Wasn't terribly impressed. Embarkation was fairly easy, even though your computer system went down for 20 minutes while the big crowd tried to check in. You staff in the terminal was nice and helpful The stateroom was adequate. We like inside staterooms due to the darkness of the room during the day and loving a good nap on vacation. Unfortunately, we were in room 8104 and it was the loudest room I have ever been in on a ship. It was crazy loud, including what sounded like some kind of ship repair going on with banging for hours and a loud saw cutting something (maybe a grinder?). Ridiculous amount of noise, day and night. I won't blame the ship for the drunk girls at 3:00am shouting in the hallway and banging on a door. Our room was serviced once, in three days (Fri-Mon). The food was disappointing to say the least. I have Celiacs disease and your food safety is awful. The only place I saw in the buffet that even mention gluten was in the Gluten Free Bakery section. Not a single other thing mentioned any allergy warning to gluten. I saw sporadic mentions/listings of nut and milk allergies throughout the buffet, but that was not consistent at all. I spoke with no less than 10 staff members about gluten in certain dishes, and not a single one even knew what I was talking about. Your food safety and allergen training is either awful or non-existent. I somehow ate some gluten and spent all day Sunday in horrible pain after beginning the horrible process on Grand Stirrup Cay, vomiting and other "fun" activities, leaving the island to come back and be in pain all day in my stateroom. Even if all that wasn't the best, the food was mediocre. I ended up eating eggs and bacon for breakfast and whatever chicken I could find to eat. The steak at the main dining room was passable at best. Another less than favorable review is the fact that you don't offer free drinks in the casino. I am sitting there betting a $60-$100 a hand at a table and being asked to pay $25 dollars for a bourbon and a Diet Coke. That is ridiculous and I would never have booked the cruise had I realized that in advance. What a terrible policy. Disembarkation was fine. We waited around for an hour or so before getting off the ship. I would like to give a shoutout to Anita, the bartender at the Mojito Bar. She is funny, engaging, delightful, and a great bartender. She was the highlight of an otherwise not-so-great cruise. The Ice Bar is a very "cool" experience, but the check-in was very hectic and took too long. The advertised $15 cover charge was actually $20, not sure how that happened. But I would recommend it and the bartender was very nice. The inside is gorgeous. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this ship or NCL. This was my first and probably my last cruise on NCL. read more

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I've been on many NCL cruises, and this was the first time going on their "weekend" trips. It was a 3 night vacation, we left on Friday afternoon and arrived back in Miami port mi day morning 5am If you're looking for a quick get away to the warm climate, lots of sun and a great time, NCL does it right! This past weekend a group of friends did a trip together to the Bahamas, and we all had an amazing time. The amazing drink package, speciality dining, and shows and events that take place you will get your monies worth. There's always something to do, eat or drink on NCL! read more

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Just got back from a short 3 night Bahamas cruise to Great Stirrup Cay on the Norwegian Getaway and overall I had a really good time. The ship itself is great. The layout is easy to navigate and it never felt overwhelming. The staff were friendly and attentive throughout the cruise. Embarkation was quick, easy, and efficient which immediately put things on a good note. A huge plus was that we were the first ship to dock at Great Stirrup Cay. Not having to tender anymore made a big difference. Being able to walk straight off the ship instead of waiting around for boats made the island experience much smoother and more enjoyable. The Vibe Beach Club was absolutely worth it. Great drinks, amazing staff, and true VIP service. It was relaxing, not crowded, and easily one of the highlights of the trip. I also really appreciated how many quiet areas the ship has. There were plenty of indoor and outdoor spaces to sit and relax without feeling packed in, which is something I really value on a cruise. Food was a bit mixed. Cagneys and the main dining room were both good and consistent. The buffet was just ok with limited selection compared to other NCL ships. Sugarcane had good drinks but the menu was pretty limited as well. My main complaints were the pools not being heated since the water was very cold and the dueling pianos show only being offered once with not nearly enough seating. I love that show and it really should have had multiple performances. The performers themselves were excellent though. Overall I had a great time on the Norwegian Getaway especially after my last nightmare cruise on the Norwegian Epic. This cruise felt relaxed, well run, and exactly what I wanted from a short Bahamas getaway and I would definitely sail the Getaway again. read more

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Amazing Cruise, amazing staff, amazing everything. Norwegian is my favorite cruise line. Fun shows and activities to do

I remember the line from check in to onboarding being massive! Easily an hour plus wait! There were a few fun things to do while waiting. Some photo op spots. Drink and refreshment stations and a booth for booking excursions and things to do onboard. Not the worst gateway experience! read more

Norwegian getaway not one of my favorite cruises. Food wasn't. Very appealing to me. Even the specialty dining was really not that great you had to pay extra for lobster. I do have to say the drinks and the desserts were good. The entertainment was so so there was a couple good shows. There wasn't much other good activities. I did like to dueling pianos. They got everyone entertained. read more

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Just returned from 4 day cruise to Bahamas on Getaway. Had outside cabin with view, room very nice, comfortable bed, 5 shelves and closet for storage. Data tv and bathroom in each cabin as well as a digital safe. Included dining very good including Savor and Taste restaurants. Brazilian steakhouse and Italian specialty restaurants very good. Garden Cafe cafeteria good breakfasts. Blue fish dinner in Savor is terrible, as well as all the deserts I tasted in Garden Cafe looked great but were tasteless! Optional drink pkg is worth getting and offered tasty mixed drinks, wines, beers and Coke soda products. The workout room was well laid out, clean and many cardio items faced the windows and water. Main pool area is well set up for sunbathers and observing and participating with the Ragee dance bands that played daily. Very good shows including Rumours and Dueling pianos. Nightly movies in Atrium area on deck 6, also almost constant interesting activities there too. Starbucks coffee, though not included in price makes great coffee with good fast service! NCL overall great value and fun for a modest cost (not the cheapest) but at a good value/ vs smile point! This was my third NCL cruise. Thanks Ismael! read more

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where do I begin.... I booked this trip back in January. I was hearing all good things about this cruise line so I was very excited for this experience. I got to the port to get on the boat the 19th of April. Everything was going smooth. We got on the boat settled in we were excited. I had a nice room and a beautiful balcony view. The first night was okay nothing to complain about. Food was great. Our boat was going to Great Stirrup and Nassau in Bahamas. We woke up the next day finding out we were going to be at sea all day instead of Great Stirrup because the waters and winds were bad, the boat was very rocky. We just relaxed on boat all day and went to eat later on, again food was great. The next day we were at great stirrup and spent the day at the beach. Later on that night we were going to bed and I was falling asleep and there was a bed bug on my pillow. Immediately called guest services they got pest control in my room and ripped my room apart. We asked for a different room and they gave us trouble until I started yelling that there was bugs in my room. They gave me the new room. The staff is nice but my experience on this boat was terrible. We went to Nassau the next day and it was absolutely horrific. The people that worked there was so nasty and genuinely had no idea where they were and couldn't help navigate us in the right direction. We walked for 2 hours stranded on a beach where we were told to go. We winded up walking back to the boat and staying on for the rest of the day. Terrible experience. In my opinion, i did not enjoy or like this cruise line, or the bahamas. While others opinion might differ, I just wanted to share my experience. read more

F*CK YOU NORWEGIAN X 10...I spent the entire day at the terminal with my 87yo mother and you wouldn't let us board the ship, I get it, she didn't have her birth certificate but DAMN!!! and then threatened to keep our luggage for a week now shes stuck in Florida and feeling like sh*t and EXTREMELY DOUBTFUL I will get our $$$ back ....gunna hit up carnival like I should have in the first place read more

I can honestly say that the Norwegian Getaway is the best cruise that I have ever been on. I know what I'm talking about because I have done over 35 cruises and I'm Platinum with Carnival, princess, rccl and Norwegian. The Norwegian Getaway is a huge mega ship with dozens of restaurants and bars and amazing entertainment, gym, Spa, and all around Ultra party ship! Of course what makes it even better is the unlimited beverage package that came as part of my $1,000 per person balcony stateroom. It's an incredible value because the one price will include all your meals, transportation, room and even some specialty meals. The Insider tip is that if you own a hundred or more shares of NCL stock, you will receive a $100 shipboard credit on every Cruise. Because I'm a platinum member, we received a behind-the-scenes tour to see the galley. I took pictures of every night's menu so you can see an exclusive picture of what every dish looks like in the main dining room. Be sure not to miss specialty dining such as the French restaurant, The Raw Bar and the steakhouse. Also, be sure not to miss the nightly deck parties that start around 10 p.m. until late. The party does not end there as you can head to the Disco for even more nightlife. Incredibly, strongly recommended as a number one vacation thing to do in the world! read more

