Another review from a DISer who just returned from the NCL Getaway...

[Mickeyhugger]

I know there have been a few reviews in recent weeks, but I was eager to share a few observations while still fresh in my memory. I'm feeling post-cruise withdrawal at the moment and figured this would help me heal.

ROOMS..DH and I had a forward balcony while our 20 year-old DD and her best friend had an interior across the hall. Our stateroom was a little bit smaller than DCL's. However, our shower actually had a door instead of a curtain, which was great.

CUSTOMER SERVICE..Was excellent! We'd previously sailed RCCL (never again,) CCL and Princess, which had really good service, but NCL's was very much like DCL's. Very accommodating, very friendly.

UNLIMITED BEVERAGE PACKAGE..This was the best, and it was FREE! A few mos. after we booked this cruise (through NCL,) our consultant called us to let us know about the current promotions. Free dining package (for all of the specialty "pay" restaurants,) $75.00 room credit, or free unlimited beverage package, for EACH of us! (The only drinks not included..bottled water, Red Bulls and specialty coffee.) What makes this better than other cruise lines is that, even if we purchased it, it didn't have to be EVERYONE in the same stateroom. I know that RCCL and CCL will not allow just one 'over 21' adult to buy it. I don't drink much (one or two drinks per night) but DH was happy as he did not have to bring his own (he usually brings his own beer on DCL.)

DINING..This was the biggest surprise of all. It was WONDERFUL being able to dine wherever we wanted WHENEVER we wanted. We'd always done 2nd dining on all of our cruises as main dining was always too early for us. We usually went every night at 7:30 pm. There was never a wait as there are so many restaurants. Never again will we go with set dining times. (Except, of course, DCL. It's understandable why they don't offer it, because of their unique shows in the dining rooms.)

CHARACTERS..DCL wins this one. Sponge-Bob, Patrick and Sandy were on this cruise, but, we never saw them. They made two appearances in the atrium, on sea days, but those were the only times, unless you wanted to pay for a character breakfast.

LIVE BANDS..they were performing as you boarded, and very often on sea days, and they were everywhere.

BUFFETS..We loved the buffets! We were always able to find a table, and we thought the food was every bit as good as Cabana's. Also, this was the most bacon (crispy too) we've ever seen on any cruise ship!

ADULT POOLS..DCL wins this one too. Even though kids were not allowed in the pool, they were still allowed to pass through. It was also loud. I was homesick for Satellite Falls, and the pool on the Magic.

One other issue I had...the Getaway was FREEZING. Even with a jacket (which I wore every night) I was always COLD. I'm one who gets cold easily though, but this was the coldest ship I've sailed. I couldn't get fully comfortable.

All of the above said, we had a great, wonderful time and look forward to sailing the new Escape next summer. DCL will always be my favorite, but we can't afford their summer prices anymore. We look forward to sailing them in September from now on.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I love all-inclusive adult beverage packages. Huge irritation for me that DCL doesn't offer it. I wouldn't schlep a thing onboard. I'd pay the package of it was available. Also, in late 2013 Royal changed their policy & not everyone in a stateroom has to be on the same package including the adult beverage packages. Unless it's changed since then, Roual does allow you to have different packages for individuals in the same room.

Glad to hear NCL is good! My youngest wants to cruise the Escape next spring. He's asking specifically not to do DCL again. I'm glad. LOL!

 

[eeyorefanuk]

Very interesting thank you . Ncl on my "want to try" list

On the anthem in may even though two of us both did not need buy the package

Would love to try the escape

 

[Mickeyhugger]

That's good to know about RCCL. Maybe cruise lines are learning that they're not taking a huge loss if not everyone buys the package.

 

[conandrob240]

NCL is the line that requires everyone in the room to buy the package. RCCL does not. I think NCL is a great product for the price.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I know there have been a few reviews in recent weeks, but I was eager to share a few observations while still fresh in my memory. I'm feeling post-cruise withdrawal at the moment and figured this would help me heal.

