Breakaway 3/22/2015 Sailing Pictorial Review, Dailies-FAQ/Tips-Extras- 10712 BD

[mking8288]

Three more pictures of the new Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal, designed to handle mega ships - the Breakaway docking here for the first time ??

 

 

On our way to the Manhattan Dining Room for the evening, we walked by the vacant Bowling corner, part of the Game Room setup at O'Sheehans

 

All Abroad - about 8:30 PM in the evening, and local fire truck arrived - lights & siren, stopped briefly at the security gate & then pull right up next to the Deck 4 gangway, someone called 911 ?? A # of us came out to the balconies to try to find out what was going on, there're no code calls over ship's PA system. Then, an ambulance came on scene a few minutes later.

 

Whatever it was, both the fire truck & ambulance began pulling away, lights & siren off, looked like everything under control and the drama is over. Meanwhile, over the PA system - 2 passengers being PA paged to contact customer services, around 9:05 PM ... sounding like two missing souls about to be left behind in P.C. Sure enough, with a few minutes, a taxi showed up and 2 people came rushing out of the cab & dashing for the ship, with light blue shopping bags in their hands ... arrrrhhhh, gotten carried away with shopping. They apparently went the wrong way, turned around & ran around the fenced gates into the main terminal building - the Capt. decided to wait for them and we're soon underway, heading for GSC overnight - and - expected to spend the day on the island. Our last visit was in 2011 on the Jewel.

Edited April 1, 2015 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Tuesday evening at the Manhattan Room - dinner for 2, reserved for 6:30 PM (food pictures, of course)

We arrived a few minutes early and there were folks waiting ahead of us, but got seated quickly - the place is about 80% full & look rather busy. Our wait team came over shortly & we ordered 2 Pepsi product - Mist - and, again, no more 12 oz. can - it came in a tall glass, filled with ice, about the size of a (S) soda at fast food places. I should've taken our own in a mug instead or grab our comp'd bottle of wine.

 

None of today's choice appealed to DW, so she ordered the Everyday Special - Breast of Chicken & sweet potatoe fries. I ordered the fish - both entrees look good & get PASSING grade.

 

It's only Day 3 - I am beginning to realize all the dessert choices are consisting of some variants using chocolate, which I like but ... some creativity would be nice, without breaking the budget, I know - I know.

 

Rock of Ages - (our reservations was confirmed for Thursday at 7 PM but ... changed, now it's no reservation needed, first come first served)

We finished dinner around 9 PM and decided to see if we could get into tonight's show - Rock of Ages at 9:30 PM, it's a 10 minutes walk from AFT to FWD ship with all the crowds - doors were opened and the small Main Theater is about 65% to 80% full already, we found 2 seats midway down to the right toward the wall, just behind several rows of guarded "reserved" seats for the VIP's (Haven suites, etc.) - most of them came within 10 minutes of show time & filled up the remaining sections. By the time curtains go up, it was standing room only and all seats taken. It was a nice show that lasted almost 2 hours - we saw it last year, definitely adult-themed but not as bad as it could've been, some audience did walked out & left in the beginning, the rest stayed for the duration.

 

Tomorrow is GSC, we are going to breakfast early so that we can take advantage of Priority Tendering at 8:30 AM, meeting at the Theater to be escorted down to the tender. Setting the alarm clock for the first time in 3 days.

[afromann13]

"Disney tours completely sold out, but still got spaces for Epcot & other popular tourist traps "

 

What do you mean tourist trap? I am going on the breakaway with my gf in a few weeks and we do have the epcot excursion booked.

[Lingalizzi]

Thank you for the very detailed information and photos! We have another 11 days before we are on the BA - and this is so helpful!

[mking8288]

$$$ difference between MCP Maritime Comm and T-Mobile (or carriers like AT&T or Verizon)

 

It's best to leave your smartphone's Home Data OFF to avoid charges, and, most definitively Roaming Data OFF during the cruise, unless you know what you are doing exactly and prepared to pay for it. Terms & conditions varied depending on your cellular plan, coverage & any optional add-ons, etc. Keep in mind that NCL/Breakaway/MMC is acting as basically the agent to allow your device(s) to roam on the ship, via their satellite internet tower links - it is faster due to the technologies & hardware installed on the ship. This isn't a tutorial on how-to, there are plenty of threads about it (and, I commented on them on a fairly regular basis as I see fit) as pricing & terms do change

 

Port Canaveral is a U.S. port so U.S. pax will/should be on a home signal and see T-Mobile, etc. (which, BTW, has a relatively weak 4G LTE signal as the nearest tower is quite a distance away according to my Apps, I switched to 3G for better reliability on my device. AT&T is better in that port as I have that on a 2nd. device with a backup line. Verizonwireless has the strongest signal.) Disclaimer - your results might & do vary due to many variables and especially if you are high up on Deck 15 or 16 further & port side, etc.)

Otherwise, once the ship is out in open waters - you will be connected via MMC instead. For Nassau, Bahamas, mines locked onto BTC (Bahamas carrier with either a 4G or 3G signal) for voice calling - at expensive roaming rates. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/2015%20NCL%20BA/SS1503240839.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/2015%20NCL%20BA/SS1503240841.jpg

 

NCL's "free" iConcierge App should be downloaded (iOS or Android) before leaving home & installed, as once you are on the ship for embarkation, you can register & activate its services. Once in Airplane Mode, turn back ON WiFi and locate the signal & connect (it might say no internet connection, that's good - no extra charges, aside from possible NCL ones for the optional texting or calling on the ship only - and you are good to go to check your Onboard Account, Planner, Dining, etc. on the ship for the duration. If you lose the signal, just reconnect and it's simple - it is basically covered end to end.

 

Please note that the "R" or Roaming Symbol should not be ON especially on the ship, as it meant you are possibly getting background data and it can get very expensive after 6 days. Mine on the Nexus 5 is left on - briefly - for this demo purposes only and I knew. Here's the screen about Texting & Calling ... (no comment, I do not use it) and info ("ouch" - those outdated prices ??) about available ShoreEx that you can book directly on the App. I use another free feature to check on dining options, availability and to book our Platinum dinners on 2 nights.