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So my family of 10 including myself just finished the 7 day cruise on the Getaway -from Miami- that went to Roatan, Belize (Harvest Key- Norwegian's private island), Costa Maya, Mexico and then Cozumel, Mexico. This was my 1st Norwegian cruise. The ship is huge and beautiful- it is one of the newest ships built in 2014 I think. 16 decks. Has water slides, a rock wall, a ropes course that had a mini zip line as well as a " plank" that you can walk out several feet off the side. I definitely recommend trying the ropes course STUDIO SUITE/ROOM: My family had balcony rooms that seem pretty good and standard. I opted to try one of the solo rooms in the STUDIO suites. I was hoping that it was going to be cheaper than a regular room since it is for one person but it was like $1200/1300 for the room with the ultimate drink package. Although the STUDIO rooms are all inside cabins- there is a section that you need your room key to access the area. It includes a small studio lounge that has chairs/table, a bar and a wine station which was pretty cool. The hallways were lit in either green or purple and the hallway music had loungy music. Pretty swanky :) the rooms were very modern and cute as well. My bed was a full size. I was very comfortable. The rooms have " mock like "windows to the hallway that help with the enclosed feeling with inside cabins. I would love to see these studio suites include real windows in the future. I will post photos of the studio suites FOOD: There are so many options of places to eat. 28 as per the book. The complimentary restaurants pretty good - the Tropicana I had the best service. Taste and Savor served the same menu as Tropicana for FYI and u can view the menu if you use the Norwegian Concerige app that they tell u to download and use while you are on the ship. Their app is free. Otherwise u have to purchase internet - it's like 100 bucks for 90 mins etc . The Garden buffet is HUGE but it was always so packed especially for breakfast and to tell u the truth- breakfast was just ok. Not my favorite there Now The specialty restaurants. Try and purchase a package before you start your cruise. I bought 3 day package which was like 80 bucks . I tried the Teppanyaki ( hibachi) which is fun. Cagney steakhouse was amazing BUT it's too much food! La Cucina- the Italian was not that good for me. I wanted to try the French restaurant Le Bistro but didn't get to go and it was always packed. The sushi bar Wasabi I tried twice for lunch and paid a la carte and it was good! I tried the rock and roll roll and the surf and turf which was pretty amazing. There is a gelato ice cream place that u have to pay for but I happened to go quite a lot there :) I liked to go to the 8 deck to walk around, relax and watch sunrise and sunset. It's way more quiet than the 15 and 16th decks. ENTERTAINMENT Shows- Burn the floor was a great dance show. The million dollar quartet was a singing and also very good and entertaining. Illusionarium was a magic show that was $29-34 u pay for and it includes show and dinner. I went to a comedy show which was funny and attended one of the Howl at the Moon which was a dueling piano/singers- where you tip and request songs for them to play. Casino slots are kinda outdated but I won a lil but on the wheel of fortune. EXCURSIONS are expensive - you will spend 100-200 per person per excursion. Round about. Definitely review and see what you REALLY want to do. But it does add up. Roatan- beautiful reef at the port. Some shops at the secured port area but not much and it was ok. Otherwise you would probably want to do an excursion . We did Jolly Roger snorkeling and it was amazing- so many fish and beautiful coral - ask included a decent lunch with rum drinks Harvest Key( Belize- Norwegians private island) - its only been open like 3 weeks. The pool was awesome especially since the pools ok the ship are small. I was not impressed with the beach at all- water was not colorful.. beach seemed man made. No waves. You can zip line across the ocean but there are only 3 platforms and it cost like 100 for that so I declined. You can go on some excursions from this port also. costa Maya- Mexico. Was NOT Impressed . The port had a big shopping area with people begging you to look at their shops. I was off and back on the ship within an HR or two. Otherwise I would do an excursion to the waterpark or stay ok the boat and enjoy it while it was less crowded than the days " at sea" Cozumel- Mexico. You walk off to a city like port. Lots of shopping- cheaper than costa Maya for sure . We did the dolphin swim all inclusive - and I highly recommend it if you want to swim with the dolphins! It's like 149 bucks with a lunch included and you can snorkel, paddle board and kayak as well. The facility is clean and well maintained . You get to touch the dolphins, kiss them, hug them and swim on their bellies. ( they say that my review is too long- no more -lol bye read more

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Miami's Ship! The hull is decorated by Miami artist LeBo and the inside has Miami inspired touches everywhere. The Flamingo Bar and Grill has Cuban/ Latam dishes like oxtail, lechon and croquetas. They even have some really good yuca frita. The food on this ship was overall the best of any cruise I've been on (Johnny Rockets breakfast was best overall on Allure). The shows kept me awake which means something. Burn The Floor and Legally Blonde were fun and upbeat We went on a Eastern Caribbean cruise and it was great. We stopped at St Maarten first. Things to do are Oriente Beach on the French side and of course Airport Beach. Second stop was St Thomas but if you have the balls, head over to St John and bask in the glory that is Trunk Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Last stop was Nassau - Stay on the boat Pro-tip. Don't pony up for a balcony thats way to small. Instead get the spa package and you have your own semi- private retreat that keeps you away from the riffraff. You won't regret spending a little extra for the peace and tranquility of the spa instead of the madness that is the main pool read more

Norwegian Getaway - LeBo paint job - Tours Near Me

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Went on a 7 days cruise with a group of 16. Overall experience was great given that I was in great company but there was some unpleasant things such as: Any of the complimentary restaurant (Tropicana, taste and savor) get ready to wait FOR EVER for your food - we had reservations and I also went to breakfast one day with only 4 of us and they still take FOR EVER- no lie a good 30-45 min to just get appetizers. FYI all these places have the same exact menu,it barely changes throughout the week so the buffet could possibly be the better choice. the raw bar and wasabi - you can order from both where ever you sit, the sushi was really good and priced Even better, we paid $5-$7.70 a roll and they were all regular sized. Illusianarium show- comes with dinner and the show was Amazing, I highly recommend it it left all of us with our mouths open because we couldn't believe the tricks they were doing. Moderno- we went here for my fiancée dinner and the food was GREAT, we have a friend who doesn't eat meat and they offer an amazing salad bar with salmon , sushi and other fish options. It was great and the service was great as well. Obstacle course was SO MUCH FUNNNNN!! And the slides were a blast - make sure you do them ALL!! Customer service - I can't say ALL because we had a great room service guy (I regret not getting his name) and some great bartenders - Lorenzo and Pio at the wave bar. but then there was many others who were SUPPER rude, rude as in they would ignore you when you called them (at the wave bar we had a guy look at us and walk the other way) the worst of them was for dinner at the restaurants listed above (Tropicana, savor and taste) HORRIBLE! At tropicana one of the guests arrived a little late and when she asked to place her order the guy told her "I just asked if any one wanted anything else" the same guy came to the other side of the table when we were done eating dinner and asked if he could get us anything else and my mom said we would like a dessert menu, the guy responded saying "I asked if you guys need anything else for dinner not dessert" - again- HORRIBLE. The last complaint on an employee was at the wave bar again, he said with the unlimited drink pass we were only allowed to have 1 drink every 30 minutes, we knew this wasn't true because he told us this on day 3 on the cruise. We went to another bar and the bar tender told us the guys from that other bar told him he can't serve us. I went to guest services and they apologized and explained this is NOT true, we didn't have any other problems and the bar manager was nice enough to send us chocolate covered strawberries which was very nice (we weren't expecting that) Other than that the cruise was great, I loved the club bliss and the parties they put together in the H20 section. I would go again but steer away from those three places mentioned. Bartender wise ask for LORENZO AND PIO, they were AWESOME ! read more

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This was our second cruise aboard the Norwegian Getaway. This was a family cruise which included all of our kids and our grand kids, so we had been planning for quite some time for this. Our son-in-law and our grand sons had never been on a cruise before, so it's always exciting to be with a first time cruiser. The boys were most excited about the food and the water slides, and they were not disappointed with either! If they weren't in the kids programs they were eating or getting soaked on the slides. My teen enjoyed the teen program as well, but said the last time it was more fun as this time they didn't seem to have as many activities planned for getting to know each other. She did enjoy showing her nephews around the boat. We had a larger room with one of the largest balconies (except for the suites). It was a great balcony with two lounge chairs, two regular chairs, and a table. Unfortunately we weren't able to use it to it's advantage due to people smoking on other balconies. We did inform guest services multiple times but if they don't see someone there's not much they can do. It is unfortunate that people can't follow the rules and just not smoke on the balconies as is the rule. Another reason for the 3-star is our room steward, or the lack thereof. Typically on a cruise (and we cruise usually two times, if not more, a year) the room steward introduces him/herself on the first or second day. We did not see our room steward the entire 7-days we were on the cruise. I couldn't have picked them out nor told you if they were male or female. Our room was cleaned sometimes. Sometimes it was a bed made but no towels left, other times it was pillows being taken from our room and not replaced (weird, right?!). We had to call several times to get towels just so we had some for our showers. It was very frustrating and did put a bit of a damper on the cruise. The ship is huge, but it doesn't seem overwhelming. Our first night we enjoyed the Cirque Dream and Steam show. It was amazing. Food was okay, but the show itself was a not miss. Other shows were Burn the Floor and the Million Dollar Quartet. Both were not to be missed shows as well. We didn't get to any of the comedy shows ourselves, but our oldest two did and said they were very funny. Ports were nice. We have visited them all in the past and knew what we wanted to do so we had an enjoyable time. The grand sons got to snorkel for the first time and had a blast. All in all it was a fun time filled with great memories. We aren't able to get our family of 8 together as often as we would like, so this was such a treat. We had purchased a photo package so we got to take home some great photos as well. read more

