Norwegian Getaway Review
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We have cruised in the past with Carnival, Princess, Celebrity, and Oceania. Due to a last minute cancellation of a previously booked cruise, we opted to switch lines and give Norwegian a try. The phone reservation with Norwegian was very efficient, and within 24 hours we had not only our cruise documents, but had shore excursions as well as specialty dining booked- just 5 days before departure!
Embarkation in Miami was very well managed... with a ship of almost 4000 passengers you expect there to be some waiting, but no horrifically long lines. Lunch options and plenty of public areas provided more than enough to keep us busy until cabins were cleared for access. The only truly disappointing note with embarkation was while the pool and hot tubs were available for use, the hot tubs were anything BUT hot... as in swimming pool temperature. This cruise took place during Spring Break, and there were 1400+ children on board (35% of the passengers) The ship seemed to do a very good job in providing activities and programs to keep them entertained. And while the staff do a fairly good job about maintaining "adult only" venues, there still seemed to be children underfoot at every event/activity.
The ship was large, clean and loaded with venues and features; including one of the largest casinos we have ever seen on board a ship. (covering almost half of deck 7) The adult only area (Spice H20) at the rear of Deck 16 was beautiful, but be sure to use the sunscreen as there is no shade other than a few table umbrellas. Also, do not expect to be able to sip your drink of the day in any of the pools or hot tubs... Norwegian does not allow this, and the crew will remove drinks.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony
Our cabin was a mid ship mini-suite, and as others have mentioned this is somewhat of a misnomer. This stateroom is the same size as the balcony stateroom, with the exception of the bath (which is where the extra sq. footage comes in). The bath features a large double sink, and a large glassed door shower with rainfall as well as body spray jets. There was more than enough room in the bath to accommodate two people at once. The bed was the standard twin into queen configuration, and not the most comfortable bed we have experienced. The balcony IS small, but you can sit or stand to watch the world sail by... just don't expect to relax there. One thing noticeably missing was the nightly chocolates on our pillows that we have come to expect from different lines.
Port Reviews
Roatan
We opted to utilize one of the Beach Buses... did NOT work out as hoped and was dropped off a resort (not the one we requested) only to find out we could NOT snorkle at that beach without walking half a mile up the beach. Needless to say it would have been much better to take an organized excursion.
Harvest Caye
This is the first season for Havest Caye, so it is new, somewhat sterile, and very American... Not like the country itself. We took the River Tubing excursion which allowed us to see some of the actual countryside, and enjoy a refreshing float through a rain forrest. The guide was very informative and friendly.