 

Personally, I liked the App, it is useful and IMO, recommend using it but if you are uncomfortable and not sure, don't use it, simple.

 

Stateroom's Telephone has a feature to setup an alarm clock for wakeup calll, and it will take voice mail if calls go unanswered. Push the speed dial button if it is flashing & it will playback any VM left on it, no codes or password to set or punch it - there is NO remote access from outside your own stateroom. The volume & ringtone can be turned up or down.

Edited April 1, 2015 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Day 4 - Great Stirrup Cay (GSC) - 10 AM scheduled arrival - Priority tendering to meet @ 8:30

 

BA cruised slowly overnight out of PC toward GSC doing 16 knots. DW & I were awaken by the alarm clock (something we hate when on vacation, but ... to take advantage of being on the first tender) and went up to the Garden Cafe a/k/a buffet for the first time in 4 days to actually sit down & eat a breakfast, amazing, huh. Place is already packed with people @ 8 AM but we managed to find a window seat and spotted 2 cruise ships nearby. By the time we finished our quick breakfast, the ship has come to a full stop & dropping anchors with GSC on starboard side, with the other 2 ships already tendering to our AFT near their own private island. We counted 4 large tender boats on its way out to meet our ship. Time to go downstairs to meet & wait for the escort as instructed. Our last GSC was 2011 since we couldn't tender in on the BA last year due to rough sea conditions & head for Nassau after a "Fun Day At Sea" docking overnight.

 

These double-decker tenders have a 450 pax capacity - we're escorted down and thru a series of crew gallery/service/storage area to Deck 4 gangway and it took about 20 minutes to load up the boat full before we got underway. We sat downstairs inside the first tender with the shade with others, Haven guests & those with cabana reservations, etc. - the sun is out and you can feel the warmth already, time to put on suntan lotion.

[mking8288]

GSC - more pix

 

Our recollections of the marketplace selling local crafts was that they're near the food stands & further back toward the center of the island. Things have changed & they now have these nice shacks near the tender piers, looked neat & organized and much nicer (with a closer up pix) But, we are going to take the "tram" over to the more secluded lagoon to relax & stay away from the beachfront. The ride over took about 15 minutes and see the giant waterslide. Getting off the tender took another 10 or 15 minutes with everyone pushing & rushing to try to get off first (the process can & should be more orderly, but it wasn't) Once on land, we walked up the small path, made a left, followed the sign just ahead with the driver waiting to take us over - making a stop midway along to dropoff 3 people heading to their small cabana.

 

Here we are, the entire place is practically empty at 9:30 - we have prime choice of location for loungers - the lagoon is really nice & quiet, exceeding expectations. Food & beverage station just behind us and clean restrooms about 30 steps further away. Going to get a Clamshell for the day before any remaining unreserved ones are sold out - $29.95, deal !

[pinstripes4887]

Is the food and beverage area near the lagoon more limited? Or does it have the same bar service and food as the other areas? Thanks for all of this great information and all of the pictures.

[mking8288]

GSC - shades, under the Clamshell & time to do some swimming. (Caution - Lagoon's steep water depth for non-swimmers)

 

For the next 2 hours, there were no more than a few dozen BA pax in the lagoon area, it was relatively quiet, calm & peaceful and we stayed in the shades when not playing in the water (still a little on the cool side but once you get moving, it's fine) - the clamshell is large enough to fit a 3rd. lounger & well worth it.

 

Even at midday, there were plenty of loungers available - unlike being on the main beach last time and there're still clamshell available to be rented on the spot. More folks arriving but never crowded - just the way we liked it. Walked abou 30 steps behind us to grab some BBQ food, fruits & iced tea & water, etc. What a life !!

 

Important notes for swimming & for parents with children/kids/non-swimmers:

AFAIK, there is only one (1) single lifeguard on duty and keeping his/her eyes for everything - in constant radio contacts with others on the island, in case help is needed (but, it will not necessary be quick & instant). Most parents are very protective & watchful of their "kids" playing in the water - please note - the water depth dropped off pretty quickly & steep, and is deceptive and can be easy trouble for non-swimmers of any age & without proper floatation devices. Please do not let them out of your sights - many are walking around & at least one person was in the water all day with a beer bottle in his hand (and, IMO - not very wise.)

Two small siblings, both boys, about 6 or 7 years old, maybe 8 were playing and one of them almost went under - no yelling or screaming for help, I caught it with the corner of my eyes of arms going up from a distance of maybe 50 yards away as we're sitting in our clamshell - mom was in the water but with her back turned away, realized what happened & quickly grab him closer to shore. Another swimmer was nearby - 10 ft. away - and almost jumped in & the lifeguard had stood up on his high chair too, ready to sprint into the water. Thankfully, it wasn't necessary for any bystanders to act and it was another life lesson - everything froze for a brief moment & then resumed, and, I don't think any reports were written up or necessary.

Take another closer look at these pictures and the drop in depth relative to the sandy beach - a number of non/swimmer said the same when they first entered the water. Imagine - just, what if ... keep your own eyes open for non-swimmers. (ding, ding, ding: Spring-breakers w. children)

 

We decided to stay for a while longer, I went back to do a little more swimming and we packed up our belongings and took the tram back to the tender pier, joining the rest of the crowd in lines for the next boat back to the ship - 45 minutes later, we're on the Breakaway again. Feeling a little hungry as we ate lightly on the island, we ordered (free) Room Service from our cabin & took showers - by the time I got changed, the delivery has arrived - tipped cash - (took about 20 or 25 minutes) - 2 hot soups, 1 salad and 1 sandwich, plus a pot of coffee, perfect until it's dinner time.