We have been on several different cruise lines and this Norwegian ship is middle of the road. The food was mostly average and the service ran hot and cold. We made reservations at their specialty restaurants and were never told it was first come first serve. I wanted smoked salmon for breakfast and they gave me a hard time until a supervisor told them to get it. It was so salty I needed water all day. The price of a alcoholic drink was way too high. A shot of Woodford Reserve Bourbon was almost $20.00 with a 20% gratuity. Just a rip off! Don't drink unless you get a alcohol package. My wife does not drink so it made no sense for us. In the future we will stick with other ship companies that do a far better job. I was disappointed in their small gym facility. 4000 people and very few machines for a workout! Other companies ships have much larger gyms then this 3 year old ship! read more

If you have any possible medical issues that could require using the client onboard a Norwegian cruise, please read this and be advised before scheduling your trip. I had an infected cut on my leg. I went to the ship's client and ask for anti-biotics. The doctor said I needed a treatment. I ask what the treatment cost and he said upwards of $3,000. The final bill was $4,000. After the treatment the doctor said I would need to come back 3 or 4 more times for additional treatments. I said no, I didn't have the money. He then gave me the anti-biotics pills I asked for in the first place and the infection cleared up. The fact that Norwegian has turned their client into a profit center with the intent of running up customer bills to the highest amount possible is a crime. Bottom line, our cruise line bill was over double what the cruise itself cost. As a bonus, my credit card limit was reached because of their medical bill. If you end up with a serious medical condition, your final bill will be beyond enormous. read more

This is my second time on NCL Food was good, people were nice, but not as nice as our first cruise! I'm cool with that, I didn't feel like I had to tip everyone anything extra. There was one guy we gave extra $$ to, which was our house keeper, he was always there for us, made sure we had everything we needed. He would always greet us by our name, and ask us if we slept well! Over all the cruise was nice. I just feel like the nickle and dime you to death. 18 pack of water was $59.00 (just bring a refillable water bottle, or 2 and fill up at the drink station. They even charge for soda's. I don't really drink soda, so I didn't have to worry about that. We went snorkling, and my husbands foot hit some coral. So of course he had a couple of cuts. So when we get back on the boat, we wanted to get some stuff to fix him up, a couple of bandades, and some kind of anticeptic. For a fee they will fix you! or you can buy out of the machine, wow! Make sure you bring everything you can think of if you don't want to pay 20x's extra. I think after this cruise we realize why we only cruise once every 5 yrs. I'd rather just go where I want to go, I think I'm over cruising! I can book my own vacation, and go where I want to for 1/2 the price of that cruise. read more

This was my very first cruise ever and I have to say that it was totally worth every penny. I was never too fond of spending a few days on a ship and being restricted to whatever was onboard but I have to say it was totally worth the experience, especially when you're in good company. Everyone onboard was great and service was top notch for the most part. We took the 7-day cruise departing from Miami. The first three days were spent entirely in the sea, with St Thomas (US Virgin Islands), Tortola (British Virgin Islands) and Nassau, Bahamas as the port destinations. There is practically everything onboard that'll cater to everyone. Whether you want to play poker or blackjack, sip on a whiskey with a cigar or dance the night away, you're covered. There are bars with just about every ambiance as well. Some specialize in just mojitos while others have a vast selection of whiskeys. When booking your trip, be sure to try and get your booking agent to squeeze in the "ultimate drink package" for free so you'll be covered for drinks up to $11 in value and not have to pay the $300-400 when you do it onboard. Food varied from place to place. You've got buffets, Brazilian BBQ, sushi, noodles, etc. Some of the premium choices require a cover charge but only around $20-30/person if you're getting tired of the same meals. There is also a pub that serves food and drinks 24/7 so you're able to get your chicken wing fix at 3am and wash it down with a beer. If you're an active person, wake up early enough before the sun is out and do a few laps on the top of the ship. The gym does get pretty packed as well (everyone is trying to balance our fitness with the loads of good eats onboard). They also offer TRX and yoga classes. Entertainment wise, there is everything from magic to comedy shows to live music. You do have to book ahead of time as they will most likely not let you walk in, especially when its a more popular show. Seven days is a bit long and I literally got bored on the fifth day so I will probably do a shorter cruise next time around. But if you're looking to just relax resort style, this will strike your fancy. read more

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I went on getaway's 7 day cruise to St.Thomas, St.Maarten and the Bahamas. About the stateroom: we had a balcony with four people and I must say it could get a little crowded in there. The space is narrow but the beds are very comfortable! Like any other cruise room you make the best out of it (we put our luggage under the beds so we have more space). Staff on board: by far thee rudest staff I have ever met! I was not surprised to read other reviews that stated the same. I'm not sure why but the staff on this boat seemed like they could care less about their jobs. On the other boats I've been on the staff make it their number one job to make sure the passengers are happy and having a good time. I meet very few employees like this on the ship, this includes the pool deck crew, bartenders, waitress/waiter, buffet cooks and clean up crew. Our stateroom attendant was very nice (because we tipped him the moment we got on board so I'm sure that changed a lot). But my last word on the staff is rude. Customer Service: horrible! If you come back to your room like at 2am and want some greasy food delivered to your room to sober up.... Good luck! This happened 3 times where we call room service late night and are put on hold for 20 mins then when we order our pizza the woman gave us a huge attitude and hung up. Honestly like I said rudest staff ever! If you call customer service you will be on hold forever and when they do answer they will most likey be less than helpful. What the ship offers: okay this is where they get the four stars. There is lots to do on this cruise including mini golf, 4 badass slides, pool, 4 jacuzzis, ice bar (by reservation only it's $20 but comes with two drinks), mojito bar, ropes course hanging above deck with a plank to walk off the ship ( everyone needs to try this super scary but awesome!), rock climbing, arcade room, giant chess board and more things I'm sure I'm forgetting and was too drunk to discover. The food: good, I wouldn't say crazy amazing but it was good. We went to the churracaseriza (have no idea how to spell it) but it's an all you can eat steak house for 20$ sooooo worth it! Best all you can eat you will have. The buffet food wasn't anything out of this world but I wasn't expecting it to be so it wasn't such a disappointment. The ship hasn't a lot to drink and see I had an amazing time truly but if we're being super honest next time I cruise it won't be on Norwegian because of the staff. read more

Our first criuse ever and couldn't ask for better experience. Food was wonderful, we really didn't have one bad meal. No waits other than the Shanghai restaurant, which is tiny and the food average. We had the dining package plus the illusorium show, so we never got bored w.the food options. I was actually sad I didn't get a chance to try the Tropicana again for the risotto. The main dining rooms: Savor, Taste & Tropicana did a good job switching out the daily specials every other day. One complaint, the kids weren't happy the kids menu at the speciality restaurants never changed!! Staff (mostly fm the Philippines) were patient, friendly and kind. Even the crowds weren't bad (no obnoxious Carnival party drunks). Bartenders excellent, don't forget to tip them as not included in daily service charge. The headliner shows: burn the floor (dance), million quartet (concert) and illusorium (magic) were all big, professional productions. Even Howl at the Moon alot of fun. If I had one complaint, it would be the pool. Super small- really a dipping pool, but this is supposedly normal for cruises. So glad we booked excursions, was actually able to cool and play in some water!!! read more

