Norwegian Getaway Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Hubby and I have cruised with Princess (Alaska, California Coastal) and Royal Caribbean (W. Caribbean) before but not Norwegian. We were excited to see what NCL had to offer.
Pre-Cruise: Our flight from Denver to Miami was scheduled to arrive at 4:45 am, but we arrived 25 minutes EARLY! There was no one at the gate to unlock the jetway and let us off the plane. Never had that problem before. Hubby found a hotel that would let us check in at 5:00 am and check out at 1:00 pm. So we headed over to the Double Tree by Hilton to get a little rest since we didn't sleep at all on the plane.
Embarkation/Disembarkation: We arrived around 12:15; apparently, everyone else arrived at the same time. It took us over 45 minutes to make it to the check-in counter. The line seemed to go on and on, even when they brought out more employees. Royal Caribbean was way more efficient when we boarded Allure of the Seas last year. Disembarkation took about 10 minutes, including the time it took to actually get on the elevator. We chose early walk-off and did just that!
Cabin Review
Spa Balcony Stateroom
When we boarded, our room was ready. We had a Spa Balcony (14116). We originally had a balcony room, but we upgraded when prices dropped a bit. As expected, the room was small with a surprising amount of storage space - cabinets, drawers in the couch base, shelves in the bathroom and closet. The bathroom was one of the roomiest that I've ever encountered on a cruise ship. The shower was large enough to turn around and bend over. The balcony was SMALL, tiny, minuscule. My husband, who is 6'3", could barely sit in the chair while it was facing forward. His knees almost hit the glass.
Port Reviews
Miami
We disembarked around 8:00 and our plane didn't leave Miami until 9:10 pm. So, we rented a car, fired up Google & Yelp, and hit the road. We toured Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Then we ate lunch at El Cristo, a Cuban place in Little Havana. Finally, we drove over to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
St. Maarten
We used TripAdvisor to find Bernard's Tours and had a fantastic guided tour with the Mailman. We went to both sides of the island, French and Dutch, and learned a little bit of history. He took us to Orient Beach and then on to Marigot for lunch. Finally, we hit Maho Beach to watch some planes land. We didn't get to see the big KLM plane, but we were fortunate enough to catch AirFrance.
St. Thomas
Blue Island Divers - Hubby used Trip Advisor to find a diving company so he could use his newly learned SCUBA skills. They were top-notch. He really enjoyed his dive trip.
Paradise Point Tramway - While hubby was diving, I explored the port area on my own. The tramway offered beautiful views, but little else.
Nassau
Harry caught us at the end of the pier and pitched a $25pp tour of Nassau. We went with 2 other couples on a guided tour of the city. He hit all the high points and took us to some little known gems like Fort Montagu (beautiful views). My husband ate conch salad and won $600 at Atlantis.