Norwegian Getaway Cruise Reviews - Reviews

First time traveling on Norwegian Cruise line and although I was pleasantly surprised with the overall experience, I did notice a few things that did not make the experience as exceptional.  Past travel has been on Princess Cruise lines and their ships just seemed to have a little more elbow room so to speak.  Specifically the adult pool (s).  Norwegian only had one pool for 4000 people, whereas Princess has 2-3 (depending on the ship).  In addition, the service level (# of staff) of Princess is a little above Norwegian.  And lastly, perhaps a few more shopping outlets available on ship (Princess).  But other than that, the staterooms were spacious enough and clean/well-taken care of.  A few passengers we met felt that we really didn't "see" Honduras nor Belize as we were on islands for both, not the mainland.  We would definitely cruise Norwegian again (perhaps another ship?) but it was a fantastic vacation. 

The ship was great!  The staff were great!  We had a good time.  The food was good and we especially enjoyed the brazilian steakhouse dinner (this was an extra cost but very reasonable).

The one thing that bothered me was the destination to Harvest Caye.  I should have read more and did some research on this.  We technically were in Belize but we were on a man made island made by Norwegian.  The water is cloudy and beach was a bit rough.  I would have preferred to go to a destination were I could have taken advantage of the crystal clear water and snorkeling near the second largest coral reef system in the world.

We had a great time on the Getaway with friends and family. Plenty of things to do onboard. We tried several complimentary restaurants and they were excellent. We enjoyed the fact that we had a lot of possibiliets to enjoy quality time with our group.

The best part of the cruise was the weather. Lucky with weather. Otherwise it is not worth it. Too crowded, food below average, limited shows. I am comparing with the Celebrity Cruise

This was my 3rd Norwegian cruise and it did not disappoint.  The ship was very clean and there was plenty to do.  The ports were excellent also.  The free-style eating is a must.  I cannot be tied down to a reservation time. 

t\The best part of this cruise is you have many choices for dining.  Dress codes are somewhat confusing but you get use to them.  This is a very large ship therefore the crew is always on edge.  All in all it is a very desirable cruise. 

Traveled over Easter Break.  This is our 14th cruise, 2nd on Norwegian, the other being the Norwegian Star.  Overall, very enjoyable experience.  The food selection was first rate, the staff was very attentive, and the ports (with the exception of Harvest Caye, which we were unable to dock at, due to weather) were all outstanding.  Their two shows, Burn the Floor (sub-par) and Million Dollar Quartet (good) could have provided better options.  Overall, would recommend this cruise.

I loved the boat, but the food was just ok and the shows were just ok. Burn the Floor was a little long and it seemed like watching the same moves over and over in different costumes.The games in the atrium were done better on other cruises although they were still fun to watch. The biggest disappointment was not going to Belize because of the weather. Norwegian doesn't force sell as much as other cruise lines so that was nice.The cost of photos were a bit much though.

However the room was fabulous, the ship itself was very nice and my wife and I had a very nice time despite the things that I previously mentioned.

Our favorite part was the entertainment.  "Burn the Floor"  dancers were excellent.  Compared to other cruises, the staff was exceptionally polite and friendly.  We did not do any specialty restaurants so our eating options were limited.  Two of our restaurants had the same menu.  This cruise is very casual if you don't like to dress up.  We found this cruise very loud with microphones and music. This is a family cruise ship with lots of children activities and lots of children.  If you go on this cruise, have your travel agent get you a good cabin selection.  Our cabin was 8102 and we heard every ship motor  and plumbing noise, not pleasant.  We were also far away from the central elevator area.  We were looking forward to seeing Belize and they eliminated that stop for some reason so we were disappointed in that.  It was a new experience in cruising for us and not as relaxing as past cruises.

The best part of our cruise was the entertainment: Burn the Floor, Million Dollar Quarter and the Illusianarium.  We were VERY disappointed that the ship did not stop at Harvest Cay.  It was the only port we hadn't been to before.  The excuse sounded a bit strange and word around the ship was that the port has not been ready for several other cruises.  The selection of onboard events for this unexpected sea day were few and poorly advertised. We were a bit disappointed with the quality, selection and service of food.  We ate breakfast at TASTE one time, and our order was so mixed up we decided to return.  The SAVOR and Promenade weren't much better, with too many errors in our orders and selection and quality of food.  Compared to other cruise lines, the charges for BINGO and slot tournaments were much higher than other cruise lines, and the payouts were pitifully small.  Our mini-suite was OK, and service of the cabin was good.  This was our 43rd Caribbean, and was one of the most disappointing of all.  I think we will stick to Royal Caribbean, Princess, Holland America or Carnival next time.

