A Great Getaway Review 3/1/14-3/8/14

A Great Getaway Review 3/1/12-3/8/14

A little background on us, we are a family of four, my parents (50’s), my sister (26) and I (just turned 30). This was the third annual birthday cruise for me, with last years being on the Epic, with the same itinerary, so we chose this cruise for the ship. I decided to write a review on this ship since I didn’t have very many to read before we went on our sailing with it being so new. Feel free to ask any questions

Day 1 - Miami

We arrived at the port around 9:30 and we’re close to being the first ones there. Around 10:30 they opened up security and let us through. Check-in was painless and we were assigned group one for boarding. We weren’t going for vibe passes but definitely could have gotten them if we wanted to. We boarded the ship around 11:30, and went to the buffet for lunch. I tried the pulled pork burger and it was very salty, I ended up eating the tuna croissant sandwich which was really good. After lunch DM went to sit out by the pool and DD, DS, and I went to look around the ship. We ended up in the atrium where we decided to try a lobster tail from Carlos Bakery, it was delicious! This was our first visit of many to the bakery. The chocolate cannolis were amazing as well. (a side note: we sometimes had to wait in line a long time just to get a pastry because they were very slow in making coffee drinks, this happened in the atrium and the actual bakery on deck 8)

After that they announced our rooms were ready so we went to check them out. We had two balcony rooms, one on deck 11 towards the aft and one on deck 13 towards the front of the ship. The set-up with the bed by the balcony is much better than the bed by the bathroom, it gives more room to get around and are able to use the closet better. The balconies are smaller than other ships but were fine for two people to use at once. We had pre-ordered the oreo buttercream cake from Carlos Bakery for my birthday and it was waiting for us in our room. It was one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. It was too much for four people but we managed to finish three-fourths of it by the end of the trip. We also had chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of red wine waiting for us from the casino staff since we were casino guests. We did our unpacking until the mandatory boat drill. There was plenty of space in the room for my DS and I and we both overpacked. There are drawers under the sofa that we used for shoes and shelving under the counter in the main room that was helpful for us.

After unpacking we went to check out the spa tour and sign up for the raffle. This was the first time I’ve looked at the spa on a ship and I probably shouldn’t have, now I know what I’ve been missing out on. We didn’t win anything in the raffle :( For sail-away we went to deck 16 by the pool and waved good-bye to Miami, we were officially on vacation!

We had made reservations online for Cagneys tonight for my birthday dinner. This ended up being the best dinner of the cruise. We had the shrimp cocktail and sliders for appetizers and the filet mignon for the main course, which was cooked perfectly and was nice and tender. For sides we tried the mac and cheese, onion rings, creamed corn, and the au gratin potatoes, all were very good, we even got two more servings of the creamed corn. The best desserts were the oreo cheesecake and raspberry creme brulee.

After dinner we went to Headliners for Howl at the Moon dueling pianos. This was my favorite activity on the Epic last year and couldn’t wait to go again. They were good but not as good as the group from the epic. Headliners has a better set-up though and was easy to see from just about anywhere in the room. My DS put in a request for my birthday and I had to go on stage for a song and they sang Happy Birthday to me. Around 11 DS and I went to the Bliss Lounge to check out the welcome dance party. The room was pretty full and we danced for a little before heading off to bed.

Up next Day 2 and 3- At sea

A Great Getaway Review 3/1/12-3/8/14

 

 

A little background on us, we are a family of four, my parents (50’s), my sister (26) and I (just turned 30). This was the third annual birthday cruise for me, with last years being on the Epic, with the same itinerary, so we chose this cruise for the ship. I decided to write a review on this ship since I didn’t have very many to read before we went on our sailing with it being so new. Feel free to ask any questions

 

Day 1 - Miami

 

