NCL Getaway Western Caribbean Cruise Review

Were we crazy to even consider sharing a cruise ship cabin for one week with two teenagers? Well, actually not. There were so many activity choices to do together or on each’s own that we all had a very good summer vacation on the Norwegian Getaway.

Now, being a combination of experienced cruisers and believers in Murphy’s Law, as always we made our plans to arrive in Miami the day before. Why take a chance of airline snafus and become stressed out on the way to your vacation or worse, run the chance that flight delays and cancellations could cause you to miss your long awaited getaway? We enjoy waking on sail away day and enjoying a relaxing, casual morning and taking our time making our way to the pier. We start the relaxation before we even get to the pier.

The Norwegian Getaway is a beautiful ship and not quite two years old yet. The décor is warm and welcoming without loud colors or excessive neon and a cool comfortable vibe. Deck 7 of the atrium was O’Sheehan’s Bar and Grill outfitted with lots of varnished wood with brass fittings giving an authentic pub feel. Deck 17 was our next favorite spot with the ropes course, rock climbing, mini golf, sports court, and zip line. We were rarely in our cabin.

To be honest, going into the cruise the visual of 4,100 guests making their way to the restaurants for dinner was a huge concern. There were three main dining room, Taste, Savor, and The Tropicana Room in addition to O’Sheehan’s and several specialty restaurants. To the credit of the NCL dining management, dinners were a smooth event with nearly no waiting for tables. We had about a 30-minute wait one night when we decided to dine as a group of 20. I don’t know of many land based restaurants that can quickly accommodate an unscheduled party of 20 at peak dinner service. Kudos to NCL.

On a 10-point scale with 10 being walk-on-water perfect, overall the food quality and service in the sit-down venues on the Getaway was just a hair short of a 9. In these table service venues whether an entrée were meat, fish, or vegetables all was cooked to perfection and the wait staff were attentive and one step ahead of us meeting our needs before we asked. The Tropicana Room also had floor entertainment at 6:00pm each evening and one night our waiter Frankie got up and performed. Watch out for the Brownie Cheesecake at O’Sheehan’s; WOW! An almost inch thick brownie base, then the cheesecake, then mini marshmallows, and then caramel sauce drizzled over the top. This was by far the best desert I have had at sea in a very long time.

The Garden Court buffet was about a 7 but, I do not think any other cruise ship buffet would be greater than a 7. Food sitting in chafing trays just is not quite up to the same quality as the sit-down venues. Still, my 15-year-old son rates the pizza served fresh in the buffet court as the best he has had at sea out of 7 cruises on 6 different ships. He also gives a thumbs up to real, hand-scooped ice cream also in the buffet.

The cabin accommodations were very comfortable and the décor was soft earth tones. We booked a balcony cabin and the four of us were not cramped and had plenty of closet space. The shower was a nice change of pace from other lines providing a real shower door rather than a shower curtain which reaches out to grab your tush while showering. The greatest challenge regarding the cabin was between my son and daughter and which one would get the upper berth.

The beverage service was OUT STANDING! Regardless whether a soda or an adult beverage we ordered, the bar staff were friendly, fast, entertaining, and informative. The cruise was booked during a promotion giving a free beverage package and that was great and tough at the same time. It was expected that the adult beverage may be ‘watered’ down or not the same caliber as the same drink if purchased separately. Not true. The great drinks and great service cause a couple tough mornings.

Was the cruise perfect? No, of course not. The one thing that was not very good was the pool area on sea days. Yes there re several waterslides, a kids splash zone and a small family pool at the base of the waterslides but there was only one small pool for everyone else unless you booked a Haven Suite where there is a private pool for haven guests. This one pool at mid ship was packed, shoulder-to-shoulder on sea day. If you are a pool side lounger you may have issues with how crowded the pool becomes.

The itinerary was one of the better ones to the Western Caribbean visiting Roatan Honduras, Belize City Belize, Costa Maya Mexico, and Cozumel Mexico. Roatan has some fantastic beaches and snorkeling on the west side with warm, crystal clear waters. Belize is a good place to take an inner tube float down a river in the rain forest and through caves or to zip line across the rain forest canopy. Costa Maya has some beach jeep rides, Mayan Ruins, or the port complex itself has a fresh water pool with swim up bars and lounge chairs. Cozumel has Tulum ruins, off-road rides, cenote swim, snorkeling, and much more.

We used a third party shore tour provider for most of our excursions and they were fantastic. If you have a cruise booked and would like some information about the tour provider, please contact me at chipper@chipsluxurytravel.com and provide your ship and the sail date. The tour provider will then email you the tours available specific to your cruise.

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