Overall the cruise was not bad. It was better then average but not great. Most of the service onboard is boarder-line average and mediocre. A select few crew members are an exception to the rule that truly made our vacation better. 1. Roy Steadman - Asst. Maitre D' 2. Jose Contreras - Bar Manager 3. Jocel Guzman - Guest Services Manager 4. Ray An Juan - Guest Services Representative These individuals were the stand out heroes of my trip. We came across hundreds of staff members but these 4 staff members went above and beyond to do really remarkable gestures to make us feel valuable and special. Others employees gave off an air of annoyance that they were working. (Understandable, most of us don't always feel like working, but it's your job, hide it better and deal with it!) To some other's credit, there were a few more staff members that also offered good service that I did not get there names. Now for some recommended things to try onboard to enhance your enjoyment: 1. The 'Chef's Table' specialty dining experience - $99 per person + 18% gratuity and worth every penny! 9 course with wine pairing. (Only 12 persons max can be accommodated for this exclusive event) 2. 'Ocean Blue' specialty restaurant - $39 pp + 18% gratuity (it includes a 3 course seafood meal... The Lobster Risotto was fantastic! I also recommend the red velvet champagne for a special celebration) 3. Behind the Scene tour - Escorted tour of the different kitchen galleys onboard with interesting facts and info of onboard operations. 4. 'Illusionarium' - Magic show with dinner. $35pp (Tip: get there at least 20 minutes early to get a good seat up front and in the middle by the stage so you can get a better view of everything) 5. Headliners Comedy Club - It's a 45 minute show of a featured comedian. During my trip we saw two comedians that were each very funny: Frank Townsend and Phill Palsel (I not sure if I messed up Phill's last name but it was something like that) 6. The Flamingo Bar & Grill - Great Cuban/South American style lunch like rice, black beans, plantains, guava pastelitos, roast pork, tres leche & rice pudding. 7. The Water Slides - there are essentially 3 different kinds of slides. My favorite was the purple slide with the open top but someone with a need for speed may enjoy the faster slides the red/orange slides or the more daring green/blue slide. read more

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No, no, no and no. If you are doing your homework to decide if you should book the Norwegian Getaway cruise, then I beg you to read on and seriously consider if you want to waste your hard-earned vacation time on this boat having a mediocre time instead of finding better options for yourself and your loved ones. I'll admit that the boat didn't sink, so one star. However, our cruise was delayed for four hours because one of its crew members decided to attempt suicide the night before it arrived back to the Miami port. While I do not deduct a star for its employee's fault, I do think NCL should at least apologize, if not compensate, to its guests. Nope, we were delayed for four hours, and were rushed through the check-in without one formal apology. And when we asked if we would be compensated, we got a "nope!" End of discussion. Not a great way to start a vacation, if you ask me. If you are doing your homework, you must know this is one of the largest cruise ships out there. While this sounds fun and exciting in theory, it really isn't. First of all, the boat is massive, which means it takes forever to walk from one end of the boat to the other. And with all the space it has, it is poorly designed. Many entertainment events, such as game shows, draw huge audience but instead of using the theater, they host them in the atrium, which never has enough seats and not enough standing room. I am on vacation, I don't want to worry about not having a place to sit or stand (p.s. I don't even think I should be standing!) There is only one main pool on the entire ship for general public. I think there is an exclusive club (aside from the Haven) that you have to buy day passes to access, but as far as the general public pool, there's one to serve the almost four thousand guests. And the pool is small! The area surrounding the public pool and stage is also very small. There are only a handful of chairs and spots that you can secure from the same deck or the deck above that provide you a good view of the entertainment on the stage. There are ample of lounge chairs that are away from the main events. If that's more your speed, then here's your other star. Every non-specialty restaurant is mediocre, at best. My limited experience on cruise's food has been very good and surprisingly so. But NCL Getaway's food was beyond disappointing. The best way to describe it is that it's edible. That's really sad when you have to eat on the boat at least two times a day for a week. The gym area was too small. I went during non-peak hours, so I didn't have to wait much for the machines. However, I have heard other guests complaining about the wait. There are six elevators on each end of the boat, and there's always a wait. We ended up just taking the stairs a lot, which is good for us, but if you have limited mobility, you'd be spending a lot of time waiting. Last but not least, the service was just not good. I had always thought one of the selling points of a cruise is the wonderful service from the staff. NCL must have missed that memo because no one really cared on this boat except for our favorite serve, Jai Singh, at Taste. He is the only one who cares about his job and has the best work ethics. He tries his best, and that's really all we ask for. Like I said, I know most of us only have two weeks of PTO annually. The Western Caribbean Getaway is a seven day cruise. That's quite an investment of your PTO! If this review didn't convince you or if it's too late, then I hope you have a much better experience than I did, but I won't be recommending NCL to any of my friends and families. read more

FIRE that f**king racist comedian! I was on a Christmas cruise of Norwegian Getaway cruising from Miami to the Caribbean's. At night time I attended a stand up comedian show. The comedian from Levity made an unacceptable insulting comment on my race stating that "Japanese only fit to watch wide screen TV for their eye shapes". For a short 20 mins show, he seemed like running out of good stuffs to say but had to say something insulting to be funny. NOT FUNNY AT ALL!!! As the only Asian in that room, he may not see me, so he thought he could get away from it by insulting my race. I felt his jokes was extremely improper, UNFUNNY and hurtful. I was there to enjoy my vacation, not to get insulted! This is very low class by putting other race down and hurting other people's feelings. I was wondering why Norwegian hired him. My vacation fees paid his salary to insult us - so well done Norwegian Cruise Line for hiring him. P.S., if he's driving Japanese cars and using Chinese made phones, then stop making fun of Asians! read more

First cruise for myself, husband, and 2 kids (14 and 11) so we have nothing to compare with it. We were VERY excited for this 7 night vacation since we never have had a 'true' vacation where we didn't have to visit family. I was very excited for not having to arrange every detail of a trip since it was going to be all inclusive, or so we expected. Upon our arrival, we went through registration, etc. fairly simply. While we arrived on the boat around 11:30, we couldn't go to our room until around 1:30 or 2 due to it still being cleaned/prepared. Our luggage didn't arrive in to our room until about 6 pm (we were informed luggage may not be delivered to our room until 7 pm). The balcony stateroom was SMALL. . . . REAL small. I expected it to be smallish, but not THIS small. While I was informed by a previous guest, and good friend, that the food was excellent at all of the main restaurants (which were included at no additional fee), the food quality was good, but the menu selections were virtually the same. Same entrees, maybe a different couple of appetizers, but the entrees didn't vary much and this became very repetitive and disappointing. After 3 nights of this, we did venture out to a specialty restaurant, Ocean Blu, and it was excellent, but quite expensive. Going to a specialty restaurant each night really wasn't an option we wanted to exercise due to the additional and high cost. The Garden Cafe buffet restaurant was crazy busy with just 'ok' food - if that. While on the cruise, I referred to it as the trough since it was definitely a 'lower class' experience with people grabbing, etc. While my 2 kids liked it, and they did have a huge assortment, my husband and I refused to return to it after our first experience. Yes I am a food snob - I'm not ashamed to admit this. With the exception of O'Sheehans pub inside some of the time, the bars were usually busy and while the service was ok, it wasn't the higher quality service I expected or desired. NOT sure if this is due to the 'drink packages' that do not garner the same level of service tips, but it is what it is I guess. While the restaurant servers were fairly high quality, overall there was a lack of attention to details. Other than the main restaurants, requested items were forgotten, room requests/deliveries were never brought and/or completed. The biggest shock was the pools. . . . I guess in my mind I expected at least a normal sized pool, but only found an extremely small kids pool and a very small adult pool. There were so many people in the adult pool I wouldn't have even WANTED to step foot in it - too claustrophobic. Honestly it was horrifying to think of going in to either one of these pools due to the quantity of people. There were a couple of times the pools appeared to be more 'Carnival Adult' type areas - a place I would not want my kids to be around. There were little 'added fees' that, while not large by any mean, added up. Most were attributed to 'taxes' while in port, etc., for the prices we paid it just seemed a bit 'tacky'. Elevators were annoying. . . . too few elevators and always having to wait for them or them opening on every floor until they were so packed you couldn't breath. We have decided it will probably be a long time before/if we consider taking another cruise. If/when we do considering taking a cruise we will probably consider another cruise line that provides those attention to details and provisions that we expected. Bottom line - it was nice to get away, but it wasn't the vacation we were expecting or hoping for. read more

