Norwegian Getaway Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Favorite part of the cruise was that there was always something to do.. the entertainment was nice... the food was just ok... the ship itself was beautiful.  The crew could have been a lot nicer.. the drinks  were ok I got MUCH use of my ultimate beverage package... 

My fiancé and I had a wonderful time on our 7 day Norwegian Getaway cruise to the Western Carribbean!  It was my fiancé's first cruise and he really enjoyed it.  I loved the food, the drinks were great and the activities on board were good as well.  Our favorite part was going to the different ports and exploring different cultures and doing shores excursions.  We especially had a good time at Mexico when we went to the beach.  I would definitely do a Norwegian cruise again.

This was my first cruise and I loved it!  I highly recommend the Gateway and definitely the Haven suites.  I can't wait to do it again.  The food was delicious!  Each employee did a very good job.

The ship was nice, however I found the cabin to be a lot smaller than other cruise ships I have cruised. We enjoyed the food, and most of the restaurant crew were very accommodating. The ports of call were also very nice, specially the private islands, Harvest Caye and Passion Island!

One thing I did not like was the Guest Services slow response. I found a discrepancy in my final bill, and went to inquire about it the morning of disembarkation. After waiting on a very long line, the person I spoke with in Guest Services (Sebastian Harry) made me wait over an hour while he was attending to other passengers that were in line after me, and not paying any attention to solving my Inquiry. After asking him several times why the delay in getting back to me, the adjustments to the bill came back incorrect, and I had to wait another half hour for him to re-visit the error for the second time, and finally correct the erroneous charges. This incident really put a dent to my almost perfect vacation, and left a bad memory of the final day onboard the Getaway.

The NCL Getaway is big and beautiful!  We had a balcony cabin, which was  fine for the two of us, but would have been cramped with another person.  There was ample storage with cabinets and under-sofa drawers, and suitcases fit well under the bed.

The ship has a "Miami Latin " theme.  We would have liked more diversity in music and shows, but the Latin flavor prevailed.  The Bang The Floor show was, for us, too loud and too long, with too much of the same beat.

We enjoyed dining at Cagneys, Moderno, LeBistro, LaCucina, O'Sheehan's, the Noodle Bar, Savor and Tropicana.  All had excellent choices and delicious food.  Service was outstanding.

However, with NCL introducing their new ship, Joy, in Asia, there were many Chinese aboard who were training for their respective positions on the Joy.   Unfortunately, among the trainees was the Cruise Director, who would normally provide the entire passenger population with a wealth of information, be amply visible during the entire cruise, participate in shows and games and generally be a presence.  This did not happen and was very disappointing.  From the emergency drill (a 1 1/2 hour debacle with hardly an announcement we could understand) to debarkation (2 hours on a line just to swipe off the ship, and we are Platinum with Priority Debarkation!), we were amazed that the trainees - in particular the Cruise Director - were not "shadowing" a working CD instead of assuming the actual position.  We hope that was a lesson learned for NCL.

The Safety Drill, Debarkation and Trainees aside, we enjoyed our Getaway cruise, and were excited to visit the newest island, Harvest Caye.  

Be prepared to pay for everything on the island, though, since this is not a NCL private island but a joint venture with Belize.  Your Ultimate Beverage Package is not honored on the island as it is on Great Stirrup Cay.  There is a beautiful, but crowded, pool at the LandShark Bar & Grill with a swim-up bar.  The beach has ample seating, but the water was not what one is used to when visiting Caribbean beaches.  It was not turquoise blue, nor could you see your toes.  It is more brownish, likely due to to the mangroves and local vegetation.  The Villas look amazing and people were having a ball zip-lining!  Not everything was open yet, but it will be a great place to visit as an alternative to tendering into Belize City, since the ships will dock right at the island.  Passengers have about a quarter mile covered walk from the ship to the island entrance.  Be sure to wear sunscreen! 

It was a very good experience cruising with Norwegian, the best part for me was the food, the presentation , the variety and diversity is incredible.