 

PS4887 - to answer, it's a full service bar with no lines and or very short wait under the shaded open-air building, and it has plenty of bench seating with the big picnic/camp tables. As far as food choices, I believed it's the same and BBQ'd right behind the serving counters, nice & hot - chicken, ribs, burgers, hotdogs, sweet corns, diced fruits, salads, etc. Nothing fancy like pork chops 10+ years ago when it was far more undeveloped ... You won't be hungry, don't worry - the ship's "choices" with or without the "convenience" fees (LOL - poking fun) is a tender away. Pretty much inline with our expectations for a beach BBQ event (free/included).

Edited April 2, 2015 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Leaving GSC & Dinner - Manhattan Room (MDR)

 

DW had 2 great pix of the virtually empty Lagoon at 9:48 AM shortly after we arrived @ gotten our clamshell up - and one with 2 non-NCL ships anchored at their private island next to GSC in the background.

 

Here, the last tender leaving, as captured from shipcam here on interactive TV.

 

Since we had our mid-afternoon snack after coming back from GSC, we decided to eat dinner late and went to the Manhattan Room around 8:15 PM - and the line was rather short. It only took a few minutes for the hostess to get us seated at a table for you. It was still very busy but coming off its peak time, yet, the warm & friendly services were still a little slow. We waited easily another 15 minutes for the first course of our starter, DW's duck salad came first.

 

We ordered 2 sodas (Sierra Mist) but got 2 Pepsi (in a glass filled with ice) instead and our server was rather busy, so we just let it go & drank it. He returned minutes later & realized the mistake, apologized and offered to bring us new ones - we declined & told him it's okay & leave it alone. In the end, he didn't charge us for the beverage due to his "error" when we're ready to leave - he was also still busy with 2 other tables & he wasn't working alone as we thought initially because he was doing it all, his assistant has been running back-n-forth and didn't switched out the regular dinner knife to a steak knife as I've ordered the lamb special. Instead of getting the lamb and cornish hen as entrees, the assistant waiter presented us with 2 plates of beef steak, one medium well & one well-done that was supposed to be for the table next to us.

MDR's choice of starters are generally fine & nice, except it has limited choices & variations - by the end of the week, I counted French onion soup being served at least 3 times, and desserts on different nights are dominated by the presence of chocolate. Ice cream and sherbets are available upon request, but they are not listed on the menu at all - at least, our servers usually asked us if we wanted coffee with it (last year on the BA, unless you asked for it - they won't offer it at all.) Overall speaking, the service could be a little more attentive - with the minor details. Tomorrow night, we are confirmed for LeBistro again so we will see how things go.

 

Otherwise, it was another uneventful evening on the BA, we stopped in the casino again briefly to checkout the actions - meanwhile, debating on our plans for (or, lack thereof) for Nassau tomorrow ... mine, the week is going by quickly, it will be Thursday in a matter of hours, crossed the midpoint of our cruise. Today was the Laundry Special Day for $27 all you can fit into the paper bag, except we don't need to worry - got 2 free bags of laundry done free as part our Platinum perk. We will sleep until whatever, eat a late breakfast and then get off the ship & do a little walking around - not going over to Atlantas again & no plans to do any shopping, etc.

Edited April 2, 2015 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Continuing - note to all: the last 2 food pix links above appeared broken, whereas earlier ones are OK, it's possible that iCloud traffic is blocking access temporary - please let me know if you can't view or interested in a particular photo or sets of them - for uploading to alternate cloud storage.

 

Duck salad in the MDR - light & quite good, refreshing instead of salmon tartate again. The beef entree portion sized is fine for me, those used to a 16 oz. steak cut might want an extra portion or something else.

 

Snapshots of the casino's slot machines - DW's favorite ones in Vegas, payout - not so good (well, it's on a ship) These penny slots are 4 games in 1 and they can get "expensive" with its paytable - be smart !!

 

Bowling lanes - 2 of them, located starboard side FWD on deck 7 - part of OSH. Dartboards & other games are all in this area and usually not crowded even on sea days.

 

Here's another towel animal from our Steward

[mking8288]

Day 5 - Nassau, Bahamas - nice & sunny, low 80's & not humid - great ! On-time arrival, actually earlier & quickly cleared by local officials.

We sailed from GSC on time with calm seas, doing just 6 or 7 knots slowly to get to our final port stop in the morning, looking out the balcony - it's as if the ship is drifting and not moving at all - TV Ch. 21 is the source for info. Today, we are just going to "wing" it & play by ears - nothing planned or nothing on the ShoreEx list, sleeping in late & breakfast at whatever time. However, we're awakened a little after 7 AM by very strong vibrations and noises coming from below decks, all the way down to the waterline as the Breakaway was steering on its side, turning around & backing into the pier. The early risers are up & out on the open decks and plenty on the balconies looking - not in a hurry to go anywhere, we are going to wait & avoid the breakfast crowds in the MDR or buffet.

I knew we should've ordered a simple & light (free, still) Room Service Breakfast but we had no "Order Form" to hang outside our door overnight & forgotten to ask our Steward for some - there are usually some blanks one nor was one posted with the Interactive TV under Dining, but we did see some hanging outside a few cabins on our long walk back down the FWD corridors.

These old menu from 2011/12 - some items no longer available, I missed my tomatoe juice - G'rrrrr !! Plan B in motion - brew our old hot water for coffee, that's it - always carried our own, plus, we had stocked up a few items in the mini-refrigerator (while DW's in the shower washing her hair)

 

We finally left our cabin a little after 10 AM and headed to the buffet for a late breakfast - and, somewhat surprisingly, found it to be still crowded. It looked as if many are like us, staying on the ship for the day to just relax. Starboard side is already closed but port side is still open serving the usual everything, including the eggs/omelet station for cook-to-order. I found my smoked salmon & was happy while DW got her waffles (a little soggy & not crispy, it's okay ...) and we got some fresh diced fruits - not eating light but at least somewhat healthy.

