Getaway dry dock

[TPS123]

 

 

I will be on the first Getaway cruise post dry dock on June 6 and wondered if anyone knows what the dry dock will include.

 

Thanks - Tony

[cabincop]

3 hours ago, TPS123 said:

 

 

 

 

I will be on the first Getaway cruise post dry dock on June 6 and wondered if anyone knows what the dry dock will include.

 

Thanks - Tony

I’m guessing/hoping USB outlets near bed. That’ll make me happy

[Bulk-head]

Enclosing casino smoking section.

[Sand and Seas]

4 hours ago, Bulk-head said:

Enclosing casino smoking section.

Have you heard that from someone official? 

 Or are we all just hoping 🤞

[The Traveling Man]

8 hours ago, TPS123 said:

 

 

 

 

I will be on the first Getaway cruise post dry dock on June 6 and wondered if anyone knows what the dry dock will include.

 

Thanks - Tony

We were on the Getaway for the cruise just prior to a dry dock in 2019.  That probably was its last major dry dock before the one this June.  Two or three days before our departure date, NCL informed us that our 12 day cruise would be cut short by two days to allow the Getaway to enter dry dock a couple of days earlier than originally planned.  It is my understanding that the departure date for the cruise immediately after the dry dock was delayed by a couple of days to allow the workmen more time to complete the renovations planned for the ship.  There have been frequent reports over the years of NCL ships either entering dry dock earlier than planned, leaving later than planned, or having work still performed during the first cruise after dry dock.  I would recommend to anyone planning to sail on an NCL ship either just before or just after a dry dock to change their plans, if possible.  If not able to change, I would caution you to expect last minute changes to your itinerary or the possibility of some renovations being made while you are on board.  You can hope for the best, of course, but do not be surprised by the worst.

Edited April 29 by The Traveling Man

[cabincop]

3 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

would recommend to anyone planning to sail on an NCL ship either just before or just after a dry dock to change their plans, if possible.  If not

I’m on Getaway for her last cruise before drydock. She arrives in Copenhagen on my bday May 22

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

We were on the Getaway for the cruise just prior to a dry dock in 2019.  That probably was its last major dry dock before the one this June.  Two or three days before our departure date, NCL informed us that our 12 day cruise would be cut short by two days to allow the Getaway to enter dry dock a couple of days earlier than originally planned.  It is my understanding that the departure date for the cruise immediately after the dry dock was delayed by a couple of days to allow the workmen more time to complete the renovations planned for the ship.  There have been frequent reports over the years of NCL ships either entering dry dock earlier than planned, leaving later than planned, or having work still performed during the first cruise after dry dock.  I would recommend to anyone planning to sail on an NCL ship either just before or just after a dry dock to change their plans, if possible.  If not able to change, I would caution you to expect last minute changes to your itinerary or the possibility of some renovations being made while you are on board.  You can hope for the best, of course, but do not be surprised by the worst.

You're right. Folks should expect last minute changes. I also believe that your Getaway cruise was cut short in 2019. But, you are the only person I've ever heard refer to a cruise being cut short due to a dry dock. Was your situation an anomaly or am I missing a lot of reports regarding cruises cut short? 

[CruiseMH]

10 hours ago, TPS123 said:

 

 

 

 

I will be on the first Getaway cruise post dry dock on June 6 and wondered if anyone knows what the dry dock will include.

 

Thanks - Tony

 

Usually it is "only" renovations like new carpets,new chairs/loungers,repairs(that can`t be done while at sea) or replacement of broken stuff, maybe some fresh paint here and there.

Don`t expect to look like a new ship.

[stellarose33]

so I can expect some changes when I sail her next summer? new to NCL but not cruising. 

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, cabincop said:

I’m on Getaway for her last cruise before drydock. She arrives in Copenhagen on my bday May 22

Hope things work out for you.  As I mentioned previously, we were on the cruise before her 2019 dry dock.  They cut our cruise short by two days, notifying us on Good Friday before our scheduled sailing date on Monday, the day after Easter.