Getaway was my second cruise (first being Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas). Getaway is a beautiful ship and exactly the size I was looking for. The interiors are updated and modern and the size of the ship makes any chance of seasickness minimal. We were initially hesitant to book the cheapest class (Interior) because we could not pick our own stateroom. We ended up with an interior room on Deck 5, the lowest level. We had no problems with the room and the only thing I missed was natural sunlight waking us up in the morning. Food-wise, there are a lot of diverse choices on the ship. We generally liked the food, but (no surprise) didn't find the Shanghai Noodle Bar very authentic. O'Sheehan's ended up being our favorite for breakfast and a mid-afternoon snack, while Tropicana (despite its longer waiting time for the food to arrive) for dinner. Lunch (during at sea days) is a toss-up between Taste and Savor since they're essentially the same dining room with different color schemes. Entertainment-wise, the shows were all of outstanding quality, especially Burn The Floor. There is a challenging balance course, mini-golf, and some trampoline/spider web activity at the top deck. At sea days the lines for these activities can get really long. Overall, the ship itself was very nice. However, the one issue Getaway really struggles with is its staff. During my RC cruise, the staff was incredibly warm and engaging. The Getaway seems to have hired an abundance of staff from Southeast Asian countries. So I'm not sure if it's a cultural difference, but some (not all) came off as polite but very cold to me. I passed by staff multiple times and never got so much as a "good morning" or eye contact. The hostesses at the restaurants in particular seemed so unengaged and unhappy with their jobs that it kind of deflates a bit of your good mood as well. The worst hostesses were at Taste and Savor. One night I was sick and my husband wanted to grab me some dishes from the restaurants' menu since they serve different food than Garden Café and O'Sheehan's - they told him they had to get a 'manager' to take his order and left him waiting for 30 minutes. When he went up to ask them for a third time what was happening, one of the hostesses very curtly told him that "we can't do it" but if he really wanted to food, he can "pay for room service" to have the meal delivered. The way that situation was handled was terrible by cruise standards and made my hubby so angry, not just because he was left waiting without any updates, but because of the attitude of the hostesses. All in all, I wouldn't mind being on the Getaway again. Hopefully, they can improve on the hospitality of some of their staff so that the entire experience can be a great one, not just a "very good" one. read more

We have cruised on this same ship 3 years ago, and while our vacation this time was good it was not quite the spectacular trip we were expecting based on our previous adventures. We arrived at the port early in order to gain access to the Vibe club which requires a ticket and limited to 60 or so people total. Our group of 11 managed to secure tickets which was a huge accomplishment considering how valuable these tickets have become. Embarkation was easy and we spent our port time soaking up the sun in the Vibe club. We had purchased a spa balcony room giving us access to the spa but we were disappointed with the services and space. Clearly, the number of spa week packages were plentiful regardless if cruisers were in spa rooms or not. The spa area with hot tub and steam rooms were often crowded and not serviced by the staff. I cleaned up the water bar one afternoon because it was a disaster. Staff was not monitoring guests who felt it was their right to reserve the heated loungers with their personal belongings while they were off enjoying the sauna or other activity. Often loungers were covered with belongings with no people using them leaving guests to decide if they should move guest personal belongings or simply leave. The actual spa services were decent but the pushy sales pitch at the end trying to get me to purchase another $300 of skin care products after spending $300 on services was crazy! The weather changed 2 of 4 of our ports of call which made the excursion desk extremely busy. We opted not to take expensive ship excursions, but the Jamaica port was sad at best - it was not the popular port, but a new one that had been recently developed. Had we opted for an excursion we would have spent more than 2 hours driving to/from the destination and we were not in port long. The food was marginal even at the specialty restaurants. Cagney's was particularly disappointing with both over/undercooked steaks and very bad cuts. When speaking to the manager she indicated they get complaints every night on one particular meat cut and one dessert (the brownie which was so dry...) but they are not allowed to adjust the recipe from corporate even though they have to deal with the complaints daily. The crowds on the ship were crazy with a rude group of folks on this particular boat. I felt sorry for the staff having to deal with these people who were rude and demanding. It seems that service has taken a bit of a hit as Norwegian has worked to remain profitable while still filling the ship. While we paid what I consider to be a lot for a spa balcony and a nice vacation, others had paid much less which I believe forces Norwegian to cut corners on staff and quality. While we had a nice vacation, I don't think I will be returning to Norwegian anytime soon. Too many pushy moments trying to upsell me and too many times where I had to pay extra to get decent service. The unlimited beverage plan while nice ensures the crowd is drunk and pushy the whole cruise. I saw women entering the main dining room for dinner in swim suits and cover-ups. The staff said nothing - which I don't blame them for avoiding a confrontation, but I'm paying for a nice meal not a pool bar experience at that point. If you love cruising in big crowds and enjoy being mildly drunk the whole time - this boat is for you! read more

I have been on several cruises in my life. I couldn't come up with a number if my life depended on it, but it's well into double digits, however this was my very first Norwegian cruise and I think it's most likely my last as well. The itinerary is one that I have been on before and is one I am very fond of. We went to Belize, Honduras (Roatan), Costa Maya, and Cozumel. Boarding- our boarding process was pretty smooth and we were on the ship quickly and without a lot of fanfare. We had our documents ready ahead of time through their website which I recommend as it sped up the process quite a bit. Stateroom- we chose to stay in one of the lower larger balconies and it was a good choice. Our room had a full sized bed with a couch that converted into a bed and a bunk over that. We had four in our party and we fit nicely and were not too cramped. I think a room much smaller would have been unbearable with all of us in it though I remember having done it in my youth with my own parents and it wasn't too bad. The bathroom was nice and big but had a terrible odor to it. Our entire stay, it reeked like sewage. I don't know if this was due to our location or what, but it was awful. We called guest services and after the third or fourth call they sent our room steward to clean the drains. The bleach masked the smell but did not remove whatever was causing the issue. The air conditioner in our room also refused to stay on no matter what we did and the room was too warm a few times. The entire ship honestly was a few degrees warmer than I was particularly fond of. The safety drill was awful, they crammed us all into a very small space and it was HOT. I got annoyed very quickly when they tried to push everyone in tighter as this was dangerous for me. I have physical issues I typically mitigate with a service dog and being cramped into a small space with thousands of other people was not okay. The safety brief needed some serious work! Ship- the ship itself was lovely. It was in great shape and extremely nice. I loved the centerpiece with the glass chandelier and the glass like staircase. It was a very pretty ship. There is a lot to do on the ship itself with games and a library and of course the pools and water slides. I didn't get into the pool at all, but I visited the rest of the ship. Entertainment- I really enjoyed the shows onboard the ship. We saw Cirque Dream and Steam, Million Dollar Quartet, Burn the Floor, and a comedy show. My favorite was the Million Dollar Quartet but all the shows are top notch. They had a comedy show almost every night and we saw one that had three entertainers. There is a casino aboard but I'm not a gambler. I lost $20 in the slots and called it a day. They have a lotto onboard that is drawn every night and my hubby usually got tickets for that. We did play a session or two of bingo that was a lot of fun even though I did not win squat. Dining- we purchased the drink and dining package which I highly recommend. If nothing else, the drink package. It was nice to be able to have a drink when I wanted without having to think about it. Our family lives on a budget! We had a mojito at sugarcanes immediately upon entering the ship and it continued from there. The dining was okay. Nothing that really blew me away. I did enjoy going to the specialty dining and trying different things. We went to Cagneys, the Brazilian steakhouse, and the Italian place. All of which were really nice. The regular dining was good too, just nothing to write home about. I did very much appreciate the effort they put into accommodating my son's food allergens. Ports- the one port I want to comment on is Belize. I was depressed when we got there. This was not my first time in Belize and where they took us was most definitely NOT Belize. It's a private island that they own. I recommend you take the ferry to the real Belize immediately. So we went over to Palencia and had a great time there. We rented a golf cart for three hours for only $35 and puttered all over the town. We stopped at a great local place called Wendy's for lunch where I had some amazing conch fritters and just experienced what Belize really was about. I love it there and would go back anytime. The other ports were all great. I recommend Gumbalimba 100% if you are in Roatan. It's a great place to stop. So why am I rating this so low? My issue came with some of the staff. My son got sunburned pretty bad when we were in Costa Maya so that night when we went to dinner, he was asleep in the stateroom and we decided to leave him there. He's 12, so not a baby or anything. We woke him up briefly to tell him we were going to dinner and left. As we were walking back, my father was looking for us frantically. Apparently my son had woken up, didn't remember us talking to him, got scared and went looking for us. He went right to guest services like we had told him and instead of contacting us or helping him, they told him to go back to his room. read more

Completely average in every way. Our 7th cruise, first on NCL. I compared this ship to a 1960s split level house - broken up into many small spaces that makes the ship feel very congested. Having cruised on the Harmony of the Seas previously, this congestion was really apparent. Because the pool was so small and the pool area also so small we spent very little time on the pool level which meant we spent more time inside than I would have liked. The Waterfront was a nice idea, but it was either unbearably hot or too smoky for our taste during the day. The Mojito bar was our favorite though and evenings were nice. The biggest disappointment for us was the food. Thankfully we got a 3rd free perk from our travel agency so we got some upgraded dining options. Sadly, I ate more beef during this trip on the ocean than I do most weeks in Kansas. The dining room food was overall awful and outside of breakfast, the buffet was full of food that didn't taste good at all. Shanghai's and O'Sheehans were the decent free food options and they both have limited menu choices. Our room was fine. The bed too firm and rather uncomfortable. We were given an aft facing balcony and it was not used much due to no overhang protecting it from sun and rain. It was always either too hot or soaking wet. The shows were good. Million Dollar Quarter was our favorite. The cirque show was a complete waste of money and we left there mad we paid for a mediocre meal (there is no menu, you eat what they bring you...again beef). Dinner service was longer than the show. The ports were all ok, but seaweed cursed the beaches during our stay. The Mayan Jungle at Roatan was one of the favorite parts of the cruise for both my husband and myself. I'm still thinking about whether I'd give Norwegian another try. Will be thinking about that over the next few months. read more

