{"id":9141,"date":"2019-05-10T01:56:52","date_gmt":"2019-05-10T05:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hiddenmesa.com\/?p=9141"},"modified":"2020-02-23T08:03:02","modified_gmt":"2020-02-23T12:03:02","slug":"impressions-of-the-norwegian-getaway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hiddenmesa.com\/index.php\/impressions-of-the-norwegian-getaway\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviewing the Norwegian Getaway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not long ago, we boarded the Norwegian Getaway and made an Atlantic crossing from New York City to Southampton, United Kingdom. We made two stops along the way in France and Belgium, which made for a ten-day cruise. The weather was somewhere between cool and cold for this crossing so much of our time was spent indoors, but we still ended up with a good feel for what this ship has to offer. While this cruise marks our seventh Atlantic crossing, we think we have a good feel for how this is supposed to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of our thoughts about Norwegian\u2019s Getaway:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boarding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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We boarded the Norwegian Getaway from Pier 88 along the Hudson River, near Times Square in New York City.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The boarding process for Norwegian Cruise Lines is pretty much what you would expect from any other cruise line. At the terminal, you check your luggage with a Teamster, then proceed inside to the actual check-in. After you check in and receive your Sea Pass Card, you\u2019re given a numbered card that represents the order in which you get to board the ship. For some reason, we have a status of \u201cPlatinum\u201d for Norwegian, which seems to be similar to the \u201cDiamond\u201d status of Royal Caribbean. Not many perks that matter to us except that we can board pretty much anytime we want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cabin <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The closet was awkward. It seems like an extreme afterthought, tucked in behind the couch. In rough water, it was difficult to access because we had to twist around and stand in a precarious position to get at the hangar section. It was also quite small compared to other closets we\u2019ve seen on other ships. But to be clear, there was nothing we brought with us that was not accommodated in the closet, and nothing we could not do with the closet. But it was awkward. People who may have mobility issues could have a problem accessing the hanging portion of this closet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cabin was roomy. There was lots of space to move about and plenty of places to store things including the luggage, which fits nicely under the bed.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the cabin had lots of storage. The entire left side of the closet was made up of generous shelving, including the safe. There were two nightstands next to the bed that made room for all our reading material and some extra storage. A cabinet under the TV had more shelving and there were two drawers under the couch. One was mostly full of bedding for the couch, which makes into a bed, but the other drawer was empty and available for storage. As is usually the case on cruise ships, most of the underside of the bed was available and made for ample storage of our empty suitcases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nwas a desk with a reasonable amount of counter space; enough for a laptop at\nleast. That\u2019s also where the single cup coffee pot and all the hot water\naccessories was located too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can make out the four power plugs along the desk in the cabin, just left of the coffee maker.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At\nthe desk, there were four power plugs; two 120 volt and two 240 volt plugs. We\nalways carry the European Union type of power converter plugs with us, so we\nessentially had four plugs at our disposal. We\u2019ll talk a bit more about power\nin the room later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chair for the desk was a small stool, about 18 inches square. There was a matching hard top that let it double as a coffee table (sort of) for the couch. While the design is ingenious in terms of space utilization, it was somewhat impractical for us since we were trying to spend large blocks of time at the desk writing or editing pictures and videos. For us, the more practical solution was to bring in a chair from the balcony. For interior rooms, the balcony chair isn\u2019t an option. Of course, we think that we\u2019re probably not a \u201cmain stream\u201d example of most folks who might utilize the space, and if you\u2019re trying to use the stool for short periods as you get ready to go out for the evening, it should be just fine. There was a small refrigerator in the room, stocked as a mini-bar. We don\u2019t usually have much need for a refrigerator except to hold a couple of cartons of milk if we\u2019re lucky enough to snag them at breakfast, and there was plenty of room in the fridge to hold the milk even with the contents of the mini-bar. We\u2019re told that on some ships you can get the cabin Steward to remove the mini-bar contents if you need the room. We didn\u2019t (need the room), so we didn\u2019t ask on this trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Power<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s talk a bit more about power. As we mentioned before, there were four plugs in the room at the desk. There were no plugs at the bed near the nightstands, which is actually the norm aboard a cruise ship. The reason for no plugs at the bed is most likely because the bed is capable of different configurations. In our case, it was a single large bed with a nightstand on each side. But in other circumstances, it can be separated into two single beds with the nightstands in the center. There\u2019s no way to place the plugs so they will work in all cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be careful when using converter plugs. In most cases, unless you spend lots of money, the converter plug simply converts the plug type and not the voltage. In most cases these days, your power supply for your laptop, tablet, and phone will work with all voltages. Some items like razors (or anything that may have a motor) might not. Be sure to check your device to see what kinds of power it can handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bath Room<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Bathroom in\nthis cabin is roomy and quite well thought out. There was ample counter space\nand shelving both above and below the counter. Plenty of room to spread out and\nstill not be cluttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shower is\nthe real star here. It\u2019s quite possible the best shower we\u2019ve encountered\naboard a ship. While it was close to an \u201caverage\u201d width for a ship-board\nshower, it was much deeper than normal; making for one of the roomiest showers\nwe\u2019re seen. The water hardware was normal for a ship, with the water on\/off\nvalve on the left side and the temperature adjustment on the right. The middle was\na good place to start for temperature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bathroom\ncame with the necessities including soap and shampoo dispensers inside the\nshower as well as a couple of shelves in case you have your own products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not in the bathroom, the hair dryer was a good one, located under the desk in the space where the chair\/stool is stored. It is always plugged in, so there was no problem to get it out and simply use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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