Cruising with the Contres--NCL Getaway 11/29--Progressive Review

[AZ ParrotHead]

Hello All!

 

I am writing this from my hotel room in Boca Raton as we prepare to board NCL Getaway on Sunday for a week in the Western Caribbean. As we go through the week, I'll endeavor to post continuing updates as the information is fresh in my mind.

 

First, some background:

 

The Cruisers:

 

Me (Jonathan, 35) and DW (Sheryl, 54) in wraparound Haven aft balcony penthouse 10312.

 

My parents, Dennis, 62 and Diane, 72 (DF and DM) in wraparound Haven aft balcony penthouse 10912.

 

Our daughter, Haley 23 (DD), in a studio cabin.

 

Between us, we have over 20 cruises under our belt and we have frequent cruiser status on RCCL and Celebrity. This is our first NCL cruise and we're looking forward to comparing the 3 lines.

 

We live in the Grand Canyon State (Phoenix).

 

Booking Story

 

We were encouraged to book this cruise by some dear friends who are also sailing. We took advantage of a fantastic Wave Season sale and got our original balcony GTY cabins for 699/PP with the UBP. We've had this cruise booked since the last week in January--the longest we've ever waited to cruise!

 

Our GTY cabins were assigned on deck 8 in September (after the final payment date of the cruise). In October, we took advantage of some aggressive price drops to move to a MS GTY for 949 PP and had our cabins assigned a few days after upgrading. We were assigned a mid ship MS on deck 11 and my parents got a midship on deck 12.

 

2 weeks ago, I called the upsell department and was able to secure the H6 wraparound aft penthouse for both our cabin and our parents' cabin for $500 per person. They originally offered the upgrade at $750PP and accepted my offer of 5. Word to wise--it's always good to ask if they can give you a better price then the first offer!

 

All in all, our H6 Haven cabins are costing 1500 per person (including port charges and taxes). Considering the same cabin retailed for 3600 PER PERSON all year, we are pretty damn excited about the upgrade. So excited in fact, that my dad has spent a lot of time on the internet trying to figure out what to get the butler and concierge to do for us. I keep hearing something about cocktails in his robe on the balcony. It's a good thing he has an aft cabin.....

 

Our daughter is still in her studio cabin. She was booked late (September) and her rate was 1099 plus taxes for the room. Honestly, not a great deal. But I'm a good dad and when she told me she was able to get the time off from work I broke down and added her to the trip.

 

We used our FF miles to get roundtrip tickets on Delta from PHX to FLL through Atlanta on Thanksgiving morning and we're flying home on Monday after the cruise. My MIL lives in Boynton Beach and we decided to take a couple of days and spend some time with her for the holiday.

 

Pre-Cruise so Far

 

My beautiful wife is from Brooklyn. Her mother is from Brooklyn My daughter thinks she is a New Yorker (even though she grew up in AZ). I'm from Boston. That's pretty all you need to know about the women in my life--especially when they all get together.

 

Palm Beach county is the land of retired New Yorkers--most of whom can't drive and have an opinion about everything (especially my MIL). It gets hairy when three generations of the Glassman women share the same SUV on the Florida Turnpike. It's so odd--my daughter argues with my wife, my wife argues with her mother, but my daughter and her grandmother get along fine. You need a flow chart to follow the discussions. Or earplugs.

 

And so then there's me, driving the Ford land yacht down the freeway (every destination in Boca requires a 20 minute drive on the highway--even if it's next door), quietly trusting Siri to get us home--where a glass of wine awaits. Apparently, according to my MIL, Siri is not from Florida or New York and has no idea how to get her back to her condo "the right way."

 

Turns out the "right way" takes 15 minutes longer and has 10 more lights....Who knew?

 

I have been a great son in law these past couple of days.

[AZ ParrotHead]

Thanksgiving:

 

I've never traveled on Thanksgiving day before. I've traveled on black Wednesday (day before) and Black Sunday (Sunday after) but not on the actual holiday. Our flight left at the crack of dawn--630--from Phoenix which meant reveille at 345. I'm not only a great dad and son in law, I'm a pretty good son too. I drove as we picked up my parents and then my daughter from her apartment. They all got an extra half hour to sleep.

