We chose this cruise for the Baltic region cities - Copenhagen, Berlin, Tallinn, Saint Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. We had two adults and two teens in a balcony cabin - full size bed and then bunk beds for the kids (couch and pull down from the wall). We did not use room service or require any services from the room steward.
We would give this ship 2.5 to 3.0 stars and we had arranged tours with other tour companies and did not use NCL.
Getaway positives:
- very efficient embark/disembark processes
- food in al a carte (i.e free) restaurants was above average (as compared to our other cruise experiences
- were able to leave the ship as soon as it cleared port. Other cruises the ship would only let the ship excursion groups go first and then everyone else.
- Freestyle dining (i.e. no early / late seating) which allowed us to eat when it was convenient for us and there was food available 24x7 at selected locations.
Getaway improvements:
- buffet food quality consistency while above average as a whole there were some times where it was poor.
- staff service very poor in the Freestyle dining restaurants. The exception being O'Sheehans which had outstanding service.
- having to pay (which we did not see) for the main show. Also charging people $9.00 for a CD on how to make towel animals. OK, I can understand the need to make money but that is ridiculous. Overall, I felt like flying on a plane where they nickel and dime you to death. On other cruises, everything was free except for drinks and excursions and some activities (e.g. bingo).
Summary, while a big ship the common spaces seemed undersized and poorly laid out.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The best embarkation of any cruise. Fast, efficient. Staff very friendly, outgoing and helpful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was pretty good and we all had drink packages which will save you a lot of money. We ate three nights as the specialty restaurants.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Did not use the pools, rock-climbing wall, spa, or fitness center. We tried to get a chair by the pool one day but people had "reserved" them. No enforcement by staff to release chairs that were not occupied.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
Saw one free show and the magician. Magician was pretty bad. The main show Cirque du Soleil you had to pay to see. That was a shock as every other cruise all shows / entertainment was free.
Children's Programs
Did not use any of the child / teen services
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Free dining spots the service overall was fairly poor. I believe this is due to the open seating dining as you no longer get the same wait staff every night. O'Sheehans had the best service - fast, friendly and engaging.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
We thought the layout of this ship was the worst that we have seen on all of our cruises. For example, the running track passes right by the rock wall and Margaretville Café which makes it extremely dangerous as there is a lot of traffic. The common area was very congested. They had the Atrium, the restaurant reservation desk, the service desk, the cashier desk, the future cruise desk and the excursion desk all in one area. If they had an activity going on in the Atrium it was almost impossible to conduct business at one of the desks as the volume was so load and there were so many people crammed into a small space. The ship store was very small and could become very congested at times. Even though this is a very large ship it seemed that the common spaces were undersized.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Balcony cabin. Sufficient for our needs as we didn't spend a lot of time in the cabin. Balcony was nice to be able to sit and view the scenery as we pulled into / out of port. Cabin steward did a good job in maintaining the cleanliness of the cabin.
Ship tip
With the number of ports that you visit don't plan on being able to spend much time at any one site if you are on a tour. If possible (time and money) try to get a private tour and then spend the time at the sites you are really interested in seeing while in port.
Flew into Copenhagen a few days before the cruise and explored the city on our own. A lot of history. Would recommend the hop on hop off bus if you don't feel like walking but the city is very walkable. Highly recommend renting a boat through GoBoat and explore the canals on your own.
The only complaint is that there is not sufficient time to explore all of the historical sites. I would recommend trying to get a day tour to the Hermitage and then spend the other day visiting the other major castles and cathedrals. We had about three hours in Hermitage which is not even time to appreciate. We were told that you had to use rubles and that credit cards (U.S.A.) or euros were not accepted. This is not true we had no problem using credit cards or euros.
Again fast and efficient. Norwegian recommends taking their bus to the airport or city center as there may be a shortage of taxis. However, there were plenty of taxis and did not have to wait to get one to take us to the airport.
yyhayford2017--Not sure how big your balcony will be for a family. I do know that NCL cabins are smaller than other lines, but very well appointed. My inside cabin is only 135 sqft, but my daughter's family ocean view cabin that sleeps 5 is about 218sqft. And it has two closets instead of one, a curtain to pull to seperate parents sleeping area from kids, and a bathtub. But my other daughter booked an inside cabin that sleeps 4, and that's no bigger than our inside cabin, but with the upper pull down beds over the twins below. Very tight! Call NCL and inquire about your cabin, or you can view the layout online.
How was the balcony cabin size for 4 people? Bathtub in Bathroom?We are going on 9/28 with a family balcony on 12th deck is wondering if we should upgrade ?
I loved the Getaway last September. I had no complaints at all. I loved the bartenders at the outside bar on the 7th floor . I also loved the food. I think because of the Freestyle Dining is why it takes so long because alot of people go the same time. I also heard from a waiter that one kitchen services all the main restaurants.
gborken---You say that other cruises do not charge for anything except drinks and excursions, but I don't know of ANY cruise lines now days that does not charge for spa services, specialty restaurants, and photos, to name a few. Not sure what cruise line you are thinking that does total inclusive, but it certainly isn't the mainstream lines of NCL, RCCL, Carnival, HAL, and Celebrity.
I do agree that the Getaway's food was above average, and their free offerings were the best we've ever had on a cruise ship. But I feel their buffet was the best buffet at sea, also. And for them to open it back up at 9:30pm to 11:00 for late night snacks was a real plus with us! And O'Sheehan's Irish Pub was the best 24 hour complimentary offering of any cruise I've been on! Fabulous!
I cannot wait to sail the Getaway again in January! And I give this ship 5 stars!! 😎
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