Tropicana on the Norwegian Getaway

The beautiful Norwegian Getaway in St. Maarten.

I recently came back from a wonderful week long cruise vacation on the beautiful Norwegian Getaway! Of course going on vacation wouldn't stop me from taking pictures of the good eats I had along the way! I have already starting posting pics of the food I greatly indulged on my instagram (tiffanyeats_) if you haven't checked that out already!




The Norwegian Getaway is one of the newest and largest ships from Norwegian Cruise Line,
launched in early 2014. Having cruised with NCL twice prior to this trip, on the Spirit in 2008 and the Jewel in 2012, we knew that we were not going to be disappointed as the past trips were full of fun. The Getaway offers a bunch of specialty restaurants on board, such as Food Network Star Geoffrey Zakarian's Ocean Blue, and the famous Carlo's Bakery.  Tropicana, is one of the main dining rooms that can be found aboard the Getaway. My family and I dined here, as well as at Taste, and Savor, the other two complimentary main dining rooms. The overall decor here at Tropicana is beautiful, with a small
stage in the middle for dancers while the band
played throughout the night. The waiters and
staff were incredibly friendly and the
service was great as our food was never rushed or was too slow.



The menu features a variety of starters,
entrees and desserts, as well as a chef's suggestion and some featured dishes
that would be seen on the menu throughout the week.  My sister loved the Caesar Salad (4/5), which featured some crisp and garlicky croutons and anchovies. It was nicely dressed without being too salty.

Another dish that she loved, and ordered almost every night was the Norwegian Smoked Salmon Tartare (3/5). In her favour, this was on the menu everyday, and no surprise she had it every single night. I didn't enjoy this as much as I like to eat it without the Smokiness from the salmon. However the avocado provided a nice creamy texture while the diced cucumber
added some crunch. You can taste hints of the Lemon Mustard Dressing but it was too overpowering. The toast was a bit too hard for my liking.

The Shrimp Ceviche (2.5/5) was pretty bland even with the ample amount citrus juice. I usually eat it raw, but the shrimps were nice and plump. Some more red onions would've added a bit more impact to the dish, but coming out of a large kitchen that caters to 4 main restaurants and almost more than 2000 people, it was decent. The Wild Lump Cakes (3/5) on the other hand, surprised us as it was loaded with so much crab meat, we were wondering if they used any filler at all. This was not imitation crab meat either which ensured that the crab meat inside was fluffy and sweet. Unfortunately, the outside wasn't as crispy as we would've liked it to be, but this was a well executed dish in my opinion. I really enjoyed the slaw as it was a perfect compliment to the crab cake and it helped add some moisture and tanginess, as the crab cake alone would've been too dry.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Oh the Vegetable & Pork Spring Roll. How I've missed you since those days we were sailing together on the Atlantic Ocean. How we've met and couldn't be torn apart. The way you made me feel when I laid my eyes on your existence on the menu. The joys you've brought to me when I found out you were making an appearance again! I honestly cannot express my love for the Vegetable & Pork Spring Roll (4.5/5) in any other way. This was on the menu every night  back in 2012, and for just one night this featured. The peppery filling, made with cabbage, julienned carrots and small niblets of pork, is such a perfect combination. The sweet chili sauce adds a kick of spice that compliments it so well. The papaya salad helps cool things off. Back then I would've given it 5/5, but unfortunately the wrapper wasn't that crispy this time around and was somewhat doughy. Sigh...maybe next time It'll still be here...

Wow the steak. Just wow. This was incredible.
Never did I expect I would enjoy this so much. It was honestly that good. Who needs to pay extra to dine at the steakhouse when you can have steaks just as good here? Nah, I'm just joking, but this was really good. Luckily the Striploin Steak (4.5/5) was on the menu each night, so of course I had to order it 5/7 nights we were on the cruise. I think this was almost 10oz and was prepared beautifully. I always got it medium-rare which I prefer and it was the most tender and juiciest steak I've ever had! The Cajun butter to go with it, melted perfectly on top and the Black Pepper Fingerling Potatoes were addictive. Something about the season on them was
 just so good. The Onion Rings were like ones
you could find in the grocery aisle at your
local supermarket. I would highly recommend
ordering the steak at the Main Dining Rooms
even just for one night.