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

You're right. Folks should expect last minute changes. I also believe that your Getaway cruise was cut short in 2019. But, you are the only person I've ever heard refer to a cruise being cut short due to a dry dock. Was your situation an anomaly or am I missing a lot of reports regarding cruises cut short? 

We were supposed to sail on the Spirit in March of 2020.  It was in dry dock in February, then was to set sail from Civitavecchia for Capetown.  We were going to board it in Africa for the Seychelles, then on to Japan.  We were following closely the roll call for the cruise before ours, the one from Civitavecchia.  Those passengers ended up spending several extra nights in hotels in Italy while waiting for the Spirit to come out of dry dock.  Their cruise was cut short because of the extended dry dock, but their more significant problem was that they missed virtually every port of call because of COVID.  Our cruises on the Spirit never took place, of course, due to COVID.

 

On another occasion an NCL ship came out of dry dock on schedule, but much of the planned renovation work was not complete.  The ship (I don't recall if it was the Star, Spirit, or some other) sailed with dozens of workmen on board, several public areas roped off, and with lots of noise and paint fumes as the work continued.  There may be other examples, but these are ones I remember reading about or experiencing first hand.

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

You're right. Folks should expect last minute changes. I also believe that your Getaway cruise was cut short in 2019. But, you are the only person I've ever heard refer to a cruise being cut short due to a dry dock. Was your situation an anomaly or am I missing a lot of reports regarding cruises cut short? 

Here's a link to the roll call for the Spirit cruise that was delayed.  Post #2956 includes the letter NCL sent describing the delays.  The cruise was scheduled for 11 February, but did not begin boarding until Valentine's Day.

 

 

[DorothyB]

I just watched a you tube video where the creator said he found out at a Q&A on board that:

1) the casino will be enclosed, so no longer open to the atrium area

2) a venue will be changed to the Q restaurant (can't remember which venue as I didn't care 🙂 )

[roddy good boy]

21 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

I just watched a you tube video where the creator said he found out at a Q&A on board that:

1) the casino will be enclosed, so no longer open to the atrium area

2) a venue will be changed to the Q restaurant (can't remember which venue as I didn't care 🙂 )

What does the Q restaurant serve? Is it specialty? 

[DorothyB]

3 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

What does the Q restaurant serve? Is it specialty? 

It is a specialty on the Prima - BBQ

[Sand and Seas]

16 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

What does the Q restaurant serve? Is it specialty? 

Q is a barbeque specialty restaurant on some ships. On Prima it is a complimentary 'food truck' in Indulge food court.

[Sand and Seas]

43 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

I just watched a you tube video where the creator said he found out at a Q&A on board that:

1) the casino will be enclosed, so no longer open to the atrium area

2) a venue will be changed to the Q restaurant (can't remember which venue as I didn't care 🙂 )

Interesting.  I would guess they would only enclose a smoking section of casino like the newer ships.

I wonder if they are converting dinner theater space to Q.  That would be similar to newer ships also.

[zqvol]

4 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

We were supposed to sail on the Spirit in March of 2020.  It was in dry dock in February, then was to set sail from Civitavecchia for Capetown.  We were going to board it in Africa for the Seychelles, then on to Japan.  We were following closely the roll call for the cruise before ours, the one from Civitavecchia.  Those passengers ended up spending several extra nights in hotels in Italy while waiting for the Spirit to come out of dry dock.  Their cruise was cut short because of the extended dry dock, but their more significant problem was that they missed virtually every port of call because of COVID.  Our cruises on the Spirit never took place, of course, due to COVID.

 

On another occasion an NCL ship came out of dry dock on schedule, but much of the planned renovation work was not complete.  The ship (I don't recall if it was the Star, Spirit, or some other) sailed with dozens of workmen on board, several public areas roped off, and with lots of noise and paint fumes as the work continued.  There may be other examples, but these are ones I remember reading about or experiencing first hand.