We arrived at the port around 9:30 and we’re close to being the first ones there. Around 10:30 they opened up security and let us through. Check-in was painless and we were assigned group one for boarding. We weren’t going for vibe passes but definitely could have gotten them if we wanted to. We boarded the ship around 11:30, and went to the buffet for lunch. I tried the pulled pork burger and it was very salty, I ended up eating the tuna croissant sandwich which was really good. After lunch DM went to sit out by the pool and DD, DS, and I went to look around the ship. We ended up in the atrium where we decided to try a lobster tail from Carlos Bakery, it was delicious! This was our first visit of many to the bakery. The chocolate cannolis were amazing as well. (a side note: we sometimes had to wait in line a long time just to get a pastry because they were very slow in making coffee drinks, this happened in the atrium and the actual bakery on deck 8)

 

 

After that they announced our rooms were ready so we went to check them out. We had two balcony rooms, one on deck 11 towards the aft and one on deck 13 towards the front of the ship. The set-up with the bed by the balcony is much better than the bed by the bathroom, it gives more room to get around and are able to use the closet better. The balconies are smaller than other ships but were fine for two people to use at once. We had pre-ordered the oreo buttercream cake from Carlos Bakery for my birthday and it was waiting for us in our room. It was one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. It was too much for four people but we managed to finish three-fourths of it by the end of the trip. We also had chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of red wine waiting for us from the casino staff since we were casino guests. We did our unpacking until the mandatory boat drill. There was plenty of space in the room for my DS and I and we both overpacked. There are drawers under the sofa that we used for shoes and shelving under the counter in the main room that was helpful for us.

 

 

After unpacking we went to check out the spa tour and sign up for the raffle. This was the first time I’ve looked at the spa on a ship and I probably shouldn’t have, now I know what I’ve been missing out on. We didn’t win anything in the raffle :( For sail-away we went to deck 16 by the pool and waved good-bye to Miami, we were officially on vacation!

 

 

We had made reservations online for Cagneys tonight for my birthday dinner. This ended up being the best dinner of the cruise. We had the shrimp cocktail and sliders for appetizers and the filet mignon for the main course, which was cooked perfectly and was nice and tender. For sides we tried the mac and cheese, onion rings, creamed corn, and the au gratin potatoes, all were very good, we even got two more servings of the creamed corn. The best desserts were the oreo cheesecake and raspberry creme brulee.

 

 

After dinner we went to Headliners for Howl at the Moon dueling pianos. This was my favorite activity on the Epic last year and couldn’t wait to go again. They were good but not as good as the group from the epic. Headliners has a better set-up though and was easy to see from just about anywhere in the room. My DS put in a request for my birthday and I had to go on stage for a song and they sang Happy Birthday to me. Around 11 DS and I went to the Bliss Lounge to check out the welcome dance party. The room was pretty full and we danced for a little before heading off to bed.

 

 

Up next Day 2 and 3- At sea

Sounds great looking forward to next post.

Great review so far, can't wait for more.

Looking forward to the rest of your cruise! Thanks for taking the time to share.:D

Enjoying your review so far. Can't wait to hear more about your trip. Thank you for taking the time to post especially since you barely got back.

Thanks for your review can not wait to read more.

I have a weird question. Did you see if they ever served crepes?

On epic they were in the Garden Café in the evening.

Happy Birthday!

Glad you had a great trip!

Looking forward to reading more.

Must be all the warm weather and sun in Miami. Everyone sounds so upbeat and happy!!

Can you send us some of it up to NY????

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Great review thus far! Happy birthday!

Great review. :)

Thanks for your review can not wait to read more.

 

I have a weird question. Did you see if they ever served crepes?

 

On epic they were in the Garden Café in the evening.

oh those were so good, weren't they?!

Thanks for your review can not wait to read more.

 

I have a weird question. Did you see if they ever served crepes?

 

On epic they were in the Garden Café in the evening.

The last night was the only night we ate in the Garden Café and they did have crêpes :) :D

What night did they have lobster on the buffet?