 

My wife is shameless. She put on comfy travel clothes and passed out in the car on the way to the airport.

 

I am master packer and we fit 5 people, an electric scooter (my mom's) 6 suitcases and 7 carryons in my Pathfinder. At 4 am. Without coffee.

 

The Phoenix airport is pretty easy and there was no traffic on the way. I was pleasantly surprised to find covered economy parking near the terminal. I had received an email the other day from the airport saying to expect delays and enhanced security measures. My wife and I both have elite status on Delta and we all got Pre-Check.

 

My dad watches Fox News and was convinced that at security we would have to take off our shoes, pull out every device, and take a swig of each liquid to ensure they weren't poison. I'm happy to report that, he, and Fox, were wrong. We slipped through easily and had all the pre-check accommodations we're used to. I even managed to get not 1, but 2 quart size plastic baggies through! It's amazing how many Bailey's minis you can fit in a quart size bag......

Edited November 28, 2015 by AZ ParrotHead

[AZ ParrotHead]

We arrived on time in Fort Lauderdale at 330 with all our bags and the electric cart still in one piece. #winning

 

I ran into a little issue with Avis. I'm one of their First customers (elite--can you tell we travel A LOT for work?) and I had a full sized premium SUV reserved since February. I walked to my parking place to find--wait--wait for it--wait----a Dodge caravan. Normally I'm pretty flexible but the minivan just wasn't big enough. Plus, my kids are grown, my mini van days are LONG GONE.

 

I sought out the rep and he apologized and said they were oversold on everything and the "new girl" put me in the mommy wagon thinking it was an "upgrade." The only premium SUV he had was a new Expedition with captain's seats in the back. This wasn't exactly what we needed since we wanted a bench in the second row to open up space in the back. But it's the best he could do, and it was Thanksgiving, and I was getting REALLY hungry.

So I took the land yacht.

 

Meanwhile, the crew had claimed the bags and I picked them up on the curb. We shoved everyone in the truck (and I do mean shoved--my daughter was a pretzel in the small third row seat next to all the bags).

 

And off we go--onto the I95--in Florida. What joy. I hate driving in South Florida. Someone always cuts you off, or slows down in front of you, or wizzes by you at 110. I just find it stressful--it's worse than New York, but better (slightly) than LA driving.

 

We are staying at the Town Place Suites Marriott Boca Raton and my daughter is staying next door at the Springhill Suites Boca Raton. We tried to get her into our hotel but it's been sold out for months. I'm a good husband too--I booked the hotel with the big "king size" bed and my daughter was booked into a double room. Turns out our king size bed is more like a full size and my daughter got moved to a room at the Springhill with a full King. Sigh.

 

These hotels are both points stays so beggars can't be choosers. We got our rooms at the Townplace for a crazy low 10k points per night. Haley's was 15K per night. Breakfast is included in both hotels but it's only served in the Springhill. So you have to walk across the parking lot to get food in the morning if you're staying at the Town Place. Keep that in mind.

 

If you are visiting your in laws in Palm Beach County (like me) these hotels are a great choice because they are conveniently located near the 95. If you're actually on vacation, and not visiting family, I'd look elsewhere since it's 30 minutes back south to FLL and another 40 minutes beyond that to Miami.

[AZ ParrotHead]

Hotel check-in was painless and I took advantage of doing it online the day before for the chance to win a million Marriott points. If I do win a million points, I'm not going to spend them in South Florida....

 

A quick note here to review the trip advisor information for these hotels if you choose to stay here. It's pretty accurate and the photos are representative of the properties. The only thing I was surprised about is that they are near the Tri-Rail line and you can hear the train faintly as it goes by. I don't remember reading any reviews mentioning that....

 

We dumped the bags, showered, changed and headed to Thanksgiving dinner at the Capital Grille. I LOVE the Capital Grille. Whenever we have a special occasion that's where we go. The service, food, and ambiance is always top notch.

