Norwegian Getaway

This time last week I was somewhere in the Caribbean on board Norwegian Getaway, the newest ship from Norwegian Cruise Line, with Virgin Holidays Cruises. It’s a really beautiful ship with colourful artwork (known as livery) on its hull and a Miami/Cuban vibe…

..the design is very contemporary – I loved this stunning chandelier…

…and my ocean view balcony  stateroom was decorated in turquoise and wood, which gave it a very elegant feel…

…it had lots of room and a sofa so could easily have slept a family of four. And I was very pleased that it had a little coffee maker (plus fresh ground coffee and tea bags) – the first time I’ve encountered this on a cruise ship.

I also enjoyed breakfast on my balcony with a sea view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…although the selection was a little limited (far too healthy for me) – if you want an American-style breakfast you’re better off going to the self-service The Garden cafe or Taste and Savor, where you can get the most amazing pancakes and crispy bacon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are lots of restaurants to choose from but my favourite was the Flamingo Bar and Grill, which offers Cuban-inspired delicacies including grilled plantain, spinach empanadas and yucca chips. NOM.

 

 

The pool spaces are well thought out with lots of slides for kids (big and small) …

 

…and this is the ropes course (which includes The Plank – a narrow er, plank, that juts out to sea. You’re given harnesses, but on a windy day this is definitely not an experience for the easily shaken.

 

We were given access to The Vibe club, which costs $79 a week and is a great adults-only place to chill out while the kids are at their own clubs, so worth every penny, and it has jacuzzis and flat beds and a bar. The staff even bring you cold washcloths and complimentary fresh fruit while you soak up the rays and views; but throughout the ship I was pleased to discover they’ll also spray you with cold water, which is very welcome in the heat of the Caribbean sun.

 

The beauty of travelling with Virgin Holidays Cruises is that you get $100 onboard spend per stateroom, which you can then spend on whatever you like… for example, cocktails *cough*.

 

One of the best things about Norwegian Getaway is that it has a whole deck of outside space, known as The Waterfront…

…this is where you’ll find the speciality restaurant Ocean Blue – I can’t understand why more cruise lines don’t offer outside space, because there’s nothing nicer on a balmy Caribbean evening (or Med, for that matter) than eating al fresco – this was the excellent calamari…

…it’s also a great place to watch the fireworks (Norwegian is the only cruise line apart from Disney to offer fireworks at sea). We also enjoyed the dance show Burn the Floor and the magic at The Illusionarium.

And of course we checked out the ice bar – they give you warm coats to wear but it’s still freezing so we lasted about 10 minutes…

…and the exclusive ‘ship within a ship’ known as The Haven (guests staying here even have their own restaurant), as well as the state-of-the-art spa.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Norwegian Getaway experience, and I miss my nightly turn down service, complete with towel animals and chocolates, and of course, waking up to those spectacular sea views. You can watch a video of my ocean view balcony stateroom below *sighs wistfully*.