You need to live in the present not the past. These issues rarely happen. 

[mertziek]

4 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Here's a link to the roll call for the Spirit cruise that was delayed.  Post #2956 includes the letter NCL sent describing the delays.  The cruise was scheduled for 11 February, but did not begin boarding until Valentine's Day.

 

 

We were on this cruise.  Initially we lost a day from the original cruise itinerary and then a week before the cruise we lost 3 more days causing us to scramble and book extra precruise days in Rome.  Then we got to the port and on checkin found out our DOS was not ready and were told we were “upgraded” to a better cabin before we boarded.  NOT!!!  We were in one of the smallest balconies for 2+ weeks and only spent 4 days in our DOS.  Had we known all of that before boarding we might have canceled the cruise but in retrospect, other than the unexpected room downgrade plus other unfinished parts of the Spirit, we had a great cruise.  After that cruise I became aware of the true meaning of “travel is an adventure” and learned to go with the flow expecting the unexpected at any time.  In the age the ease of last minute internet bookings, it’s much easier to go with the flow and formulate a Plan B very quickly.

By the way - we made all of our ports just scooting ahead of Covid port closures and getting home from Dubai without any delays.  

Edited April 30 by mertziek

[stinkyharriet]

1 hour ago, Sand and Seas said:

Interesting.  I would guess they would only enclose a smoking section of casino like the newer ships.

I wonder if they are converting dinner theater space to Q.  That would be similar to newer ships also.

The Imaginarium will be converted to Q.  I also heard that there would be an enclosed smoking room in the casino.  The smoke was really bad when I was on the Getaway in January.  I wonder if they’ll also ban smoking in Spice H2O, which happened after the Joy’s recent dry dock.

[The Traveling Man]

36 minutes ago, mertziek said:

By the way - we made all of our ports just scooting ahead of Covid port closures and getting home from Dubai without any delays.  

Then I guess it was the next cruise segment, the one from Dubai to Capetown, that missed so many of its planned ports.  By the time the Spirit got to Capetown, all bets were off.  Some folks were trapped on the ship for days before the authorities at Capetown let them disembark to fly home.

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

What does the Q restaurant serve? Is it specialty? 

It serves BBQ, but it would be stretching things to call it special.  Yes, it is extra fare, but if you've ever had real BBQ, you'll be very disappointed with the food there.

[UKstages]

9 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

Have you heard that from someone official? 

 

i was on the getaway in january and february of this year. casino hosts confirmed that a small portion of the casino would be made into a "smoking" casino, by installing a glass partition, similar to other ships.

 

i've played in a lot of casinos on land and on sea, and the smoke in the getaway casino was at a level i have never experienced before. casino hosts agreed that most of the smoke was coming from folks who were congregating in the casino to smoke, not to play, which violates NCL's rules. 

 

[mertziek]

2 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Then I guess it was the next cruise segment, the one from Dubai to Capetown, that missed so many of its planned ports.  By the time the Spirit got to Capetown, all bets were off.  Some folks were trapped on the ship for days before the authorities at Capetown let them disembark to fly home.

Yes, I believe that next cruise or the one after it was stuck trying to find a port to disembark while the world was shutting down.  We felt very lucky to have stayed one jump ahead of Covid.  Several of our ports closed a day or two after we left.  We were a bit nervous about getting home but had a few days leeway to travel before everything was closed down.  Again, we were very lucky!

[david_sobe]

Enclosing the casino or making it smoke free is a great idea.  It was a bad design because the Away class ships had these "open concept" venues to save space.  Restaurants like La Cucina and the Asian/noodle place was open to the outside with no wall enclosing it from the walkway areas.  NCL put their casinos in these open areas and the smoke would just linger into these restaurants while you were trying to eat.  I remember sitting at the table outside at the noodle bar and my eyes burning from the smoke.