Norwegian Getaway Review
Amazing Baltic ports - itinerary tough if want to make the most of them
Rating by category
Additional details
Overall enjoyed the 9 night Baltic Cruise on Getaway. The ports were all worth seeing with the overnight in St Petersburg the definite highlight. We chose to hire a private local guide for both days for a customised experience and also attended the ballet. Similar cost to using NCL but getting just what we wanted and only two of us most of the time with 6 for the Hermitage tour so got a lot in and also no long bus journeys involved. We used the shuttle in Gothenburg and Helsinki and otherwise we just walked into the port. Tallin is a lot of walking to see it properly and followed by 2 days in St Petersburg a day at sea would be nice but Helsinki is the next port so I do think modifying the itinerary to allow a sea day either before or after SPB would be worth considering.
Getaway is a very attractive ship in terms of design and well laid out. The one criticism was the bars and entertainment closed very early and everything was on in the 7pm-10pm period when we would usually be eating dinner so unlike other ships if you left the restaurant at 10pm or later all the bar entertainment was over. We attended Million Dollar Quartet which was excellent and also the classical violinist. The rest of the shows did not appeal to us. We enjoyed the restaurants and did not use any of the additional restaurants. We had breakfast in O' Sheehans every morning we got off as it is fast and more relaxed than the buffet. We usually ate something on return to the ship in the Garden Café and then had dinner later on in Taste / Savour / Tropicana. We had the Ultimate Beverage Package included in our cost and we had an inside cabin on Deck 5 which we found perfect for our needs. Deck 5 meant no need for lifts to / from gangway or to / from Deck 6/7/8 for bars and dining so only time we used the lifts were for Garden Café on Deck 15.
Staff were very pleasant and attentive. We used the Spa and the staff were pleasant and professional and very happy with the treatment. As we got off each day we didn't take part in any sports or on board activities. We enjoyed the cruise and would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to visit the Baltic ports
Cabin Review
Inside Stateroom
Inside cabin which we found more spacious than on the Epic. Decent size bathroom and wardrobe. lots of storage space. Twin beds with two lockers in between - two dressing tables / side table and good size wardrobe with safe. Beds were comfortable and the air con was controlled in the room and kept the room cool at all times. As two ladies we found the hairdryer excellent and the number of mirrors and the lighting excellent for make up / getting ready. We sailed on the Epic last year and found this stateroom to be way ahead in every way. Our Steward kept the room spotless and was always to hand but not in your face which again suited us. We used the laundry and the pressing service and found it to be good.
Port Reviews
Berlin
We did not visit Berlin preferring to spend time in the port town Warnemunde - we do not like to spend time on long bus tours and as we live in Europe it is quicker to fly to Berlin for a break. This is a lovely seaside town and we enjoyed exploring it on foot and we did the tourist train trip.
Tallinn
It is possible to walk into Tallinn from the port which we did. Very sell signposted everywhere. The old town is extremely interesting to explore but wear good supportive shoes as the streets are cobbled and there are steep hills. We spent a good few hours here and chose not to visit the new town as shops etc are similar to where we live. We found the people to be really friendly. Lots of historical buildings and easy to get information and maps once off the ship. Check out the myth of the lucky chimney sweep statute and there is a lovely café beside it for coffee or a drink.
St. Petersburg
This is a must do port for everyone. We chose a private tour via Get Your Guide and Marina Wilson Tours taking in both days and the Ballet on the overnight. Well worth the cost which was similar to some of the NCL tours but we had it customised to what we wanted and it was just the two of us and our guide and driver for most of it and a group of 6 people including us for the Hermitage. A guide is essential for the Hermitage as it is overwhelming. Saviour on spilled Blood is also amazing as is Fortress of St Peter and Paul , metro station visit , canal and river cruise , St Issacs and we also just spent time walking around the city with our guide so got a really good feel for the city. We chose to stay in the city for both days rather than travelling to Pushkin or Peterhof. NCL infer that if you take a ship's excursion they provide a visa - this is incorrect - cruise passengers staying less than 72 hours do not require a visa if they only leave the ship on an organised tour with a licensed tour operator so tours are classified as ' visa free ' or alternatively you can buy a visa before you come and arrange to leave the ship on your own to explore or meet your guide in the city. In our case the guide collected us both days directly from the ship and left us back there and on the overnight collected us again for the Ballet.
Helsinki
We took the NCL shuttle into Helsinki - we were not overly impressed but that may be that it was raining and we were tired from the previous three days in Tallin and SPB - it seemed grey and a bit soulless - niche cathedral in the centre and the church in the rock is worth a visit - shops and cafes on the expensive side but we expected that. Short day here anyway and the HOHO bus / boat take a couple of hours to do so we decided against and just wandered around
Gothenburg
We took the shuttle in as it is quite a journey so not walkable - very pleasant city and we chose again to walk around and explore on foot -