Norwegian Getaway Review
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While I had been on other cruises, this was my first one on a "mega" ship. Overall, the experience was very positive. Our cabin steward kept our rooms spotless and in good order for us. I loved the fact that during the day there were two areas designated for us to enjoy fun in the sun with adults only. The embarkation experience was very pleasant and moved people along efficiently and quickly. Likewise, disembarkation was equally pleasant. I chose to carry my own luggage off the ship. We went through the process in less than 20 minutes, including customs. This allowed us time to get our rental car, come back and pick up the rest in our group, and resume our vacation all within a short period of time. It is an improvement over the procedures that used to be in place for exiting ships.
Overall, the food was good. We experienced some lapses of service by the wait staff at different times in different restaurants, with some receiving their meals cold or luke warm (in Savor, Taste, and the Tropicana Dining Rooms). Sheehan's Irish Pub offered good food around the clock and also had a great ice cream bar (loved the banana split!). The Illusionarium is a must see show, especially if you like magic. Burn the Floor and Legally Blonde were very entertaining. The daily news letter provided ample information as to what activities were taking place on the ship and their time. The Entertainment Staff provided entertainment for a wide variety of interests. I loved the movies shown on board and the Fireworks at Sea. We went on only one shore excursion--the Dolphin Encounter in Tortorola. It provided good value, as the same experience in Nassau was $40 more per person at Atlantis. Our cabin was located close to the aft elevators, and this provided us easy access to the pool decks, the dining areas, and the casino. You will get your exercise in just by walking around the ship on a daily basis.
Cabin Review
Balcony Stateroom
Our cabin steward kept our room spotless. My only dislikes about the cabin was that you had to leave your key card in the wall holder in order to keep the electricity on in the unit. If you removed it, all the electric power went off, resulting in the need to constantly reset your alarm clock if you brought along a plug in model. Also, in our unit, the air conditioning system kept shutting off in the middle of the night, resulting in a stuffy warm room come early morning. There was ample storage for 2 cleverly hidden in two deep drawers under the sofa and in cabinets unit the TV and by the desk. Well thought out design more maximum space utilization in my opinion.
Port Reviews
St. Thomas
In this port, we took a local cab, which was regulated for fees charged by the government, to the downtown area where the jewelry stores were located. At the drop off point there was an open air market providing us with ample shopping for tee shirts, magnets, purses, beach bags, etc. We walked the two blocks up to the jewelry area and there were store upon store of placing selling all kinds of gems, gold, silver, perfume, etc. Upon return to the dock area, we took the lift to the top of the hill for a great view of the harbor area. At the top were more stores and a restaurant/bar. In this case, doing it on our own saved us about $15 a person versus taking the excursion offered by the ship.
Miami
We did not take any tour in the Miami area; it was our port of embarkation and disembarkation. Both procedures moved quickly and efficiently. The staff on hand at the port were courteous and helpful in getting our luggage to the ship and us onto the ship.