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Live from Getaway: August 15, 2015


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Precruise: flew into FLL. Used ridesas for transportation to Miami Hyatt. 15pp and the driver was terrific. He even called me (we were still on the plane waiting to Debark). Great directions for where to meet outside baggage claim and we were off. About 30 minutes later arrived at Hyatt.

 

We chose the Hyatt to use cc miles. It was fine for one night, but the balcony doors do not open which left me feeling a bit claustrophobic. Rode the free trolley around biscayne blvd just to see how much Miami has changed since last visit. Ended up at bayside for free concerts (great bands). Walked back to Hyatt from bayside, felt totally safe.

 

Embarkation: this is my 23rd cruise spanning nearly 30 years so this is far from my first rodeo. We spent a leisurely morning at the Hyatt then showed up at the pier at 11:30 am and I figured that would be a terrible arrival time but we were in no hurry. mUCH to my surprise this was the quickest embarkation EVER! We were on the boat by noon (skipped the line for embarkation pictures which looked to be at least 30 minutes). bRAVO to the embarkation staff.

 

We always skip buffet at embarkation and the elected to Eat a delicious lunch of shrimp and salmon at taste, then coffee and dessert (key lime torte was fabulous) and rooms were ready.

 

This was a last minute trip for us. I booked a bx guarantee 26 days before sailing at a fabulous price. We are celebrating a non-monumental birthday this trip, so we really didn't care where we ended up. Normally I prefer aft facing balconies because I love lounge chair on my balcony (yep, I'm one of the strange ones who actually sleeps outside). Last year we booked a B6 large balcony on the breakaway because at the time the aft facing B1s weren't priced kindly and since last year was for a monumental birthday trip, I really wanted that lounger!

 

Much to my surprise, the guarantee balcony Gods smiled upon us. At 18 days prior to sailing we were assigned a handicapped balcony. I felt guilty because I did not want to take a handicapped cabin from someone in need, but I was assured by both ncl and my travel agent that this is the room they wanted us in. The room is exactly twice the size of a balcony room with 70 square feet of balcony space; enough for my lounge chair!! Last night I drifted off to sleep with the stars above and sound of the ocean below. It's like luxury camping :). There are some downsides to a handicapped room (funky entry door which exposed entire cabin each time you come and go, shower floor floods a bit, and there is very minimal counter space in the bathroom, but did i mention there is a lounge chair on the balcony? Fair trade in my book (pictures to follow).

 

We have "free" UDP (not to be confused with the new SDP). Based on my experience with UDP last year, I made all my reservations prior to boarding and I'm very glad I did. I checked tempanyaki and lebistro available times last night and unless you want 5:30 or after 9; both restaurants are entirely booked for the week already. Burn the floor and legally blonde already have sold out shows and I expect they will entirely sell out today. Of course, you can always que in the standby for shows, but dinner is a different thing.

 

We ate at cagneys last night. They have not rolled out entire aka carte pricing yet, but as others have reported there are now 2 entries with upchargea at cagneys. 32 oz steak or whole Maine lobster, each an additional 10.00. We had no desire to eat an entire cow and went with traditional menu items. I had an excellent filet and Bob had the shrimp and lobster tail pasta. The tail was HuGe; no way this was a Caribbean lobster tail. Overall; another fabulous dinner experience at cagneys.

 

We saw Grammt experience band last night. The Grammy performer isn't on this sailing (something about a concert on land). The band was terrific, but they are no frills studio musicians. If you appreciate some very talented musicians rippin out the Jazz this is the place. They only play two 45 minute sets each evening.

 

After Grammy we closed howl at the moon. Great fun. Last night I fell asleep outside under the stars. Came in about 4 am, room service arrived at 8 so I'm going to need a nap. Good thing I pre purchased the thermal spa pass online (it is also sold out for the week).

 

I summary, ncl did a great job day 1. I love waterfront dining and cagneys didn't disappoint. I do believe that the away ships require pre-planning in terms of reservations if you want to enjoy the amenities to the fullest; but if your willing to forgo a bit of true free style for a more rigid schedule the away ships deliver some very unique experiences.

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Precruise: flew into FLL. Used ridesas for transportation to Miami Hyatt. 15pp and the driver was terrific. He even called me (we were still on the plane waiting to Debark). Great directions for where to meet outside baggage claim and we were off. About 30 minutes later arrived at Hyatt.

 

We chose the Hyatt to use cc miles. It was fine for one night, but the balcony doors do not open which left me feeling a bit claustrophobic. Rode the free trolley around biscayne blvd just to see how much Miami has changed since last visit. Ended up at bayside for free concerts (great bands). Walked back to Hyatt from bayside, felt totally safe.

 

Embarkation: this is my 23rd cruise spanning nearly 30 years so this is far from my first rodeo. We spent a leisurely morning at the Hyatt then showed up at the pier at 11:30 am and I figured that would be a terrible arrival time but we were in no hurry. mUCH to my surprise this was the quickest embarkation EVER! We were on the boat by noon (skipped the line for embarkation pictures which looked to be at least 30 minutes). bRAVO to the embarkation staff.