4/17-4/25 (took me a while to finish the review lol) East Carribean Trip Cabin: we stayed in a balcony room. The room was a bit small for 3 people and tips for others: do not stay in a room that is next to facility rooms. For facility rooms I meant where ship employees do their work. Every morning starting 5AM we heard sound like cracking, squeezing, thing moving around... It was just hideous. However, we had the best room steward! Sorry I forgot his name but our room was kept so clean everyday and he was very nice and welcoming. We left tips in the room on the first two days but somehow he didn't take any... No idea if Norwegian restricts them from taking tips now or he just simply didn't want to take it. Food: I give food 3 stars. I remember my first Norwegian trip back in 2012 on Norwegian Sky, the food was excellent! We had different things even for breakfast everyday. I heard Norwegian lowered their standard later on, we had the exact same things for breakfast the whole trip. To be honest, that was a little depressing for me since breakfast plays a big part in my everyday life. The main dining rooms were okay, noting special. We also tried Cagney's, La Cucina and Le Bistro. The dinner at Le Bistro was the only highlight. I highly recommend it if you are looking for good food on the ship. Must try their mussels :) Shore excursions: we didn't use Norwegian. From our past experience the ship excursion groups are always nice but EXPENSIVE! We took advises from people online and used www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com. I was a little nervous because I was afraid that since it is a 3rd party website, I wasn't sure if the tours are lead by professional guides or not, will my credit card info leak out or not, etc etc. but everything turned out to be great! We had the best time! It is a actually a very legit website which offers same even better packages than the ship with at least $20 to save for each person! We had 5 people so we saved at least $100 from each tour! And they guarantee to bring you back to the ship on time or they will pay for your loss! I would use them again for every cruise trip in the future. Entertainments: we watched very available show on the ship. Well they weren't the best but we enjoyed them. Besides that, I personally think there are way too many bars on the ship. You can see people start drinking 11AM. I am only a social drinker so maybe I am thinking too much. Overall: 3 stars. I may return to Norwegian again in the future for for now I want to try other cruises. read more

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This was my first cruise and I have been blown away!!! Norwegian was an amazing experience from booking all the way through sailing. Take advantage of the ultimates beverage package! That made all of the difference during our trip. I love the freestyle dining as we could eat what we wanted whenever we wanted! Which made it easy o go to all of the amazing shows as we didn't have to plan around food. The ports were great, although I wasn't a huge fan of Falmouth Jamaica. We did have to change our ports due to a storm but the experience was still wonderful! read more

This was chosen because of the itinerary and the cost, and we also had been on a Norwegian cruise before. This trip was to be very special as it was our 60th wedding anniversary. The entertainment was very good, most of the wait staff were nice and accommodating and fun! What brought my rating down was as follows: Our cabin steward was ok but not very friendly. Our balcony deck was filthy. I asked him if he could get someone to clean it and he agreed. However it was never done. The same dead bug and litter were there the entire cruise. I asked the cruise director Paquito on the first day out, if he could arrange with one of the lounges to allow me to sing a song to my husband as a surprise. I had done this on a previous Norwegian cruise without any trouble. Paquito suggested I do it on karaoke night at 1030 pm. As we are 78 I thought that was a little late and besides I wanted a more intimate setting. I assured him it was about a 2 minute sing. He said he would get back to me later that day. I didn't hear from him until 3 days later and then it was a voice mail. By then I decided to just forget it. And the spa! Oh the spa! Had a $50 credit toward a facial. I chose a $122 one and with the $50 off it was $72. Facialist was very good and nice. The receipt said $72 and I signed it. However on our final bill it showed $96. Spoke to the spa supervisor ( who was extremely rude) and was informed that #1 the credit was made out to my husband not me, but they were being kind and let me use it and if I read the fine print on the receipt it says a 20% service charge will be added. I didn't read that of course (my bad)and reminded her the total amount I signed for was the $72. She then said since I used the credit and not my husband she was going to add an extra charge for him. Not sure what she meant but I told her she better not and further more she wasn't doing the ship any favors with her attitude and poor customer service. This experience most of all influenced my rating of this cruise. The specialty restaurants were very good. The pool is very small for such a large ship and 4000 people. Best place to go is Spice H2O The excursions were good but again too many people and the disembarkation very disorganized. I would not recommend the Getaway. And by the way, I wrote to Norwegian getaway over a month ago and have never heard from them. read more

The Getaway is a beautiful ship and the food was excellent. We really enjoyed the buffet on deck 15, the choices seemed endless and the food was amazing. Don't waste your money on the speciality restaurants, the free dining rooms were amazing. If you are a runner, this is not the ship for you. The jogging track goes through a restaurant, through sun bathers and is super narrow. If you try to jog during the day you have to dodge your fellow ship mates. Runners only get a chance to enjoy the jogging track in the early morning. The ship does have tread mills in the gym, but who wants to be stuck inside on a cruise? Watch "Norwegian Getaway - Jogging Track" on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kM7nv8gPqQU The ship lacks enough pool space for everyone. However, their private island in the Bahamas made up for this. The island was very nice, clean, and very beautiful. The beaches were amazing, plenty of white sand, lounge chairs for everyone, and the water was crystal clear. The shows and entertainment on the ship are very well produced, but you have to make reservations and even with a reservation we were closed out of a show. Our cabin, room #8730, was very nice, clean and had a large bathroom. The balcony was nice, but they would not open up the partition to the deck beside that was occupied by friends. read more

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Fantastic Cruise! Muy buenos shows! excellent quality of restaurants! read more

Gonna try to put as much info as I can on here. First Norwegian Cruise, but 2nd cruise overall (we did Carnival Sensation before this one). Food: As opposed to Carnival, the food here is MUCH better. They have a much wider buffet area, being that the ship was twice the size as the Carnival ship we had been on. They have soft serve as well as scooped ice cream (in many flavors). The big drawback was that the buffet was the same everyday. Same breakfast. Lunch/Diner weren't varied from each other, and they were the same everyday with slight changes here and there. The desserts were amazing. They are also open a lot more and later in the day, compared to Carnival. Dining: Along with teh buffet, which I wrote about above, there are some dining rooms, which are very nice looking (it was a nice change to be there for Thanksgiving Diner), as well as some complimentary restaurants. O'Sheehans is an irish pub, which has decent food - though not that great. Shanghai is an asian noodle restaurant which also had decent food. Both are nice if you want to spice things up so you don't just do buffet or any of the dining rooms the entire time. Entertainment: We got to see Million Dollar Quartet and Burn the Floor. Both shows took our breath away and we were amazed by the talent that was put up on the stage for us. We highly suggest that everyone go and enjoy the performances while cruising. The welcome show is basically snippets of all other shows, and the finale show wasn't my favorite. The final show on last day had the singers all sing too much, and the burn the floor dancers only got to do two short numbers, which was too short. Entertainment pt2: I'm separating this from the actual shows. On carnival anything that was entertainment was done BIG, whether it was putting some fun shows in theater or having everyone gather in atrium and rocking it out together, as a HUGE cruise family. On this ship, however, the fun shows/gatherings were done in the atrium near the pub, which meant only 2 levels of people that can see, vs the 8 stories of people that can see/participate in carnival. the couples game show, etc, was done here too, which felt more informal that putting it in the theater like carnival did. Also, it just felt so discombobulated that I didn't enjoy this, especially since I enver wanted to go since there was never enough chairs, or room to see, so small. It also felt unorganized. I hated this part of the cruise, and it was the ONE THING that made carnival stand out as my favorite cruise line. Cabin: Very spacious, nice. Fitness Center: Bigger than Carnival, but less room since more people. If you go, try to go at 6 when they open or at 6 in the evening, since those are the dead hours, otherwise good luck. Wasn't a fan of the trainers either, who linger around. Boat/Overall: The boat is luxurious, with many places to eat, shop, explore, etc. There is a ropes course (crowded/long line - go on first day when you get on board) atop the ship, which is awesome. There is also mini golf (crowded, always). Track (which you are allowed a certain amount of time since its crowded). Rock Climbing wall (somewhat crowded). A few water slides. A pool,w hich was surprisingly empty. A few jacuzzis (ALWAYS crowded). And a lot of space to tan, which was always also crowded. Cleaning of our room wasn't really ontop of it like it was on Carnival, they know how to do it there. ==================== Ports Roatan, Honduras: We went on an excursion, the Maya Key Private Island, which was phenomenal. We got to see several animals, THE SNORKELLING IS AMAZING HERE IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SNORKEL (free), you can take pictures with monkeys and some birds, you get a bbq meal (not a buffet), and its a nice island that is far away from everyone but only a 5 min boat ride from main ship. Belize (Norwegian Private Island): The place itself was stellar and amazing. There is a chocolate shop here, BUY THE CHOCOLATE IT IS HANDMADE AND AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We went back to the ship early (after an hour or two) because it was just bad weather. Next time :/ Cozumel, Mexico: wasn't what we expected. We ate great tacos and had amazing margaritas on the main street. Saw some shops. Had amazing ice cream and horchata at the MEGA store (it was on teh first floor - VISIT HER AND BUY IT, SO GOOD!). We spend most of the time snorkelling at No Name Bar, which is supposed to be for crew, but hey... whatev's! Costa Maya, Mexico: We did another excursion here: Maya, Lost Mayan Kingdom. With only 1 year in existence, it is easily the BEST waterpark you'll ever go to. Seriously, super amazing and fun. It had it all: amazing water slides, which will scare the shit out of you, zip lining, zip lining coaster, lazy river, pools and all. I would say that it might be the best excursion here and thing to do in general if you're not wanting to do temples. All in all it was an amazing time, but I still prefer Carnival for memorable moments. read more

