hardtohide
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Posts posted by hardtohide
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7 hours ago, ❤️2cruise said:
We just received an upgrade on the Getaway, 4/27 . $200 pp from minisuite to spa minisuite. This saved us $79 pp for the spa pass which we were going to buy anyway.
We love the spa on the Getaway. We ALWAYS buy the passes. It's the cost of an excursion and you get to use it all week....
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Leaving for the Infinity on Monday. Does anyone know if the Elite's get the one day in the thermal spa on a port day like before? I looked at the benefits and it doesn't show up anymore on the list.
May have to buy the week pass!
Also does anyone know how much the drink of the day is now. First time traveling without the drink package in a long time.
Thanks
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On 10/20/2018 at 11:31 AM, RobCaron said:
we had a great time on infinity. november is a great time (just not thanksgiving!). food was great. specialty restaurants all good - Le Petit Chef at qsine extra fun!
Why not Thanksgiving? We are thinking of going at that time, our first during Thanksgiving????
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We returned from the Gem a couple weeks ago, like Jamie says "it was cold".
We loved it. Casino was a nice size for a ship that size. Loved Swing. We got thermal spa passes and the spa was great.
Don't miss the signature crepes every night for dessert in the buffet.
Only drawback was the line for the main dining room for meals. But they give you those buzzers that light up when your table is ready and we just went and had a pre dinner cocktail. Never waited more that 15-20 minutes for dinner. And loved the Grand Pacifica over Magenta dining room hands down.
Lots of great entertainment.
My only issue is I had the worst cabin steward ever in over 100 cruises.
Everything else was great!!!
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Yes, to me the Epic and the Gem have the best spa. I am on the Breakaway this coming October and i hear the spa is not as good. Oh well, we will see...
I just booked Gem thermal spa. Only 139. per person. What did you like about it never having been on the Gem?
Thanks
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I would just find a piano and start playing. As long as you are good, no one will say anything. My husband is a musician, and we had the entire family on a cruise celebrating his parents 50th wedding anniversary. His Dad had asked my husband to surprise his Mom with their wedding song. We all brought our drinks and gathered around to listen. So did quite a few other people, pretty soon, everyone was throwing out requests and my husband "played" for two hours. No one said, a word except when people recognized him on the ship and asked him where he was playing that night!!! It was a one time show!!!!
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Hi Paul,
I will be cruising with you. Excited to be on our first President's cruise. See you and Edward at the martini bar!!
Wendy
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We were on that cruise and we were fine. It was a great cruise. Did anyone ever find out about the helicopter on the sail away?
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Just a quick question, how long does it take to get the clothes back? Thanks
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I know. I read some reviews before I left that had me a little worried. I think it's all about expectations. I have been cruising for 35 years. Things have changed but it's also very affordable for everyone now. The mega liners cater to the masses. I love the new big ships but I also know that they may not know my name or what I like for breakfast every morning like the smaller ships. I thought for what we paid and was we got, it was a great trip. I can't compare what I used to get because it's no longer relevant. The loyalty perks get skimmed down every year, but so do my airline perks. I thought NCL hit it out of the park for us last week. So much so that we are booking another short cruise in November.
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The Shrimp Risotto was in Savor, a complimentary venue. It was the first night, so that would have been Sunday for us. Lots of big shrimp!
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Illusionarium, you buy the ticket for dinner online. To get a seat up close, get there early and enjoy your drink there. Tables are buffet style.
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Let me first say, I have been loyal to Royal for years, proud of my Diamond Plus status. That said, I had an expired cruise credit with NCL from a few years ago. So I started the low prices in September with an additional $250. credit. Add the Unlimited Beverage Package and 3 night dining package and it was just too darn good to pass up.
As a Miami native I have been on probably 100 cruises, it was just so easy to get to the port. We now drive from Southwest Florida, and it takes us about 2 hours to get there.
Embarkation was easy. We used Safe Park for the car, cheap and they were waiting for us when we got off the ship. Total cost for 7 night, $56. with an 10% discount code I found online. From when the shuttle dropped us off about 12:30 p.m. to getting on the ship it was about a half hour. No waiting in that little room for access, we walked right on. Dropped our luggage off in our stateroom and went right to one of the dining rooms, Savor for lunch. DH and I are not much for the buffet. We both love getting waited on and only 1 breakfast the entire trip was in the Garden Cafe buffet.
The menu was good. I had a drink and then we finished up, and walked around the ship. First stop, the SPA to check out the thermal lounge. We had read mixed reviews but we loved the thermal spa on Holland so we bought the passes before we left, saving $20. in advance. It was $179. each as compared to $199 on the ship. NCL says they only sell 120 passes and I did talk to some people that said other friends in their party were not able to get them once on board. The thermal spa is beautiful, we used it twice a day on most days. I loved the steam bath and DH loved the Salt room and the Sanarium. Most days there were no more than 20 people in the spa at a time. Some days there were less than 5 and one day, we had the place all to ourselves. They provide robes for your use, and you can shower in the huge spa showers.
We found out the thermal spa opened at 4 p.m. on embarkation day for use. We would be back. Normal hours were 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. It provided the most relaxation anywhere.
We then headed to the pool bar, and grabbed a drink and enjoyed the view.
Thanks to the prices dropping after final payment and my calling we wound up with a B1 aft balcony, 14876. Plenty of room, a spacious balcony with 2 chairs, a table and a lounger. Bonus, lots of hangers in the closet. Usually I have to ask the cabin attendant for more but we actually had some extras and had to hang T shirts on them so they didn't rustle at night. (We had great sailing weather, 1 foot waves the entire trip, so not much movement on Deck 14 aft at all). A great tip was to bring an extra key card so the A/C stayed on. Above the key card was the switches for Make Up room and Do Not disturb. They have a unique light system on top of the door to let the cabin steward know what needs to be done. No more hanging the flimsy placard on the cabin door.