ROOMS..DH and I had a forward balcony while our 20 year-old DD and her best friend had an interior across the hall. Our stateroom was a little bit smaller than DCL's. However, our shower actually had a door instead of a curtain, which was great.

CUSTOMER SERVICE..Was excellent! We'd previously sailed RCCL (never again,) CCL and Princess, which had really good service, but NCL's was very much like DCL's. Very accommodating, very friendly.

UNLIMITED BEVERAGE PACKAGE..This was the best, and it was FREE! A few mos. after we booked this cruise (through NCL,) our consultant called us to let us know about the current promotions. Free dining package (for all of the specialty "pay" restaurants,) $75.00 room credit, or free unlimited beverage package, for EACH of us! (The only drinks not included..bottled water, Red Bulls and specialty coffee.) What makes this better than other cruise lines is that, even if we purchased it, it didn't have to be EVERYONE in the same stateroom. I know that RCCL and CCL will not allow just one 'over 21' adult to buy it. I don't drink much (one or two drinks per night) but DH was happy as he did not have to bring his own (he usually brings his own beer on DCL.)

DINING..This was the biggest surprise of all. It was WONDERFUL being able to dine wherever we wanted WHENEVER we wanted. We'd always done 2nd dining on all of our cruises as main dining was always too early for us. We usually went every night at 7:30 pm. There was never a wait as there are so many restaurants. Never again will we go with set dining times. (Except, of course, DCL. It's understandable why they don't offer it, because of their unique shows in the dining rooms.)

CHARACTERS..DCL wins this one. Sponge-Bob, Patrick and Sandy were on this cruise, but, we never saw them. They made two appearances in the atrium, on sea days, but those were the only times, unless you wanted to pay for a character breakfast.

LIVE BANDS..they were performing as you boarded, and very often on sea days, and they were everywhere.

BUFFETS..We loved the buffets! We were always able to find a table, and we thought the food was every bit as good as Cabana's. Also, this was the most bacon (crispy too) we've ever seen on any cruise ship!

ADULT POOLS..DCL wins this one too. Even though kids were not allowed in the pool, they were still allowed to pass through. It was also loud. I was homesick for Satellite Falls, and the pool on the Magic.

One other issue I had...the Getaway was FREEZING. Even with a jacket (which I wore every night) I was always COLD. I'm one who gets cold easily though, but this was the coldest ship I've sailed. I couldn't get fully comfortable.

All of the above said, we had a great, wonderful time and look forward to sailing the new Escape next summer. DCL will always be my favorite, but we can't afford their summer prices anymore. We look forward to sailing them in September from now on.

I LOVE NCL! I really enjoy their Freestyle Cruising! I like eating when I'm hungry. Choosing my own dining time is nice. There are tons of included restaurants with delicious food! Their most expensive "specialty" restaurant is $25 and that's for the Lobster and escargot dinner at Le Bistro. OMG, that was the best lobster and escargot I've ever eaten! The only thing, you don't get to know the servers, because there's no dining rotation, but that's fine with me. The ships are beautiful! The customer service is excellent! Their "White Hot Party" is boring (IMO); however, now that I have DS, that stuff is low on my list...so, that's fine with me too.

As soon as DS is old enough to go to the kid's club on NCL, we will be cruising NCL again! I also love that I get a travel industry discount with them as well. Oh my, reading your posts has made me long for a NCL cruise!

Disney is great for my DS, so we will most likely continue to cruise Disney at least once a year, but NCL is definitely my cruise line of choice.

 

[perditax]

My first ever cruise is coming up on DCL in September, but I've been seriously eyeballing the Getaway or the Breakaway for a solo cruise to clear my head. Kind of waiting to see if NCL is done making their big cost-cutting decisions for the year.

Question about the adult pool. Are you saying there were kids in the area all the time?

 

[kaseyC]

NCL is the line that requires everyone in the room to buy the package. RCCL does not. I think NCL is a great product for the price.

Not exactly. If you purchase a beverage package before you sail, it must be purchased by everyone in the cabin. If you wait and purchase on board, it does not have be purchased for everyone in the cabin.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

My first ever cruise is coming up on DCL in September, but I've been seriously eyeballing the Getaway or the Breakaway for a solo cruise to clear my head. Kind of waiting to see if NCL is done making their big cost-cutting decisions for the year.