The Vegetarian Lasagna Roll (2/5) was a huge disappointment, as the noodles were undercooked to the point that it still tasted very doughy. The spinach and portabello mushroom filling was undercooked as well, resulting in chewy and bland taste. The Pomodoro sauce however was nice and zesty which I loved. The Mozzarella cheese sure was melted, but it added on to the unpleasant texture of the noodles. I would have to say this was the most disappointing dish I have had throughout this cruise.

Onto the Bahamian Fish & Crab Cake (3/5). This made me think prior to ordering whether it would be just like the Crab Cake I had a few nights ago. Well, ding ding ding, I was right. This tasted exactly like that with the heavy amount of crab meat except flattened out a little. The salsa, however was a tad spicy and sweet and it made all the flavours come together. The sweet potato fries were cold.

The Thai Chicken Green Curry (3.5/5) was surprisingly tasty. There were alot of big and tender pieces of chicken and the jasmine rice was cooked perfectly without being too chewy. The curry was executed well, as there were hints of coconut milk and a slight kick from the spice.
Unfortunately it was a bit cold when it arrived to our table, and this often is the case for mass-prepared food items. It was also a tad bit too salty. 

On the first night, we ordered the Pappardelle Duck Ragu (3.5/5) which again was a bit too heavy on the salt. However, the noodles were dense, and the duck was tender. The mushrooms added a nice crunch which we enjoyed, but the sauce was a bit runny for our liking. The portions are on the bigger side, which is I guess an upgrade for those who love to eat, but then again we all love to try a bit of everything!

Speaking of trying a bit of everything, my brother, was the only member of my family who ordered a different starter, entree and dessert everyday. He is I guess, quite adventurous when it comes to food. On first night, he opted for the Grilled Mahi Mahi (3/5). I had to ask him early for a bite before he devoured it all to himself because he was so hungry. The fish was flaky, and cooked perfectly. The fried plantains were nice and crisp, and the pineapple salsa had the right amount of sweet and sour flavours. The beans and rice were chewy which he did not enjoy.

Onto the best part of the meal, in my opinion,  DESSERT! One of the items appearing on the everyday dessert menu, was the Warm Chocolate Volcano (5/5) with Stracciatella Gelato and Strawberry Compote. This was simply amazing! The volcano, which was essentially a lava cake, erupted with a warm chocolate filling with the touch of a spoon. The Stracciatella Gelato complimented this perfectly as the cake would've been too sweet without it. It was creamy but started to melt really fast. The addition of the Strawberry Compote was nice as it added some tartness. Like the steak, I had this I believe 5/7 nights of the cruise. As I am writing this, I just wish I could've brought some back!

 
Another well executed dessert, was the
Tiramisu (4/5). The coffee taste was strong,
but not too overpowering, while the cake was nice and dense. We did not enjoy the Mexican Chocolate Brownie (2/5) as it was really dry, and it wasn't that sweet which was okay. The flavour was a bit different from brownies you would find at the grocery stores such as two-bite brownies. We happened to notice this when tasting any dessert that had brownies throughout the cruise.

Overall our dinners at Tropicana were great. The  atmosphere was wonderful, without being too loud even with the band playing. Never did we feel rushed to order or to leave and the service was just amazing. One of our servers, Froilan, was super friendly and was our favourite at Tropicana. The food really amazed me, especially coming from a large kitchen catering to many other dining rooms and patrons on board. What I love about NCL, is that there are no arranged seating times for when you eat, therefore you could walk into any restaurant, make reservations and get seating right away or soon. This allows you to eat whenever you want, wherever you want!