 

We always skip buffet at embarkation and the elected to Eat a delicious lunch of shrimp and salmon at taste, then coffee and dessert (key lime torte was fabulous) and rooms were ready.

 

This was a last minute trip for us. I booked a bx guarantee 26 days before sailing at a fabulous price. We are celebrating a non-monumental birthday this trip, so we really didn't care where we ended up. Normally I prefer aft facing balconies because I love lounge chair on my balcony (yep, I'm one of the strange ones who actually sleeps outside). Last year we booked a B6 large balcony on the breakaway because at the time the aft facing B1s weren't priced kindly and since last year was for a monumental birthday trip, I really wanted that lounger!

 

Much to my surprise, the guarantee balcony Gods smiled upon us. At 18 days prior to sailing we were assigned a handicapped balcony. I felt guilty because I did not want to take a handicapped cabin from someone in need, but I was assured by both ncl and my travel agent that this is the room they wanted us in. The room is exactly twice the size of a balcony room with 70 square feet of balcony space; enough for my lounge chair!! Last night I drifted off to sleep with the stars above and sound of the ocean below. It's like luxury camping :). There are some downsides to a handicapped room (funky entry door which exposed entire cabin each time you come and go, shower floor floods a bit, and there is very minimal counter space in the bathroom, but did i mention there is a lounge chair on the balcony? Fair trade in my book (pictures to follow).

 

We have "free" UDP (not to be confused with the new SDP). Based on my experience with UDP last year, I made all my reservations prior to boarding and I'm very glad I did. I checked tempanyaki and lebistro available times last night and unless you want 5:30 or after 9; both restaurants are entirely booked for the week already. Burn the floor and legally blonde already have sold out shows and I expect they will entirely sell out today. Of course, you can always que in the standby for shows, but dinner is a different thing.

 

We ate at cagneys last night. They have not rolled out entire aka carte pricing yet, but as others have reported there are now 2 entries with upchargea at cagneys. 32 oz steak or whole Maine lobster, each an additional 10.00. We had no desire to eat an entire cow and went with traditional menu items. I had an excellent filet and Bob had the shrimp and lobster tail pasta. The tail was HuGe; no way this was a Caribbean lobster tail. Overall; another fabulous dinner experience at cagneys.

 

We saw Grammt experience band last night. The Grammy performer isn't on this sailing (something about a concert on land). The band was terrific, but they are no frills studio musicians. If you appreciate some very talented musicians rippin out the Jazz this is the place. They only play two 45 minute sets each evening.

 

After Grammy we closed howl at the moon. Great fun. Last night I fell asleep outside under the stars. Came in about 4 am, room service arrived at 8 so I'm going to need a nap. Good thing I pre purchased the thermal spa pass online (it is also sold out for the week).

 

I summary, ncl did a great job day 1. I love waterfront dining and cagneys didn't disappoint. I do believe that the away ships require pre-planning in terms of reservations if you want to enjoy the amenities to the fullest; but if your willing to forgo a bit of true free style for a more rigid schedule the away ships deliver some very unique experiences.

 

BermudaBound could you please clarify on the lobster at Cagneys. You said you had the UDP. Were you charged an upcharge for this item or was it still included in your UDP package as per the Terms and Conditions.

Edited by punkincc
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We will be onboard in just a few weeks so anxious to hear about your experiences! Do you know who the grammy experience was supposed to be?

Can you update us on what movies are currently playing ( I know strange but I never see movies at home) LOL!!

Thanks in advance for your review!!

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Punkincc: thanks for asking for a clarification. I don't want to give out any misinformation. Here is what I do know: 1) there were two items added to cagneys menu since I sailed last year.

2) both items were listed for 10.00

3) items were 32 oz steak and whole Maine lobster.

4) since nothing had been removed from the menu and we did not particularly want a whole Maine lobster or 32 oz meat, we ordered off the items that did not have an added fee.

5) I had a lovely filet and bob had Lobster TAIL (not whole) with shrimp and pasta.

6) the TAIL appeared to be a real Maine lobster tail and not traditional Caribbean lobster.

7) we were NOT charged anything additional with UDP ordering off the menu (although our lovely waitress did hint at an additional tip.)

8) we are from a tipping culture, and I put myself through 12 years of college on a waitress salary. We tip additional, but believe this is a personal choice and pass no judgement either way.

9) we were charged $21.42 pp at time of booking to cover 18% speciality restaurant service/gratuity. We chose to tip in addition to this because we have always had lovely meals (although slow by some standards).

 

10) Now, what I am not 100% sure about is whether or not we would have been charged had we selected the uncharged items. We are dining at leBistro tonight and I plan to order the lobster up charge item like last year and will report back my findings. Also, we have reservations again in cagneys late in the week and I will be sure to clarify one way or the other.