 

I had a great Thanksgiving dinner--14 OZ New York, oysters, mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts. Can't be beat! Our party of 7 was treated like kings and and we all had big steaks, red wine, and Stoli Dolis. Richard, our waiter, even poured us a champagne toast (it was my parent's anniversary also) and comped a nice dessert for us all to share.

 

The Capital Grille is by no means inexpensive. But to me, especially after a long travel day, it was exactly what we needed to get our vacation started off on the right foot.

 

My mother in law even liked the food.....

 

 

Next up: Day 2 touring Fort Lauderdale

Edited November 28, 2015 by AZ ParrotHead

[warringtonian]

Following your review with interest as we are in the aft penthouse above yours in January. Very impressed that you seem to have had your daughter when you were twelve! Not so happy with the price for your cabin as we paid quite a bit more, but that's life.

It will be interesting to hear how long it takes to walk from your cabin to the Haven.

[AZ ParrotHead]

Following your review with interest as we are in the aft penthouse above yours in January. Very impressed that you seem to have had your daughter when you were twelve! Not so happy with the price for your cabin as we paid quite a bit more, but that's life.

 

It will be interesting to hear how long it takes to walk from your cabin to the Haven.

 

 

What can i say? We have very strong "little swimmers" in my family :)

 

Actually, you probably figured out the DD is my step daughter and my wife and I have a bit of an age difference. She robbed the cradle.

 

I went from 0 to teenager and skipped the diapers. Haley was 12 when she came into my life and was 15 when we got married.

 

As for the Haven, I get why you'd be grumbly considering I got the deal that FDR promised was going away. Keep watching for price drops and call the cruise line to see if you can negotiate some OBC.

[warringtonian]

I had guessed that your DD must be your stepDD. Unfortunately in the UK we can't renegiate the price once we have paid, especially as it was booked through Virgin Holidays, and our price had to include air fares. Just to complicate things we are staying in Miami South Beach for three days before the cruise and four days afterwards. I'm pleased for you that you got a good price.

[jbhcw]

Enjoying your review...family has booked the Getaway for next thanksgiving:D We are seasoned Carnival and Hal cruisers but only one NCL....long ago on a small small ship....so looking forward to your review!! Happy sailing:):)

[weelv2cruise]

I am so enjoying your review and I'm following. Love your sense of humor! Have a fantastic cruise and I want to hear all about it! :D

[AZ ParrotHead]

Day 2--Fort Lauderdale/Boynton

 

It's amazing what 2 bottles of good Cab, prime grade steak, and an after dinner Scotch will do for your sleep! Even though the tiny bed was hard as a rock, I passed out and woke up at 9 rested and refreshed. NO HANGOVER!

 

I'm a gym rat and in this thread you'll see lots of references to my workouts. My philosophy is work out so you can enjoy life. I did A LOT of enjoying the night before, so I needed to do A LOT of working out in the morning.

 

Since we have 2 different hotels, I had the choice of using 2 different gyms. They are both your typical small chain hotel gyms--a couple of treadmills, some free weights, a bike, and an elliptical machine. The gym at the Springhill has nicer, newer equipment so I worked out there. I subscribe to a couple of streaming services--Studio Sweat On Demand and Beachbody on Demand so as long as there's an internet connection I have a wide selection of workouts available that don't require a full LA Fitness.

 

Yesterday it was 70 minutes of Shaun T's Insanity Cardio and Cardio Abs. An hour or so of jumping around and slinging sweat across the gym cleared up any outstanding cobwebs and I felt energized and ready to go. The only minor annoyance was that the gym was out of towels and I had to steal one off a passing housekeeping cart.

 

Meanwhile, my wife and parents nibbled on the (decent) hotel breakfast at the Springhill and several needed cups of coffee. My daughter rose from the dead around 10.

 

We left the hotel at 11 and stopped at Flakowitz's Bagel Inn (MIL APPROVED!) in Boca Raton to pick up some lox and bagels to bring to my MIL's house. She hosted us for a lovely brunch at noon and it was great visit with her and my wife's uncle.