The service all around is not that good, it needs improvement but in general the whole staff is very friendly and educated.

I like the Burn the floor show and the dinner show with then illusionists, everything there was excellent, the food, the service,it was great.

I have already recommmenede

,to people I talked

This was our second trip on the Getaway.  While it has some flaws its a beautiful ship and makes for a great cruising experience.  

First the flaws.  The pool area is too small.  Dont even try unless its a port day because you wont get anywhere near a lounge chair.   (That could be helped if the staff would keep people from putting a towel on the chair at 8:00 AM and then leaving and assuming it was their chair for the day.).  Some of the public areas seem too small for the size of the ship but overall that was not a big problem.  Food is OK but not outstanding.  Everybody raves about Cagney's steakhouse but I live in the midwest and what people on the coasts think is good steak is what I can get an an average restaurant at home.  Just like I dont think Im going to get good seafood unless Im on the coast dont think you are going to get great steak when your at sea.  Disembarkation was absolute Hell.  We carried off our own luggage and were in a line that ran the length of the ship almost 3 times before ever getting to the customs hall.  They had no crew directing traffic or explaining why it was taking so long (over an hour) and without knowing what was going on people stared getting angry. It was not like this on the previous cruise and I have no idea changed.

Now the good.  The ship is really pretty.  Its all understand elegance.  The main dining rooms are lovely.  The Tropicana Room looks like a Miami supper club from the 30s or 40s.  The Sunset Bar was my favorite place to go sit and get a drink.   I like the outdoor promenade feature where you can walk half way around deck 8 and most of the bars and restaurants on this deck have outdoor seating.  The stateroom was nice and well designed.  It certainly wasnt huge.  This time we had a regular balcony cabin.  Last time we had a mini-suite which did have a nicer bathroom with a tub but other than that was not all that different.  The balcony was small but large enough for two people to sit comfortably.  Storage is good and closet space adequate.  I really like the freestyle dining concept.  I dont want ot go on a vacation and have to wear my suit.  This trip is very casual and you can wear jeans to any venue.   Dont miss Burn the Floor for evening entertainment.

The itinerary was very nice.   Harvest Caye, Norwegian's brand new private island is fantastic.  It was only 2 weeks old when we were there and they are still putting some finishing touches on things but its a wonderful stop. The fresh water pool is gigantic and the beach is 7 acres in size.  The water seemed a little cold the day we were there so we used the pool which was just steps away.   There are excursions on the mainland which leave from there and there is a lagoon for kayaking etc. There are several places where you can get food and drink and a lighthouse where you can try a zipline over the water.  Two negatives -  the pier where the ship docks is quite far from land although there is a shuttle if you don't want to walk and the ship's food and beverage packages DO NOT apply on Harvest Caye.  

This was a great cruise and I would recommend it.  I likely will try a different ship and maybe cruise line next time, not because I didn't enjoy this one but because I think it would be a good idea to have some variety.

Overall, this was a great cruise.  The ship was great.  Large yet it felt like a smaller ship because it was so easy to find your way around.  The staff was helpful and friendly, especially the entire staff of the Tropicana Room restaurant.  We had done this itinerary a couple of times before and there is plenty to do in each port.  The entertainment in the theater was excellent, especially the Million Dollar Quartet. Only downside was that traveling over Thanksgiving there were a lot of little kids on the ship so the public areas were often overly noisy if you just wanted to kick back and relax . 

Great food, great ship, great crew.

Disembarkation is the worst and left a rotten last impression and leaves static room for improvement it left a very bad last impression.

Favorite part of the cruise was the stops in Honduras and Costa Maya for the beach and snorkeling.  I received a 1 on 1 snorkeling experience for my birthday in Costa Maya.  You claim that you are good on food allergies, but nothing could be farther from the truth.  The desk we were first directed to was clueless and it took 3 days to get good direction on what was available and how to order.  Other cruise lines are way ahead of you in this respect.  I was also told the buffet would have information on the food item ticket and it was not.

