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Login Norwegian Getaway combines the most magnificent amenities Norwegian has to offer with unforgettable destinations. Stroll The Waterfront, an innovative, industry-first open-air promenade designed to connect guests with the ocean like no other cruise line. Indulge in 20 dining options, experience the thrill of five water slides, and three levels of action-packed activities in the sports complex. The excitement and entertainment continues with Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet. Get ready to explore the white sand beaches and deep-blue waters on a Bahamas or Caribbean cruise, build a pink sandcastle in Bermuda, explore history up close in Europe, or just relax at sea on a Transatlantic cruise. Miami’s Ultimate Ship is your ultimate getaway.
My viewpoint may be a bit narrowed, as this is my first cruise that I've ever taken. However, after the experience on the Getaway, unless some great tragedy falls before me, it will not be my last. I would like to detail that experience. Getting on Board After a quick stay at Fort Lauderdale, the cruise started when I hit Miami. Traffic was insane, and Floridian drivers are very sporadic, and often unpredictable. Despite this, and gracefully so, I wound up making it to the terminal, and parked the vehicle. Upon first viewing of this ship: I was dumbfounded, flabbergasted, terrified, and excited all at the same time. It was a majestic, awe-inspiring monolith and I couldn't wait to board. First negative part. Perhaps, I am a bit too inexperienced in this particular world and this is, on the contrary, normal. The lady who took our suitcases from us mentioned that: "Now is the time to tip". I thought this was a bit forceful, but threw it off at the time due to both the internal excitement and the belief that people usually tip at this stage. However, this culture is strong and is not the last time that I'll mention it, as it was a sort of way to scrape money from my pockets under the guise of optional tipping normality. After this, I proceeded to Customs, presented my documentation, received my group number card, and transitioned to the waiting room for embarkation. I sat in the waiting room for about an hour and a half. The boarding schedule or strategy seemed to be lackluster, and disorganized, or perhaps the ship wasn't ready but they would often call groups up, and then tell them to sit back down. After a while, they seemed to get it sorted and called the groups sequentially, eventually leading to mine. Now, the big moment, Embarkation! Embarking on the ship was fantastic, and simple. There were so many things going on, that I didn't really know where to look. We did wait a bit on getting into the room, and the luggage, but that may just be customary. There was a plethora of things to do, people and things to look at, so many places to eat, so many bars to get drinks from. There was almost no way to experience it all, but I can document the experiences that I did have. Service charges To finalize the tipping culture rant, before we get into the good things, some service charges were automatically added to my cruise card and I thought this was a bit dishonest, especially as I was tipping the room service attendant as I went along through the cruise, unaware of an auto-charge for this purpose. I had to dispute it with Guest Services. I, myself, am fine with tipping, but I think charges should be reflected in the initial purchase, and tipping should be an optional thing which makes it what it is. Bars The bartenders are extremely skilled in their craft, and make really good and intoxicating drinks of which are so artsy in their distraction that they go down like water, without a care in the world. What drinks I did have were awesome, but I will say that I didn't buy the alcohol package, as I'm not a heavy drinker. I did, however, buy the soda package and found it was rather tough to get "just a soda" from these bars since they were spending the time and energy in the alcoholic drinks. I would appreciate this to be abstracted from the bar and put into a soda machine, which would be miles more convenient for non-alcoholics. Food The buffet was a quick way to grab a bite to eat. It was consistently tasty and fresh but doesn't compare to the dishes offered by the dining restaurants. I only indulged in a couple of the restaurants like the Manhattan room, Cagneys and one of the diners. It may just be the American speaking in me, but I will say that portion size on this ship is small, and warrants a fancier approach of taste rather than appetite. This paid off when I got the NY Strip Steak from the Manhattan room as it was easily the best steak I've ever eaten and it was cooked perfectly as per my request. Cabin The room was expectedly small, but was well taken care of. We got our own "person" to take care of the room, and this guy was an interesting character. He was extremely interested in my life, who I am, and what I want. There wasn't a second that he forgot my name, and he was always very attentive to the room, and very careful as to not interrupt or bog me down. The balcony was a nice feature for the view alone, but there are some things that should be noted, such as the short balcony, not allowing for