Day 2 - At sea

We ordered room service breakfast to start out today, they came early and woke us up lol. The boat was rocking quit a bit this morning, we wear the patch but also had to take a little meclizine today. We met DM and DD at Bingo to try and win the Haven Suit they were giving away. We didn’t win :(

After that we went up to the Flamingo grill for lunch. I had the pulled pork, it was alright. There was a lot of fried choices here and nothing was hot. After lunch we went to lay out by the pool. Forget trying to find a spot right by the pool, but we found spaces right up on deck 16 and could see what was going on by the pool. Today we watched the Mr. Sexy Legs Competition, which was pretty entertaining. After awhile we went back to the room to get ready for the evening.

At 4 we again went to try and win Bingo, this time we were trying to become the Queen of Bingo so we could play for free all week...We didn’t win :( Right after Bingo we went to line up for the Illusionarium, we got seats upfront by the stage but we were way off to the side so couldn’t see the whole stage, ask to be seated towards the middle if you can. The show was very good. The meal was alright, the steak had a peppercorn sauce on it that was a little strong for us, the shrimp and dessert trio were good though. It was hard to eat anything without missing something in the show.

The show got out around 7, we went to the Atrium to get our picture taken with Captain Tommy, since this is the picture I buy from every cruise. After this we went to the Grammy room to do some karaoke. DS couldn’t find any of the songs she usually sings in the song selection though so we left. We went to see if we could get in to the the Levity Comedy show with Pete Correale, we hadn’t made reservations for this so we had to wait in the standby line. He was hilarious and we were laughing the whole time, the opener was very funny too. I enjoy the stand-up comedy shows much better than the improv shows of Second City on the other ships.

After the comedy show we went up to the buffet for a late night snack. We had some pizza, cookies and ice cream. We turned in early tonight since we had to turn our clocks an hour ahead.

Day 3 - At Sea

We went to the Flamingo Grill this morning for breakfast, they had lemon and chocolate flavored cinnamon rolls that were very yummy. They also had eggs and fruit, I believe they would make your eggs to order there too. We went to morning trivia in the atrium and enjoyed a chocolate cannoli from the bakery :D We stayed for the technical presentation with the Captain, the First Engineer, and Julie the Cruise Director.

At 12:30 we went to the Wine Lovers the Musical. We got seated in a booth in front of the stage, perfect seats to see everything. At the table there are five wine glasses out at each spot and are numbered so you know when to drink each one. The bring out a Prosecco at the end to make it six glasses of wine for the whole show. They are generous pours of each wine, The meal is similar to the Illusionarium show with the steak being much better with a mushroom sauce and the Mochaccino Cheesecake is to die for! Seriously the best cheesecake I had on the ship. The show was very cute too, with cast members from the Legally Blonde show.

After that DS and I went to nap off our wine. We went to Bingo at 4 and guess what….we didn’t win :( We had dinner tonight in O’Sheehan’s for the prime rib special. It was cooked just right and very good. DS and I ordered milkshakes that weren’t worth the money.

We went to Burn the Floor next. This show was just ok for me, the dancers were good but it seemed to long for me. We did Deal or No Deal after that which was in the atrium and got really crowded in there. Both contestants that were chosen did very well in the game leaving with the highest amounts I’ve ever seen for the game. Than it was off the buffet for a late night snack of pizza and ice cream. DS and I decided to go see the comedian again at 11, we had to wait in stand by but got in. The show was with Pete again and it was basically the same as the other night which was a bit disappointing but still funny.

Next up Day 4 St. Maarten

Day 2 - At sea

 

 

We ordered room service breakfast to start out today, they came early and woke us up lol. The boat was rocking quit a bit this morning, we wear the patch but also had to take a little meclizine today. We met DM and DD at Bingo to try and win the Haven Suit they were giving away. We didn’t win :(

 

 

After that we went up to the Flamingo grill for lunch. I had the pulled pork, it was alright. There was a lot of fried choices here and nothing was hot. After lunch we went to lay out by the pool. Forget trying to find a spot right by the pool, but we found spaces right up on deck 16 and could see what was going on by the pool. Today we watched the Mr. Sexy Legs Competition, which was pretty entertaining. After awhile we went back to the room to get ready for the evening.

