New Norwegian cruise ship flashes Miami vibe

[Jason]

ABOARD THE NORWEGIAN GETAWAY - Now it's your turn, Miami.

Norwegian Cruise Line's last new ship, the Norwegian Breakaway, was an unmistakable homage to New York, where it's based year-round. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the line has gone heavy on the Miami themes with its newest vessel, which will be based in the Florida city.

The 4,028-passenger Norwegian Getaway, which will arrive in the USA later this month, has an almost identical layout to the Breakaway, its sister ship. But as can be seen in the photos in the carousel above, everything from bars and restaurants to shows have been tweaked with its new Miami home in mind.

In the place of the clubby Maltings Bar on Breakaway, for instance, is the Key West-inspired Sunset Bar, complete with a trophy swordfish behind the bar taps and pictures of Ernest Hemingway on the walls. A few steps away, the Sugarcane Mojito Bar has taken the place of the martini bar on the Breakaway. Even the vessel's Svedka/Inniskillin Ice Bar, a staple of recent Norwegian ships, has a Miami theme.

Cuisine on the Getaway also has been revamped to include Latin influences befitting its new home. The space that is the Manhattan Room on the Breakaway, called the Tropicana Room on Getaway, serves up such Latin-inspired choices as ceviche (ceviche de camarón); churrasco steak (churrasco con chimichurri); and chicken with yellow rice (arroz con pollo).

The casual Flamingo Bar & Grill on Deck 16, near the ship's pools, serves food with a Latin flair throughout the day including pulled pork (pierna asada); steak chimichurri (bistec con chimichurri); fried yucca (yuca frita); and spinach empanadas (empanadas de espinaca).

More South Florida influences can be found at Ocean Blue, the ship's signature seafood eatery. Designed by Food Network star Geoffrey Zakarian, it's a sister to the restaurant of the same name on Breakaway but features new Florida-inspired menu items including Florida red snapper.

Also getting a new Latin vibe on Getaway is the Burn the Floor dance show that first debuted on the Breakaway. Indeed, it's a whole new production where the dancing is accompanied by such songs as Miami diva Gloria Estefan's Turn the Beat Around.

Regular readers will recall that Getaway was named in a contest held here at USA TODAY, and we're getting a sneak peek at the ship this week as it works its way from the German yard where it was built to the USA.

By Gene Sloan, USA Today

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