A solo Getaway adventure May 22-29th

I may be a bit late getting around to this but wanted to write a review of my recent trip aboard the NCL Getaway May 22-29th. I intend for this to be a fun informative write up.... Lets see how I do :)

Mid day Sunday I got to the port and checked in. The lines weren't very long and moved along nicely. I always like to carry a pen with me and it made me a very popular person this day. While in line you are given a piece of paper to check off (health questions and such). As you may guess they don't hand pens out (or ran out). In short my advice is to bring a pen to loan out and start making friends before boarding haha. After check in I moved on threw the terminal, grabbed my group number from the guy along the way and found a seat to wait. Maybe fifteen minutes later and I'm boarding the boat.

This is my second cruise, the first was a weekend cruise to nowhere (yep it just leaves port floats about for a bit and comes back) aboard the NCL Breakaway out of New York a couple of years ago for a friends bachelor party (good times). This was on Superbowl weekend, I didn't realize it when I booked this trip but I had seen the Getaway docked next to the Breakaway then (they are sister ships you know). She was brand new then and acting as the floating Bud Light hotel.

My first thought once aboard was "I'm hungry", I hadn't eaten since breakfast so strait up top to the Flamingo Grill I went. With the recent post about a possible change to MV I was super happy to see that had not taken place yet. There was a small line and chit chat ensued. The lady I was talking to was a big fan and had several suggestions on what to grab. I ended up with a plate full of a little of this and that. It was all very good, to good and I may have eaten more than I should so a long walk was in order. More or less the ship is laid out just like the Breakaway I just had to jog the memory of where things were and how they all fit together.

Eventually I made my way down to the Studio Lounge to try out that coffee machine everyone raves about (it is a nice perk). Ran into my first other Solo travelers and chatted for a bit before hearing that all the rooms were ready. I hadn't even made it to my room yet so cappuccino in hand I walked down the funky hallway to 10515. I won't bore you with the details of the room in this post but should you like to hear more about it check out my review in the solo section http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2362008

It's a good thing I had a change of cloths ready in my carry on because my bag still hadn't shown up (thanks for the tip CC). After freshening up a bit I grabbed another coffee and wondered about more before sail away. I made my way into the spa on deck 15, Now I'm not really a spa type of guy... you won't find me getting a many petty or having stuff slavered on my face. I am all for relaxing though and did booked the thermal spa for the week ahead of time (saving 20 buck off the 200 price tag). While looking around one of the lady's asked if I was interested in some detoxifying treatment, I told her no I've worked very hard to get all my toxins and would like to keep them lol. She laughed mostly out of pity for my bad joke I'm sure :)

Sail away time. I went to the aft deck atop the ship better known as Spice H20 for the sail away party where they had a DJ that didn't really mix music and a MC that talked a lot. Don't get me wrong it was a fun atmosphere but I guess I just wasn't feeling the energy. So I just found a nice spot to watch us motor out and zoned out a bit. (in hindsight I think I should have tried the forward sundeck. I'm sure it wouldn't have been crowded and more enjoyable to me but that's neither here nor there now) There are a bunch of little boats that saw us off.... everything from jet skies having fun with the wake to cruiser and fishing boats waving us on. I watched the pilot boat come along side and pick up the well the pilot (In ports a pilot takes over control bringing ships in/out so they have a little boat run along side the ships and drop/pick up the person) The life boats blocked the view of the actual transfer but still cool to watch.

Time for the Solo meet at Sunset bar at 6. I show up a bit early and find another solo. We ended up chatting for hours but never saw any other solos? Turns out we were just lost in our own little world and never saw the group form 20 feet away (the drinks may have helped) We ended up grabbing a bite to eat from the buffet then discovering we both had the spa package said hey lets go there. Got there just about 10 when they close lol. As a consolation prize though they went ahead and stickered our cards so we were good to go for the rest of the week. I ended up there so much on this trip they didn't even care when the sticker rubbed off. Not long after that it was time to call it a day, a long day at that. and so day one down a whole week to go.

Ok guys I'm gonna pause here and pick back up later. I'll try to start every post out with bold at the top to make them easier to spot in the thread. If you would like to read about how I got from airport to port then vice versa along with rambling thoughts on travel then take a look at this thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2362138

Till the next post

Great start so far! Did two weeks on the Getaway solo last year. Looking forward to the rest of the review.

Looking forward to the rest of your week. I have the Getaway planned for next year. It will be my first solo cabin and first NCL cruise. I'll check out your post on the Solo Cruiser page.

Trix :D

Going solo on the Getaway myself in a couple months. Waiting to hear the rest of your review.

Travelling solo on her myself in a few months, so looking forward to hearing about your experiences.

Great review. Looking forward to more of your review.

