Very dissapointed

Item: Norwegian Getaway
Rating: 2
Author: scat2me

Norwegian Getaway Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

scat2me

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 93

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 10, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Getaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11760

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

Having sailed Carnival Conquest and Carnival Glory in the past 2 years we thought we would give Norwegian Cruise Lines a shot. We were told it was a step up. Not so. The only improvement over Carnival was embarkation and disembarkation. My wife daughter (12) and I were disappointed in the layout of the ship, the activities, entertainment ( except dueling pianos) they were great and lastly but most importantly the customer service. Norwegian charges for the sauna, steam room, has no washers/dryers. Hallways are not monitored we had kids running around above our cabin all week. Very noisy. There were other issues and Norwegians response was to sent 4 chocolate covered cherries. The new ships are huge and with 4000+ passengers is very crowded. Limited after hours food. Sea food once a week? Carnival has Norwegian beat on value.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

The food was very good but the VERY limited menu after hours was disappointing. Also there was only seafood one night.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Here again, piano player seemed tired every song sounded the same. He beat the hell out of the piano. He would be smart to record himself playing. Nice guy but Carnival soloists are much better. Dueling Pianos were very good ( different players) but unprofessional in that they dressed down from the audience, drank on stage and had tip jars. This was surprising because they were billed as Headliners.

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

As per my daughter BORING!!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

There were only 4 individuals that gave outstanding service. Everett Laing Assistant Maitre D* was very responsive to a complaint. Rajoo Ravikumar Maitre D* was truly outstanding. His concern for our Cruise was unequaled. This man went out of his way EVERY night to make sure my family was enjoying the Cruise. Special note to his staff Michelle Myers and Joseph Rubia. This team should teach the others on staff how to treat customers.

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

Smaller then Carnival. Layout was not as efficient. Finishes were better. Quieter but when you have kids running down the halls it gets noisy.

Ship tip

Make sure that Rajoo Ravikumar Maitre D* is on board. Plan to spend a lot.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

3 out of 5

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

Mahogony Bay is the only place to go.

Thumbs Up 0

Belize City, Belize

1 out of 5

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

5 out of 5

Get the shuttle to the Beach. Avoid the Costly excursions.

Thumbs Up 2

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

12 Comments

rholowaty 8 years ago

Also like the free beverage pk and free special dining not sure if carnival offers this

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lsdavis 8 years ago

Every cruise line has its pros and cons. We have been on NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Princess cruise lines. We like NCL the best. This reviewer must have had bad luck with the kids running in the hallways; it was quiet for us. We booked a balcony cabin, and it was awesome! There were so many activities to choose from, we had a hard time deciding! The cleanliness of this ship, and the fact that they are constantly disinfecting everyone's hands, is a huge safety bonus. We have never seen NCL on the news. I agree that NCL may be more costly, certainly much more than Carnival. We did not like the fact that NCL charged us for room service! Overall, though, we like NCL the best, especially since it has the freestyle dining. Hard to beat that!

Thumbs Up 3

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damianyyaniraberroa 8 years ago

We take 8 cruises since 2008 and book 2 more for 2017,,,, royal,carnival,norwegian,disney ,all have differences,,bigger rooms , better,shows,better ports ,better food,,,etc but never never have bad situations never ,,good people working hard,,some people complain for stupid reasons,,,but always go enjoy and take you own experience

Thumbs Up 0

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kimlee 8 years ago

Traveling mama, I repeat do not go on Norwegian Escape. I just came off that ship last Nov,2015 and that ship is geared toward a more season crowd. There's no clubs or anything on the ship.....boring....ijs judge for yourself but I wouldn't. I love Ncl....i also like Carnival & Royal

Thumbs Up 1

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rabcpa68 8 years ago

We book the haven spa suite so we don't deal with the normal pool issue. We have concierge service to handle reservations and priority tender. It includes the spa If possible I highly recommend the haven Happy cruising

Thumbs Up 0

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rabcpa68 8 years ago

We sailed the getaway last fall. Overall a wonderful ship and experience. We will be back on the ship in November. If that tells you anything. We have sailed carnival princess NCL and celebrity. Each has their own strengths. After our first NCL we swore we would not be back but gave them another chance. I'm glad we did. We do understand many of the issues that are mentioned.

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travelingmama 8 years ago

true alinda1114, all ships have good points and bad, I think Norwegian should add the gratuities in the price , and if there is a problem it shoild be resolved immediately on the ship , im sailing Norwegian escape in 2017'and I will reevaluate my opinion, nevertheless I enjoy every vacation I go on and and my vacation buddies

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alinda1114 8 years ago

Ncl shows are better than Carnival.I did not like that there was no washer and dryer. Pros and cons on both.It all depends on your personal preference

Thumbs Up 1

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alinda1114 8 years ago

I have sailed Carnival.Disney and Norwegian.All in all I prefer Carnival.I am going to try Norweigian one more time.All ships have their good points and bad points.Whatever ship I'm on I am going to enjoy.It is my vacation and my money.

Thumbs Up 1

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travelingmama 8 years ago

vacations cost a lot of money, so we always make the best of it ,YOUR right were not cooking and cleaning, anything is better than that I always TELL people to go with and open mind and enjoy because its your vacay and we only cruise once a year so we great time

Thumbs Up 0

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tereasa 8 years ago

We also did not care much for ncl everyone should form their own opinion ncl has great shows compared to carnival that was about it either way it was better than work still had a great time

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rogerellenborland 8 years ago

Thanks for the comment. We have always sailed carnival but wondered about Norwegian,now I know to stick with carnival. The reason we have always been on carnival is because of value. We have been on 19 and loved them all.

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Other reviews of this sailing

Great ship activities but not the shore excursions.

7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise

Best cruise line and ship ever!