I have done 9 Carnival Cruises and 1 Royal Caribbean. I am so glad that I switched lines. Norwegian has so much more to offer as far as things to do and variety of space on board. The layout is more dynamic and the options more varied on board the Getaway than any other boat I have experienced. I was so pleased with everything,
Some of the criticisms that made me nervous:
1. Smaller cabins. NOT A PROBLEM. I was happy with our balcony, and even if the SF is smaller than other balconies, it was not problem and we were very happy with it.
Clean, spacious, gorgeous view.
We did research and our own thing here. Got a taxi to Red Hook, took the ferry to St. John, then rented some snorkel gear. We went to Water Lemon Cay via taxi then snorkeled around a little island. It was absolutely beautiful! We then used our trusted maps and hiked about 15 minuted over to Francis and Maho Bay. Also nice snorkeling. We heard that there is a turtle-heavy area right near Cinnamon that I wish we had stopped at, but we were short on time. Overall good experience though.
We went to Virgin Gourda and saw the Baths. It was pretty great for doing a bit of light hiking and getting to swim, but it is crowded. The cove/beach area is absolutely gorgeous. The Baths can get slippery and there are parts where you're in the water up to your chest so pack accordingly.