Poor Quality, Crowded, Poor Layout, Understaffed. Great Pool Area
Norwegian Getaway Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 27, 2019
Ship: Norwegian Getaway
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 12744
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
I have cruised many times in my life. 12+. This cruise was probably my least favorite experience. The layout of the ship is difficult as there is no way to sit at the pool to supervise your child. The staff tried their best to keep up but frankly were understaffed. The managers just watched them all struggle to keep up. One of our best waiters did our entire dinner alone. No kitchen runner, no bus boy, no wine sommelier. And the manager just came by to say hi and check in. The specialty dinners were tasty and staffed well but apparently that is the ONLY priority on this ship. There is really little to no recognition of loyalty on any NCL cruises. A bottle of sparkling wine and a note is hardly worth the status we have earned. There really is NO PRIORITY for embarkation or disembarkation with our status on this ship either. The rooms were TINY. TINY balcony, NO storage, barely any walking room. It was my husband, myself and my 3 year old and it was SO crowded. It was supposed to be a family room. I couldn't have imagined it with 2 kids who were older. It did not feel like a mega ship. It just felt like a more crowded smaller ship. Really not more public space, just a poor layout and twice as many cruisers. You feel like cattle everywhere you go. The cruise director was obnoxious and made poor announcements. No one had a clue as to what was going on. AND WHAT HAPPENED TO FREESTYLE CRUISING?!!??! You NEED reservations for EVERYTHING. Which is ridiculous. The disembarkation was horrible. Smallest facility I've ever seen for one of the biggest ships. Our bags were in the 'back room'. The line to get off of the ship was horrible. Took forever. Again, no priority like we are supposed to get and fussy staff. Back to the staff. They were all working so hard and were trying to be friendly but you could tell they were all pissed. Probably because the managers sit around and talk to each other. They offer no help. Their job is literally to be chatty. There were not enough people ACTUALLY working. The ports were mostly NCL money makers. No authenticity and we won't be going back. Roatan was the best port, but it has changed so much since I went on my first cruise with NCL. This was my worst cruise experience overall. The only positives IMO were being on a cruise... the slides and a pirate pool which my son loved.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Don't book this ship. NCL policies have failed it and it doesn't really have more public spaces. Just more rooms making it extremely crowded and understaffed.
Ports of call
Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras