Norwegian Getaway Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Being a first time NCL cruiser, I was a little skeptical before the cruise.  What an awesome surprise it was.  The Getaway is a beautiful ship.  The staff was polite and always there to help.   The food was very good as well the entertainment.  I will look towards NCL for my next cruise.

Food needs to improve, some of the vegetables had a bit of sand in it and

food choice was a bit repetitive. Entertainment was really good; there was always a good show at night in addition to a few fun game shows in the atrium (family friendly and adult friendly both.) The ropes course and water slides will be something to keep the kids entertained. 

I love to cruise and my husband and I are finally at a point in our lives where we can travel more.  I'm not sure if I would go through NCL again because there seem to be a lot of things that need to be worked on.  At the same time, there are also a lot of things we thoroughly enjoyed.  I absolutely love how breakfast is served on the morning of disembarking.  On another cruise we went on, it felt like they were kicking us off the ship practically.  They also gave us cooling towels at the end of day we were docked as we got back on the ship.  That was amazing.  I did NOT like how we paid so much for spa services, but felt forced to buy the products to the point of not enjoying the massage.  Didn't the ship make enough money without strong arming people into buying spa products, especially after spending so much on spa services?  There was some sort of tar in the top of our closet and my bags had it all them along with a few articles of clothing.  I'm pretty disgusted about it, but it was on the morning we left and things were pretty hectic.  I will contact NCL about this and send pictures, in hopes they will make it right.  We had our 17 year old twin teen boys with us on the cruise and they seemed to enjoy it for the most part.

Like the new ship....loved the Noodle Bar and the options to dine at a different venue each night.  Obstacle course was amazing....gym was nice....cabin was perfect for two....they need to drop the surcharge for room service.

We just returned from back to back birthday cruises on NCL Getaway and were treated like royalty - as usual. Since we've cruised with NCL 22 times, it's always special to meet and visit with crew members from previous cruises - and we were warmly welcomed aboard by Tom (Asst Hotel Director) less than 60 seconds after getting on the ship.

We always book Haven access suites and had a fwd facing Penthouse - Living Dining room combo with an adjoining bed& bath room - really spacious. The Haven offers private dining and quite spaces - with full access to the entire ship. Met many old friends and made lots of new ones in our 2 weeks aboard.

Birthday really special too. Mine was almost totally private, as there was only one other couple in the Haven dining room the evening of my birthday dinner. GREAT strawberry cheese cake for dessert. Wife's birthday equally special.

We can't imagine a better cruising experience on ANY OTHER cruise line. We're hooked on Norwegian and have four more future cruises booked - so far. We LOVE NCL's brand of hospitality and will remain loyal.

John & CK

The cruise itself was fantastic.  Beautiful islands and a Norwegian staff that really try to make sure that you have the best vacation.  

However... the ship is poorly designed.  The main theater held 850 guests and there were over 4,000 on board.  FREESTYLE went right out the window!  You had to book EVERY show and EVERY dining reservation WAY IN ADVANCE.  Do not even try to board this ship without already planning every detail.  Without reservations you will STAND in the back of theater for EVERY show and NEVER  get into the specialty restaurants.

This is the first time we did not buy the $250 voucher for a future cruise    

FUN, FUN, FUN, EXCITEMENT, THRILLS, FOOD FANTASY, JUST FANTASTIC.... "BURN THE FLOOR"... JUST EXCITING and SEXY!!   BRAVO GETAWAY!......... SO MUCH FUN AND EATING WAS JUST THE BEST.... There were so many things to do on this ship... The Biggest Casino on the ship.... Everybody was playing Slots, Craps, And all sorts of Gaming.... Great crew and their fun games.... Its a WOW of a ship!...   BRAVO!   My Family all had a Fabulous time... The kids did the water slides and other games... They did all the Beach tours in each stop... It was an amazing trip for all of them............Again it was a "WOW"...................................

We had a great time! The service was fantastic! The ship is beautiful and there was always some kind of activity going on. Never a dull moment! Tortola was a beautiful island.

Overall agood experience.  With the beverage package areasonable deal.  The ship is very casual and has many dining options. The one speciality restaurant we tried was not good and not worth the extra charge.  Many families and children were traveling on this cruise and the water slides provided hours of entertainment. The entertainment shows were good but reservations are a must.  Downloading the app to make reservations and keep up with ship activities is very useful.

The cruise was nice and the weather was good. I actually won money in the casino, although the casino staff especially the floor people and the casino boss was very rude to the players. If you like to play poker you should look somewhere other than Norwegian to cruise with.  The rake for poker is 10% with a maximum of $25.00 this was a 2-5 game NL hold-em. They do have a dealer that deals cards but they have an automatic shuffler that breaks down just about every time the cards a put in it. Several of the players asked if the dealer if he could shuffle the cards but he said no they wouldn't let him. We asked for the floor person to come over, the floor person said dealer could not shuffle, and that they didn't have another shuffler. He said that they would clean the machine before play the next night. The dealers didn't know the rules of holdem and nothing was consistent. Well the next night we played and the shuffle machine kept saying the deck was a card short., so to no avail the dealer had to count the cards. At on point I believe we played 2 hands in 30 minutes. I asked to speak to the casino person in charge. The casino boss showed up and was asked if the dealer could shuffle the cards  so we could speed up the game but the casino boss said if machine jambs a couple of times that it was alright because this happens. The casino boss was informed that this was not a couple of times and that the shuffler had messed up at least 10-15- times in the last hour. They did not care and nothing was done. Worst managed casino's are on Norwegian cruises. So if you like to gamble and have a good time DONT GO WITH NORWEGIAN. Also if you have kids there are only two pools unless you are vip. these pools are very small and one of the pools are adult only.

In spite of being on a new large ship this cruise was barely average at best. The ship was designed for maximum capacity which meant long lines, sold out shows, crowded buffet area and the pool deck being ridiculously full with no available chairs. The ship has nothing special except they stacked on more decks to hold more passengers.

There were only 3 stops in 7 days so that they could keep us on the ship longer to spend our "precious" with them instead of in the ports. They should schedule one more stop so that there are not 4 days at sea out of 7. The food was decent in the main buffet and really good in the specialty restaurants if you don't mind spending a lot extra. I won't sail on this one again.

This boat is massive- 16 floors, holds 3969 guests and 1640 crew members.It’s like Las Vegas on water. Your luggage “should” be delivered to your room by 7:00 pm.On day 2 of the cruise we received a flier in our room that a couple’s luggage had been lost.I would recommend you take your carry-on to your room.Each cruise member will be given a keycard, try not to lose it as you will need it to get on/off the boat, purchase store items, arcade usage, shows etc. For kids buy a strong necklace lanyard, like for a credit card, prior to the cruise. To orient yourself, the fish on the carpet swim towards the front of the ship.There is a mandatory life boat drill the 1st day that is 2 minutes long but it takes 40+ minutes to get everyone together; each cruise member will need their keycard as proof you attended.If you don’t go to this they will come looking for you and have you attend the second day.

The Stateroom- So if you are a party of 5 or 3 and wondering where the extra bed is hidden at, it comes out of the ceiling. Rather than wait an hour in the Guest Services line to have the bed setup push the button (in your room) for housekeeping services with a note stating you would like the bed setup and an extra towel.Our stateroom, party of 5, only had 1 outlet (2 plugins); with 4 females in the room this did not work very well.I would suggest you bring a power cord.Since your cell phones do not work most of the cruise, bring a waterproof watch (one that you can use in the ocean if you plan to do any shore/beach excursions). Bring a good waterproof camera and have other cruise members take your family photo or you can purchase an 8X10 print for $25 each with Norwegian.

For Kids- They have a great teen program called Entourage (13-17 year olds) but not so great kids program called Splash-Dolphins (10-12 year olds).The Dolphins are intermingled with younger kids and they felt more like they were in daycare than in an activity for their age.Parents are charged $6 an hour for Splash groups + tips.You have to enroll your kids into the program before they can go; do this on the first day.Note: kids have to have their keycards on them and you will need to make up a password to pick up your child for those 12 years old and younger.I saw several fathers who went to pick up their child but did not know the password.They were surprised and frustrated.

Pool/Slides- For the size of this boat, there is a small Sponge Bob water play area for kids 8 and younger. Beside it, is the kids pool, which is the size of 2 king beds stuck together- typically parents are sitting on the edge, feet in the pool, side-by-side watching their child stand in the water.The largest pool is for adults only.No place for kids 17 years old and younger to actually swim. The policy of the ship is you remove all jewelry before going on the waterslides (for your safety), this includes belly button ring, bars and yes your wedding ring.I thought I would tie my wedding ring (of 25 years) to my bathing suit strap but the strap came undone and I lost it.Make the trip to your room and place your jewelry in the locked safe (4 digit code that you make up to lock and unlock it).They do not make announcements for you if you have lost someone or something.Use the cruise towels for shore excursions but don’t forget to return them or you will be charged $25 per towel.

Entertainment/Shows- For being a Nickelodeon cruise it was not kid focused. Legally Blonde the Musical and Burn the Floor are not the shows I would consider kid friendly. If you plan to attend a show, make reservations before you get on the boat and go to the shows at least 30 minutes early to get a good seat.If you go to the Comedy Show, go early, they will give away your seats to those in the “stand-by” line if you are not there 10 minutes before show time.The 70’s Disco Grove Dance Party, Awesome 80’s Deck Party, 90’s Dance Mix and Glow Party were more suited for the 21 year old drinking partier.Things we did enjoy on the cruise as a family- firework show, waterslides, rope course, library, over-sized chess board, Comedy show and climbing wall.

Water/Drinks- Bring your own water container you can easily fill in The Café, this is also recommended for coffee mugs.There are no water fountains on the ship and a six pack of bottled water cost $25. An added note, mixed drinks cost $9 and they will store any alcohol you try to bring on the boat.You will be given your alcohol back at the end of the trip (we watched a couple try to bring a cooler of wine). The ultimate beverage package is $59 per day per person. There are cover charges for some of the bars.Soda is basically $7 per day per person or $3 per drink.

Food- Top Notch though not allergy friendly.If you have a family member that has a life threatening food allergy be on high alert in The Café.Norwegian has a Guest Special Request Information form that you can fill out prior to the cruise (accommodations form for food allergies, asthma, diabetes, disabilities, etc.) but it is pretty much meaningless. The serve is inconsistent and many food serve staff are unaware of cross contamination or the need to read label ingredients.The Freestyle Dining (meaning the places you are not charged an additional fee like $30 per person) are more allergy friendly but again not consistent and they only serve dinner (Taste, Savor, The Tropicana and Shanghai’s Noodle Bar).The restaurants open at 5:30, no reservations needed for 6 people or under, and its first come first served.

Medical Care- I spoke with one parent who had his son treated for an ear infection.They do not take insurance (you will have to submit a claim once home) and his out-of-pocket cost was $200.

My family of 4 had a great time on this cruise ship and at the destinations.  We loved the water slides, the ropes course, walking the plank.  We loved the outdoor bars/seating areas including the outdoor chess set and shuffleboard.  Being able to sit outside at a quiet table and play games with the family was amazing.  The stateroom had a surprising amount of storage, nooks, and crannies for being able to store all of our stuff.  The bathroom was unexpectedly roomy.  The overall design of the ship was amazing and well suite for our family.  The iConcierge worked great for meeting up with other friends on the boat.  I did not love the entertainment.  Specifically Legally Blonde.  I thought the content was inappropriate and the singing was just bad.  Everyone in my party agreed so pretty sure this wasn't just me.  I would highly recommend this ship.  We also had an amazing time ziplining in St Thomas and going to Jost Van Dyke in Tortola.  i would pay that money all over again and do those excursions again.  Great trip!

Booking through was the worst experience ever which is unfortunate because the cruise itself was great. The cruise ship was beautiful, food was tasty, entertainment fantastic, balcony and oceanview staterooms comfortable and there was always something to do. Julio at the flamingo and mojito bar is a 5 star bartender! He remembered our names and favorite drinks and made recommendations on new drinks to try and escorted us to the best place to watch fireworks. (Right outside the mojito bar) Made us feel VIP the entire cruise. Didn't have a great experience with the other bartenders by the pool even though we tipped extra after every drink and some of the waitstaff seemed unfriendly as if they didn't want to be there. Overall cruise was amazing and will be cruising with norwegian again just not booking through or . I was on the phone for hours trying to add my father to the booking. They lied about having stateroom availability that could fit 2 adults and a 3 year old so I booked an extra single room for my dad (which he wasn't even going to use) to get him a spot on the ship.  Only after calling norwegian directly and being told there were in fact several 3 person rooms available, a lengthy call back to said oh yes we can do that but u will be charged a cancellation fee for the 3rd room even though booked several minutes ago. They ended up waiving the cancellation fee but couldnt confirm my final price for our family of 5. I found out by looking at my card statement. Was reimbursed 9.50 for cancelling an entire room. Ended up paying 1200 for a 3 year old and was told she could eat in the specialty restaurants on regular menu since I paid full price for her which I found out at the end of our trip was not true. We paid more than if we booked through norwegian directly and didn't receive all the extras that norwegian was offering. The hours spent on the phone were an unnecessary stress and not a nice way to start a vacation.

