richardbpeterson

We have sailed on NCL twice before, and have experience on RCCL, Carnival, and Disney. We sailed on the Getaway the last week of February with a group of adults and stayed in an interior cabin. Overall, it was a great trip and the boat was beautiful. I'll list a few pros and cons that I had read prior to our trip, and give you my honest opinion: 1) Casino smoke- I'm a former smoker. The smoke does not bother me, but I do travel with a group who is "sensitive" to smoke. I honestly thought that the smoke and smell was very controlled vs. other lines (specifically Carnival). I did not notice the "plumes" of smoke or the overwhelming smell flowing between decks 6-8. 2) Bar service- actual service at bars was slow. The bartenders are overwhelmed with the amount of passengers. Best bet- utilize the pool deck service/servers, and slip them a few extra bucks. We had top notch service everyday. 3) Pool chairs- get their early if you want something by the pool/"action". If you are OK on higher deck, you will find a chair. 4) Nightlife- best of any of the lines we have traveled in last 4-5 years. Not sure if this is because of the newer larger boats, or consistent across line, but there was a party every night in the Spice H2O area. Glow party/White Party was the best...awesome time. 5) Dining rooms- very polite servers, very slow service. Consistent in every dining room. Slowest we have experienced in a long time. Get ready to enjoy conversation with your dinner guest as you may be talking quite a bit as you wait between courses. 6) Cabin/Steward- interior 11687- small... guess you get what you pay for. OK for two people, limited storage, can't image more then 2 in the cabin, and these actually sleep 4 at 135 sq ft. Cabin was clean and modern. Never saw or met our steward... first time ever on a ship. 7) Cruise director- we saw more of the asst CD then the actual CD. He was very disengaged. We are all in our 30's and enjoy the activities and nightlife. The CD is usually the MC...not so on this cruise. 8) Embarkation/Disembarkation- no issues on either. Have seen a lot of feedback on this. Process was typical from what we have seen from other ships. Tips I would share... they don't embark until 12. There were people waiting in the loading/waiting area as early as 9am. Disembark- they use the deck 7 forward for non us citizens specifically, but any passengers can use that exit. It is much shorter then the aft/mid exit for us citizens. It saved us 40 minutes. Sorry for the long review, but all in all it was a great cruise. There will always be "issues" but it is what you make of them. The boat is big, beautiful, and modern. It did not feel crowded on most days. Staff was polite, and food was good. We will be taking the kids back on the boat for spring break in 2 weeks in a family view ocean view.