When deciding on our annual summer family vacation, we took a lot of things into consideration. My family and I just returned from a 7-day cruise about the Norwegian Getaway to the Western Caribbean, touring Honduras, Belize, Costa Maya – Mexico and Cozumel – Mexico, and today I want to share with you why we chose Norwegian Cruise Line as the cruise line of choice for our family cruise vacation.
This post is done in collaboration with Norwegian Cruise Line, all opinions are mine alone.
For the past, almost 10 years we’ve been visiting a Disney Park yearly for our annual vacation, sometimes up to 3 times a year. Almost 2 years ago Madison and I experienced a Disney Cruise and we were pleasantly surprised at what it offered. Then again, this is Disney we’re talking about and they sure know how to entertain family, and young kids in particular.
Now that my family has grown up, when it comes to family vacation I have to take into account my kids ages. And we all have a say into where we go. While we love Disney, it’s been getting monotonous hearing my now 13, 17 and 22yr old complain that they were no longer interested, and it was much more suited for Madison age 6.
So when it came to our family vacation, although Disney was/is fun, we went with Norwegian, and not just because we were offered the chance to cruise, because after all we could have said no, but because of all that it had to offer everyone.
Norwegian has something for everyone!!
Food & Drinks (and lots of it!)
For the grumpy grandpa who loves his martini shaken not stirred, James Bond style and the mama who just enjoys her Bahama Mama’s then Norwegian is the place to be. The bars are stocked and the bartenders surely know how to mix their drinks. The kids enjoyed pigging out at the Garden Café where everything is done buffet style and the dress code is cruise casual. Which means shorts, tees, swimwear (with a coverup) so there’s absolutely no need to dress up. You can enjoy breakfast thru dinner at your convenience, no reservation required, and every night dinner is a different theme.
For those requiring something a bit more fancy, there are lots of restaurants to choose from. From sushi to French cuisine, Norwegian Cruise Line has it all!
Adult Fun
Norwegian is a family cruise line, but sometimes you need to leave the kids alone and enjoy some adult time. Checking your Freestyle Daily magazine which is sent to your room nightly so you can prepare for the next day’s activities, you’ll find a myriad of fun stuff that adults can partake in. From the casino to comedy night, dancing it up in the club or even relaxing poolside, you’re going to have fun! Or sit back in your room or balcony with a glass of wine and some hors-d’oeuvre. Although I very highly suggest visiting one of the many bars and have the bartenders fix you one (or many) of their specials of the day. You can even schedule an appointment at the spa.
Kids Fun
For the teen who refuses to unplug even on vacation, there’s Entourage for ages 13-17 which has video games and so much more, and no adults are allowed. And for the younger kids such as Madison, Splash Academy is a blast, once again these are kids only places where you can drop your kids off for the day. There are activities catered for different age groups, and Madison asked daily to go, so I know it was a lot of fun.
There’s also mini-golf for those who just want to kick back and relax, a basketball court for the others who want to blow off some steam, and for the more adventurous, there’s also a rope course. And how can I forget the arcade? Once again, there’s something for EVERYONE!
Don’t forget the pool!
Now a vacation isn’t a vacation until you’ve had your dip in the pool. While there is a pool for adults with a lifeguard on hand, and a DJ that keeps the party going, what I loved about Norwegian (at least on the Norwegian Getaway) was that there was a themed pool for the younger kids (Aqua Park), who would prefer staying away from the more boisterous pre-teens and teenagers.
Hospitality
I’ve never met a friendlier crew, always eager to help and with an ever-present smile on their faces. The good mornings, good afternoons and good nights truly made my day/nights, and even the hostesses at the many restaurants were so pleasant. When Madison fell asleep after a rather busy day in Cozumel while eating dinner at Moderno Churrascaria – which offers Brazilian cuisine, they were rather kind enough to send a basket of the bread she loved to her room. Moderno Churrascaria has waiters that carve an extraordinary selection of meats at your table. It was absolutely divine!
Overall, we had an amazing time on board the Norwegian Getaway, and the first thing my kid said when we got back was “I wish I was still on the ship at the Garden Cafe”. 😂 Norwegian totally spoilt us and this is definitely not our final cruise aboard one of their ships.
We are definitely looking forward to cruising again with Norwegian Cruise Line and hope you would too!
