Norwegian Getaway Review
Enjoyable First Cruise/Vegetarian Friendly/Lots of Entertainment on Board
Rating by category
Additional details
The 7 Day Western Caribbean Cruise from Norwegian was my first ever cruise. I traveled with my husband and several of my in-laws. My husband actually paid for the cruise and all the excursions we had, so I'm not exactly familiar with how booking went, the price, or specific details of the packages we had. So my review is mostly just my experience on board and at port, and is not based on the monetary value of the cruise. I do know that my husband felt like he was nickeled and dimed a little by Norweigan and that things were overly expensive. However, he is interested in another cruise, possibly by Norweigian, so apparently it was worth it. Therefore I am giving the value portion four stars.
The embarkation process was a little hectic, but if you've flown before the process is about the same, maybe even less stressful. It's a little disorganized, and there is a little waiting in line, but it wasn't slit-your-wrists in frustration bad. They had numbers to tell you when to get on the ship, but it didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it -- there didn't seem to be specific #'s of people in a particular group.
The luggage portion appeared to be handled very well. A nice guy at the port tagged up all our luggage and were patient, even though my in-laws were moving very slowly and putting a little quicksand in their process. We had a flat of water -- just bare and not inside of a suitcase -- and they didn't make any issue about getting it on board. It fell apart in the process of getting it on board, and they were kind enough to put it in a plastic bag for us. All luggage was waiting at our rooms fairly quickly -- I heard it usually takes all afternoon for them to put it in front of your room. I didn't even need my day bag.
Cabin Review
Oceanview Stateroom with Large Picture Window
I am guessing what particular cabin category were were in because I did not purchase the cruise. However, it did have a large picture window and a queen bed (technically two twin beds pushed together). The room wasn't that big, but the storage space made it feel a whole lot bigger. We unpacked all of our clothes and put the suitcases under the bed, which made the room feel bigger.
My favorite part of the cabin was the picture window. It was big enough for one adult to sit in. I curled up in there with a good book and closed the curtain. It felt like it was just me and the sea :).
The bathroom is tiny, but doable. I wonder what happens to those who are obese, because I am just slightly overweight (5'7", 180 lbs, work out regularly), and I was so happy to get back on land and to normal sized showers. Because the vanity and the toilet/shower are in the same room, only one person can really get ready at a time. I hated that there was no real outlet in the bathroom, so I had to use the blowdryer in the living space, which meant my husband couldn't watch TV in peace while I did my hair.
Port Reviews
Roatan
We didn't have an excursion planned here. It was a little scary, but we walked down the dock to a place where there were tours and excursions that weren't ship-sponsored and got a taxi to the beach. I think the price was $30 for two people, both ways to West End. They told us up-front that we would have to pay an extra $10 per person to get into the resort for beach access, chairs, etc.
I was a little afraid because I heard this port was a little rough. What if this was a scam? What if they drove us off and kidnapped us? However, they led us to a big air-conditioned van among wall-to-wall vehicles from other vendors and I felt a little better. Now here's where a lot of people would freak out: They left us in the van for about 20 minutes, then told us to get out and go to another vehicle. I was sure this was a bait-and-switch and they were going to kidnap us or try to put us in a hooptie with no air conditioning. However, there was only one other couple taking the taxi, so they moved to a small car instead. Driver was quiet but really nice. He made sure the AC was blasting, and he was okay with answering questions.
Once we got to the beach, the driver lead us in and made sure we were taken care of. He asked what time we wanted to leave the resort, and made sure that we meant local time, which was thoughtful.
Once we were in the resort, we went straight to the beach. The water, sand, and temperature were perfect. I'm from Florida, so I know a good beach. This was a good beach. Soft sand, clear water, safe roped-off swimming area, beach chair space, etc. There was an armed guard standing over our beach chairs, so I felt safe leaving my belongings on my beach chair.
The constant heckling by vendors was annoying, but I enjoyed the crystal clean water and swimming so much that I really tuned them out. I heard so many people complaining, but it didn't bother me. They weren't even that pushy. It was a quick question -- Do you want to buy X? and I would shake my head and say "No thank you." They would move on. I didn't look at prices, but I bet they were probably better than some of the high-priced tourist traps near the port. You probably could haggle better too. Everything was for sale -- hair braiding, massages, hats, sunglasses, blankets, tours, etc.
Bring your own snorkel gear if you decide to go to the beach here. You can get pretty close to one of the snorkeling stops that the Jolly Roger catamaran makes on your own. Plus used equipment is grody.
When it was time to leave, our driver was there EXACTLY on time. He was even proud of it and let us know. I wish I knew the name of the taxi company so I could recommend them. They seemed really honest and just decent businesspeople.
This was one of my favorite days.