Getting away on the Getaway

As this was only our second cruise (first one was Carnival Spring Break), I was optimistic that it was going to be a better experience. And it was! Although the Getaway is a large ship, we didn't really find it felt too big. The ship had a great vibe, relaxed and friendly combined with a crew that were friendly and helpful 100% of the time. We loved the freestyle dining and the complimentary restaurants were excellent! We didn't go to any of the speciality restaurants as we were so content without paying a la carte prices for meals.

Our balcony room was great, midship on the 14th floor so we could easily walk up to get coffee in the mornings to enjoy on our balcony. The bed was very comfortable as were the pillows so we had great sleeps with no noise cabin. The only noise that we had came from the Garden Cafe restaurant above in the morning (chairs moving, high heels clicking) and we only heard this some of the time when we were out on the balcony.

The Ultimate Beverage Package which was included as a free at sea option was wonderful with many choices of top shelf liquor! We also had our gratuities included so our bill at the end of the cruise was very low.

The entertainment was great, our favourite shows were Million Dollar Quartet and Burn the Floor. Also, there was a great singer named Aliah who was new to the ship, she had a great voice and repetoire and played several times the week we were there at the various bars.

Our ports were great as well. We enjoyed a taxi tour and beach in Roatan. We walked out of the port and booked this on our own with another couple and felt completely safe. In Belize, we took the NCL river rafting tour which I would highly recommend. King Saul, the tour guide was so informative and funny as well! In Costa Maya, we took a shuttle to the beach and enjoyed a few hours there. In Cozumel, my least favourite port, we walked about a bit on our own.

We only have a few negatives for the cruise. First, as others have said, NCL charges for most extras. I wanted to play Bingo one day and didn't as it was $39 US for three games so with our Canadian $ would have been ridiculously expensive. The other negative was our cruise director, Belinda. We had a terrible time understanding her due to her accent. I believe she is new... but certainly didn't impress us.

All in all, it was a most wonderful vacation and adventure for my husband and me. If I could, I would give this cruise 4 1/2 stars. We would sail NCL again!