The reasons people choose for cruising are many and varied. What one expects of a cruise depends a great deal on those reasons for undertaking the voyage. So keep that in mind as I reflect on my recent 9-day Caribbean cruise on the massive Norwegian Getaway. If you’re going on a cruise to party, drink, and lie on the deck getting sunburned, this may be the cruise for you.
First, let me say that I love being out on the ocean, and there is a long list of things to like about this ship. My number one joy was the daily briefings by the captain. He talked about the history of the places we were visiting, about the sea conditions, the weather, and what we could expect ahead. In his capable hands, I felt informed and confident.
The food on the ship was outstanding! Being a miserly sort (and also vegetarian, which tends to limit the availability of gourmet selections) I stayed away from the “extra fee” restaurants and contented myself with the complimentary offerings. That said, there was nothing about the menus that was not satisfactory. At every meal, there were delicious vegetarian options, so I had no complaints. The buffet always has very nice dishes (I especially like the Indian veg choices), and each of the other free restaurants had good appetizers, soups (sometimes), and entrees that worked for me. So hats off to the chefs on board!
Great cabin, clean, lovely balcony. Our only complaint was the lack of places to plug in the phones and computers.
Plenty of shops and places to walk in the port area. The people are so nice.
Very clean, not very big. Perfect if you want to swim in the pool or at the beach. A few interesting shops.
The port area is small but fun. They were remodeling some of the shops area so maybe there were not as many this time. Again, the people are nice but seemed weary of picky passengers. The people who run the private tours really need to organize, perhaps taking turns with customers like you would at a taxi stand. There was so much shouting that we decided not to do anything there.
The port area was nice but we didn't stay too long because it rained. The tenders were okay but a lot of people didn't like them. The best thing was the little museum in an historic building near the port. Very sweet and informative.