 

Around 2, the taxi service started up again and we made our way south to Fort Lauderdale for a 3PM sightseeing tour on the Carrie B. My daughter decided she would rather visit some family friends and MIL and her brother dropped off DD at her friends' condo. Unfortunately, they got stuck in traffic (read--we forgot the GPS....) and missed the boat by 5 minutes.

 

The Carrie B picks up right off of Las Olas in downtown FLL and for 15 bucks it's a great way to see the "Venice of America." (By the way, I've been to Venice. Fort Lauderdale doesn't look anything like it. Don't believe the comparison.) The cruise was 90 minutes and we gawked at the conspicuous consumption of mansions and yachts while enjoying a couple of cocktails. The weather was absolutely phenomenal and I really enjoyed the little boat trip. If you've never been to FLL or have never been on the River/Canals I highly recommend this tour.

 

We had dinner on Las Olas at Louie Bossi and it was excellent. It's rustic Italian and the restaurant has a patio on Las Olas and backyard area with bocci and seating. Very indoor/outdoor. We ate under the Gazebo in the back and enjoyed an antipasto board of meats and cheeses and then some pasta for dinner. I highly recommend their house made burrata and the polenta. Some of the best I've had in the States. Skip the Cacio De Pepe-not nearly as good as Rome!

 

After dinner, we picked up my daughter (who had found her way to dinner with her other Grandmother who lives in South Florida) in Parkland and trekked back up the turnpike to Boynton Beach BLVD to drop off MIL--a drive of 30 minutes that felt like 3 hours.

 

Then, 20 minutes back South to the hotel to drop off my parents and so that my wife and daughter could change to go out and meet my wife's BFF from New York (also in Florida for the holiday) and her 20 something kids. I was going to go but an hour and half of navigating QTIP alley had my head frazzled. I needed a break!

 

I dropped them at Ocean 234 in Deerfield Beach and then headed back to the hotel after a quick Walgreen's stop. Got to the hotel, starting writing this review, and then passed out. My wife rolled in around 130 am like she was in college again. I was definitely the Old Man last night!

 

Wife's notes from last night:

 

1. Uber works in South Florida. She had an 8 minute wait for a car at 1AM at the bar in Deerfield. Much better than an expensive taxi.

 

2. She says that Ocean's 234 is "very interesting." I assume this means that she and her girlfriends were hit on all night. I'm fine with this as it kept the drink bill lower and she still came home to me :)

 

3. The staff at 234 was nice and the cocktails were expensive. The restaurant was full of New Yorkers on vacation in Florida. Great people watching.

 

So that's about it. We're current. More to come later. We're packing up the hotel now to head down to Miami and leave Boca Raton "in our wake!"

[lov2sun]

Eagerly awaiting more info from the ship tomorrow. Based on your upgrade experience and advice, we will be in the same category one floor below anda short time after and for the same price. Yay!

 

So thank you for the tip on 'offering' a lower upgrade price and can't wait to hear more about the ship as well as the cabin and its perks.

[workingmom200112]

Have a great cruise! I'll be following :):)

[DiamondGirl83]

Looking forward to reading your reviews about your experience on the ship! Have a great time

[Bamagirl7]

Also looking forward to your review as we love Celebrity Cruises, but would like a little more nightlife.

 

Did NCL call you to upgrade or did you call them? I have been watching prices, and thinking about upgrading. Thanks for any input you have.

 

Enjoy your week!

[AZ ParrotHead]

Also looking forward to your review as we love Celebrity Cruises, but would like a little more nightlife.

 

 

 

Did NCL call you to upgrade or did you call them? I have been watching prices, and thinking about upgrading. Thanks for any input you have.

 

 

 

Enjoy your week!

 

 

We called the upsell line to upgrade to the haven. The upgrade from the balcony GTY to Minisuite was done through regular reservations.

[AZ ParrotHead]

Eagerly awaiting more info from the ship tomorrow. Based on your upgrade experience and advice, we will be in the same category one floor below anda short time after and for the same price. Yay!

