Wonderful Vacation!!

My husband and I sailed on the Getaway in June of 2014 for our 12th anniversary.  We loved pretty much everything about the trip!  Our balcony room and steward were wonderful.  Plenty of storage and room to move around.  The crew were amazing!  We were always, and I mean always greet with a smile and a "Hello!"  Our room steward and bartender greeted us by name each time we saw them, starting the very first day!  Some of the other steward learned our names, as well.  Yes, I have seen reviews about the balcony being small, but honestly it was plenty big enough for my husband and I to sit on.  On another cruise on the Carnival Liberty, we were barely acknowledged.  I don't think we even met our room steward.

Entertainment:  Burn the Floor was fabulous!  Legally Blonde was cute:)  We loved the Bingo, trivia, Miss Getaway, game shows, etc.  So much to do and not enough time to get to it all.  I believe we received a brief outline of a week at a glance and you will get an itinerary each night for the next day.  The crew are genuinely excited and go out of their way for you to have fun!  I've heard reviews that the theatre is small, but I found it to be quite comfortable.  The entertainment on the Carnival Liberty was ok and we did enjoy the cruise, but nothing, except room service was as good as the NCL Getaway.  There were also a lot of things we didn't get to do, like the comedy club and Howling at the Moon.  They are on our list for our cruise in November:)

Food:  The dining rooms were really pretty, but we didn't want to wait for a table, so we mostly ate at the buffet.  When we sail this November we are definitely going to make reservations, especially since we will be a party of 8.  Some nights the Burn the Floor dancers provide entertainment in the Tropicana.  The buffet was awesome!!  Most of the time we were able to get a table by the window.  The view was so beautiful!  Because it was our anniversary we received a free meal at Cagney's Steakhouse.  It was very good.   We checked the website frequently to see if there price reductions or deals.  We missed the 2 day deal for the discounted beverage package, but did get a sweet deal for Ocean Blue.  I think it was $35/each down from $75/each.  I think they have lowered the price to $35 now.  The dinner and the service were outstanding!!  The way the wait staff served the food was like watching an orchestra!  Our server, Michele, was amazing!!  At the end of the meal we were also given a Cake Boss cake (amazing!)  for our anniversary and Michele threw in some delicious chocolates!  I saw her the next morning across the atrium and she made a point of coming over to say hello and see if we were having a good time:)

Pool Area:  Yes, the pool is a little small, but I really wasn't there to swim as much as lay in the sun and ride the awesome slides.  Yes, even at the age of 50, lol!  I'm just a kid at heart!  It could get a little crowded, especially on sea days.  There are plenty of chairs on the next deck up.  On port days, we would get off the ship early and come back and sit by the pool in the early afternoon. 

Internet:  This is the one thing that didn't work well.  We left our 9 year old at home with his grandparents and wanted to send him emails,  We went to the internet café and if you went over a certain number of minutes ( I think 2 minutes) trying to get a connection, you would have to pay the whole $14.  So I would cancel before the 2 minutes were up.  What we didn't know, is there are a few kiosks on decks 6, 7, and 8.  You can take your picture and email to anyone.  2 of the 5 pictures  that we emailed actually went through!!

Ship & People:   The ship is immaculate.  There are hand sanitizers everywhere.  There are even staff when you board the ship to spray your hands.  They smile and genuinely welcome you aboard the ship!   I remember how crystal clear the ceiling to floor windows in the buffet were.  They were out cleaning them when we were in port.  We have cruised on the Carnival Liberty and the windows in the buffet were streaked and spotted and I never saw anyone cleaning them.  Some areas on the Getaway can get crowded...pool, venues, like comedy club, the Atrium during trivia, places where they were having a raffle, etc. but there are PLENTY of other areas for those that like less of a crowd.  The Waterfront was beautiful and we could always find a quiet spot to sit in the evening and have a drink.  I never had any problem with anyone on board, guests or crew.  Everyone was happy and friendly.

I highly recommend cruising on the Getaway!  They have activities that would appeal to people of all ages!