The proposal, How could I forget to write about the proposal. So rewind back to the first day and it's time to go to muster. That fun filled event where the life vest is demonstrated to you. I was part of A group and was assigned the theater. I think the entire studio section was here. Found my row scanned in and grabbed a seat. Some staff were milling about the stage, others were directing guest to their seat. Some of us noticed centers stage was a silver bucket on a stand with glasses and what must have been champagne. At some point there was an announcement made for someone to come down to the stage area. I didn't pay it much mind figuring the card info didn't scan correctly. It wasn't until a couple appeared down front stage that I paid attention. Mic in his hand he looked at his lady and started off what must have been a well rehearsed speech "You are my best friend -------------- Just then the mic cuts out and the ships pa system kicks on full blast going threw the whole muster routine leaving the two of them stranded for what seemed like eternity in front of the lot of us. At points there were chants for a kiss met with whoo's, awws, whistles and yeahs!!! He got tired of waiting for the guy to stop talking and did the whole knee thing right there and then. They were not getting away that easy, after the drill was over the crowd was not going to let them leave until we saw our show so once again he ask and she said yes!

I may not be the most romantic type of guy but hey even I have a soft spot and this hit it. I know it isn't how it was planned but this will make for a great story for their lifetime together.

Looks like I need to learn how to rotate my pictures lol

Woke up early Monday and made my way to the Garden Cafe. They had breakfast foods of all types ready to go. Several different types of hams, sausages, pastry of all sorts, fruit by the plenty and even an omelet station. No breakfast crepes I'm sad to say but really with all this grub who could complain. BTW if the line for an omelet is to long check out the other 3 stations set up around the buffet. One is bound to be shorter.

I did it again and filled my plate with this n that's. A wonderful omelet, some English ham, a few links of sausage, a bit of fruit and grits. I love grits. Reminds me of mornings at my grandparents house where they started everyday off with grits ham and bacon for breakfast. Bacon I forgot to get bacon!!! having grits with cinnamon made up for it. Taking my full plate outside I grabbed one of the tall tables and enjoyed the views over the water. As I was eating solo friend from last night came walking by, a few words and it was agreed that I would wait there. She came back with a full plate of her own witch included bacon. Needless to say I talked myself into a couple of strips ;)

Ok so the buffet food isn't the greatest but it is good. The omelets were really tasty! Not my specialty three cheese n diced pickles that I make here at home but still really good. What I'm saying is get an omelet and grits.

After breakfast I checked my watch n realized it was after 8 and that means the spa is now open. Me and solo friend both had the same plan this morning because we both had our bags in hand and ready so we happily made our way there. It is a simple process really, walk up to the desk say "hey I'm here for the spa" hand your card over and get buzzed in. Remember you handed your card over and have to pick it up on your way out. I can't tell you how many times went to the locker room after the spa and thought oh no I've lost the card lol.

After figuring out the buzzer door (it has to be pulled then pushed) there is a hallway. The women's locker room is first then men's (both on the right err port side). The locker rooms are great, they have nice changing stalls, amazing showers. Huge sinks with large mirrors where you can get a nice shave on. Even a row of hair driers if you need them (I haven't for years) The half lockers are numbered, just find an open one and grab it. Toss your stuff in close the door, twist the lock and enter any four pin code in twice. 1234, 1234 ("that's the combination an idiot would have on his luggage" ) it locks and your stuff is secure. Once done just enter the code again and tada it opens. This place blows the shower/sink set up in the studio cabin out of the water. I ended up taking most of my showers here. Side note this locker room is not open to the gym, as far as I know you had to have the spa package to use it...

There is a door to walk strait out of the men's locker room into the spa (sorry girls you gotta use the hallway door :p ) The thermal spa is amazing!!! I'm so glad I got it. The logical side of me said it will be nice to have a place to go that has no kids and you can see daylight. The fair skin side of me says hey you won't get a sunburn in here behind the uv filmed glass. My back says AHHHHHHH when laying on those wonderful tile headed loungers. This was my nap spot for the trip lol.

Solo friend went strait for the hot tub but the buttons were not working so no jets. I jumped on into the thermal pool and immediately thought "this is cold" not ice cold but not warm you know as the word thermal brings to mind. Never the less it was still refreshing and swam around for a bit before making my way to the hot tub. Of course I had to hit the buttons too.... still no jets. By the next day the jets were working and the pool was heated to a pleasant warm temperature. After that we worked our way down the saunas (a dry and humid one) and then tried out the salt room...... A room where you sit around and look at a pretty stack of salt in the center, tic toc, tic toc... Some discussion occurs with others about why we are in here and then leave. Really I don't get the salt room at all. What I do get are the tile heated loungers. I plopped myself atop that thing and let the deep heat from the tiles just spread threw me. With a towel propped up under my head I was enjoying the view out of the front of the ship (the spa sits just above the bridge) and started to read my book. It wasn't long before I nodded off.