We went upstairs and our luggage had arrived. Unpacked, lots of room in the bathroom for toiletries, and went back to tour the ship.
The Getaway is a great ship. We both loved the layout and with 4,000 passengers, NCL did a great job with traffic flow. It never felt cramped. We went back out in search of a few more libations. Plenty of bars to choose from.
Best tip- Make sure you download the iConceirge app for your phone. We were able to make calls to the US for .79 cents a minute. That was a lot less than either my Verizon plan or DH's Sprint plan. You can also give loved ones a special number to call that connects right to the app. It also lets you check your balance and make all sorts of reservations. Very, very cool app!
Dining
We enjoyed 2 nights out of the 7 at Savor, one of the complimentary restaurants. The first night I had the best Shrimp Risotto I have ever had. We LOVED Cagney's. Ate there two nights, had dinner at Moderno one night, (probably the worst service we had on board, not bad but everything else was so wonderful, it was just a little slow). We did Tropicana one evening, caught a little of the Burn the Floor dancers that entertain at 6 p.m. every night, (ask for a table near the stage, we asked for a window seat not realizing the show was at 6 p.m.). We also bought the Illusionarium package. Show was great! A must see.
We made reservations for the specialty restaurants online but because we did that so late, we could only choose 9 or 9:30 p.m. Once onboard we figured out we were able to go anytime we wanted too. They have a bar, Prime Meridian between Moderno and Cagney's and we sat at the bar with a drink and it usually took no longer than 10 minutes to get a table. At Savor and Taste there is also a bar, MIXX located in the middle too. Fun to have a pre dinner cocktail right there and wait. The bartender was suggesting drinks for me and he made me a TOMA, a signature NCL drink, Vodka, lemonade and topped off with champagne. A little sweet but he was really showing off his customer service skills by suggesting new drinks for everyone.
Entertainment
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. Do not miss this! We had seen it a few times including on Broadway. Just as good as the Broadway version. The young actor who plays Jerry Lee Lewis was remarkable. We got there early, and sat in the second row right behind the keyboard. All of the music comes from the entertainers, no dropped in tracks or canned music.
Burn the Floor, sadly we missed this and we heard really positive feedback about it.
Comedy club, saw the tail end of the show one evening, good show.
Illusionarium, loved it. Started off a little cheesy but once the magicians started it was great. We had good seats, second row. Get there early as they seat by when you get there.
Drinking
We had the UBP. We are not big drinkers but we seemed to take advantage of it. I had mimosas at breakfast. It was fun to try different drinks that you normally wouldn't try. My favorite was a drink called Grass Clippings. They only served it at one bar, the Sunset bar out doors. Very refreshing. Not to worry if you don't have the UBP, they have daily drink specials for $7.95. Bahama Mama's, Painkillers, Mango margaritas. They make it work for everyone. DH enjoyed a nice glass of wine with dinner and they have a wine list where you can choose any glass as long as it's under $15.00. Anything over and they charge you the difference. We tried a few different Mojitos at Sugarcane, loved the Ginger Mojito.
The Pool
I loved the pool. The salt content was perfect. The pool was small but we just got in it to cool off. Both pool bars were open so you really never waited for a drink. Did not see a lot of waiters roaming the pool bar area, if you wanted a drink you just had to go and get it. Never waited more than a few minutes for a drink at any bar.
Casino
The largest, best laid out casino I have seen on a ship. Many of the same slots that I play at the Hard Rock here in Florida. Also a good selection of tables. The casino bar also had the counter poker games. Spent a little time there. Didn't win but almost broke even. Almost!
Ports of Call
Cozumel
We were determined to not get off the ship but about day 5 in Cozumel, I need to stretch my legs and get off the ship. Having been to Cozumel many times we just stayed there right in port. We stopped in to that little pharmacy right there at the dock and my credit card numbers got lifted somehow. I have a RFD wallet so not sure, but just wanted to mention it.
Costa Maya
We also got off the ship in Cozumel. Took a taxi, $2.00 per person to Mahahual. Had a beer, and walked around. Toyed with the idea of a massage, the prices were all over the place. Need to use your negotiating skills here as some were $25 for 30 minutes, and some were $20 for 90 minutes. They also can do deep tissue and bamboo if you have them throw that in. I loved the vendors, DH does not. I like the idea of sitting and having a drink and having them come to you. Bring lots of US dollars for the best negotiating. Best place to buy souvenirs. Taxi back and right to the pool deck.
Disembarkation
One of the easiest. We packed out luggage the night before, and set it out about 11 p.m. Got up about 7 a. m. and got dressed, made it to Savor, (we ate there almost every morning) one of the main dining rooms about 7:30 a.m. Had our last breakfast of Eggs Benedict, and very crispy bacon, (just like we like it), and just walked off the ship about 8:45 a.m. when we were done. Grabbed our luggage. cleared customs and went to find the Safe Park van. They give you these yellow stickers to wear and they found us. Saved $100 for just a little minor inconvenience of not getting in the car right away.
Thanks NCL, it was an awesome cruise on a beautiful ship. We are already planning our next one!!
Vision of the Seas 2022 Europe
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
I just booked that cruise also! Nad booked the 8 day right before it too so will have 13 days on that ship. Super inexpensive, let's have a great time!!!