 

Special Needs - there were quite a few pax getting around with walkers, walking canes, rented wheelchairs and motorized scouters - not easy for them. There're no designated children's area (unlike the Gem/Jewel/POA or Star) but at least there's one table for 4 with the SIGN near the front entrance, making it easier ... no, except it was occupied by two abled-bodied. Crew members within stones throw away & didn't say a word as there're other empty and clean tables ready nearby - rolleyes - how considerate of them. Look around for a supervisor or someone in white uniform, etc. (found none) as we're 20' away closer to the window - not my "job" to walk over to suggest that they move & vacate. Really, shame on them !!

 

Washy Washy, Happy Happy - except where are they stationed, I saw 2 crew members with the spray bottles, majority simply walked right past the floor-standing dispensers at the entrances to the buffet. Thankfully, Noro-virus not a problem during our cruise week - AFAIK (used to far more vigilance, IMO)

 

Pix - back to pretty scenes outside our balcony as we went back downstairs, refilled our water bottles using a clean cup. My knees had started acting up again yesterday & I left my folding walking stick at home, but we are still going to go ashore & do a little strolling around on land. Time to pack a few items & get ready ...

Edited April 3, 2015 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Nassau - Cruise piers, pix of the Breakaway, Atlantas Resort at a distance, and other ships docked.

 

Last year, we booked 6 Day Passes (3 cabins) to Atlantas & spend most of the day there - not this time, enough of that place. FYI - there is also an active US D.O.S. Traveler's Advisory out for citizens about Nassau/Bahamas. News about the Germanwings crash not a good one either (RIP - thoughts & prayers) as there're plenty of unknowns then.

 

Nevertheless, we decided to take a walk around outside the pier area, the straw market & maybe down the shops on "Main Street" a block away, for a little while & then get back on the ship for lunch. The 3 large bottles of Ginger Ale that we took with us on the ship in our checked luggage will last us the entire cruise, so we are not buying extra from local stores (unlike last year) We took the elevator down to deck 4 for the gangway a little after 11 AM - there're 2 other cruise ships (CCL's Fantasy & Dream) docked plus a cargo ship, and 2 large luxury private yachts anchored - a very nice & sleek one, according to the guard nearby ... owned by someone super rich.

[mking8288]

Nassau - pix of various ships & the pier area

 

The smaller yacht is the "Swan"

 

The "Kismet" is the bigger one: nice, super cool, good like the ones in James Bond 007 movies, fast & sleek. Oh, folks are already starting to go back onto the Breakaway - wow, they must've been off the ship really early and/or only did short walks or those 90 minutes tour ...

[mking8288]

One of the shortest walking tour around the pier area in Nassau -

 

We took our time, with my bad knees acting up again this morning, walked slowly toward the gate, stopping to take smartphone pictures (pretty good, huh) & taking short rest in the shades - as usual, "welcomed" by locals offering tours, taxi rides, Atlantas Resort, Beach Day, and, of course, hair braiding (except, DW has just gotten a short & trim cut ... - so didn't approach us at all) Just politely smile & tell them no thank you and they will move on or back away ... stroll thru the straw market & relocated shops now are all right outside (the Inside Terminal Building is under renovation) before the secured gate area. Not much to see and nothing for us to buy along shopper's alley - usual shops like the DI and DeSol lined the commercial strips. Picked up 3 butterfly magnets this time on our way back to the ship.

The "free" air-conditioned local pier shuttle mini-bus (non-NCL) between the terminal/marketplace inside the gate and the ships happened to be coming around, so we waited for the driver to turn around down the far end & took a dozen of us back to the ships, with a first stop for those heading to the Carnival's - gave a small cash tip to the driver for his kindness and he thank all for riding along (saved us from a slow 15 minutes walk in the midday sun, it's a win-win)

 

None of the MDR's are open today for lunch, just the buffet or OSH - that's where we are going to make a stop for, as we got our 2nd. LeBistro reservations booked tonight at 5:30 PM - another comp'd bottle of house wine & 2 dinners with the voucher. We had eaten only twice so far in the Garden Cafe, earlier today for breakfast and Tuesday for lunch - DW wasn't impressed or excited about the choices & selections or the crowds (food is subjective, IMO and YMMV) NCL used to have better & more varied buffet selections that change & rotate daily, not in 2014 and not this time around, for us - and, the so called "Asian food" section was a disappointment for us, aside from have steamed white rice and plain congee (rice porridge) at lunch.

 

Before we left our cabin, we had arranged for one bag of Platinum free laundry to be picked up & filled out the slip, managed to fit - as always - quite a bit into the doubled paper bag full; and, they got picked up & send down below deck. (Not enough or necessary for a 2nd. bag, LOL)

 

Tomorrow evening's special is Spare Ribs at OSH. For now, going to get 2 hot soup, shared a chef's salad & meatloaf, cheesecake and coffee. Service is friendly but still a bit on the slow end, with its own smaller kitchen right beyond the service counters - so the basic comfort food came out hot, not warm. On the way back to our cabin, took some coffee with us in the small paper cup & indirectly refilled one of our BPA-free 20 oz. water bottle.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/2015%20NCL%20BA/IMG20150327_1526%20%28768x1024%29.jpg

Other items - Chicken Pot Pie was fine, nothing really outstanding about it - it's simple & just right. Ditto for the Fish & Chips or the dips & chips but no hot wings for this cruise at all (thus, no comment) Next, time for mid-afternoon nap ??

 

Ooooh, it's almost the end of Day 5 - all abroad is 5:30 PM and set sail for NYC, going home ... too short of a cruise vacation, need another one soon, DW has 3 more weeks of annual vacation remaining this year ... let's log on & see. Do I really want to "pay" for some MB data used satellite WiFi internet plan with OBC as offset ?? We're used up quite a bit of our OBC's already, including cigarettes as gift items & DW's cosmetics. Been off the "airwaves" since Tuesday leaving Port Canaveral - catching some of the text/SMS alerts & Tapatalk headlines, that's it, Twitter feeds is off.