Woke up n hopped in the hot tub for a bit more then followed others into the steam room. It is almost hidden between two aroma showers on the starboard side. Wow this was a good room, thick with steam and heat it just called to you saying come have a seat, take a load off, relax some more. After a bit the heat does get to you so back to the pool for a refreshing splash and another session with the tile heated lounger. Really I want to bring one of these home with me.... why are they not sold in the gift shop WHY?

Speaking of steam I feel like I'm running out of it so time to call it a night guys. I'm glad some of you all are enjoying the review so far. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.. Have a good night.

Wow - you might have just sold me on the Thermal Spa package. Sounds like you really enjoyed the spa area. As a solo cruiser myself as well it seems like this might be a great idea

Wow - you might have just sold me on the Thermal Spa package. Sounds like you really enjoyed the spa area. As a solo cruiser myself as well it seems like this might be a great idea

I was on the fence about spending the money. Finally talked myself into it and am glad I did. It was really nice being able to go somewhere other than the cabin and crowded loud decks to relax, read and even nap a good bit. I don't know how many passes they sell but there were only a couple of times that the place was filled up with people. Even then I would grab a regular lounger and before long upgrade to an open heated one. Sometimes it seemed that there were more towels saving seats than people in the room lol. To me it was well worth it.

I had read on the daily that the art gallery aboard was having a presentation that morning. So I cleaned up a bit and stopped by to check it out. Knew I couldn't stay the whole time because the CC meet n greet was at 11. Now I don't really get a lot of art and am not the type to spend big bucks on a painting. Never the less I still enjoy seeing them. They have some of the artwork on display in the hallway outside of Headliners all the time but during their shows they have a lot more inside (Headliners) The presentation was slow to start and I didn't get to watch much of it before heading up to Cagney's for the meet n greet. What I did see was interesting informative and even a bit fun. Then again I'm the type of person who loves watching documentary so take from that what you will lol.

Made my way into Cagney's about 11 where the meet was in full swing. I didn't know what to expect really, people had set themselves up at tables and were chit chatting away but there wasn't really any mingling going on. Struck up conversation with another solo and before long the Officers/crew were up front for a little presentation. I think it is really cool that the ship spends the time and energy to set this up and want to say thank you. They are also kind enough to give out a letter card with the contact info of everyone so if you do have any problems they are just a phone call away. After that we moved onto the cabin craw where we had a huge group of people shuffling threw the hallways, up n down stairs checking out all sorts of rooms. Everything from aft balcony to solo's and ending all the way up in the Haven. I was actually impressed with the window cabin and may try for one on my next cruise. Many thanks again to Norwegian for setting us up with a nice place and spread for the meet. Thanks to all the people from CC for setting it up as well

After the cabin crawl I ended up going to Taste for lunch with someone from the meet n greet. The appetizers were so good we ordered more of them and almost didn't make it to the main course haha. One thing I really like about the sit down restaurants is that the portions are not huge and leave plenty of room for more. If you want to try three appetizers and two desserts no problem. You're on vacation after all :) It is all presented very well too...

Went on to try the slides out then ended up at the bars making use of that unlimited beverage pass and making some new friends. Before long it was getting later in the evening and about time for the solo meet. Figured I would try again, bumped into solo friend in the hallway, a few words and we agreed to meet at Sunset bar (where the solo meet is). Again a few minutes before 6 I'm there then solo friend. We tried outside for a bit grabbing a couple of drinks then made our way to the inside half. "where could they be" After chatting for a while we decided we were both hungry and moved on to Savor. No reservations no problem. After another nice meal we made our way up to spice where they were having another late night party and danced a bit. I had read on the daily that Fat Cats was open and suggested we check it out. When I was on the Breakaway Fat Cats was the place to be, Slam Allen was the band they had and wow. I guess I was hoping the this trip would be more of the same. Well it wasn't really. Don't get me wrong the bands sound was good (DB Love) but they had short sets and paused way to long between each song. To me that just kills the energy of a live band. It was still fun and we even danced a bit more. Well solo friend danced I just stood there swaying awkwardly haha.

After that I said goodnight to solo friend who was tired, then ventured out to check out some more of the nightlife. There is night life! I enjoyed the crowed outside of the Sunset bar the most, it is a smoking area but also has a lot of entertaining characters. Add to that a couple of great bar tenders and this quickly became one of my favorite spots for a drink on the ship. Still made my way back up to Spice and it was ok, found myself really enjoying the DJ in Bliss nightclub. The guy plays good music and his transitions are super smooth (he is a top notch dj). Stopped in How at the Moon a couple of times threw the trip (inside Headliners) I don't know what it is but I just can't get with it, everybody raves how much fun they have here but it just doesn't resonate with me... I think it may be because we have a great How at the Moon bar here in Baltimore and they put on an amazing show all the time. It is a high bar and would be hard for anyone to meet. Maybe if it was called another name I would dig it more.