 

 

 

So thank you for the tip on 'offering' a lower upgrade price and can't wait to hear more about the ship as well as the cabin and its perks.

 

 

So glad it worked out for you!!!!

[shellden]

What fun to read, cruising in May haven't sailed NCL in a bit so anxious to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance for taking the time to share !!

[Lorey2007]

Loving your review. Can you peek over to your neighbors balcony 10314 and see if they have 2 loungers? We have that balcony room in February but no one was able to tell me if there are 2 loungers and 2 chairs. Have a wonderful cruise I'm looking forward to following along.

[AZ ParrotHead]

Loving your review. Can you peek over to your neighbors balcony 10314 and see if they have 2 loungers? We have that balcony room in February but no one was able to tell me if there are 2 loungers and 2 chairs. Have a wonderful cruise I'm looking forward to following along.

 

 

We are very nosy. No problem!

[AZ ParrotHead]

Good evening from Miami!

 

Today was an eventful day as we bid adieu from the stuffy conservative confines of Palm Beach county to the Latin Rhythm of Miami.

 

I awoke about 800AM to a deeply snoring wife. You know your wife is really, really, tired when she makes no effort to curb or hide her vocal machinations. Normally, Sheryl is a light to mid sigh when she snores--I actually think it's kinda sexy. But on those occasions when she is REALLY tired the garden gnome who hibernates inside her diaphram gets rudely awakened and there is an ungodly roar that can stir the dead. It was one of THOSE mornings....Needless to say, I didn't go back to sleep.....

 

I scampered for my sneakers and made my way across the parking lot to the gym. My dad was outside on the bench enjoying his morning cancer stick. Today, I focused on Post Activation Potentiation with a special P90X3 video for 35 minutes followed by a 35 minute speed spin class from Studio Sweat on Demand. 15 minutes in, I was pouring sweat and clearing out the muck from the night before. A great workout! As I walked back to the room, my dad was sitting in the same place. Deja Vu i thought....until he said "it's about time you're done--i've already had breakfast, showered and now I'm back outside!" Must be nice to not have to worry about logistics, timing, New York women, or schedules.

[AZ ParrotHead]

We had a quick breakfast in the hotel room and packed up the car at 1130. This time my zen packing skills returned and we were much more successful with all the bags. We even managed to find room for a couple of shopping bags and 1/2 a bottle of Jameson in the back. (More on that later).

 

I braced myself for another harrowing journey on I95 but I was very pleasantly surprised to find traffic reasonable and moving--except for the idiot who didn't tie down his bike in the back of his pickup trip. It ended up in the middle of the freeway and he had a lousy morning trying to explain to State Trooper why he was trying to stop traffic to retrieve it.

 

Our ride took a quick 45 minutes and we were in Miami in 1230. Miami feels different than FLL--it's steamier and louder and more urban. I've always enjoyed spending a little time here!

 

We went to Bayside Marketplace for lunch and to pick up some "last minute emergencies." Tell me, how does your wife and your daughter spend a week getting ready for this trip and BOTH manage to forget to pack a decent pair of jeans?

 

I'm told that the Express at Bayside is "the nicest one they've ever seen" and my wife "could buy everything in the store!" No--she can't....

 

I HATE to clothes shop and it's a rarity to ever get me in a mall. My girls took advantage of that and pulled me into the dressing area for a "man's opinion" on the pants.

 

DD:

 

"What do you think of this pair of jeans? Doesn't my butt look great in them?"

 

Uh oh: MAN TRAP!

 

All of a sudden I feel like I'm Richard Attenborough in the African plains staring at a lioness protecting her cubs--calm initially but she's capable of attacking anytime!

 

There is no right answer to this question for a man--only degrees of wrongness for which you will be chastised. Quickly I came up with 3 possible responses and tried the one I thought best

 

"Honey, those are really nice jeans and you seem to like them."

 

DD: "Dad, that's NOT what I asked"

 

OY! Strike 1!

 

"Well, the jeans fit well and they are a great color"

 

DD: "Yes, but how does my BUTT look in them?"

 

Strike 2!

 

"Your butt looks fantastic in the jeans!"