The cruise was wonderful.  But splurging for a suite in the Haven on NCL is worth every penny!  We enjoyed everything about being in the Haven from the private restaurant, bar, pool, etc.  The staff on this ship is top notch, great shows, great restaurants and bars, and plenty of activities for both adults and children.  This ship goes to the Baltic for the spring and I will book a cruise on that route on this ship as well.

The food on this cruise was excellent.

The entertainment was good. The Salsa dancers were amazing.  One male comedian kept repeating his show every day.  One comedian made the audience very uncomfortable with his racial jokes.  (He was African American.)  If he doesn't like his audience he shouldn't work this cruiseline.  Apparently he likes Carnival and kept mentioning the differences in the audiences.

I had a soda pass and the bartenders were for the most part very good waiting on me.  Some cruiselines ignore their soda pass holders.

We could NOT understand the Cruise Director.  Her English is atrocious.

The last day of the cruise was a mess.  It took us three hours waiting in line to get off the boat. I use a cane and it was a terrible experience.   We missed our plane!!!!   Our original flight left at 1:30 pm.  Not an unreasonable flight time. My husband and I had to fly separately.   I didn't get home to NYS until 1;30 am the next day!  I spent 8 hours sitting in the airports waiting for connecting flights.  My husband got home at 11 pm.  He got the earlier flight so he could go to work the next day. He had to pick me up at 1 am in the morning and then get up at 5 to go to work.

Never again will we take Norwegian!!!  This was ridiculous.  We take a family cruise once a year and this was the worst debarkation we have EVER experienced in 25 years!

First time with Norwegian and getting on board was too easy! Our room was great, balcony, and the bath was decent sized. The ports of call were somewhat disappointing. Roatan, Honduras was first. An island. Took the Best of Roatan Tour, and if that was the best there's little hope for this poor islands future! The bus was hot despite ac, cramped and the si h ts weren't worth what we paid. Believe stop 2. Another island. This one owned by NCL and being developed with local government . Not a port on the mainland as expected. Very well done. Great shopping, but pricey. I refuse to pay $8 USD for a shot glass (call me cheap, it's ok!)! Port 3 Cozumel, Mexico. Always nice. Good shopping. Port 4, Costa Maya, Mexico. Another Damn island. Still under development .  Typical shopping, EXCEPT for one artisans shop. What a WONDERFUL shop!! Each piece is a handcrafted one of a kind piece of art. Such talent! Fantastic pricing!! Ship dining was outstanding. Entertainment required reservations and was usually booked for early shows, so we never saw any. We're early to bed kind of folks. Atrium area was noisy yet popular for movies, talks, etc, but you couldn't hear a lot of what was being said (and I have remarkable hearing at 55 yrs of age). Pools and hot tubs were crowded with kids families, younger people. Chaises were never free, always held with towels. Not like that on Royal Caribbean where saving seats is a no no. As seasoned cruisers of other lines, this was a very good cruise, but not the best ever. Still, we bought 2 deposits with CruiseNext.

We sailed the Breakaway, the sister ship shortly after she was launched and it was great. We were disappointed with the many changes to the fees and pricing that have happened since the change of leadership. 

Also noted that the drinks that were poured seemed very weak for some reason. 

Removing smoking from the balcony staterooms was also another disturbing development. And then to make it worse there was only three sections on the ship you could smoke 

I will be telling everyone we know who travels, NOT to choose Norwegian (and especially the Getaway liner) for the following reasons:

1. Major security issues with MASTER KEYS being left in the room MULTIPLE times and doors remaining open without anyone in the room or nearby.

2. OSHA violations including open containers of chemicals being left behind in hallways in the reach of children and in the way of ingress/egress routes.  

3. Bland food-bread was always stale and cold (even in the sit down restaurants), and most food was clearly frozen and then thawed for cooking.  Food came to the table unseasoned and cold.  Ironically, ice cream arrived completely melted.