 

IConcierge app has been working fine with all of its free features on the ship, much enhanced in a year's time & pretty responsive overall. Okay, I'm going to activate & go with PAYG with a $20 cap and see how far I can go - out of my "geek" curiosity since we didn't even used the paid Coca Beach/Village Shuttle with OBC & stayed on the ship. While the tablet piped its music over bluetooth to the Big Blue Speaker, I could do some quickie email check & catch up quickly on CC news, etc. Switching my backup prepaid roaming global travel Sim card that roamed on AT&T's GSM network, having trouble on the Motorola Atrix 4G smartphone, it worked again as soon as I rebooted it on the 5 years old "LG" non-smart flip phone, locking onto the local provider "BTC" network for voice calling & SMS/texting, and maintained the roaming signal on the way back to NYC (as I left it on roaming but restricted mode, no chance of running up mobile/cellular data or incurring any charges, unless authorized ... knowing exactly what I'm doing, dont' try this or else $$$$) Wow - it's a 4G/LTE roaming signal, really not so sure but good to know in case of emergencies.

Power on the Sony Vaio notebook PC ... let's get going

[mking8288]

Since we are docked at the furtherst berth with starboard side facing out toward the sea, we aren't going to see any late/last minute "pier runners" about to miss the ship's sailaway - might as well get ready for our 2nd. evening of comp'd specialty dinner at LeBistro. Was going to switch over to Moderno but DW not a red meat person so decided to hold onto our confirmed reservation, made with iConcierge on Day 1 while lunching at the Savor MDR .

 

Editorial comments of my own on the subjectivity of food, IMO, on the BA this week - YMMV - overall services for our 1st. LeBistro's meal was good and very attentive, a little on the slow side but fine for us not a rush to catch a show, etc. Mussels were nicely prepared but they're some of the smallest ones that we've eaten on NCL over the years, must be out-of-season or something, I guess - tasty, it's okay. DH had the breast of duck and that was very good, she said & I concurred. (Not interested in Peking Duck over at "Ocean Blue" with a $39 p/p surcharge and our certificate's face value cannot be applied, plus the newly "piloted" 18% suggested gratuity ...)

 

However, the imported Australian roasted rack of (junior-sized) lamb was not so good, in fact - a little disappointing to my biased taste, a bit too tough & somewhat excessive in fats (usually lean & soft) but it was still edible, so I didn't send it back to the kitchen & asked for something else instead.

We're given the same waiter as Monday evening & he immediately recognized us with a friendly welcome & took good care of us. Tonight, DW ordered the mussels for us to share and it's a little better & fatter (maybe they got a new patch delivered shipside in Florida earlier in the week) Taking our 2nd. bottled of (comp'd) house wine with us unopened to go, we ordered 2 soda instead - using our available OBC, again - no extra revenue for ..., LOL.

 

Ordered the Cream of Four Mushrooms Soup last time but only for me this time, it's good as always. The MDR has been serving French Onion Soup almost every other day (not everyday, however) so I don't want to get that at all - no matter how good it is (and, it's always too salty for my taste buds.) My favorite Escargots - good with that rich butterly taste & smell.

 

My entree, the Swordfish was fine and okay - IMO - but nothing to highlight about it - switch back to Salmon or something else next time (memo to myself.) DW got the Med. Fish Soup that I usually get as she wasn't too hungry (still early for us) but managed to finished it all and that's amazing.

By now, ship's photographer came around to offer to pictures just like the other night (never saw them coming thru the MDR on all the other evenings ???) Dessert time - a different different, getting the Chocolate Fondue for 2 plus a 2nd item for her; and, of course, French-pressed coffee . Excellent choice & we enjoyed it very much. As usual, we cash tipped our waiter, Mr. E from the Philippines for his services and that of his assistant.

 

This early evening, LeBistro was not fully filled up but shown on the App as not available, yet like Monday - there're half a dozen small empty tables that stayed unnfilled for almost the entire duration of our dining time (90+ minutes) - especially the "sidewalk" ones on the outside.

 

Meanwhile, 2 BA passengers were getting public P.A. ship-wide paging to immediately contact Guest Services a little after 5:30 PM as we're getting ready to go downstairs - that usually meant that the names being announced are unaccounted for, somehow not swiped back onto the ship's gangway after leaving the ship - both Asian sounding names ... It would not be fun if they are foreign nationals stranded behind, whether they were lost, sightseeing or caught up in a shopping frenzy as some of them are known to do. Up until this cruise, we've never anyone tried to swim in the waters with their Easter-styled hats on, LOL.

 

Don't know for sure if anyone was late for the ship that evening or if those 2 were back or not - by the time we finished our dinner a little after 7 PM, we've already left the pier & out of harbour heading into the Atlantic for NY.

 

Our next evening stop, as it's too early to go back to our stateroom - ship's casino. Very smoky around the center atrium/open lobby area, but not as bad near the AFT (designated non-smoking section) area next to the Shanghai Noodles Bar, which - for next several hours - seemed to be quiet & mostly empty of any paying guests eating a la carte there ?? Late evening, some of the ship's uniformed crews did met up & sat down to chat and eat there, enjoying themselves as they're off the clock on their own. Across the way, Bar 21 - like all the others all over the ship - was non-stop busy, must be related to all those with UBP and/or casino drink cards (there's supposed to be a sizable group from Foxwood on a CAS-sponsored sailing onboard, so both the slots & table games were busy all week)

 

2 full Sea Days ahead of us before disembarkation in New York ... weather is forecasted to be still warm in the 70's mostly but heading into/across a weather front later in the day, with possibly choppier sea conditions. The Lattitude - Silver, Gold & Platinum - Wine & Cocktail Reception is Friday evening at 7:30 PM.

Day 6 is next, stay tuned for more pictures.

[bacardi1224]

I parked myself up in spice H2O to watch for pier runners since I have read Nassau is notorious for them. Despite long lines to get back to the ship, the only runners we saw were those 2 names called (or so I assume it was them). It was 2 ladies, one ran ahead while the older one walked.