At this point I've had more than enough to drink, not messed up mind you just keeping that good buzz going. I want to enjoy my vacation after all so know your level and stay there. With that I make it back to my room. Roatan tomorrow :)

At the meet and greet did the subject arise during the officer's presentation as to whether the plan was still to change Flamingos into a Margaritaville?

At the meet and greet did the subject arise during the officer's presentation as to whether the plan was still to change Flamingos into a Margaritaville?

It's funny you asked this because I kicked myself for not asking after the meet (when it dawned on me). Maybe it would be smart to stop by one of the upcoming roll calls, ask them to pose the question and get an actual answer from up the food chain. That would be a lot better than reading all the rumored dates in the threads and stressing out lol. I for one was happy to see Flamingo Grill was there for my cruise and hope it stays that way!

Woke up Monday very excited to be visiting Roatan. Made my way up to Flamingo Grill for breakfast, met up with solo friend there then headed back to the spa where I kicked back on a lounger and watched the island of Roatan get bigger. Did I mention the windows here have a great view. I went up to the port side and watched us dock. I was so excited to be here, my first excursion....

Before the cruise I did a bit of research I decided to book the Jolly Roger Catamaran Sail n Snorkel threw the ship. The excursion was set to leave port at 12 but we had docked a couple hours before that. Excited to get off the ship I joined everyone else at the gangplank and was herded off the boat like sheep. The port is not very large and I found myself quickly done exploring it. The second level of the port village offers great shade and nice views. I spent most of my time up here just watching people zip line across the water.

A little before 12 I made my way beside the ship where people were gathering. Found my solo friend that was doing the same excursion and set up camp with them until everyone started to line up. It was a large group and we started making our way to the coach buss's filling a few of them. Threw all the twisty up n down roads we went until arriving at the docks for the catamarans. There were three of them at the dock. 60 of us got onto one and started motoring out. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit on seeing the captain wrestling with the shifter a bit to get the boat in gear.

While motoring out everyone started getting their gear on and ready. Most people used what the tour provided but I saw a lot bring their own mask n snorkels (I had my own as well). Also used this time to slather some more sun screen on (burn like a ginger I do) It wasn't long before we were anchored not far from a beautiful beach, broken down into two groups of 30 and set off to explore. Following our guide there were flippers and hands everywhere. It didn't take long for people to spread out a bit but still getting thumped at anytime by someone it the group. The guide was on the move always saying "this way this way" The water is so clear and the corral full of life. I could easily just float about all day in awe of this. Eventually we worked our way back towards the ship and were among the last to climb back up the stairway. Slipping out of the gear we were quick to grab a couple of glasses of rum punch found a spot on the rail and re upped my sunscreen shield.

It wasn't to long before they announced chow time. Everyone must have been hungry the line formed instantly lol. Getting our full plates and more rum punch we found our way back to the railing on the bow ate our fill and sat back soaking in the views of that lovely blue water. At some point they pulled anchor and started hoisting sail, must be time to head back. Odd thing is the engine was still running and we were in gear. We also didn't have to tack or jibe the whole trip back. So it is a kinda sail trip I wasn't complaining. The shade from the sail was welcome and again the views were amazing!

Before everyone knew it we were back at dock saying thank you to the great crew with a tip and goodbye. The buss's carried us back to the ship. I enjoyed seeing the island go by the windows and couldn't help but think if I make it back here I'll have to do an island tour.

Closing thought. The tour was great and not that much more expensive that the private sail n snorkel tours I saw, that is why I went with the ship excursion. In hindsight I think one of the private company's would have been the better way to go. There were just so many people, it would have been nice not to be bopped with so many flippers in the water. Other than that I had a great time and wish I was there right now.

So it would seem I'm having issues posting pictures... I'll have to work on that... anyway on we go with the rest of Tuesday back aboard the ship after Roatan.

Solo friend had mad reservations to see Burn the Floor that night in the Tropicana and invited me along. Sounds great, seeing their show was on my list of things to do this cruise. I couldn't help but think don't they perform in the theater but let that pass as friend was sure it was at the restaurant tonight. She made the reservations before the cruise so who am I to argue. A little before 5 I knock on her door and we make our way to the back of the ship. They seated us strait away, asked about the show and find out it is in fact in the theater at 6 tonight. I'm not sure who we were talking to but they must of had some pull and were very apologetic for the confusion. Overly so really but they really did step up and made sure the food came out strait away so we could eat then make the show time. We found seats in the theater with time enough to order a round of drinks and settle before the start. One of the biggest complaints I've read about this production is that there is no plot/story line. This is true but the talent these people show is amazing on its own. The whole show flows very nicely. Lucky for me solo friend is very passionate about dance, seeing with with her made it so much more enjoyable. She went on and on about what styles they were mixing together, she was a fountain of information about proper dance. No doubt I would have enjoyed seeing it on my own but being able to share the experience with someone who was so excited made it a truly memorable show.