4.  A complete lack of organization (and therefore a safety hazard) during embarkation/debarkation.

5.  Slow service that prevented diners from enjoying the experience 

6. A lack of staff presence aboard the ship during times of ingress/egress

My husband and I are in the hospitality industry and take things like security and safety seriously.  

Please read below for more details.

My husband and I were looking forward to having a week away from all distractions and visiting a few places on our bucket list. The problems however, began upon our arrival to port in Miami.  The lines for embarkation were without any direction from staff, people with wheelchairs/walkers and others who needed assistance waited with the rest of us and not one employee said a word until an older gentleman was seen struggling up a flight of stairs. At that point, he was directed (along with his party) to go around to a ramp which was back toward the beginning of the line!

Once my husband and I were aboard the ship, no employees directed the throngs of passengers and only one brief announcement was made regarding the status of the staterooms not being ready for occupancy until 1:30 (over an hour).  Those of us who heard the announcement ended up relaying that information to anyone around us who asked why EVERYONE was directed to the 15th floor.  While the idea of distracting people with a buffet lunch might have seemed like a good idea, the reality was anything but.  Thousands of passengers, most with some sort of luggage, struggled to find seating, then crammed into lines at each food station.  The cooks were not adept at accommodating such large numbers of people rushing their stations and this left many stations empty of food and slow on turning over their products.

My husband and I made it to our stateroom a little before 2pm and looked forward to settling in.  The room was satisfactorily cleaned and well lit.  We did notice a key in the light switch which wasn't either of ours, but thought little of it as we assumed all staterooms had this key to switch the room lights on and off.  After a restless night (the beds were terribly uncomfortable) we began our first day at sea.  It wasn't until we returned to our room after breakfast (a bland meal) that we realized the keycard was gone.  Come to find out, this was a MASTER KEY that was left by housekeeping.  We had it for nearly a full day before it was removed!!!!! I'm sure I don't have to tell you how incredibly dangerous leaving a master key in a occupant's room is.  The security of all guests and their belongings was at risk!!!!!

That evening we went to dinner at Wasabi, in the hopes of eating authentic sushi.  We were very disappointed at the limited (only 3) options for Nigiri available to diners.  The sushi we did order came to the table warm (not ideal for raw fish, not to mention at risk for developing bacteria growth at a lukewarm temp) We had now been on the boat for a day and a half and had yet to eat a decent (or even mediocre) meal.  We returned to our stateroom early to find the door wide open with no one in it even though a housekeeping cart was nearby.  We managed to go into our room and get changed before someone knocked on the door to explain our room was being serviced for nightly turn down! If we hadn't come down when we did, I can assume the room would've remained open to ANY PASSERBY to wander in to.  My husband and I noticed this was common practice as we walked through the hallways throughout our stay.  That night we were left with ANOTHER MASTER KEY in the light switch. This happened once more during our stay and despite my begging, my husband wouldn't let me complain to Guest Services because he was afraid someone would lose his/her job.  

Our time in Roatan was incredible though, the excursion was amazing, and the  local food that was served during it was the best we ate all week. Kudos to Quinton, our native Roatan guide, who took great care in ensuring the safety and enjoyment of ALL his passengers.  

Upon our return to our stateroom we noticed cleaning supplies left in the 10th floor hallway in an open container.  There were NO housekeeping carts to be found at all nearby (my husband and I went up and down looking for one or a housekeeper).  This open container of chemicals (whatever they were) rested there for at least the 10 minutes it took for us to search for someone.  Once in the stateroom, my husband went out again to search and said the chemicals were gone.  If I was a parent, I would be gravely concerned that open containers of chemicals were left where small children could easily access them.  Not to mention, being on the ground, it becomes a tripping hazard for those walking by.  Osha would've had a field day writing up that violation.  