Question about the adult pool. Are you saying there were kids in the area all the time?[/QUOTE

No, they weren't there all the time. I guess I should have said, there was no privacy. It was right in the middle of the slides, and the family pool, with a sign that read "Adult pool only." No kids were allowed in that particular pool. So, it was loud (as the band was close by,) and a lot of traffic passing through. I love the way DCL's adult pools are secluded.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

The adult pool on NCL was right between the water slides and family pool. There weren't a lot of kids there, but it was loud (also because of the band) and there was a lot of traffic. Not much privacy. The only thing 'adult' about it was the sign that read "this pool is for adults only." I love the way DCL's pools are secluded.

 

[Debbie]

Thanks for the review. I've booked NCL for Jan 2017, and this allays a few concerns.

 

[emilyann415]

Thanks for the review. We are going on the new Escape next summer and I am nervous about how different things will be. We aren't too hard to please but we are traveling with a large group of family and I hope they have fun....they simply could not afford Disney so I hope they have a great time! I know a few of them will LOVE the casino!

 

[tidefan]

Do note that on NCL there is an $8 charge for room service. Also, you are no longer allowed to bring food back to your stateroom.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do note that on NCL there is an $8 charge for room service. Also, you are no longer allowed to bring food back to your stateroom.

They have taken that back - apparently, they say, "they weren't aware that taking food back to your room from the dining rooms/quick serve locations was so important to cruisers". I'm not sure about the room service surcharge, however.

 

[emilyann415]

I'm wondering about the unlimited beverage package...is there a cap on which drinks you can get, is it as easy as ordering a glass of wine at dinner, or am I limited to something like a Cabernet and Merlot only? I just know there's got to be a catch.... Also for the no up charge to the specialty dining, are ALL restaurants included in that?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm wondering about the unlimited beverage package...is there a cap on which drinks you can get, is it as easy as ordering a glass of wine at dinner, or am I limited to something like a Cabernet and Merlot only? I just know there's got to be a catch.... Also for the no up charge to the specialty dining, are ALL restaurants included in that?

I think the ultimate dining package is like $110 or something like that for a 7-night cruise. More like pre-paying, it seems. I don't know the particulars. Wish I knew exactly what was covered under that.

 

[emilyann415]

I think the ultimate dining package is like $110 or something like that for a 7-night cruise. More like pre-paying, it seems. I don't know the particulars. Wish I knew exactly what was covered under that.

It comes with the Haven rooms.....don't think we'd ever voluntarily purchase it. Can't get a straight answer about what it covers.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

I'm wondering about the unlimited beverage package...is there a cap on which drinks you can get, is it as easy as ordering a glass of wine at dinner, or am I limited to something like a Cabernet and Merlot only? I just know there's got to be a catch.... Also for the no up charge to the specialty dining, are ALL restaurants included in that?

The only drinks that are not included are bottled water, specialty coffees (they've a coffee bar) and Red Bull or energy drinks. You may order whatever wine you wish. There are upcharges for SOME specialty restaurants (they're listed on the NCL website and in their daily 'freestyle' guide.) However, we enjoyed the 'regular' dining rooms that we only visited one pay restaurant (Cagney's steakhouse. Very well worth the $25.00 upcharge.) Also, there's a Asian restaurant that my DD and her friend enjoyed, as well as "O'Sheehan's," which was another specialty, both at no extra cost.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Also, when we received the call from our NCL consultant about the promotions, we were able to choose from the onboard credit ($75.00, the unlimited beverage package, or the ultimate dining package) at NO EXTRA COST. We went with the beverage package.

 

[ICEMANPAD]

Excellent review! Thanks to your praise, we booked the NCL Escape for Christmas 2016. We also chose the free ultimate beverage package. We were able to book mini suite with veranda for approximately $2500 less than cat 9 on the Magic for the same week! Both cruises sail the Eastern Caribbean from Miami.