We did the 7 day cruise to St.Thomas, St.Maarten and the Bahamas. After doing a lot of research I decided to go with the Norwegian Getaway because it's a brand new ship, I liked all the restaurant options and the cost was right. Embark/Disembark: There was a line when first embarking in Miami to first get on the boat, it took about 1 hour to Embark, but we found all of the ports and final disembarking to be very easy and streamlined with hardly any wait. Ship - Gorgeous, clean, everything is new, we loved the large digital screens throughout the boat to view the daily schedule of activities and the ease to make reservations. The ship is large and wonderfully laid out. There are quiet areas and busy areas, a space for everyone. Casino - Very complete with tables and slots, but it bothered me that smoking was allowed through out the entire Casino area, they really need to improve the ventilation for the non-smokers. Adult Pool and Hot Tubs - Small, VERY small and not heated. There are 4 hot tubs around it, 2 on each side, 2 are family friendly and 2 are adults only, however entire families and kids were on all 4 at all times, no one was policing them, every time we tried to go in they were too full, especially with young kids. Room - Comfortable, larger than expected, plenty of closet space. Hairdryer and mini-bar fridge in room. Bathroom and shower were small but comfortable. We had adjoining room which was very convenient. Comfortable beds, TVs could have been larger. Entertainment: - Legally blond was great, we very much enjoyed it. - Howl at the Moon - Our favorite, very entertaining and a lot of fun - Comedy shows - We watched both adult shows and they were great. - Bingo - YAWN, very boring and to top it off all the packages were expensive, we spent $75 each time to play, we played twice because it was so boring and slow and they repeated all of the same jokes and same everything, you could tell the crew that ran it was sick of it and made no effort to make it fun. - Trivia games: Fun, entertaining. - Scavenger Hunt - Fun to do, but the crew guy that ran it could have cared less and looked miserable. - Nightly parties: Fun, but the bar is too small to host that many people, they should open a few bar stations to alleviate the traffic. - Regular ship Entertaining crew: We found that the American entertainment crew members who ran most of the in ship activities didn't make an effort, they were boring and had no enthusiasm, especially the blond guy, he was arrogant and rude. Food/Food Service: - The food was very disappointing and mediocre. Most of the servers at the restaurants could hardly speak English, they were not familiar with the menu and food options they were serving, basically they just came up to the table and asked what we are ordering, and had a very hard time explaining any questions we had regarding the menu. Also, they really pushed for us to buy Wine bottles, this became very annoying. Their service staff is very poorly trained, they hardly came back to check on us. Also each restaurant doesn't have it's own kitchen, apparently they have 1 main kitchen on a different level they all share, therefore the food was mostly cold by the time it arrived to our table, even at the restaurants we paid extra for. - Buffet: After several disappointing meals including the ones we had to pay extra for, we found that the best place to eat was the buffet, they have a very large selection, we could help ourselves and not have to put with the Poor Service. Ports: - St.Thomas: We booked a Catamaran and did a snorkeling trip. It was great, the island is very lush with plants, and the Catamaran trip was awesome, they American crew was amazing and totally made the adventure very special. - St.Maarten: Very poor, there isn't much to see, we walked around the touristy shop area and it was very lame, we ended up renting a car to go around the Island, and it was a bit depressing to see how poor it was. - Bahamas: Very touristy, there is a lot more going on here, more shops, restaurants, bars, a lot more to see, we also booked a Catamaran to do a snorkeling trip. The snorkeling itself was great, the water was perfectly clear however the Bahamian crew was very lame. Customer Service (Or Lack there of) - No Ice Machines, if you want Ice you have to call Room Service and they will bring it to you, in about 1 hour or more! - Same with all Room Service, expect an over an hour wait - Most of the the staff looked annoyed, and unfriendly, some even rude. No way will I ever do a NCL cruise again. read more

This was my second cruise ever and I really enjoyed it! We did a 7 day cruise to St. Thomas, Tortula and the Bahamas. When we got off of our plane, at baggage claim, we found a Norwegian Cruise counter nearby and were informed that we could take pay around $18 per person to take their bus and have us go right to the loading area for the ship. We decided to take this opportunity. I felt that it was pretty organized with the crowds that the port was dealing with. The ship itself was awesome! It was so huge, I did enjoy walking around a lot since I did do a lot of eating. I thought it had a decent amount of elevators for the amount of people that were on board the ship. The stairs were also very nice as well, wide enough for a lot of traffic. My cabin was a balcony and I felt that it was very roomy. Loved the layout of the room and all the storage that was offered in the room so that it didn't feel very cramped. The only reason why it received a four star was because of the food. The food offered at the regular restaurants had nothing too amazing about it to be recognized. We went to two of the included restaurants and we just couldn't do it again as the food was really bland. Luckily I had signed up for the Ultimate Dining Package, and that was an extra charge. The restaurants offered with that package was absolutely delicious, so we mainly went to those restaurants to eat. Make sure to try Le Bistro at the atrium! Entertainment. I felt like they had a lot of entertainment to keep you occupied throughout the day. They had multiple games of bingo, but keep in mind that it's pretty pricey to play a game. It's still really fun and they have commentary during the games to keep it upbeat. There were two shows that were offered during my cruise and I'm glad I didn't miss them. There was Burn the Floor and Legally Blonde. They were great! The theater that was used is really quite big so I definitely didn't feel like I was on a cruise ship. Also, after the show, they have a place set up for you to take pictures with the stars of the show. Very convenient for the fans. There are also many activities to do on the ship as well. There is always the pool, but there's also much more than that at the top decks such as putt putt, basketball, and the ropes course. If you do the ropes course, walk the plank while the ship is out at sea! You'll fee like you're flying! I felt that the customer service here was very good as well. I don't think I've ever had a rude person and everyone was always helpful when I had a question. The housekeeper was always sweet to us and always greeted us by name when we passed by him in the hallway. I love when people are pleasant, it just makes the world a better place. All in all I felt like Norwegian did a great job and was a good choice for my vacation. I think the next time I cruise, I'll definitely use them. read more

