Last month I had the privilege of sailing on the Norwegian Getaway for a seven day cruise. Since the cruise started on the the day after my 14 year old's birthday it was a semi birthday trip for him. I say semi, because he did not want to go on a cruise that was not Disney! I convinced him it was a good idea, or at least one he couldn't get out of!
In the end he decided it was a good birthday present (I'm sure the two birthday cakes did not hurt!).
Today I want to start with some over all observations. First of all, Norwegian puts a lot of stock into the Freestyle Cruising. I do agree there is a certain segment of cruisers who will absolutely LOVE this way of cruising, but for our family it is not the best solution. We need to have the feeling that everything is in placed and organized when it comes to when and where we eat.
Basically, there are three main dining rooms that are complimentary. Two smaller, more intimate and one larger, more loud! They all three have the same menu, changes with the day. So no matter which one you choose to eat in, you will get the same choices. Prior to the cruise, I was able to go in and make reservations in these three restaurants for 5:30 each night. This would be equivalent to first seating on most cruise lines.
Second, I can not help but make note of our uninvited guest this trip. Joaquin! When we left home, he was nothing more than a low pressure system. He made his presence known in a huge way.
The Norwegian staff was wonderful in handling the situation. At NO time did we feel frightened, worried, or scared. We were kept informed the whole way, with both ship wide announcements and letters in our staterooms.
To keep from having a head on collision with him, we did not visit Nassau on our scheduled visit. We sailed around the island of Cuba...basically keeping the island country between us and Joaquin. While we did have rough seas and lots of wind, we were never in danger.
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| Waves Thursday morning from the Atrium on board Norwegian Getaway |
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| More waves Thursday morning from the Atrium on Thursday morning.
I've always heard the safest place to be during a hurricane was on a cruise ship. Other than a few hours where the outside walkway was closed on deck 8, life went on as normal on board. We only got a tiny bit of sprinkles. What you are seeing on the windows is spray. Since the pool area is completely enclosed to the sides...people were in the pool almost the whole time!
But I will admit...I would not have been a happy camper if I had not had a patch to wear...
Stay tuned for more! Including the story about TWO Birthday cakes!
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