Norwegian Getaway Review

TERRIBLE Cruise Experience---Never Again!!

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Norwegian Getaway
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tcl82
6-10 Cruises • Age 20s

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Sail Date: Apr 2017
Cabin: Inside Stateroom

I booked this trip with the hopes of seeing Europe for the first time while being able to tackle the time changes more gracefully on a daily basis rather than in one blow via flight. I also have been on quite a few cruises (one Norwegian ship in the past) and have loved every experience so I went in optimistic and trusting..this turned out to be a terrible mistake. The only true positives I can attest to would be the entertainment staff and the great shows that were put on, and that we ultimately made it to Copenhagen. The comedians were hilarious, Million Dollar Quartet and Burn the Floor were also must-sees, though many shows were reserved shortly after we left Miami on Day 1. I was able to reserve all the shows I wanted to see (also on Day 1, however) with no issues through the Norwegian iConcierge app. I will also mention that the entertainment staff that ran events such as Escape the Big Top, did many of the trivia games, etc. were terrific and a joy to see around the ship. Service was sub-par, long wait times even when sitting, had to ask for water, food to be picked up, and for fresh silverware on multiple locations and felt as though I was a burden. The food was average, but I had trouble finding more than one option per menu as I am vegetarian..so many of the times I just went to the buffet to have my options open. Customer service was a nightmare..always with at least 25-30 people in the line no matter the time of day, especially as the cruise progressed. You could tell they had to feel flustered at times due to the yelling and screaming that could be heard throughout the atrium at times; should have been indicative of the quality lost through the cruise and morale was evident.

Our room was an interior on deck 8. You had to pass the automatic doors that led to the outdoor walkway so it was always very cold and drafty through the halls. Would have to wear a jacket just to navigate through the area if I were to get breakfast in the morning or step out after the sun had set. The room served our needs however and I do not have any complaints with the cabin itself. We had issues with our room steward from day 1 with our room only being made up once close to 9pm and not formally meeting our steward until the end of day 2/maybe even day 3. This is not to say we expected an entire turn-around in our room multiple times a day..we wanted the beds to be made at least once before around 8pm. This spanned out to multiple talks with the Housekeeping Director, her direct supervisor, and our steward directly as things continued to escalate. We didn't feel secure with our belongings due to agitation and couldn't trust that our room would be made up when we would come back to the room. We also would make it a point to steer clear of our room during the entirety of her shift (which she shared with us), aka our leisure time was determined by her schedule and whether or not she could get to our room at least once a day. We tried to solve these issues with our steward directly as we felt uneasy and uncomfortable with the way things were progressing up the chain of command and ultimately got to a silent agreement that the bare minimum--at least with the current track record of our voyage--would suffice.

The ports have been touched on by other reviews from our voyage but I will also touch on it briefly. We only successfully docked at 2/3 of our scheduled ports, this is with me grouping in Southampton where we not only arrived 5 hours late, but the disembarkation process took almost the same amount of time depending on when your group was allowed to try for the Tropicana Room where Immigration processing was taking place. Upon speaking with many guests I learned that they missed their excursions, or did not book one and ended up disembarking after everything had been closed. I booked the London on your Own tour and did not reach London until around 5pm. This still includes around a 3 hour wait time with immigration. It was tough seeing so many guests struggle and be uncomfortable as we waited in line for so long without access to a bathroom, snacks or drinks. Our time was "extended" until 8:45pm and left us with less than half the time said on our itinerary. We made the most of our time and truly were just excited to be on land before getting back on.

Cabin Review

Inside Stateroom

Cabin ID

Small interior room with a closet, vanity with storage in the stool, under bed storage and ample shelving in the bathroom. I liked how you were able to shut off the lights throughout the cabin from the bed. Key card activated lighting system, and there were 2 European outlets and 2 American outlets by the vanity. Matched my expectations and I have no complaints about the room, would maybe size up in the future. Having to pass the access doors for the outdoor walkway was inconvenient and very cold. Could also be difficult to navigate during busier times as you had to pass Fat Cats, Sunset Bar, the Ice Bar, photo studio, etc. if you were to go from Aft to Forward.

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