much leg room, and the makeshift panels separating the balconies that don't offer as much privacy as one would expect. However, it's likely this way to support the maintenance of spraying the balconies off to ensure general cleanliness. Which, as a side note, leaves the waterfront extremely dirty and disgusting. Service The service was excellent, and very attentive. Hands-down, the best I have ever been waited on and served by anyone. It made things convenient, and is a huge factor in my satisfaction. Pools and Hot Tubs The pools and hot tubs use seawater (from what I understand) to ensure daily cleanliness, this leaves it really cold. The pool was always packed, and I wish it was a bit bigger to support more of the general population dipping at once. The hot tub was also relatively cold, and this was kind of disappointing. These were the crux of my visit, and I enjoyed them thoroughly. Night Life Wow! I honestly thought this cruise would be a bit less rowdy, and always thought that Carnival cruises have the reputation for crazy night life, but this cruise had a lot of people engaging in eccentric dance and was often communally involved. The music was on par for the times, and they even had a special night for an older type of American vibe music. An absolute blast in multiple different places which seemed to be subject to an observable rota of sequential engagement. The party moved from one place to the next, and it felt like an actual adventure, especially after me and my buddy met two special ladies. Great Stirrup Cay, Their Private Island This was magnificent. A well taken care of, luxurious, vast island with a good number of activities, beaches and pool all squelching under the sun as intended. Much to be said about this, but I really just reveled at the enormous pool. Disembarkation Ah man! It's time to go...This was pretty evident, considering how fast this ship was high-tailing it back to port noticeable from the white-water spewing from its propellers. This part was much bumpier, and you could feel the dynamic push and pull from the waves, effecting even this large of a ship. Getting off of the ship was probably the easiest part. Conclusion The cruise was the best vacation I have ever taken. I can't get to the whole experience, it was just too much. I will probably not sail on the Getaway again, but only due to diversity rather than experience. It was a wonderful experience, and a psychology altering exposure to the cruise life, which is one to envy. Thanks!
The cruise overall? It was wonderful. Truly. We got lucky with our room—an aft-facing balcony—and that alone set the tone. It was peaceful in a way you don’t expect on a ship full of people. Just quiet, open water, and space to breathe. I spent a lot of time out there doing absolutely nothing… which ended up being everything. We also had the thermal spa package. I’ll be honest—I only used it once. Not because it wasn’t nice, but because I didn’t slow down enough to take advantage of it. That’s on me. I did book a massage, and while it was good, I made the mistake of asking for deep tissue… and then halfway through, I’m asking her to lighten up. So again—user error, not the service. Now let’s talk about balance—I won over $200 at the slot machines, so clearly the trip was already in my favor. The food was good overall. The buffet? A bit overwhelming, honestly. Too many options, not enough direction. As a pescatarian, breakfast was the hardest meal for me. I did find some vegetarian options, but it felt a little pieced together. The eggs? Too runny for me, so that was a no. I probably should’ve gotten in line at the omelet station, but it stayed busy, and I wasn’t in the mood to stand around first thing in the morning. So unless I wanted to fill up on carbs—pastries, breads, all of that—it got a little limited. That’s where I think they could do better. Something simple like grilled fish or shrimp alongside rice or vegetables would’ve made breakfast feel complete instead of improvised. Now my travel companion on the other hand? In full hog and ice cream heaven. So clearly, it just depends on how you eat. The rooms were clean, and the bed was comfortable—which matters more than people admit. The only downside? The pillows. A little too flimsy for my liking. Not terrible, just not memorable. The activities were great—plenty to do without feeling forced into anything. And I have to say, embarking and disembarking were smooth. No chaos, no confusion, which sets the tone for the entire experience. Now the bars—this is probably the only place where things felt a little inconsistent. Some of the drinks tasted diluted, like they looked better than they actually were. The wine, though, was solid—I stuck with that more as the trip went on. There were also a few moments where I felt a little overlooked at the bar, but it was usually busy, so I gave it grace. It didn’t ruin anything, just something I noticed. As for the people, most of the staff were warm and welcoming. There were a couple of moments where that energy wasn’t quite there, but honestly… I chalk that up to people having off days. We all do. I’m not going to build an entire story around a single moment when the overall experience was positive. Would I go again? Yes. I came back ready to cruise again.