The takeaway from this review will be one thing: This ship is ENORMOUS, just like this review. This is both good and bad, and you'll see why. I was on this boat from January 3-10, 2016 with my entire family in celebration of my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. They booked the trip, and it was my first cruise. Here's my thoughts. CHECK-IN: I don't know if this is normal for this boat because of the almost 4,000 passengers it holds, but check-in on Sunday took well over two hours, maybe three. I simply lost track of time being so bored waiting in line. When you do check in you present your e-docs, passport, and credit/debit card. You get your picture taken for your boat card, and also swipe your credit card for the room charges (If you have a debit card, expect a $300, 20 day holding charge!). Once that's done, you're on your way. Now you're free to board the boat. Once you're on the boat and find your room, there will be a practice emergency drill - don't miss this, because they'll make sure you are there. There'll be a code on your boat card for your meeting place, so when you hear the announcements find your way to your assigned meeting place. The boat staff will help you find your way. In the meeting place you'll get instructions on what to do if there is an emergency, life jacket instructions, et cetera. Kind of important stuff, Once that's done, you're on your way yo explore this behemoth of a boat. DAS BOOT (The Boat): As mentioned, it's huge - but here's the decks you need to know: 6, 7, 8, 15, 16, and 17. The majority of the dining options are on the first three decks, with a buffet on 15 and 16. Bars and lounges are on the first three decks, with some outside options especially on 8. I recommend the Sunset bar on 8 - both inside and 8, and if you're looking for that 'neighborhood' type bar, O'Sheehan's on 7. You have sun decks on 16, 17, and 18 if that's your thing. There is a jogging track on 16, but it is absolutely worthless during the day when everyone is loading up their bodies on sunlight, so it's best to do your jogging VERY early in the morning. If you're a walker, you can walk outside on deck 8 around the back half of the boat relatively hassle-free and do a loop by walking thru the doors by the mid-ship steps. There is an exercise room, but I didn't pursue that option. THE FOOD: You will not go starving on this ship. If you do, that's your own fault. I will tell you that if you like obnoxious, rude people, seeing males dine in nothing but speedos, and want to see lifeforms at their worst, hit up the Garden Cafe Buffet on 15. It's like all buffet rules are thrown out the window and it's all men for themselves. If you try and follow the well-established buffet rules, you'll be one of the few doing so. Expect people cutting in front of you and general rudeness. Not from the staff, bless their hearts because they were *excellent*. Seriously, go at your own risk during the busy times. They are rarely, if ever, slow. The other dining options are good. I stuck with the complimentary options (O'Sheehan's for breakfast usually, and Taste and Tropicana for dinner). It's encouraged to have made dinner reservations online before the cruise. Other assorted stuff: There's a full blown casino on 7, Duty free and other shops on 8, and various entertainment options on 6. The Guest Services desk is also on 6, in the same area as the atrium. Be warned that if you go to this desk during the evening hours, you'll be contending with live bands and other such entertainment so it will be hard to hear each other. Norwegian really needs to put this desk elsewhere on the ship. There's also a small library and playing card room tucked away behind the internet cafe on 6. These fill up fast at night, so head there early if that's your thing. Your boat card acts as your card for making purchases on the ship, your room key, and your key for turning on the lights in your stateroom. Since this card is the same size as standard credit cards and ID's, you can use these for the lights and electrical outlets to charge your mobile devices when you aren't in your room. When there's no card to power the lights, the outlets are cut off, too. Keep this in mind. If you have a standard 'inside' stateroom it's a little cramped but passable when sharing with someone. You have a TV too, but I spent maybe five minutes watching it. The linens and bedding are changed every day by housekeeping and they are awesome. The staff in general I encountered were great, nothing negative to say about them at all. All existing elevator protocol, like the buffet, does not exist on this ship. If you've made it this far, I commend you. This ship is geared more towards younger families and the people between the ages of 20-40, I'd say. read more

This was our second Norwegian cruise experience the first was on the Epic in the Mediterranean. On both ships we had a balcony room but the layout of the rooms on the Epic had a better flow which meant you felt less cramped. Another big negative about the Getaway was the Garden Cafe. On the Epic the Garden Cafe had an entrance into La Cucina and during breakfast and lunch it was open for additional seating. Since the Getaway did not have this setup the Cafe was packed to the brink during meals to the point where you couldn't eat there. Taste and Savor- We ate at each of these once for breakfast the first time we had an excellent experience as the service was great and the menu was interesting. Our second time here the service was horrible! after waiting over an hour for food they only brought out 4 out of the 5 dishes. It was very obvious that the waiter made a mistake and didn't put in the 5th order. The manager made up a lame excuse and actually lied to our face about it. We had dinner here once and the service was just strange. After sitting down the almost immediately asked us for our drink order since they had not provided us a wine list we requested one. A minute later two waiters came over to our table and started looking over my husbands shoulder then finally asked again for our drink order. Since we still had not received a wine list we asked for it again. They left and when they came back there were 3 waiters once which finally had the wine list. The 3 of them then stood over us as we looked at the menu making the entire group feel incredibly uncomfortable. We actually had to ask 2 times for them to give us a minute before they left us alone. O'Sheehans- is my favorite for a quick bite to eat both during breakfast and lunch. At lunch they have a typical bar menu. For some reason less people end up here so the service always seemed quicker. The best restaurants are the specialty dinning. Our favorites on both cruises were Cageny's and Le Bistro. We did enjoy Moderno on the Epic but on the Getaway the food was overly salted. When on board we spent most of our time at Spice H20 as this is the adult only area. The Getaway got rid of the larger pool in this area that the Epic had which allows more room for lounge chairs which is a plus. Instead they have a waterfall area to cool off in. At night the best spot for entertainment are Howl at the Moon and Fat Cats Jazz club. Our favorite evening bar was Sunsets which is right outside Fat Cats. Overall we found the service to be better on the Epic than the Getaway which left us undecided if we will cruise on another Norwegian ship. Aside from the dinning issues we had an excellent trip. read more

Norwegian Getaway - Tours Near Me

I sailed on the Getaway the week of April 9th and it was my second cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line with the first one being the Norwegian Gem in November of 2013. The Gem was a fantastic trip and a very smooth ride, I'd give the entire experience 5 stars. I'll focus on what was different about the Getaway that made it not measure up. First of all, the Getaway is a much larger vessel and I expected the ride to be even smoother. It was not. The sea days were extremely rough and the boat was noticeably rocking almost constantly on those days. In addition to that there was a strange vibration when you were over the engines to the point that sitting in the cafeteria in the back of the boat the ketchup and mustard bottles were shaking like crazy. I don't suffer from seasickness and didn't on this trip either but it was not comfortable at all. The pool and hot tubs were a joke of overcrowding. This appears to be by design - for an extra $99 per person you can upgrade to their Vibe Beach Club which has private pools, hot tubs, better amenities and no kids allowed. You can't upgrade to that online or on the phone, you literally have to run to the service desk when you get on the boat to sign up for it. It's first come first serve and it is apparently a race. The bars were a joke of overcrowding. A substantial part of NCL's business model appears to be giving the Ultimate Beverage Package away for "free" now. It's a very attractive offer until you get on board and see how slowly the bartenders work and how much some people like to take advantage of it. They set up little red velvet ropes as the drink line - which worked well most of the time to keep the line orderly. To give you an example of what I dealt with though I tried to get out of the line after getting a drink and a guy had fallen asleep while holding both poles of the velvet rope, he was that drunk. The premium restaurants were a joke of overcrowding. I got the Specialty Dining Package with three meals and could only use two of them. The reservations were all taken up for the entire trip within hours of boarding. No amount of pleading or anger or waiting for hours would let me get into the premium restaurants and I ended up wasting one of the three meals at the end of the trip. I even tried wasting it on the Margaritaville restaurant for lunch one day - the lady there convinced me not to waste it on a restaurant with $7 entrees but it turned out I should've done that because once again it was literally impossible to get into any premium restaurant. The cafeteria was a joke of overcrowding. I generally enjoy chaos but even this was a little much. The most amazing thing was witnessing how excited children of all ages got in the cafeteria and they would become hyper-focused on what they wanted to get and would walk right in front of you, bump into you, reach over you, move your plate with food on it, open plastic doors right onto your food, etc. I am not picky at all on beds, but the bed in my mid-ship balcony room was really bad. Again, I didn't mind it at all but my girlfriend had several complaints. First, it's two smaller beds side by side so there's a gap in between the mattresses. She kept joking she was going to start a talk show called, "Between Two Mattresses" since the gap was so large. The mattresses are also hard as a rock. Other than that, it was a fun trip. Unfortunately though I think that NCL's business model is to give a rock bottom price with very overcrowded amenities and then charge you more to get into less crowded areas. I guess if you know that going into it, it is not a bad way to vacation. read more

While being on vacation with family is always a great time, this ship was sadly disappointing. We found ourselves complaining daily about rude staff, mediocre food, shows sold out, and no reservations available. The ship was small and way crowded! We could not get a reservation to one of the specialty restaurants. I was looking forward to dining at one of these since the food at buffet was cafeteria style and so unappetizing. I found myself eating hard boiled eggs for breakfast just to steer clear of the powdered scrambled eggs, and mounds of greasy bacon. Lucky we found the Cuban buffet which was decent, although the coffee maker was broken the entire week. All shows were sold out weeks before we got on the ship, which made for great evenings of nothing to do but roam around the smoke filled casino. Meanwhile during the day, it was utterly impossible to get a chair to sit and relax by the tiny pool. And if you did get lucky to score a seat, you had to endure crazy loud music and wet t-shirt contests. The ports were fine, if you escape past the tourist areas. But again, all shore excursions were booked! The staff looked overworked, tired, annoyed, and unfriendly. Perhaps they were tired of spraying everyone with hand sanitizer 5,000 times a day! Perhaps they don't feel they need to be hospitable because you are already paying 18% gratuity on every single thing you do! $25 for a spin class ended up being $29.50! I'm surprised you dont get charged for breathing the air! Our party of 18 vowed not to use NCL again. We will return back to Royal Carribean where bartenders are happy to get you a drink while you sit by the pool and enjoy your trip! read more