Dessert had been skipped earlier so after the show we ventured to Savor, sat by a window and ate warm lava cake yummy! One nice thing about being on a cruise is they don't mind if you come in and just order desert with coffee. We chatted for a bit about the day, found out her excursion for tomorrow had been canceled for some reason (most likely because they flipped our Belize and Costa Maya port days) I didn't have any set plans so we agreed to meet up for breakfast and go from there. Then we said goodnight and I ventured back out to the late night crowds for a few more hours before calling it a night :)

Tomorrow Costa Maya

Love your descriptions! quite entertaining... I did a studio last fall on the breakaway out of NY. Loved it! Though our solo meet & greets were in the studio lounge. typically about 20 people. Antwan (cruise employee) arranged for us to have dinner together - typically 6-10 of us would go. I connected with several people which made the first solo cruise a hit in my book! several of us went together and explored on shore.. so much better than actual solo.

I do have a question on the spa package. Did you pay for the duration of the cruise? or just so many times you could access it? I've never done it, but it sounds like something I would definitely like to do.

I just booked a back to back on the getaway for next year. trans Atlantic to Copenhagen and then a baltic sea cruise. can't wait (it's a total of 26 days!!! yikes!!!) hopefully the solo group will be as good as my other one.

Kim

Love your descriptions! quite entertaining... I did a studio last fall on the breakaway out of NY. Loved it! Though our solo meet & greets were in the studio lounge. typically about 20 people. Antwan (cruise employee) arranged for us to have dinner together - typically 6-10 of us would go. I connected with several people which made the first solo cruise a hit in my book! several of us went together and explored on shore.. so much better than actual solo.

 

I do have a question on the spa package. Did you pay for the duration of the cruise? or just so many times you could access it? I've never done it, but it sounds like something I would definitely like to do.

 

I just booked a back to back on the getaway for next year. trans Atlantic to Copenhagen and then a baltic sea cruise. can't wait (it's a total of 26 days!!! yikes!!!) hopefully the solo group will be as good as my other one.

 

Kim

Wow Kim I couldn't imagine being on a ship for almost a month with all that great food at my finger tips. I would have to go to the gym at least three times a day just to curb the guilt lol

The thermal spa package is unlimited. You can come and go as much as you please (open 8am to 10pm). They sell the package online for 20 bucks off the 199 price tag ahead of time. That was for my 7 day Western Caribbean cruise, I don't know what the rates/discounts would be for the longer trans Atlantic crossing. Once aboard you could go to the Spa and purchase the week for full price or if they have not sold out book a day pass (Don't know what they charge per day). I've read that they do offer deals later in the cruise if there is still space available.

I'm glad you are enjoying the read. This site was so helpful in planning my vacation and I wanted to make sure to pay it forward by posting a review from my solo point of view.

I agree about the worry of weight gain! it's really hard to resist all the food... ok, I didn't resist too much, but I did walk a lot... only gained 3 lbs! it was like a hallelujah!! (and they dropped off quickly once I got home-which made it even better!!!).

It was the first time I took a long cruise. The friendship bonds were great! more so than on a 7 day cruise. I'm looking forward to the next one. Only this time, with a studio, so I won't be paying the horrible double occupancy price!!!

thanks for the info... I will definitely check into it!

Alarm clock starts buzzing away... I'm already awake just watching the clock waiting for it, it's odd really, at home I never wake up before the alarm but when on vacation I tend to be an early riser... Is anyone else like that? Up to the Flamingo Grill again to meet solo friend. This morning I discover the yogurt parfaits yummy!!! From here on out this became a must have during breakfast. Look we've already docked at Costa Maya

Both of us have our bags ready and venture off the ship, wow this pier is really long, there is a tram that runs the length of it but the day is so nice and water so pretty why not walk it. The port village is much larger that Roatan's with a lot of stores and aggressive sales people. Solo friend has my sense of humor when asked where you from she didn't skip a beat, just pointed and said "the boat" bahaha... I'm not a shopper so passing the stores is no problem. The large pool area connected to one of the bar/restaurants looks interesting but it is early and no one is in it yet. They have some dolphin pools here, they look so small and I can't help but feel bad for them. We moved on and continued looking around the port until we came across this cool demonstration where four guys were atop this tall tower (pole) wrapping rope around it. As they were doing that a fifth guy climbed up, sat in the center and started playing music. A little while later the 4 guys kicked off, attached the ropes they slowly spun round and round as the coils came undone getting a little closer to the ground with every revolution. The whole way down they were pulling off different acrobatics (upside down, right way up, superman). The guy still up top playing music probably slows the rate of spin so they don't go to fast. There was no type of narration going on so I do not know if this is some type of reenactment or a performance for our pleasure but it is worth seeing. I get the feeling they do this several times a day and yes tips are welcomed ;)