[mking8288]

[side Comment - Barcadi1224 - if it wasn't for LeBistro, we would've been on Deck 6 or 7 for the action, LOL - at least they're the same "repeaters" earlier in the week at Canaveral, and we're too far forward on the balcony to see their 200 yards dash into the building. For this cruise, we didn't set foot up on H2O at all & barely find ourselves in the buffet, it was crowded but not badly over-crowded, IMO & far more children that our 3/23/14 cruise last year - all those Canadians & the bilingual French announcements (except for the "This is the Captain ... his daily briefing from the Bridge was pretty cool, even on Sunday morning)

 

Back to finishing up this pictorial review - sorting, editing & uploading to cloud server & posting taking up more time than I planned for.

 

Overnight into Day 6 - Sea Day, temp's in 70's, cloudy & sea conditions picking up, gradual transition to disembarkation planning (oh, no ...)

Ice Bar - ours were right outside our house most of the winter so we have no desire nor interest to pay a fee to check this one out, and for much of the cruise - there was never a line nor anyone standing outside waiting to get inside, LOL. Earlier, we did see some curious onlookers talking to the crew member stationed outside with the parkas on the nearby coat rack.

Next to the regular bar - deck 8, port side next to the atrium - are nice, soft, big & comfortable sofa chairs - others sat (not shown in photos here) with a book, eReaders and we sat there for a while too with my smartphone & DW gaming on with her iPad, unless you are easily troubled by the smoke from the casino below ... noted that again on our post cruise e-survey to NCL to deal with it. Pix #2 has a view of LeBistro on the lowest deck - referred to as Ocean 6-7-8

 

Around lunch time the next day, we finally bumped into the randomly located free "Sabrret" Hotdog cart, right next to LeBistro, on our way up one deck to do a light Shanghai Noodles lunch, a la carte (checking our account balance first on the App, we are still under the austerity "budget" to not go over, except for the casino ...)

 

We ordered one bowl of Chicken & (Rice) Noodles Soup and spicy Seafood & Udon Soup, plus the Singarpore Fried Rice - decent portion sized and good, just enough after a full MDR breakfast earlier this morning. Lunch bill for 3 items, no beverages, came under $17 with the 18% AUTOGRATUITY - which isn't bad at all, considering ... But, then there is the line for ... please feel free to use the Add'l Tip line to recognize outstanding service. Not in this case, IMHO, warranted for your basic hometown (Chinese) diner counter service, however ... (flame-retardant suit fully on, don't as I will just ignore it - go to the other threads. This is my review & opinion/comment herein.)

 

Took a walk outside Deck 8's Waterfront, it's starting to be windy & the sea slowly pickup, mayb 5' to 7' waves, still very calm given the size of the ship. Walked past Carlos Cakestand - empty except for 2 sales behind the counter, too early for sweets, maybe. Arrrrh, Sheehan's still on the walls of the Breakaway from the Shipbuilding stories 2011-2013, and the video was shown on one of the channel loops on Stateroom TV. Ex-CEO resigned recently & left, but his contributions to the NCL brand is a part of corporate history.

[SAILPRO]

Since we are docked at the furtherst berth with starboard side facing out toward the sea, we aren't going to see any late/last minute "pier runners" about to miss the ship's sailaway - might as well get ready for our 2nd. evening of comp'd specialty dinner at LeBistro. Was going to switch over to Moderno but DW not a red meat person so decided to hold onto our confirmed reservation, made with iConcierge on Day 1 while lunching at the Savor MDR .

 

Editorial comments of my own on the subjectivity of food, IMO, on the BA this week - YMMV - overall services for our 1st. LeBistro's meal was good and very attentive, a little on the slow side but fine for us not a rush to catch a show, etc. Mussels were nicely prepared but they're some of the smallest ones that we've eaten on NCL over the years, must be out-of-season or something, I guess - tasty, it's okay. DH had the breast of duck and that was very good, she said & I concurred. (Not interested in Peking Duck over at "Ocean Blue" with a $39 p/p surcharge and our certificate's face value cannot be applied, plus the newly "piloted" 18% suggested gratuity ...)

 

However, the imported Australian roasted rack of (junior-sized) lamb was not so good, in fact - a little disappointing to my biased taste, a bit too tough & somewhat excessive in fats (usually lean & soft) but it was still edible, so I didn't send it back to the kitchen & asked for something else instead.

We're given the same waiter as Monday evening & he immediately recognized us with a friendly welcome & took good care of us. Tonight, DW ordered the mussels for us to share and it's a little better & fatter (maybe they got a new patch delivered shipside in Florida earlier in the week) Taking our 2nd. bottled of (comp'd) house wine with us unopened to go, we ordered 2 soda instead - using our available OBC, again - no extra revenue for ..., LOL.

 

Ordered the Cream of Four Mushrooms Soup last time but only for me this time, it's good as always. The MDR has been serving French Onion Soup almost every other day (not everyday, however) so I don't want to get that at all - no matter how good it is (and, it's always too salty for my taste buds.) My favorite Escargots - good with that rich butterly taste & smell.

 

My entree, the Swordfish was fine and okay - IMO - but nothing to highlight about it - switch back to Salmon or something else next time (memo to myself.) DW got the Med. Fish Soup that I usually get as she wasn't too hungry (still early for us) but managed to finished it all and that's amazing.

By now, ship's photographer came around to offer to pictures just like the other night (never saw them coming thru the MDR on all the other evenings ???) Dessert time - a different different, getting the Chocolate Fondue for 2 plus a 2nd item for her; and, of course, French-pressed coffee . Excellent choice & we enjoyed it very much. As usual, we cash tipped our waiter, Mr. E from the Philippines for his services and that of his assistant.

 

This early evening, LeBistro was not fully filled up but shown on the App as not available, yet like Monday - there're half a dozen small empty tables that stayed unnfilled for almost the entire duration of our dining time (90+ minutes) - especially the "sidewalk" ones on the outside.

