan, would be great to get some of those games on board.

On embarkation day they will have nfl games on the big screen at Spice....

[PATRLR]

31 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

Great.  Now i can hold out hope again that they put the NFL games on.  Especially since we'll be in port, so they ship ship should be somewhat empty.

The last time I cruised during NFL season, the only place I saw a game on TV was at The Local (or whatever it was called at that time, on that ship).  It was on with video only, no sound.  We did search around and asked around and that was the only option.

23 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

On embarkation day they will have nfl games on the big screen at Spice....

That's encouraging.  I wonder if the fact that it's embarkation day makes a difference?  I could find out when I embark on a Sunday this November, but, Encore doesn't have Spice.

Edited September 9, 2022 by PATRLR

[wolft927]

4 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

The last time I cruised during NFL season, the only place I saw a game on TV was at The Local (or whatever it was called at that time, on that ship).  It was on with video only, no sound.  We did search around and asked around and that was the only option.

That's encouraging.  I wonder if the fact that it's embarkation day makes a difference?  I could find out when I embark on a Sunday this November, but, Encore doesn't have Spice.

Embarkation is easier to watch games as the ship isn't moving, when we left new Orleans every turn the ship made down the river seemed like caused interruption in the satellite link 

[Liljo22]

Loved the Getaway.  It’s the top of my favorite cruise list right now.  That said, I am a bargain shopper and I don’t think I can stomach it being double a comparable RCCL cruise.  I would pay a little more for a NCL cruise because of the crazy cost of the drink package on RCCL but double might be too much.

[wolft927]

10 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

Loved the Getaway.  It’s the top of my favorite cruise list right now.  That said, I am a bargain shopper and I don’t think I can stomach it being double a comparable RCCL cruise.  I would pay a little more for a NCL cruise because of the crazy cost of the drink package on RCCL but double might be too much.

I have been pricing NCL vs RCCL and it is very very close...I booked a 9 night on the Getaway for September 20th 2022 ( booked in march) and a balcony eith all the free at sea perks was $2800. how much is RCCL drink package? 

[Liljo22]

9 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

I have been pricing NCL vs RCCL and it is very very close...I booked a 9 night on the Getaway for September 20th 2022 ( booked in march) and a balcony eith all the free at sea perks was $2800. how much is RCCL drink package? 

RCCL uses dynamic pricing so it different ship to ship and cruise to cruise.  Right now it’s usually running between 55.99/pp/pd to 71.99/pp/pd plus 18% gratuities.  

Edited September 9, 2022 by Liljo22