From there we worked our way out of the port where some people tried to talk us into renting a golf cart for the day and almost succeeded. Ended up just taking the tram (3 bucks per person) down to the boardwalk village. As soon as the tram pulls up you have sales people in your face trying to pull you this way to their section of beach. Pushing past we made it to the boardwalk and just started venturing down it. The whole way you are pestered to come here. Best move I have for this is to give a small shake of the hand n head saying "no no" and walk on... It isn't really that long of a boardwalk and took no time to get to the end but then again I'm use to places like Ocean City MD where they stretch on for forever. So turning about we came about halfway back up and found a marvelous spot. I don't know the name of the place that had this section of beach but they were not busy at all and had a perfect shaded spot under a palm tree. Couldn't ask for more, and then the waiter handed us a beer menu (I think I may have shed a tear) look more :) With a couple of brews in hand we just kicked back letting the day pass admiring this view that could have been a painting ahhhh could this get better.... Yes, yes it can the waiter (who kept us well stocked with cold drinks) came by with a tray of fresh catch... Some fish, a couple of lobsters and this huge king crab.... Friend was set on the crab... I'm from Maryland so I'm wary of anyone doing crabs as good as us. Needless to say we got the crab and it turned out awesome. They cooked it on the grill with garlic and butter. most of this guys meat was in those massive claws and legs so we the longest time just picking at him pulling every great piece out. Our tummy's full we sat back in our loungers.... I had to remind myself not to fall asleep for fear of missing the boat.... though would being stranded here really be so bad. The whole time there are vendors walking the beach packed with there trinkets for sale. Most move on with a simple no thank you. The "Cuban" cigar guys seemed to be the most pushy not taking the first or third no thank you. The sad part is that this is their livelihood and only source of income... Its not like they could go work the fields or get a job in that factory because there are none. Short of fishing and tourist I don't think there are any other jobs here. These are larger issues and should not be dwelled on during vacation right... The day was perfect, hot but the breeze off the ocean felt just right and when I got a bit warm I would go splash in the water. I should have brought my snorkel gear but left it on the boat. Oh well I'll just have to waist the day away in the shade of this palm tree. Laying there looking up I couldn't help but think to myself,,,, how often do coconuts fall.

To little time passes and it is time to head back to the ship. We pay the bill, 36 bucks.... Can you believe it, for all those beers food and amazing seats.... Needless to say we tipped well and started walking up the beach ignoring the boardwalk staying instead on the hard packed sand at the waterline. Coming up to the waiting cabs and ended up getting in a beat up old Geo... 2 bucks per person and we were soon back at port where we grabbed one of those 2 foot of obnoxious I'm a tourist frozen drinks.... it was good! A long walk down the pier and back aboard. Do you wanna guess where I went? You got it strait to the spa after stopping by the room.

It is a good thing I stopped by the room because I also made it into the solo lounge for a coffee and found more solo's. In fact it was the solo's from the meets that we had been missing the whole trip so far. We talked about where the meet point was and was surprised when told it's right where we had been looking for them in front of Sunset bar? With this info in hand and a few faces to recognize I decided to try the solo meet again.... Well after a long spa visit and much needed nap ;)

Me and solo friend show up to the meet and tada found it this time. I really don't know how we had been missing them this whole trip... So we grabbed a couple of chairs and joined in. I'm 36 and pretty much everyone was older than me but conversion flowed easily. As we all chatted more and more joined in until we had maybe a dozen people. The host Rod had made reservations at Savor for us that evening so about 7 we headed there. I don't know if any other events were set up for the solo's or if it was just dinners. It was kinda a large party and they were not quite ready for us so we set up at the bar and killed 10 minutes along with a couple of drinks. It turned out to be a great dinner with lots of conversations across the table. Some of it was hard to follow as I wasn't there for the start of the inside jokes but everyone got along wonderfully... A few of the late night friends I had made told me about an impromptu bar crawl going on tonight so when it came time for that to start I excused myself from the table and met up with them. Well I think some of them started way to early and that died out rather fast lol. So I bounced around a bit grabbing a drink here and jamming to music there until bed time.....

Tomorrow Belize City

Enjoying your review.

Thursday morning I wake up before my alarm again... It must be all this excitement that has me up n going. Today is Belize City and I get to see Mayan ruins. This is a tender port so we have to make reservations to get off the boat. Not wanting to deal with the early rush I decide to have a chill morning and booked a later tender. So to Flamingo Grill again for my yogurt parfait and other fixings yummy.