 

Meanwhile, 2 BA passengers were getting public P.A. ship-wide paging to immediately contact Guest Services a little after 5:30 PM as we're getting ready to go downstairs - that usually meant that the names being announced are unaccounted for, somehow not swiped back onto the ship's gangway after leaving the ship - both Asian sounding names ... It would not be fun if they are foreign nationals stranded behind, whether they were lost, sightseeing or caught up in a shopping frenzy as some of them are known to do. Up until this cruise, we've never anyone tried to swim in the waters with their Easter-styled hats on, LOL.

 

Don't know for sure if anyone was late for the ship that evening or if those 2 were back or not - by the time we finished our dinner a little after 7 PM, we've already left the pier & out of harbour heading into the Atlantic for NY.

 

Our next evening stop, as it's too early to go back to our stateroom - ship's casino. Very smoky around the center atrium/open lobby area, but not as bad near the AFT (designated non-smoking section) area next to the Shanghai Noodles Bar, which - for next several hours - seemed to be quiet & mostly empty of any paying guests eating a la carte there ?? Late evening, some of the ship's uniformed crews did met up & sat down to chat and eat there, enjoying themselves as they're off the clock on their own. Across the way, Bar 21 - like all the others all over the ship - was non-stop busy, must be related to all those with UBP and/or casino drink cards (there's supposed to be a sizable group from Foxwood on a CAS-sponsored sailing onboard, so both the slots & table games were busy all week)

 

2 full Sea Days ahead of us before disembarkation in New York ... weather is forecasted to be still warm in the 70's mostly but heading into/across a weather front later in the day, with possibly choppier sea conditions. The Lattitude - Silver, Gold & Platinum - Wine & Cocktail Reception is Friday evening at 7:30 PM.

Day 6 is next, stay tuned for more pictures.

 

mking8288, love your honest review and great photos especially the food (they made me hungry) :D

 

Since you were on starboard side (facing pier)? Were you able to see Statue of Liberty from your balcony when you embark?

 

What type of camera were you using?

 

Thank you!

[bangzoom6877]

Wow, I'm enjoying your review very much!! It's funny, I said to DH a couple of weeks ago that if we were cruising the BA this time of year, I would definitely NOT have any desire to go to the ice bar, but we are going to check it out on our July BA cruise. Your photos are making me want to board right now! :)

[mking8288]

Day 6 - next to last Sea Day afternoon & evening, Latitude member's wine & cocktail reception and MDR for dinner, etc.

 

We checked out the Dutyfree & Gift Shops again for any last minute "deals" with the crowd checking out those $10 tax-free specials, DW joined in & got another item for one of the niece. She shopped for all her cosmetics first and our cigarettes (gift items) on Day 2 to avoid the madness - when there's plenty of everything. After all these, the only extras was an inexpensive watch special and a very small photography purchase, 3 photos with our 25% discount & we're done. My 25" roller has plenty of room for 3 bottles of liquor to take home for the nephews, a bit on the heavy side replacing three 1.25L sodas (only 1 Ginger Ale left now) we took onboard (a proven strategy, tipping the porter & no Express Walkoff, only Priority Disembark)

** Notice our 7.5 oz double insulated SS thermo mug, slim & easy to slip into pockets & day bags, etc. - it hold more liquid than those little NCL glasses or paper cup in use. We never travel anywhere without them.

 

DW & I actually about 30 minutes to start our repacking in the midafternoon, watch our own preloaded MP4 movie casted onto HDTV, and she took a nap while I got onto CC briefly using satellite internet for a quickie update, cost about $4 USD based on about MB data used. All together for a final total of just under $10, offset aginst OBC.

 

DW didn't feel like going so I went downstairs before 7:30 PM to the Latitude member's (Silver, Gold & Platinum) cocktail Reception, doors opened promptly on time ... lots of choices for drinks, I grab a glass of wine & there're little goodies on trays being circulated. After the Captain Svedung was introduced & gave his welcome remark/brief BA history, he introduced his key department heads but took no questions nor seek comments - probably a smart move, and, with a "friendly" crowd of maybe 75 people in the audience at most. There's no longer a general Latitude party for all, too large of a big group & since the raffles & freebies are no longer the "new" NCL Feestyle Cruising experience, just as well - won a DelSol frisbee on the Jewel in 2011 myself. Got the chance afterward to privately talk to a # of officers, including the young "Staff Captain" - Second in Command on the ship, he came over from the Pearl & heard about the Norwegian Sea that we/I first sailed on ... It was almost time to go, took the wine over to met up at "Taste" for dinner.

 

Obstacles - this oversized white "slot" machine near O'Sheehans on Deck 7 FWD sandwiched against the wall & the bar on the other side is one of the worst area to be in, especially when the casino is open, always a crowd gathered all around to watch, blocking the "thru" foot traffic & not friendly at all to those using walkers, wheelchairs or worst, motorized scooters. Spoke to senior staff onboard that pledged to look into relocating it as per other guests too over time, and noted it on our post cruise survey. It gets even worst when the crowds come out of the Theater after the shows. (Almost forget to take a photo until morning of disembarkation ...)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/2015%20NCL%20BA/IMG20150329_083626.jpg

 

 

... Happy Easter/Passover, etc. for all & those following and/or going soon on the BA, more food pix to make you hungry coming next ... go eat in the MDR, it's less hectic than the buffet, there is nearly almost something there to eat, not as much variety as years gone by - nobody go hungry. Glad that we didn't "buy" into UDP over taking a generous OBC ourselves, IMHO of course. Will try to wrap this up tonight/tomorrow morning as the next group is sailing on Sunday, hopefully you get even more out of the BA sailing - despite all the nonsense going on - plus, some final thoughts, overview & filled in some details from digital notes I took, etc.