Garden cafe....plenty of options for everyone.....have been on Royal Caribbean for our other cruises.....I prefer RCCL....one good thing is free style dining.......One night of dressing up would be a nice touch..... If you need to settle your account, do it ahead of time or you will be held up for a long time.....if you dont want to book excursions through the cruise line they are easy to find off the ship....We booked Little French Caye on Excursioneers on the internet.....great place to go....beautiful beach resort. !!!!

Favorite part was the 7 Night Premium Dining Pkg. except when their supposed elite Ocean Blue restaurant that has an addl $17.95 up charge on top of premium pig told family members they were not eligible for certain meal.  I thought it was very very tacky and the crab legs were dried out and the worst I've ever been served. I'd skip that restaurant all together. The Garden Cafe buffet (Lido deck) was, for the most part Bad. It was nice that they still had scones for a late afternoon snack. The scrambled eggs and omelette were almost inedible and were not made from fresh eggs. They had no decent breakfast potatoes and if you ordered them in the dining room you got the same stuff from the buffet, literally 3 small pieces of potato with 10 pieces of pepper. The dining rooms are are not good. Took 4 tries for the photo group to get picture order correct. Took 90 minutes to get a minor billing error corrected that would have taken 10 minutes on another cruise line. They skipped our premium port in Belize because they said the new dock was damaged by a thunderstorm. Seems strange when Norwegian built the dock to withstand hurricanes. I gotta say that Norwegian seems to cancel shore stuff a lot. I think they make a lot more money on their casino and bars when we are at sea. My cabin had Old water in the ice bucket, crumbs on the dresser and my sheets smelled when we boarded. First time we ever had such issues. Never got several of daily papers in the cabin, no disembarkation info provided in room. This ship had the worst management of any company or ship we have been on. It's sad because she is a beauty and most of the entertainment was good. Not the Illusionarium!  Took over 3 hours to get off the ship. The line of people went from one end of the ship to the other, it was horrendous. They tried to blame it on Custums but they were prompt,  it was Norwegian's poor management to do that to people, many elderly. Another person in line said she had been on the same ship the year before and had the same issue, they had done nothing to correct the problem. I don't know what to say except that Norwegian couldn't pay me for the frustration we had to deal with last week. Horrible!!!

My favorite part of the cruise was the entertainment. The staff serenaded us every morning with song. We enjoyed the magic show & dinner, as well as the Japanese restaurant with the singing chefs. The "Burn the Floor" theatre show was excellent, better than Dancing with the Stars ! 

The food in the Garden Cafe was alright, I would have preferred more of an exotic variety other than the traditionally prepared chicken, fish & steak.

Was surprised with Hawk's Caye Belieze beach excursion. There was no food provided by NCL for the guests. We had to pay for any & everything on the island. I was use to NCL's private island where they tendered us over and provided food & drinks. The only saving grace was the beach, which was very nice. 

All in all enjoyed my cruise from check- in to check- out. The crew & staff are always very professional. 

Norwegian is my cruise line!!

I love the haven with its personal touch and tranquility despite going on a busy time such as spring break. Only complaint I have is just the slow internet but what do you expect from being in a ship with at full capacity.