 

 

At 4 we again went to try and win Bingo, this time we were trying to become the Queen of Bingo so we could play for free all week...We didn’t win :( Right after Bingo we went to line up for the Illusionarium, we got seats upfront by the stage but we were way off to the side so couldn’t see the whole stage, ask to be seated towards the middle if you can. The show was very good. The meal was alright, the steak had a peppercorn sauce on it that was a little strong for us, the shrimp and dessert trio were good though. It was hard to eat anything without missing something in the show.

 

 

The show got out around 7, we went to the Atrium to get our picture taken with Captain Tommy, since this is the picture I buy from every cruise. After this we went to the Grammy room to do some karaoke. DS couldn’t find any of the songs she usually sings in the song selection though so we left. We went to see if we could get in to the the Levity Comedy show with Pete Correale, we hadn’t made reservations for this so we had to wait in the standby line. He was hilarious and we were laughing the whole time, the opener was very funny too. I enjoy the stand-up comedy shows much better than the improv shows of Second City on the other ships.

 

 

After the comedy show we went up to the buffet for a late night snack. We had some pizza, cookies and ice cream. We turned in early tonight since we had to turn our clocks an hour ahead.

 

 

Day 3 - At Sea

 

 

We went to the Flamingo Grill this morning for breakfast, they had lemon and chocolate flavored cinnamon rolls that were very yummy. They also had eggs and fruit, I believe they would make your eggs to order there too. We went to morning trivia in the atrium and enjoyed a chocolate cannoli from the bakery :D We stayed for the technical presentation with the Captain, the First Engineer, and Julie the Cruise Director.

 

 

At 12:30 we went to the Wine Lovers the Musical. We got seated in a booth in front of the stage, perfect seats to see everything. At the table there are five wine glasses out at each spot and are numbered so you know when to drink each one. The bring out a Prosecco at the end to make it six glasses of wine for the whole show. They are generous pours of each wine, The meal is similar to the Illusionarium show with the steak being much better with a mushroom sauce and the Mochaccino Cheesecake is to die for! Seriously the best cheesecake I had on the ship. The show was very cute too, with cast members from the Legally Blonde show.

 

 

After that DS and I went to nap off our wine. We went to Bingo at 4 and guess what….we didn’t win :( We had dinner tonight in O’Sheehan’s for the prime rib special. It was cooked just right and very good. DS and I ordered milkshakes that weren’t worth the money.

 

 

We went to Burn the Floor next. This show was just ok for me, the dancers were good but it seemed to long for me. We did Deal or No Deal after that which was in the atrium and got really crowded in there. Both contestants that were chosen did very well in the game leaving with the highest amounts I’ve ever seen for the game. Than it was off the buffet for a late night snack of pizza and ice cream. DS and I decided to go see the comedian again at 11, we had to wait in stand by but got in. The show was with Pete again and it was basically the same as the other night which was a bit disappointing but still funny.

 

 

Next up Day 4 St. Maarten

Thanks for continuing such a great review. Nice to hear about the Wine musical. I guess I have been under a rock or something but this is the first I have heard of a Prime Rib special at O'Sheehan's. Can you please elaborate on this?

What night did they have lobster on the buffet?

Lobster night was day 2 in the buffet. I didn't attend so I can't say much about it, but DD went later in the night and was able to get a few.

Each night for dinner O'Sheehans had a nightly special from 5:30-9. Don't go early they won't serve it until it is time. Lol

Day 1: Prime Rib

Day 2: Ribs

Day 3: Prime Rib

Day 4: Chicken Fry

Day 5: Spare Ribs

Day 6: Prime Rib

Day 7: Chicken Fry

How much was the Wine Lover's the Musical?

Lobster night was day 2 in the buffet. I didn't attend so I can't say much about it, but DD went later in the night and was able to get a few.