 

Yes, we have a great FWD balcony closeup view of S.O.L. from #10712 - had to leave our winter parka on, of course. Camera - it's our

Google Nexus 5

smartphone w. custom ROM, DW & I used the same setup - great & many indoor shots without using the annoying flash, set to indoor hi-speed ISO 1600 - these images are resized to fit online posting, hi-resolution ones on my home server's secondary HDD, backups on Cloud. Some of the images from the digital Olympus camera actually didn't come out nice, too much blue tinting (was fine before too) - optional USB slim battery pack carried meant never worried about being low on battery.

[mking8288]

Day 6 - "Main" Shows and MDR Dinner at Manhattan Room instead of Savor (Food Pix)

 

We had no dinner reservations anywhere this evening, which worked out for the Latitude Reception that lasted about 10 minutes and a bit of mingling afterward. Rock of Ages was confirmed for 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM (actual show length is closer to 110 minutes, plus time to/from) but rescheduled & cancelled so that no reservations necessary, on first-come-first-served basis, and Thursday was for Burn The Floor for which we decided to not see the shorter show again on its new dates/times again. Both Savor & Taste across were busy with a 15 to 30 minutes wait time and we're told by the hostess that they can take us up one deck at Manhattan without any wait, so off we go. Meanwhile, there're plenty of folks hanging out at the Mixx Bar, might be unrelated with the UBP but it was twice as busy compared to 2014 ... whatever.

 

Upstairs, we're promptly welcomed & seated near the busy entrance to/from the gallery (kitchen) area, fine by us - amazing how they managed to carry a heavy tray with as much as 9 or even 12 covered food plates up and down those long escalators to the other deck. By now, we are getting tired of seeing French Onion Soup again as one of the 2 or 3 options or Salmon Tartere, and, Cesar and/or Garden Salad ( ... surely missed the cold selections of hot & cold soup ...) Nicely presented but if I was truely hungry, I think I would need a doubled-sized serving if not a triple, LOL. DW ordered the poultry while I decided to get the fish of the day. Overall, it was a fine dinner. The dessert was good, can't go wrong with ice cream and I had the cake (always a choice, of chocolate or coffee cream-based being easier to stock fewer items on the shelves for storage. )

 

Along the way, (since we last sailed NCL on March 2014) the gallery crews including the chefs came out, and for a moment, we could've been fooled into thinking we're on a "Fun" Ship san Carnival style, except the waiter/ess & teams were not dancing or singing along, just clapping hands together. Did they just come out of the crew farewell show doing the old , "We Are The World ... the Norwegian Way ..." ?? but they're just spinning their white handerchiefs and moving along. Guests responded in kindness as we watched them matched out again and across the center corridor into the other dining room. The brief appreciation "show" got repeated again on Sea Day 7 in the Manhattan Room.

 

On suggested dress code - other MDR is resort casual with shorts eben acceptable for the evening, whereas some including the Manhattan is for long pants/slacks & neat jeans. Nevermind, it wasn't enforced for the most part, as we ate there for 3 evenings and watched plenty of non-Bermuda shorts being worn along with non-collared T-shirts. Hardly anyone worn a men's blazer/jacket and tie anymore for our 2 nights at LeBistro. Saw just one elderly Asian guest with the rest of his small group all dressed up in a tux.

Times have changed ...

[mking8288]

Day 7 - last full Day at Sea - chilly morning coasting & rocking north off the Carolinas at 17 knots

 

Overnight into Saturday, we can feel the temperature dropping on our balcony, wind speed picking up and the seas got a little rougher, increasing to 8 to 10 ft. and what we consider moderate bit of rocking and we slept like babies, DW being usually prone to motion - her sea legs getting better & stronger with each cruise, thanks to our GEM's post Sandy roller coaster ride with 25' to 30' plus waves & gale force crosswind with the Noreaster. Sitting in Taste for morning breakfast, the sea actually didn't look bad at all to us; midship & lower deck is the place to be and not high above on deck 15 or 16. Guess who we ran into , our LeBistro waiter, Mr. E is working the breakfast shift here & we waved & said our hello's. (So, he is not off the GSC and have other assigned duties in other dining revenue during the day, and it's the second time we ran into him working outside of LeBistro ...)

 

This morning, the action is mostly on Deck 8 with the Duty-Free & Gift Shops with many bargain shoppers looking for specials & done - thankfully, we're mostly done by Day 2, and we managed to self-ordered 3 pictures ourselves - with a convenience charge - 1 of the many touchscreen station in Photo Shop for pickup later before the crowds rolled in. Time to head back to our room since the Waterfront (Outdoors - all of Deck 8) were closed due to wind for safety reasons, for the rest of the day. We're told by other pax coming down from the buffet that it's closed upstairs including the pools ?? (not positive, but temp's in the 40's this morning, not a big surprise even if it is heated to 80 degree F plus. That meant everyone will be inside somewhere on the ship, looking for things to do - good for the bars, etc. Yulp, so much for sitting out in that private but small balcony of ours for at least a few hours, oh well. According to the Capt's brief 10 AM report from the Bridge - the cold front is moving north & away from us but still need to cross it with rougher conditions later in the day.

[meatball_nyc]

Thanks for all the new info and pics. It's been a number of years since our last time in Nassau (on purpose) and will be our first time (hopefully) to GSC for our next BA trip.

Excellent review so far. Thank you, mking!

[mking8288]

Day 6 - late morning - clean laundry is done, pack them & let's eat again, almost lunch time.

 

What's this - oh, Steward got our bag tightly stuffed full of dirty laundry from downstairs, washed & neatly folded in a basket (free perk) on the sofa for us.

 

Take another look or two (and pictures) as in less than 24 hours, this will be someone else's home away from home for their next 7 days - start packing more items away and get those Priority Luggage Tags ready (went to the cruise consultant's desk to picked them up, not delivered)

 

Last lunch in the MDR for this cruise ?? Not going to deal with the buffet scene again, gotta be packed full of people. Okay, what's on the menu, let's see ...