Great Staff, Talented Entertainment!

We just got off of an 11 day Southern Caribbean cruise on the NCL Getaway. Seriously, I was concerned about the lack of entertainment. Well, the entertainment was crazy great! The Rumors Tribute was phenomenal, the Staff Talent show was far beyond what what we would or could have expected. Almost all of the Lido deck parties, and Spice H2O parties were mostly live music, and being musicians we REALLY appreciated that. So much energy, and talent. Big surprise was the cruise Director Emma was just an over the top vocalist and entertainer (Robert was fun too)! This was truly a great cruise, and the staff was out of this world! The Thermal Spa was in tip top working condition, clean and well staffed. We purchased the entire week as we did use it almost every day, and mostly on sea days when the Lido was very crowded. This was our second sailing on the Getaway, and it did not disappoint.

Wonderful 'getaway' cruise with my love!

We came into New Orleans a few days before the cruise, to experience the local flavor! There is nothing like waking up, and finally, it's cruise day! We booked a taxi the night before, and they got us to the dock in no time, dropped our large bags with the porter, as we exited the taxi. Embarkation was smooth, with only a 15 minute wait to board ship. We always pack a small bag for our bathing suits and essentials, knowing we may not get our large bags delivered in a timely manner. We found the pool, and delicious cocktails, as others were heading to the buffet for lunch. The pool was warm, and tubs were hot. We found the service staff attentive and gracious. Pool bartenders were funny too. Always cracking jokes! After they called for cabins to be open, we checked out our Picture Window Room. It was just perfect for us, who really needs a balcony? We have had them in the past, and realize we don't use it as much as you would think. So we save money by booking a window, where you can still see out, and at sea level (which I love) We decided to explore the ship, waiting for our luggage to arrive. After my partners bag was delivered, mine was no where to be seen. I took another hour for mine to show up, and realized the luggage strap was missing. We contacted the front desk, and since they never found it, they reimbursed our account $10.. Dining was great! The 3 complimentary restaurants were very nice, with fixed menu, and daily specials. We booked Cagney's for our specialty dinner. Fabulous meal!! Buffet was basic, some hits and misses, as with any buffet. Entertainment was good, my favorite was the Rumors tribute to Fleetwood Mac. Well worth seeing! We did Karaoke, and played a few group games. The White Hot/ Glow party was really fun!! We brought items like glow stick necklaces, hats and glow face paint, which made it silly fun! We did the 3 water slides, but chickened out on the Drop Slide, after a lady told us she went down it, and scratched her back up...Ouch! This was our 3rd cruise on NCL, and we like the services they provide, and the perks we are accumulating. The one thing we were disappointed in was the Military Appreciation Event. Not sure everyone realizes, if you are a veteran, active or retired, you receive a considerable discount on cruises. Along with that, you are invited to a special event in your honor. We have attended this event on other cruise lines, and they were emotional, and just wonderful. Veterans were invited to tell stories, and experiences. This time the event was disappointing. We entered the venue, offered a premade cocktail and snacks. There was the singing of the National Anthem, acknowledgement of service ranks, thank you from the cruise director, and then a 'mingle amongst yourselves'. The event was literally 15 minutes, and everyone was boggled by this. Do your veterans better NCL. Take the time to ask for stories and experiences please!

Norwegian getaway

He ship was great. Plenty to do and eat. However I would not recommend Moderno's (Brazilian steak house). We had terrible service as did the people around us. I won't go there again. The excursions were amazing. Especially snorkeling in Harvest Caye, Belize. Our guide Jazmine was the best. She lead the group well and made sure everyone was having a great time. She dove down to get things to show us and explain what they are and their importance. We also went on sloth/monkey trip. We had originally booked it with the ATV's but were told there were lots of negative reviews. So we changed it to monkeys/sloths and beach. We went to private beach club in Cozumel (Tortugas) and loves it. Snorkeling, drinks and relaxing. They even have trampolines in the water along with a climbing pyramid. I will definitely be back but now I know not to eat at Moderno's. Everything else was beyond my expectations!

A super relaxing vacation

Boarding: Our first time as Platinum Latitudes and the boarding process was great. We were able to board right after those needing special assistance. We had selected the earliest possible check in time and were on the ship soon after. Stopped to check in at our muster station on the way to O'Sheehan's. Everything went smoothly. Had lunch and went straight to the hot tub while we waited for our rooms to be ready. It is almost never crowded in the hot tubs on embarkation. Cruise Critic meet and greet: Several of the cruise ship officers came and said hello at the meet and greet and told us about their roles on the ship. We also had an informal shot glass exchange and met some of the people from the group. One of the people in the group also organized a bar crawl through the ship in the afternoon. Cabin: Our first time having a balcony cabin. It was nice to have the balcony, but I prefer the darkness of an inside cabin for sleeping. There wasn't a lot of extra space in the cabin compared to an inside room. The view was great during the rare awake times in the cabin. The bed was not the softest, but we did take a lot of naps and slept through the nights. Activities: NCL did away with the part where you collect signatures at activities to trade in for NCL branded stuff at the end of the cruise. It was something we enjoyed a lot on previous cruises. We still participated in Trivia and a few other activities like sudoku and crafts. Shows: The shows were really well done. We enjoyed Broadway Unplugged so much we went twice. Million Dollar Quartet was also great. Howl at the Moon and the rock show at Sid Norman's were highlights in the entertainment. Food: We had four nights of Specialty Dinning. Two at Cagney's, One at Le Bistro, and one Teppanyaki. The food was great at all of them. The food was also great in the main dining room and O'Sheehan's. We rarely ate at the buffet, but enjoyed the vast selection. The omelet station in the buffet gives you more options than the menu in the main dining room. My favorite breakfast was the breakfast sandwich in O'Sheehan's with the egg fried hard and extra cheese. Ports: We only did two excursions. The Chacchoben Ruins in Costa Maya was well worth it. The guide was knowledgeable and provided a lot of information and great views of the site. The Fury Catamaran snorkel and beach break in Cozumel was good, but not great. A lot of inexperienced people in a close group swimming into each other while staring at the fish underneath. The beach was nice with some inflatable slides and a trampoline on the water. It was nice to see the improvements at the port in Roatan Honduras. We skipped out on Harvest Caye and stayed on the ship. Waterslides and Ropes course: Both were a lot of fun. The ropes course has you strapped into a very secure harness. You can feel safe and yet terrified at the same time as you look out from way up above the water. Disembarkation: Had to be at the airport for a flight boarding at 1140. We had a quick breakfast in the buffet as soon as they opened and got our bags and headed to line up and wait for disembarkation. Only a few people were in the line in front of us. We walked off the ship and to the Port of Nola Parking garage at 100 Poydras St. with our luggage. We were at the airport by 0830. Passengers: The sailing was pretty much sold out but never felt overly crowded. There were lines for Howl at the Moon and Sid Norman's but we got in each time.