Norwegian Getaway Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We wanted to go to Europe and this cruise offered several destinations that we had not visited previously. The most desirable destination was Bruges, Belgium. Unfortunately, the ship bypassed that port because time did not permit after the damage to the engine at Brest. The ship was only able to go about half speed. We generally like the Transatlantic cruises, because we adjust the hours ahead slowly over many days. Furthermore, it is much more comfortable taking multi days on a cruise than flying 10 hours even in business class. It is questionable whether or not we will go again. The restaurants were average, the buffet was below average. There was very little variation in food. The French restaurant is over rated. The Ocean Blue was the best restaurant. The most positive experiences were with the bartenders, food service crew and the Maitre d, all of which were in the Haven. Our butler was superb.
Cabin Review
The Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony
Brest France was not capable of handing a ship of this size nor was the leadership prepared for the port. There were three excursion groups that waited for over an hour in the theater because there was only one gang plank. On the return from the excursion there was an unbelievably long line that was not moving and kept growing. It was considerable time before the boarding began. It took us two hours to board the ship. There were twice as many people behind us and their wait was over three hours. Bottom line is that we were required to stand in damp drizzle and rain with no cover, water, or toilets. It was also a serious safety hazard because no was allowed to walk from the gang plank to the gate because it was a work area. The line extended from the gang plank to the port gate. Furthermore, the physically challenged at first were also in the line and after many of us complained they were taken to the from of the line. The amazing part of this experience is that they sent the lowest ranking staff to work this situation and leadership remained comfortably on board the ship. Needless to say the ship did not leave on time.
In the entrance or the exit to Brest an engine was damaged and the ship was traveling at a slower speed and Belgium was eliminated as a port. That was a big disappointment because we wanted to go to Belgium. We had missed the Azores which was understandable due to high winds that was a safety risk. All of this is a matter of record that can be easily substantiated. All of this has made us wonder if we want to cruise again and we were in the Haven.