I'm in my room getting a few things together, cash, cards, sunscreen, bug spray check (side note about mosquito's,,, I never saw one this entire trip... People around me got a couple of bites. Pro tip if you don't want to get eaten then bring someone they would rather attack haha) Filled my Camelbak up with ice water and waited eagerly for my time to be called. In the studio cabins the PA system doesn't come threw (is it supposed to?) so every announcement I had to open the door and listen. Once called I made my way to the theater as instructed where we filled into the first few rows of seats at the bottom right. Just about the time we were getting settled in they had us get up and wind our ways to the tender door... I don't recall anyone ever checking the cards to see if we did have reservations but the boat wasn't full so I don't think it mattered. With calm seas we all easily made it onto the tender. This one was a double decker so up top I went for a nice ride to the port. Time to slather on some sunscreen...

This port city is also pretty small full of the same type stores that the others have had. If you make your way our of the port there is a more local type market.

Our days for Belize and Costa Maya had been flipped... We were not told of this before the trip so the first I heard of it was when boarding the boat. Having no contact with my private tour I didn't know really what was going on. No worries I figure this is part of the adventure... I made it to the meet point not to find my tour guy but others who said they were with him and to come with them. Now I'm a bit skeptical guy and think to myself "rite" but never the less they are going where I wanna go for my price so sure lets go. After researching extensively I came down to two choices here.... Go to the closer set of ruins Altun Ha and have time left over to check out some local stuff or do the all day Lamanai trip. Lamanai sounded like a great adventure with the boat ride there and being at a place they are still doing excavation work has its own appeal to me (closest I'll get to being Indiana Jones) But I decided to do the closer Altun Ha for a couple of reasons. As already mentioned this gave plenty of time to check out the city but also I like the fact it isn't a ship excursion with so many people.

So I'm led to this not so new white passenger van where I meet a group of a dozen Chinese tourist. It is the whole family (a few are from the states)... Now I don't know if you've had the pleasure of interacting with this culture but it is always an experience lol... And it starts off strait away with one lady who doesn't want to get into this van.... she is convinced that it is not going to make today's journey. The van was a little worse for wear with a few dents but the tires looked good and the engine idled fine... the passenger door had to be opened from the inside... I've driven worse farther. With much convincing from all of us she finally got into the van. I hopped in the front seat and they immediately started asking me questions about Belize... "guys I'm not the guide" I had to explain this a few times,,, don't know that they ever got it. If anything I kind of became an interpreter between our guide and this group ahaha. The guides name was Sherwin (like the paint) and the two of us were on the same page often exchanging really looks between each other about our fellow passengers. He was super informative about places that we passed and told us about Belizean life in general. When we past the rum distillery I showed a lot of interest, he said we would stop on the way back yay! My fellow tourist had a long list of places they wanted to stop as well... They do know we started late right...

I was a bit disappointed when we pulled into the parking lot at seeing a few large buss's and a lot of passenger vans. I was hoping for no crowds. As it turned out it wasn't a problem. I've read that this is one of the smaller ruins but being my first one it looked huge. There was plenty of room that you were not stacked a top on another. Sherwin did not come in with us instead waiting just outside the gate. The Chinese family decided to leave grandma with him (he looked so happy to have company bahaha) with another look I set off to have a look around. All the pictures I see show such lush manicured fields around the temples. Well I think they have been going threw a bit of a drought because the grass was brown. Never the less this place is impressive.... You are allowed to climb to the top of all the ruins. To help preserve them they have you go up n down steps on the side. A lot of them have railings, perfect for a clutz like me. I was drinking it all it exploring little nooks, stopping to listen to guides talk, reading signs and mostly just taking time to appreciate the scale of what these people accomplished so long ago. It is truly impressive...

Of course I split off from my "group" soon as we entered the park so I would keep checking back to see if they were ready yet. I don't wanna be the guy holding everyone up or miss the ride back to the boat. Once we all gathered together they still had a huge list of things to do (go eat at a real local place, go to the beach etc etc) As mentioned we started a bit later and only had a short time before having to be back on the boat. Time didn't really seem to mean anything to them because I tell you not we spent an hour in the little trinket village smh. During this time my original contact (Waylond of WaytogoBelize tours) showed up and made sure I was doing fine. Hey there really do know each other and work together.

Once everyone was finally herded back into the van the list of we wanna do's kept going. Sherwin finally talked them into stopping by some farmers stands for local food where we had some very tasty mango's. I had told Sherwin not to worry about the distillery, this group had so much they wanted to do and none of them mentioned rum. He just looked at me and said "no no, I got you" :) So next stop the distillery YAY! We obviously did not have time for a tour so we just went strait for the tastings. I found a couple that I really enjoyed and bought them along with a souvenir glass. One is called Fiesta and has just a bit of cinnamon in it, this will make for a fun camping trip with friends in the fall. The other bottle is aged 5 years in KY barrels and will be enjoyed very slowly... By now time was running short so the rest or the trip consisted of a driving tour around the city then back to port. I made my way by the stands out side of the port but didn't see any must haves. I already had my rum after all...

