Norwegian Getaway Review

Itinerary needs work

Review for the Baltic Sea Cruise on Norwegian Getaway
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sandiablonde38
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Oct 2019
Cabin: Aft-Facing Balcony Stateroom

We choose this cruise to see areas of Scandinavia it would be difficult to see renting a car and driving around, which we usually do. We had an aft-facing mini-suite on deck 14 that would have been good for two people but was rather cramped for three. There was a lot of storage space but not for the suitcases. With four suitcases. we ended up putting two on the balcony because there just wasn't enough room in the cabin for them. The balcony was nice and the bed was comfortable, but being in the aft section and high up, we could feel the ship move when we went into rougher waters, which was actually often at the beginning of the cruise. The steward assigned to our cabin was good and friendly, but toward the end of the cruise the service started to slack off. We ran out of tissue two days before the cruise ended and it was never refilled.

The food was very good, especially the three main dining rooms and for the most part the staff was very friendly. I was disappointed with the Tropicana Room. It was supposed to be a re-make of a 1940's Miami nightclub, but there was barely any music. There was this nice dance floor but it was filled with tables and the one time someone did have music, it lasted about 10 minutes and then they left never to come back while we were there. The Freestyle seating works to an extend. Yes, it is nice to be able to eat when you want and where you want and to sit at a table by yourselves but the wait to get into the dining rooms was some times too long, especially when the ship was at sea for the whole day and people had no where else to eat. Get there a half hour before the places open if you want to get a table without waiting!

Activities were a bit limited, especially with the weather the way it was, but that was to be expected at the time of year we went. Indoor activities were okay, but the cruise director was annoying and to be honest, some of the activities were rather childish and stupid. Guest services needed more staff. There are not nearly enough trash receptacles on the ship. In fact, we had a hard time finding any. It was nice that there were disinfection stations everywhere and staff stood around with small spray bottles of the stuff also, but there was nothing in the cabin.

Cabin Review

Aft-Facing Balcony Stateroom

We had an aft-facing mini-suite on deck 14 that would have been good for two people but was rather cramped for three. There was a lot of storage space but not for the suitcases. With four suitcases. we ended up putting two on the balcony because there just wasn't enough room in the cabin for them. The balcony was nice and the bed was comfortable, but being in the aft section and high up, we could feel the ship move when we went into rougher waters, which was actually often at the beginning of the cruise. The steward assigned to our cabin was good and friendly, but toward the end of the cruise the service started to slack off. We ran out of tissue two days before the cruise ended and it was never refilled.

Port Reviews

Copenhagen

What a beautiful city. You can take the metro from the airport right to the old town section and then walk around the area for a few hours and see most of it. Wonderful buildings, great little cafes, and neat shops.

Rostock (Warnemunde)

If you don't take the excursions you are stuck in Warnemunde itself, but that isn't all that bad. It is a quaint little city with a pretty church. The old old light-house is neat (you can climb to the top for 2 Euros) and the beach is always fun. Great fresh herring and smoked fish of all sorts, including eel.

Tallinn

This is a great Medieval walled town. It is not, however, just a five minute walk from the dock. It is more along the lines of 30 minutes but it is worth just walking there rather than taking a tour because then you can walk around the streets of the walled town on your own and not have to worry about the tour. We found a great restaurant and had marinated mushrooms and salted cucumbers as well as Estonia's version of Root Beer. Great little shops with neat knitted things. Despite the rain, it was fun.

Helsinki

We walked from the dock to the old-town section and it took about 45 minutes but it was a pleasant walk. The two churches we saw were very nice and we could go in them and look around. Not many people here. The main city itself isn't all that old but they have lots of parks and it is easy to walk around. We enjoyed our time here but it wasn't nearly enough time. Take a day away from St. Petersburg.

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