 

DD: "I just wanted your opinion-I didn't want you checking out my a$$!"

 

And poor dad goes down swinging........

 

She walked back into dressing room and I thought I was about to escape until my wife steps out from the next changing room. "HONEY....I need you to look at these jeans and tell me if they fit...."

 

I glance longingly outside the window and spot a glimpse of my parents sucking down mojitos from the bar and patiently waiting for us....OH HOW HAPPY THEY LOOK!

 

"Babe, these jeans fit really well everywhere, except they are just a tad tighter in the waist than I like. What should I do???"

 

Man trapped again!

 

Now, the reasonable, male, answer to this question is to just get the next size up. Waist is tight? Add a size--no big deal. I tried to be coy and answer a question with a question:

 

"Can you be comfortable in them?"

 

"NO! They're jeans for going out!"

 

"Ok, they look really nice, but will the tight tummy be comfortable for the whole trip"

 

"ARE YOU TELLING ME I'VE GAINED WEIGHT!!???"

 

FML

 

I beat a hasty retreat outside as quick as I could--hoping for a cool sip of a nice mojito. Mom and dad had already finished their drinks :(

 

So 100 bucks later there were 2 large shopping bags that looked like they had more in them than just jeans and one husband--ready for a cocktail.

Edited November 29, 2015 by AZ ParrotHead

[AZ ParrotHead]

After lunch and the Spanish Inquisition, we went back to the car, paid our parking fee, and sought out walgreens (downtown) for some more last minute things the ladies forgot (chapstick, water, shampoo--don't ask....)

 

My daughter's raging hangover kicked back in while we drove to the hotel. She had a REALLY good time with the friends from New York the night before--but she should know better than to mix Gin with Vodka Redbulls....

 

DD went to her room and passed out. I got a text message at 6 about room service and aspirin. At the time of this writing, she hasn't yet emerged from hibernation.

 

We are staying at the Miami Downtown Hilton on 17th st--5 minutes from the port. it's a fantastic location and I highly recommend the property to anyone who is in Miami for a cruise or business. As Diamond members, they moved us to a corner room overlooking the cruise ship channel and I eagerly looked forward to a Jameson rocks watching the Carnival ships turn in the basin.

 

Or, I should say, I WAS looking forward to the Jamey--until the bottle fell out of the back of the truck and broke in the parking lot. Oh what a waste!

 

Meanwhile, our friends got delayed on their drive from Tampa to Miami so it was just the 4 of us (Mom, Dad, DW and me) for drinks and dinner at the Palace in South Beach. The Palace is THE gay bar on South Beach and features continuous drag shows all night long.

 

My parents have never been to a drag show and have always wanted to experience it. We took Uber from the hotel ($15) right to the Palace and checked in for our reservation. They gave us a table right on the street--errr--stage---right in the middle of the action.

 

We had an awesome time! The fine looking ladies kept us entertained with their lip sync antics and I was truly impressed when the queen did a double back handspring into a full split. OUCH--that had to hurt!!!!!!

 

A quick note on the staff: in a word--AWESOME! My mom has MS and walks with a cane when she's not in her cart. She needed to go to bathroom, which is in the back of the bar. The bouncers took her by the arm and cleared out a path through the dance floor so she could get there safely. Then they waited for her and helped her back to our table. They did this twice for her that evening. Great guys!

 

We spend a couple of hours at the club having light nibbles and drinks and then headed back to the hotel to watch the second half of the Notre Dame game in the bar and meet up with our friends, who had just returned from dinner.

 

The rest of the evening was laughs and catching up with our dear friends and a lot of excitement about the day to come.

 

Cruise day is here!

[happyscmom]

This may be the best review I've ever read, and you aren't even on the boat!! Awesome!

[caseythegr]

Following along, we are in a H5 next November. I love your style of writing and having driven a land yacht in Florida I know exactly what it's like. My Dad had the mother of them all, a 1977 Cadillac Eldorado!

Laurie

[watchdiva]

Love your writing style and looking forward to your review of the ship! We sail her 1/17...