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Cruising on Norwegian Getaway
January 27th, 2014 found me heading to New York to join the
new Norwegian ship - Getaway, a pre-inaugural trade cruise on
NCL's latest ship. The Getaway, is a sister ship to the Breakaway,
reviewed by Steve Bloss in May of 2013. As the ships are almost identical
I will not re-write the excellent review offered by Steve, but simply make some
changes to reflect several difference noted between the two ships.
Two days is hardly enough time to really
experience this ship as she offers a lot including 27 food and dining options
and 22 bars and lounges. At 146,600 gross tonnage carrying 4,028 passenger
(based only on double occupancy) and 1,640 crew there is a tremendous amount to
see and do in such a short time.
Let me start
with the cabins which are nice change from the Epic. The standard balcony
cabins that most groups would use are back to a more traditional design with
ample space, a balcony with 2 chairs and a table. The bathrooms have an
enclosed shower and ample storage space plus the shower bar that the ladies
love. The bedding is great by anyone’s standards and the soft is comfortable
for watching the large flat screen TV. A very nice feature is the coffee and tea
machine in each stateroom. The décor is contemporary and very appealing.
The Studios
staterooms are basically a section of which would normal be given over to inside
staterooms, However NCL has produced a private corridor access to two levels of smaller inside cabin
locate on decks 10 and 11, These individual staterooms are approximately 100 sq
ft each with a double bed and all the necessary facilities including access to their own private lounge. A unique concept to Norwegian and great for sales
meeting with single occupancy being a major concern.
The Haven Suites is a ship
within a ship concept that offers many private key card only access to Haven
guests. They include a private dining area, private bar, pool, sun deck are and
more. The cabins are all basically suites of varying sizes. Great for a small
group, VIPs or even a takeover. Of course these passengers get preferred access
to all dining venues etc. Another section of staterooms are also classified as
"Spa Suites" these have varying access to the spa and Haven facilities depending
on price. The Spa and work-out areas are both very impressive and offer
beauty treatments, nail, haircutting and even a barbers shop for the guy's in
your party. The Gym has all the very latest equipment and was itself getting a
work-out when I visited.
In my
opinion the biggest Wow factor is the totally new concept “The Water Front”.
This is a very large area cover over half of deck 8 that features indoor/outdoor
dining on both sides of the ship featuring 5 restaurants, 3 bars and lounges and
a cigar room. This is going to be wildly popular so much so Mickey Arinson
called the President of NCL to comment why didn’t we think of this before.
Located on this deck is Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s designed Ocean Blue and
Raw Bar. Seafood is the star here and it is a signature dining event. Also
being offered is a take away menu which is a new concept as well. Here you will
also find the Noodle bar/restaurant and Sushi bar/restaurants.
Of the total of 27 food and dining venues, not including room
service, 11 are offered at no additional charge while 16 carry additional
charges. I had the opportunity to dine at the Italian restaurant La Cucina which is as good as any similar land
quality Italian as you will find. It
was excellent and the service was great. I also had lunch in Savor which is
one of 3 main dining rooms which is stunningly decorated with a nice menu as
well. Of course your typical buffet dining is available and the not so typical
New York style hot dog carts.
Unique to the
Getaway is the Illusionarium. its a remarkable diner /show themed venue
were you'll be entertained by world class magicians, illusionist and mentalist
as well as enjoy the fun Victorian / Edwardian staging and amazing light show. This is a must do event for any group.
I was also fortunate to take in the Broadway show - Legally Blond
- and found it to be of extremely high quality, very well staged and excellently
produced. My one comment was that the sound system needed adjustment as
the singers voices appeared very screechy even more so that was necessary to
convey the theme. This is an
visually eye-popping Broadway Show. This show alternates with the show - Rock of
Ages - which regrettably I was unable to fit into my schedule. These certainly
aren’t your boring production shows so often found on cruise ships.
Other lounges feature Fat Cats Jazz and Blues Club which I highly recommend, The
Second City improv lounge and Howl at the moon. These three night spots offer
top acts nightly. To cool off after a hot night of fun go to the Ice Bar,
parkas are provided.
Needless to say the ship as all the latest gizmo's - interactive
screens scattered around the ship allow you to make your own dinner
reservations, locate the places of interest, your favorite lounge or whatever
and then give you directions to it. There is a small internet cafe for
those that do not have their own pad, laptop of smart phone, however we found
logging onto the WIFI to be next to impossible probably because so many units
were soaking up the band width. I understand NCL has contracted to upgrade
WIFI Facilities on theirs ships so hopefully this will resolve the problem.
New water
slides, rope courses, mini golf and a sports complex,
these facilities that cover a staggering amount of space. The 4 water slides
are the wildest I have seen at sea.
The
Getaway will operate year round from Miami offering 7 night Eastern Caribbean Cruises
February 2014, year round. This has to be an appealing ship / itinerary for
corporate programs.
This ship
has again raised the bar
again in Caribbean 7 night cruising. Highly recommend you consider them for your groups.
This review is the combined personal opinions of Steve
Bloss (Breakaway) and Jim Castle (Getaway)and
does not
necessarily reflect the opinion of WWTCA - Jan 2014 |