Fast forward to our last night on the ship, we decided to try La Cucina, for an elegant Italian meal.  We took a 5:30 reservation thinking it would be less crowded.  While we were seated within minutes in the nearly empty restaurant, the service was SO SLOW that it took until nearly 6:00 to finally order (still nearly empty at this point).  Our waitress was very nice however we didn't leave until 7:45! Over two hours for salad and two bowls of pasta.  We were so frustrated we didn't stay for dessert.  At this point (still half empty restaurant), we had missed one of the only shows the last evening on the ship had arranged.  

We could not wait to disembark in the morning and set out to pack our bags and ready ourselves for the "Self-Assist" debarkation. The flyer provided to us with last minute details for the morning debarkation neglected to put in anything other than the time we should be ready. No directions, no meeting information, just a time.  At 7:10, over a half hour early from the printed "Self-assist" time indicated we found ourselves guessing which floor and location to go to.  We followed the throngs of people to the 6th floor and after being stuck in the elevator for 10 minutes due to people not clearing the elevator bay, we were in line with hundreds of other confused passengers, some with wheelchairs and walkers (clearly not "self-assist" passengers).  The first announcement was made at around 7:45 and even though my husband and I had been snaking our luggage in and out of a line for a while, there were still NO EMPLOYEES DIRECTING PASSENGERS.  Lines dead-ended into walls or merged in some spots.  Wheelchair and walker passengers struggled to blend in with those who fit the "self-assist" criteria.  The first employee I saw who was giving any type of direction was at the elevator bay upon our second trip around in line.  They had FINALLY CLEARED IT and blocked it off and were directing us out.  

Customs was the only organized part of the process. They were many agents directing people and all in all, took about 5 minutes to get through.  Despite parking our car right at the dock. we didn't get to it until nearly nine o'clock, two hours after we left our stateroom.  

Overall, we found the experience on shore excursions to be wonderful, however, next time, we will happily fly directly in and out of these locations or take another cruise line.  

Not as well as the last one. Too many unattended kids running the ship with no supervision. Did not enjoy. Dining and service was excellent but the lunges were too crowded and loud.

This was my 3rd cruise (1st with Norwegian).  I was very pleased with the ports of call and I would definitely recommend this itinerary.  The Getaway was the biggest ship I have been on and it was nice & clean and the staff was very friendly but it was definitely crowded in certain areas @ certain times.   On sea days you must get up early if you want to get a nice seat by the pool or at least somewhere close.  Also the Garden Cafe is absolute chaos -apparently everyone there is starving and cannot pay attention to where they are going or use their manners.  It's best to eat early or in one of the dining rooms.  If you wish to go to any type of entertainment shows make reservations early or arrive early to get a seat.  The children's programs were absolutely fabulous!!  I have a 5 year old and a 13 year old and they loved going to their groups.  My 5 year old even got to be part of a farewell performance in the theatre which was so exciting.  I would definitely cruise with Norwegian again but I may choose a smaller ship next time.

Everything went smoothly.  Only only one negative point. There should be tissues supplied at the main restaurant. Also , being a Hindu of asian origin, bollywood style entertainment would be an advantage.

have t start by saying that this is my second time on this ship (Getaway) and it was total disappointment comparing to the first time. Not just for me but for my entire party of 7. They were "breaking in" a new cruise director, who happened to be Chinese and barely spoke any English. Her and her staff barely had any interaction with the passengers as they usually do. I've been on 6 Norwegian cruises and have to say that the cruise director and their staff usually play an important role to connect with the passengers to ensure everyone has an awesome time. Missed a few activities because there were no announcements throughout the day. Spoke to a few of the workers and they were tired because they were short staffed and they had to do more in their 10-12 hour shifts. The Bliss bar only played Raggae music and had only undesirable people there every night and to top off they were even smoking pot right in the club. Yes, they got busted and arrested once we returned but nothing was done throughout the cruise to keep these guys out of the Bliss. Again, total disappointment. Not saying for Norwegian altogether but for the Getaway.

The entertainment is awesome.  The ship is beautiful.  The staff is polite and helpful.  The cruise director was awesome and the ports were really fun.  I would recommend this ship and cruise agenda.