Norwegian Getaway Review

4.5 / 5.0
3,272 reviews

The Haven is the Only Way to Go

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Getaway
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LynnAbronski
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Mar 2018
Cabin: The Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony

We chose this itinerary and the NCL Getaway purely because this ship has The Haven and the dates worked for us. This was our fourth cruise with NCL, and I will never cruise again without being in The Haven because I hate mob scenes and that is all you get on the rest of the ship. Even so, I think NCL is making too many rooms part of The Haven, thus causing overcrowding in the pool area and, sometimes, in the dining room.

Re the itinerary, we've been to these ports before, so there was no great draw for us there. In fact, I did not get off the ship in Costa Maya (though my husband did), as that is just a created shopping area with nothing but too many junk shops. I also did not get off the ship in Cozumel, first because it rained all day and, second, because the town is full of the same touristy shops and nothing much else to offer. Harvest Cay on Belize is nice enough, but it also is a "created" area just for ships. The water was warm, though the sand is rough, and the chairs are all lined up with literally 2" between each one. Nothing is free here. My main gripe is that you are not really visiting another country but just a Disney World version of Belize. We did take the manatee nature tour and saw and learned some interesting things, but only the tip of the nose of one manatee. Roatan was the best of the four ports, with the tour to Gumbalimba Nature Preserve being excellent, as was our guide. The Tabyana beach part of the tour was okay.

Re dining, the speciality restaurants are no better or worse than any chain restaurant. The food is good, but not great, and definitely nothing to rave about. However, do not ever order lasagna at La Cuchina. That was definitely the worst I've ever had ~ layers of soggy noodles and ground beef, with the tiniest amount of sauce, and NO cheese that could be seen or tasted. Italy should sue them for ruining a great Italian dish. The other meal I ate there was equally tasteless. We stayed away from the Garden Buffet because that is like a free-for-all, with too many people, mediocre food, and not enough staff to keep up with the messes made by the guests. The Haven Restaurant had by far the best meals, especially breakfast.

Cabin Review

The Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony

Cabin H7

Everything was just fine. No problems or complaints.

Port Reviews

Harvest Caye

This is just a pretend version of Belize, ala Epcot, combined with a Six Flags Water Park. I'd rather dock at the real Belize and see the real island, not some made-up place. There are too many people, too much cutesy stuff, and not much is free. The beach is a mob scene, with chairs lined up in rows with about 2" space between each one, just like on the ship. Zero privacy.

Costa Maya

Nothing to do here but go in touristy stores, all selling the same junk.

Cozumel

Okay if it's your first visit. After that, it's just the same old touristy stuff, and not worth getting off the ship for.

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