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Subscribing - we are on the Getaway 9/19 and booked an IX inside Category guarantee and got a HC Family Inside with the UBP deal. Your room looks like a great deal - we did an aft facing balcony on our first getaway trip, but doing an inside to save money to spend elsewhere on the ship this time around.

 

Which Hyatt did you stay at in Miami? Hyatt house or the one downtown? We are thinking of booking Hyatt so we can get Mlife casino points. Hyatt House by the airport is an all suite hotel, but then the Hyatt Miami is better location....so if you have pictures of the hotel room, would be great :D even if you post them after your cruise

 

Please let me know what shows they have in between Burn the floor and Legally Blonde - We did the Getaway last year and went to both, but wonder what shows that have in the main theatre inbetween thosse

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ImageUploadedByForums1439757153.817030.jpg.d26f135ca941edceb8c1876a46465478.jpg

 

We stayed Hyatt downtown to use cc points. Room wasn't a suite but it was great for one night. clean with really nice concierge service that helped us out a bunch. Free trolly and tram very close, but it's a super easy walk to bayside which we very much enjoyed. If you think you want to explore Miami a bit I wouldn't hesitate to recommend knowing that it's not fancy. Location, location, location. Here's our view

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[ATTACH]359359[/ATTACH]

 

We stayed Hyatt downtown to use cc points. Room wasn't a suite but it was great for one night. clean with really nice concierge service that helped us out a bunch. Free trolly and tram very close, but it's a super easy walk to bayside which we very much enjoyed. If you think you want to explore Miami a bit I wouldn't hesitate to recommend knowing that it's not fancy. Location, location, location. Here's our view

 

We are probably going to rent a car, as we fly in FLL at 8pm the night before the cruise, and will drop out car off at the rental car place with a shuttle

 

How did you get the port of miami?

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For those looking for movies and shows, [ATTACH]359360[/ATTACH]Can you read this ok?

 

too small to read - are you using tapatalk?

 

Try using maybe imgur and using the BB code

 

sorry not more helpful, been a while since I have uploaded photos to CC, but I think if you use the BB code link it will work better

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Punkincc: thanks for asking for a clarification. I don't want to give out any misinformation. Here is what I do know: 1) there were two items added to cagneys menu since I sailed last year.

2) both items were listed for 10.00

3) items were 32 oz steak and whole Maine lobster.

4) since nothing had been removed from the menu and we did not particularly want a whole Maine lobster or 32 oz meat, we ordered off the items that did not have an added fee.

5) I had a lovely filet and bob had Lobster TAIL (not whole) with shrimp and pasta.

6) the TAIL appeared to be a real Maine lobster tail and not traditional Caribbean lobster.

7) we were NOT charged anything additional with UDP ordering off the menu (although our lovely waitress did hint at an additional tip.)

8) we are from a tipping culture, and I put myself through 12 years of college on a waitress salary. We tip additional, but believe this is a personal choice and pass no judgement either way.

9) we were charged $21.42 pp at time of booking to cover 18% speciality restaurant service/gratuity. We chose to tip in addition to this because we have always had lovely meals (although slow by some standards).

 

10) Now, what I am not 100% sure about is whether or not we would have been charged had we selected the uncharged items. We are dining at leBistro tonight and I plan to order the lobster up charge item like last year and will report back my findings. Also, we have reservations again in cagneys late in the week and I will be sure to clarify one way or the other.

 

Thanks for responding. I'll be looking for your update on the lobster. Now apparently, someone on the Pearl has said that they were told only 1 side per entree. They could get potato or vegetable, not both. Seen anything crazy like that? Thanks, again.

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Thanks for the live review! Is the walk up window on Water Fronts Ocean Blue still serving Lobster Rolls on at sea days? Loved these last year.

Also, have you tried the Flamingo Grill? I'm hooked on the fried plantains and other Cuban food they serve there.

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Quick update while we wait for burn the floor to start. Had a fabulous meal at lebistro tonight. The scallops (side dish) melted in your mouth. I had mushroom soup again (my fav) and bob had escargot (still served in garlic butter sauce, I had read they changed to mustard sauce). I had the fruit del mar (lobster, scallops, and shrimp in pastry). This item has an up charge of 10. I'm happy to report that in spite of multiple appetizers and a 10 upcharge entree our bill was zero. No charges (exact same as last year). I will say the portions appeared smaller (only 2 scallops and 3 shrimp with a couple bites of lobster). Not worth the upcharge in my opinion, but delicious regardless!

 

I think some of the confusion is coming because the menu at cagneys has NEW upcharge items. Unless I'm totally mistaken, Maine lobster for 10 was not an option at cagneys last year. If it was, my apologies. The upcharge items at lebistro are the same as what I remember from last year (32 oz steak for two, fruit Delmar, and one other thing I forgot. Regardless, I promise to ask the specific question about upcharge and UDP at cagneys later in the week.

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