We went to the buffet late in the evening and the lobster tails were plentiful. Also grilled shrimp skewers and other fish items we did not sample. DH and DS had several. The tails were split and a nice size. Good quality and actually much better than the ones we had in the MDR on another cruise.

How much was the Wine Lover's the Musical?

If I recall correctly they were $25 per person, and a full meal is included, similar to the Illusionarium dinner. This is a luncheon and includes about 6 glasses of wine. The tastings were incorporated into the stage show which is about a gay and gal who meet at a wine tasting.

If I recall correctly they were $25 per person, and a full meal is included, similar to the Illusionarium dinner. This is a luncheon and includes about 6 glasses of wine. The tastings were incorporated into the stage show which is about a gay and gal who meet at a wine tasting.

Thank you. Is this something you can pre-book?

Each night for dinner O'Sheehans had a nightly special from 5:30-9. Don't go early they won't serve it until it is time. Lol

 

Day 1: Prime Rib

Day 2: Ribs

Day 3: Prime Rib

Day 4: Chicken Fry

Day 5: Spare Ribs

Day 6: Prime Rib

Day 7: Chicken Fry

Wha wha wha what?

Ribs at O'Sheehans!

OH YES :)

Guess I will be gaining a few more pounds after this cruise ;)

Yes you can pre-book the wine lovers lunch

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Day 4 - St Maarten

We did not have any excursions booked today, so we took our time in the morning having breakfast in the buffet around 8, we were able to walk right have the ship after that. We took a shuttle over to Orient Beach, $7 per person each way. We walked down the beach and found some chairs in front of Dr Gees sport shack. We paid $30 for four chairs and umbrellas. (Its best to get there early, the prices went up on the chairs as the day went on, a group we met in our section paid $40 per chair later that afternoon.) This section of the beach was less crowded than others we had walked by as well. Dr. Gees shack had jet skis and parasailing available. DS and I decided to go parasailing. We had to take a jet-ski ride out to the boat and the driver apparently took us as daredevils as we were hanging on for our lives on that ride lol, it was a lot of fun. (He was much calmer with other passengers we noticed) The parasailing was also great, we went really high and our ride lasted at least 10 minutes. The weather was perfect today and we lasted at the beach until around 1, when I noticed that I had forgot to put sunscreen on the tops of my feet…..oops!

We went back to the boat to shower and change then went back out to do some shopping. We decided to have dinner at La Cucina tonight at 5:45 and sat out on the waterfront area. This was absolutely beautiful with the sun setting as we were leaving port. I highly recommend enjoying a meal on the waterfront at this time. We had a pizza for an appetizer which was very good. I had the meat lasagna and lemon ricotta cheesecake. When they say meat lasagna, they mean meat lasagna lol, it was good but could have used a little more cheese.

Tonights main show was the comedians in the theatre. Both comedians and the opener performed and these were different than the shows in headliners and very funny. After this show we went to the newlywed/not so newlywed show in the atrium. Again the atrium was very crowded and not big enough to hold this game show. This game show is always funny and tonight was no different. Julie the Cruise Director does an excellent job hosting all the game shows and parties. She is also very friendly, we saw her all over the ship and she said hi every time and always had a smile on.

The fireworks were tonight at 10:45, they are set to the music from the Awesome 80’s deck party in spice H2O. We went up to deck 17 to watch them and they had the music over the speakers so we were able to hear it from there as well. It was a very good show for being on a cruiseship.

Up next Day 5 - St. Thomas

Yes you can pre-book the wine lovers lunch

 

 

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Thanks!