The line to board tenders was a bit long. I find it kind of funny how everyone loves the cool towels being handed out. I guess I'm kind of use to the heat... I work in a shop with out ac and even keep my house a bit warm. The biggest trick I have is wearing a bandana on my bald head... I sweat it gets wet and cools me off. Add to that a nice wide hat to keep the sun off along with a Camelbak to keep me hydrated and I'm good to go. Finally on the boat, this one is only a single deck and was filled to capacity. The waves had picked up as they often do later in the afternoon so jumping from the bobbing tender to the stable boat took some timing. Once aboard I had to turn my rum over and fill out a little piece of paper. It should show up in my room the last night so I can pack it with my luggage. And now spa time...

It would have been nice to experience more of Belize and the people there, I don't know what it was about this place but I really liked it and could see myself coming back here for a longer visit sometime...

More to come from an amazing Thursday night

I get to the thermal spa to find that they are doing some work on the ceiling and have several of the loungers blocked off. Solo friend was already there and told me that one of the water lines up there sprung a leak, what ever happened it took a while to fix. We chatted about our time ashore, she went on the cave tubing tour threw NCL. Her experience was the same as nearly everyone else that did it private or ship.... They all said it was mad crowded and because of that not very enjoyable. Weather you went with the large ship bus or private smaller groups you all ended up at the same place where they jammed everyone together just to make it threw. It sounded like the coolness of the place was lost with so many people there. Tour guides were so close together that their voices overlaid making it hard to understand. I only recall talking to one set of people that raved about this excursion as being great, and they started later. It would seem everyone aims for the early tours overloading them and the mid day tours are left uncrowded. So pro tip go later

Exploring those Mayan ruins must have taken a bit out of me because I napped hard and woke up feeling super refreshed. Burn the Floor is doing a show in the Tropicana tonight and I remind solo friend we have reservations. With that we set a meet time and go clean up. About a quarter after 5 I knock on her door and we head towards the other end of the ship. I don't know if it was luck or led back to the confusion the other night but they sat us to a dance floor side table strait away. We ordered a couple of drinks looking over the menus and chatted about choices eventually deciding and putting an order in. 6 o'clock and the show started, slow at first then ramping up to full steam. Now seeing them on stage was cool but being this close was amazing. I must have been smiling ear to ear the whole performance and solo friend was in love pointing out all the little details to me. It was a short show, much shorter than the one in the theater.... Speaking of theater we are seeing the early show of Million Dollar Quartet tonight at 7 so we skip desert again finish up our meal and head back to the front of the boat (With all this great food it's good that I'm doing all this walking lol) This time we are there early enough to grab some great center seats not to far from the stage. With a couple of fresh drinks we are ready for the show.

What a great show it was! It started off a bit slow and my brain starting to say hey lets nod off but that may have been due to my own fatigue. It didn't take long for the energy of the performers to hook me into leaning forward wide eyed. The guy playing Jerry Lee Lewis was simply amazing and made the show! It really is a great production so take time to go see it. On the way out the actor who played Johnny Cash was doing a greet so we got a couple of pictures with him. NCL photographers are everywhere snapping pics getting on the boat, off the boat, dinners, and stairwells. They like taking pictures and selling pictures. You can look your pics up somewhere and order them.

From there we ventured on to the GA version of Dancing with the Stars where instead of celebrities you have the NCL staff and the partners are guest from the crowd. I've never watched the show but judging from solo friends reaction this was nothing like it. It turned into a fiasco of what crazy thing can I do to top the rest of the people. Poor little guy with glasses who's name escapes me got paired with what can only be described as she must be on drugs girl who was bound and determined to win. Needless to say this was full of laughs and great entertainment. I heard later that this was played on tv for those who missed the show so remember contestants... you are being recorded lol. Afterward we continued our late night tradition of desert at Savor then ventured up to Spice H20 where we met up with the rest of the solo's and had some fun before calling it a night.

Tomorrow Cozumel

Thanks again for putting the time and effort into sharing these!They are really great to read!

I love the amount of detail you go into and it's got a great "story quality" to it. I especially appreciate the fact that you bring a unique solo aspect to it - as a solo traveler it's fun to read the experiences of another solo traveler since most other reviews I read aren't from this perspective.

Question for you - how are you recalling all of this detail? Is this all from memory or did you take notes somehow during the trip?

Enjoying your review/report.

Keith

Really enjoying the review.

My wife and I cruised on the Getaway earlier this year (different itinerary - only overlap is Cozumel) and are booked again next March with the same ports as you.

Your review is bringing back great memories and getting us excited for next year.