Being a first time cruiser, I had some information ahead of time, but naturally didn't know what to expect.  We did really enjoy seeing different parts of the world.  That was a highlight for me and my family.  The stateroom was just as had been described by our agent.  The food was excellent over all and the variety was unbelievable!  The cleanliness was impressive no the majority of the staff had smiles and a seeming desire to help and serve.  There were right at 4000 people and 1500 staff on board so it was a bit crowded n certain areas.  Some of the parents were letting their children run wild whic wasn't the cruise lines fault.  There were activities for the children if the parents wanted them to participate.  My 11 year old went a few times but wasn't completely engaged.  I think there were alot of kids and it was a bit overwhelming.  My 16 year old took full advantage of the Entourage for teens.  It was really secure and they had fun. Just a note however, parents shouldn't send their teens thinking they can definitely get in.  At night if you don't get there early it may fill up.  The teens end up standing in a line and hanging in the hallways hoping for a spot to open so they can get in.  A slight disappointment was that the term "all inclusive" no longer applies to cruising.  Of course I didn't expect specialty restaurants (don't see why you would need them), casino, excursions, and alcoholic drinks to be included.  But I think All of the shows and activities should be at no additional charge.  Guests shouldn't have to pay to play bingo or other games outside of the casino either.  Over all we had a good time and felt blessed by the experience.

I traveled with my 9 year old daughter, my sister, and my mother of 60+ and must say there was something for ALL of us to do on and off the ship.  My mom never took a cruise before and was skeptical at first but can't stop talking about it now. She had an amazing time. We even took advantage of a deal and placed deposits on another future cruise.

Favorite port was Cozumel lots of good shopping deals. 2nd favorite was Harvest Caye, Belize.  Least favorite was Roatan, Honduras mainly due to a bad experience with the local taxi/tour operators hounding my family and I while we were trying to decide on what to do. 

Overall the Getaway was fantastic and I can't wait to take another cruise hopefully to explore another ship.  As a return Norwegian cruiser, I knew I would get exceptional service, activities, shows, food, etc.....all was ON POINT!!

Excellent ship. Large, new and comfortable. Good trip with ports that are more unusual than most cruises. Roatan very interesting and underdeveloped. Harvest Caye a beautiful NCL resort. Cozumel as gateway to Tulum but a long trip. Ferry ride from Cozumel to Carmen 45 minutes and rough seas. At Majahual, ignore the purpose built NCL cruise resort at the dock and take the 4$ taxi ride into the village. Much better, but still touristy. A lot of kids on this trip due to the timing. They loved it due to the multitude of climbs, slides, games and activities on the top deck.

Biggest upside: The crew were extremely friendly and patient.

Biggest downside: The top decks were very crowded with no free space for adult areas, due to NCL's 'Haven' and other 'you must pay more to enter' areas. Kids kept going into the adult pool, which was relatively small for the ship size. Other cruise lines have gratis adult only areas. In connection with this the buffet was also always crowded with narrow aisles and lots of bustle. Food quality in the main dining rooms was only average, as is the case with most cruise lines nowadays. If you want to eat well you will need to pay extra in the 'specialty restaurants'. Used to be cruise lines were famous for quality food, but now the marketing geniuses get you to pay once for the main rooms and then again for the specialties. Who says, those marketing guys don't earn their money?  Between paying for food and for the 'Haven', etc. one must ask oneself if one could get better cruise value elsewhere.

Food was excellent

Unable to access Specialty resturants as they were  all booked up on the first day of the Cruise.

Internet was totally disorganized and I needed the net for my Business. The staff were unprepared and didn't care to go out of there way to help. One person at the internet desk while Guest services and Excursions Personnel were all around the place; we know where the money to be made was located

Nickel and Dime mentality; you could go off the ship and make your own arrangements for far less then what they were charging.

Beverage package were unreasonable.

I rated it (3)Stars but it should have been less.

The staff were amazing and the food was awesome. The only thing I didn't like about the cruise was the casino was in opened areas and I could smell the cigarette smoke. In the morning you could still smell the odor. I wish there was NO smoking on the ship. 

We had a 2 bedroom family suite in the Haven on the Getaway.  The Haven is amazing and I will personally find it difficult to want to cruise any other way again!  I give the Haven and its staff 5 Stars!  The Spa was wonderful if a bit expensive and the Thermal spa was wonderful as well.  I am only giving 4 stars because the food in the cafe was less than satisfactory.  When I was on Carnival the food was amazing!  We only ate in specialty restaurant once.  On Norwegian the buffet was horrible and we ended up eating in either the Haven or Specialty restaurants every night.  My children loved the waterpark but lines were looooong.  Casino was great and I hit $16500 in jackpots!  Paid for our cruise!  Like I said everything is awesome but the cafe.  Fix that and you'd get 5 stars