Our granddaughter Jaden Smith was denied access to the ship for 3 hrs while her mother, her uncle, her aunt, her grandmother and grandfather begged, pleaded, and tried to explain she had all the original documents SHE was told to bring and even printed on the website given for an underage minor. We were ALL dismissed with a cavalier attitude that WE must have done something wrong, when both her mother Jamie Smith and i, her grandmother, had checked at least 10 times with NCL and Immigration services and told 10 times we were okay, the reason we had these papers was that Jaden's Passport had been held up for 10 weeks! The immigration services people would not communicate with NCL people and have false information that there was not a needed original document when there was. On the ship I was FINALLY put in contact with Jocel Guzman, Guest Services Mgr, who finally had compassion and sent Anna down to try to resolve the issue! I was VERY unimpressed with the compassion of Guest Services in general, as the girl we encountered first told us there was nothing that could be done and when we asked for her superior we were told nothing further could be done and our grandchild would not be allowed to board. This went on for 3 agonizing HOURS as we searched for someone to resolve this issue. We were standing by the elevators on the 6th deck and I was beginning to cry, when a nice young NCL man asked me what the problem was. I did not get his name I am sorry to say. But he went and found Jocel Guzman and brought her to us by the elevators. We were separated from our other 8 family members who were repeatedly dismissed by immigration. My daughter cried until she had no more tears. Her 2 children were crushed as we had all so looked forward to this family trip and had spent thousands of dollars to make it happen and had rechecked and rechecked to be SURE Jaden's documents would be accepted and were assured they would be since she was a minor sailing the Caribbean. Jaden was not allowed off the ship at any port, which cut into her plans with the rest of the family, therefore many of us did not go onshore either. The final straw was disambiguation. They had to be accompanied by a crew member even tho by this time her father had driven 4 hrs and arrived and given her Passport which had finally come in the mail on the Day morning we had sailed (June 6) and which they had a photo copy of, they were finally led to a bus to take them to a hotel which they had not booked. The person in charge had put the wrong name in the computer and confused them with another Smith family onboard. WE were driving home to Clermont, FL, from the port. She was told if she was not released to the bus driver they would have to reboard and start all over. They would also not hand over her Passport that her father had driven 4 hrs to bring! That's when Jamie said shed had enough of being treated like a criminal, that they were ALL American citizens and wanted the Passport back. After meeting the bus driver whose bus they were not boarding, she was finally given Jaden's Passport and they were allowed to come home with us. How embarassing and mixed up THAT last episode was! We have sailed on other cruises before in suites such as Holland America and have always left feeling like royalty! We have NEVER been treated with less dignity and compassion and we will NOT recommend your cruise line to our friends and family. JOCEL GUZMAN and ANNA were our heroes for getting Jaden on the ship, which should not have been an issue in the first place. But then to not give her her own Passport after disambiguation was beyond rude and demeaning for this 15 year old girl, who was adopted from an orphanage by our Daughter and her husband at age 2 from another country. She has been a US citizen for 13 years and her Passport was a simple renewal, NOT an original! Way to go, NCL, for making her and her adopted brother feel abandoned and unwanted AGAIN! Sincerely, Linda Hutchings

The Getaway is a great new ship with so many extras that make the cruise more pleasant. Love the reservation system to book shows and dining. I thought it would be crowded with that many passengers, but there is such a variety of spaces, that we were very comfortable wherever we went.

Nice and big ship for those first time cruisers. Highly recommend the specialty dinning package. Disappointed on the layout of the decks, the only pool for adults was extremely small for over 4,000 passengers. H2O area very small for family parties at night

Absolutely amazing cruise - especially for new cruise goers like us.  NCL delivered 100%.  From the food, customer service, atmosphere, and exotic locations - I was moved!

The boat activities for the kids were the best I've seen with the 5 water slides, rock wall, rope course, bungie thing etc,  The pools are terribly small and dangerously over crowded.  If you have kids you are banished to the "kid side." The Adult side is so smokey and packed. The deck of the pool was so slippery, we saw 12 people slip and fall on the first day.  The poolside seating is tight and if you don't get up early, good luck getting a good seat.  The smoke was thick throughout the boat.  Condensed in the casino then dispersed throughout the halls, but always there.  The entertainment was ok but hard to secure.  The  magic show was for an additional cost, seating was very limited and we were left with only banquet seating that cost more than floor seating and the view is far worse.  The comedy shows might have been good, but we were unable to attend ANY due to small venue and the seating was not available.  Definitely reserve anything you wish to do far in advance. Service was good.  There were a few indignate bartenders, but nothing severe.  Royal Caribean definitely does a better job with entertainment, and food.  And of course Disney does a better job of everything.  NCL Getaway is a very US, Them kind of ship.  Adult activities don't connect with kid activities outside of the sports deck.

We took our first cruise on the Getaway and had an absolutely amazing time! The food was fantastic, the service was incredible, and the ship's amenities were amazing. We would absolutely go back!