Day 5 - St. Thomas

Today started off with morning trivia in the Atrium, where of course we snacked on a lobster tail and chocolate cannoli from the bakery, delish! We then decided to go into St. Thomas just to do a little shopping right by the boat. We got the usual t-shirts and shot glasses. Lunch was in the buffet, and then back to the room to change for the waterslides…

We found some chairs on deck 16 by the slides and for DM to be able to sit and watch since she chickened out on the slides. Just a little warning, the pool decks get really hot, wear your shoes until you get to the stairs for the slides. We tried to go without them and couldn’t make it. We started on the easy purple slide which was a nice one to get wet on. We went to the drop slides next, let me tell you, they are higher up than they look. We asked the operator if we needed to wear the back thingys and he told us only if we wanted to and that it was better without them so we didn’t wear them. DD went first. Then is was time for DS and me to climb in, it’s really nerve wracking as your enclosed in the tube waiting for the countdown to start, and you are definitely free falling when that floor drops open. It was so much fun, we screamed the whole way down and then laughed all the way up again. We went on the orange and red ones next, and those are no joke either, they are super fast and fun. We did finally get DM to try the easy purple slide and she had fun too.

After the slides we sat in our chairs enjoying a mango daiquiri until it was time to go get ready for bingo, where we didn’t win anything lol. We then did the cartoon character visual trivia, which was really hard lol. We didn’t know very many of them. We also played Deal or No Deal where we didn’t win anything.

We went to Savor for dinner this night. We went around 8 and were able to get right in. The daily addition was meat lasagna, which is what I tried. It was very similar to the one in La Cucina but had a little more cheese on it. Raspberry sherbert was for dessert. The meal was good, but the service was a little slow, luckily we weren’t in a hurry for anything.

After dinner we went to the atrium to get seats for for Dancing with the Getaway Stars. Another funny and entertaining game show. After that we turned in for the night.

Day 6 - At Sea

Today DM and I decided to try having a sit down breakfast at Taste. We ordered the pastry basket, she had an omelet, and I just had the pancakes. We then met DD and DS in the atrium for morning trivia, where we actually won something! :) we got four water bottles for being the team with the highest score. Then we moved on to bingo where we were again losers.

At noon we went to the Ocean Blue window on the waterfront to try the lobster roll and the crab toasts. Not sure why we waited until the last day the window would be open to try it because the lobster roll was amazing! Had we tried it earlier we would have been there every time it was open. We also got some chocolate Gelato from Carlos Bakery on the waterfront, this was really good too.

DS and I then went to try out the ropes course. We had to wait in a short line before we could get harnessed up. It was the same guy who was running the drop water slides yesterday that helped us, and he remember us and asked where DM and DD were. It was nice being remember from the staff. After we got harnessed up we made our way over to the staircase and got hooked-up. Once you get to the top of the stairs you realize how high up you really are and we both started to shake a little bit, lol, I didn’t think I was afraid of heights but I guess I am. As we were slowing making our way through the obstacles we keep getting kids rushing us from behind, I would definitely recommend doing this on a port day when there aren’t as many people on it. We finally made it all the way over to the plank, and chickened out! :eek: Mainly because there was a long line behind us and we didn’t have anytime to think about it. The zip-line to the end was fun. I wish we had done this earlier in the trip so we could have gone back another time to actually walk the plank, oh well guess I’ll have to book another cruise to do it. :)

Tonight we ate at O’Sheehan’s again because DD wanted the prime rib again, we went around 5 and the special didn’t start until 5:30 so he wasn’t able to order the prime rib. We had the pot pie which was also good. We had Legally Blonde reservations for tonight so we went at 7 to get good seats. The show was really cute, I’ve seen this before in London and it was pretty much the same show minus Bruiser her dog. At the end of the show, they had the farewell finale where all the staff and crew come on stage and the Captain made a speech, it was a sad reminder that our trip was getting close to the end.

Tonight was also the GLOW party up in Spice H2O, I had read about this party before the trip to I had gotten some glow bracelets and glasses in the dollar section at Target to wear to the party, everybody was asking us where we got the glasses. I would recommend going to at least the beginning of this party for when they turn the venue into GLOW H2O, it was pretty neat. They also give out glow necklaces and sticks. We stayed and danced at the party pretty late. It was a perfect night to have an outdoor dance party.