A few things to keep in mind with this review: I am not an experienced cruiser, so I don't have alot to compare. My last cruise was 13 years ago on NCL Epic, and I was happy with that so I went with NCL again. Also, not a "foodie" - I just want decent food to satisfy my apatite. 2 travelers in 40s with sister and nieces (just under 10 yo) in nearby rooms. I was overall pretty happy with the ship and the price. 4 night cruise to Nassau and GSC. Only paid for Streaming Internet package and drink package. Stayed in room in the 12800's. Here are some high level notes: Good: Loved the pools and slides. Drink service on deck was fantastic with the drink package. No issues with the room whatsoever. I like to sleep cold and the room could be an icebox if I wanted. The ship "hype woman" was really fun. Buffet food was good quality and well stocked. Service in free restaurants was good. Music on deck was good and skewed toward my generation. Gym had good equipment and not too crowded. We went to the 90s show in the theater and the glow party and they were both awesome. Breakfast buffet was phenomenal. The kids LOVED the buffet. Decent: I like souvenirs and the gift shop had few NCL Getaway-specific gifts. Beyond a hat/shirt combo, keychain, large ship model, and a beach towel, everything was just generic "NCL" or "Great Stirrup Cay" gear. The shirts looked basically like crew shirts. Disappointed I couldn't get a koozie or Christmas ornament. The free restaurant portions were small. For example, at O'Sheehan, the pretzel bites appetizes was maybe 4 small bites (not enough for the whole table of 5 to share). On the fish and chips plate, the "fish" could be confused with 2 large chicken nuggets. The free coffee at the buffet was mediocre. Needs improvement: The ropes course was basically never open. There always seemed to be an excuse. At port the wind was blowing the smoke from the stack the wrong way or just "too windy." I did see it open once, but only once. The designated smoking area on the pool deck could be moved towards the back. It is mid-ship on the port side. We couldn't sit on that side of the ship due to the smoke smell. Special Notes: (1) After getting your bearings the ship was easy to navigate. We were comfortable giving the kids some free reign to move about the ship and didn't have any issues with them getting lost. (2) I enjoyed the casino, but I am not a big gambler. (3) If you are a heavy drinker, the drink package is totally worth it. If you bring cash, the wait staff prioritizes a tipping customers, but my observation was that even non-tipping customers were treated pretty good. (4) I saw a review on another site from someone that stayed in a deck 5 room that it had a smoke smell from a crew break room nearby. We passed by there when leaving the ship to go to Great Stirrup Cay and I did smell smoke in the hallways in that area. Beware.
The Haven
Hidden at the top of the ship, The Haven features our most luxurious, well-appointed accommodations as well as 24-hour butler service, concierge service and private sundeck.
Club Balcony Suite
Whether it's the two of you or your family, our Club Balcony Suites are accented with the finest touches. And enough room to make memories forever.
Spa
Pampering begins here. The Haven Spa Suite, Spa Mini-Suite and Spa Balcony provide a more pampering spa experience at sea with easy access to the Spa and Fitness Centre. Complimentary access to the Thermal Suite can be enjoyed during regular business hours.
Balcony
Soak in breathtaking views together or with the family. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors open to your own private balcony. Stylish and sophisticated appointments accent these modern rooms.
Oceanview
Experience comfort all around you. These stylish staterooms feature fine appointments, which are highlighted by nice touches and clear views of the ocean.
Inside
Relax in lively style and smart sophistication. Our modern inside staterooms are highlighted with appointments like a TV, sitting area and more.
Studio
Specifically designed and priced for solo travellers, our Studios feature a full-size bed, separate bath area and access to the private Studio Lounge - no single supplement required.
COMPLIMENTARY DINING
Every cruise fare includes beautifully crafted menus in our three main dining rooms, a help-yourself buffet and a variety of casual cafés, grills and on-the-go choices. From fresh-baked breads, desserts and pastries to our chefs' original dishes made with the freshest ingredients, your dining can be as fine or fun as you want.
SPECIALITY DINING
Dining aboard Norwegian is about having choices. Enjoy delicious comfort foods as well as more exotic choices from our many complimentary dining options. Or widen your palette further and choose from our speciality restaurants for a cover charge or á la carte. Whether it's a cheeseburger you have a desire for, or Coq au Vin, your dinner is ready when you are. And if you book a Speciality Dining Package, you can savour an array of our speciality restaurants for one special price.
Enjoy dance classes aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines.
You won’t believe your eyes or even your ears. Norgwegian Cruise Lines have brought Broadway to sea with blockbuster shows, music, dancing, cabaret, comedy and more. You can party all night, grab some great casino action and find your favourites among up to 22 bars and lounges, from electrifying nightspots to cosmopolitan bars and easy-going pubs. Every night is a night on the town.
Feel free to follow your spirit, whether that takes you to a superb fitness centre, a sun lounger by the pool or to the serenity of a luxurious spa. Get the adrenaline soaring by conquering the climbing wall or ropes course high above the ocean. Flex your muscles on the sports court or treat yourself to something special in the boutiques. Catch a fun, informal lecture. Take the plunge in the Aqua Park.
Families play better together on Norwegian. From dodgeball to cupcake decorating, there are lots of activities all over the ships. Plus, with complimentary youth programmes, kids can learn to juggle at Circus School in Splash Academy and teens have the coolest themed parties in Entourage. Add exclusive NickelodeonTM entertainment at sea for kids of all ages – even the grown up ones – and your family holiday gets awesome. While the kids are having fun, so can you, indulging in a spa treatment, enjoying a leisurely meal or just switching off. And when it comes to bedtime, family-friendly accommodation gives everyone the elbow room they need. Night, night.
