Norwegian Getaway Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Norwegian is nice but not for us.
We sailed the Norwegian Getaway out of Miami. We had an enjoyable week with friends but would not choose or recommend Norwegian unless you were sailing just to spend money and eat. The line has a buzz marketing line – it says sailing “free style” – which is actually code for DIY! Make your own reservations, stand in line, often pick up tickets and get the venue early to stand in line so you can get a seat. Not at all like the traditional cruise experience.
The food was excellent and ample. We chose the dining package which gave us access to three of the specialty restaurants without additional up charge beyond the service fee which we paid at booking. We were allowed to choose from 7 different venues (several others available but were not included in the package). Other nites we ate at the “complimentary” restaurants. This is the dining room (not like dining rooms you have come to expect on the other lines) two other restaurants with an identical menu to the “dining room”, the buffet, the pub and the noodle bar. I say not your traditional dining room as we went the first nite and were told at the door that it would be a 15 minute wait and given a pager. Later we were seated in the front of the room, under a speaker and in front of the band. Yes the BAND! Between courses we yelled at each other as the music/noise was akin to a sports bar, not a dining room. Service was extremely slow as they appeared to be short staffed. At the end we just picked up and walked out. We had dessert menus and no one came to take our order so we just walked out. The others, Savor, Taste and O’Sheenahans had better service but limited menus. The buffet (Garden Café) had many selections, very fresh and tasty food. Tables were easy to find and they kept them cleared and clean. They have a Margaritaville on board. Ala Carte pricing but it was located at the aft and with a patio type setting. Very good food and good service there.
Cabin Review
Balcony Stateroom
The cabin looked great but I think they washed it and it shrunk! The bathroom was laid out with a bit larger shower and shelves along the side of the stool and at one side of the mirror. There was no medicine cabinet for tooth brush, lotions etc. I used a drinking glass and hoped it did not fall off the shelf. Second day I found the waste basket behind the door under the sink!
In the main area of the cabin the closet had ample hangers but it was difficult to get to. It has bypass doors rather than hinged doors. At one end was a set of shelves, one holding the in room safe. The access was blocked by the bed. There was 8” between the closet door and the side of the bed. If you wanted your shoes out of the closet you had to sit on the side of the bed and slide the door and then bend from the bed to the closet floor to retrieve your shoes. You just shinny in and out. Very stupid! We had a balcony stateroom. There was a small nite stand, 8” wide on either side of the bed, a sofa and a square upholstered stool at the vanity. The small coffee table that is customary was replaced with a wooden tray that fit over the vanity stool so you could use it as a “table”. Did not slide on the carpet so it was a pain. Vanity chairs no longer exist. This made it possible to make the cabins narrower. There is not a drawer to be had in the entire cabin. There were two sets of narrow shelves at the vanity – one along the side of the refrigerator and the other under the TV. If you go, bring some baskets, bags or boxes unless you want to keep your underwear, hairbrushes etc. laying on a shelf on top of each other. Very dumb.
If you want electricity you have to put one of your cards in the slot under the lite switch. When you leave the room and take your card out of the slot there is NO electricity in the cabin. If you plug something in to charge it will not charge as there is no “juice” to the outlets or the TV.
We had a small coffee maker on the vanity. In the morning you could get coffee delivered to the room but you have to ask for the menu. We found one and then had to keep requesting new ones. Other room service items come with a charge. No longer 24/7 free room service.
Port Reviews
Harvest Caye
Did not honor our drink package. Had to pay for food. Ocean cloudy, sand was course and deep.