Getaway 12/2-12/9 with freestyles

[Galgirl74]

With the holidays, I’m a little behind. I love to read reviews and to see the schedule.

we had a 4 day stop at Disney before the cruise. Our girls were marching in the parade with the high school band. We arrived in Miami on Saturday. We stayed at the Sleep Inn Miami airport. I would not stay again. Outdated, peeling shower. Pool closes at 7. Have laundry facilities but no quarters. Free breakfast in the morning was packed. Very small area. 20 min wait for waffles and no open seats. Had good reviews but I will be skipping in the future.

we had a rental car and used the free Alamo shuttle to the port. Very easy drop off and waiting bus to take us to the port.  Very easy to get through security and no wait to check in. Boarding pass 13. Boarding went very quickly after the first few numbers. 

We had sailed the Escape last year, the same itinerary. But this time we brought our 2 girls. We weren’t after passes or reservations for anything so we headed to Savor. Had I not read reviews or been on board before I would of thought I had to go to the buffet. They really try to direct you there. 

We were seated right away and the girls were so excited with the “order anything”. Very nice lunch. By the time we were done, our rooms were ready. Headed there to relax for a bit before muster. I believe our luggage was all delivered before we left. 

Our muster station was Savor. This went quickly, please put away your phones and stop talking so they don’t have to go around and tell everyone individually.

We went out on the deck for sail away. Our girls were worried about being on the boat, but said they really couldn’t feel it moving. Spent time exploring the ship. Getting acquainted with where things are. Unpacked and went to dinner. We still did not have pool towels in our room. Actually had to ask for them the next day. Not sure why. We begged and bargained with the 13 year old to go to entourage. She spent an 1 1/2, said she had a good time but would never go back. She is shy, but I really wish she would of tried again. The Steelers were playing so the husband stayed in the room, the girls and I headed to O’Sheeans for some late night munchies. Off to bed after a great day!

[Galgirl74]

Day 2 at sea. Headed to the buffet for breakfast. My girls are still complaining that they don’t have waffles with strawberry sauce and hash browns every morning. They were addicted. We talked a lot to our girls about being polite (in general) that these employees work lots of hours, to make sure they thanked them. We talked about where they lived and leaving family behind and putting up with rude Americans. We had just gotten in line for the buffet when a gentleman was yelling at the cooks about needing his poached eggs on top of his hash, asking what was so hard to understand and then started yelling dos eggs.....the cooks were from the Philippines. We only found 2 incidents like this. Please be kind. My girls said “why can’t he put his own eggs on the hash?”  Headed to the great meet and greet! Watched a wedding taking place in the Tropicana room. We played deal or no deal,  superhero trivia, and signed up for escape the big top. Lunched in O’Sheeans. NCL has changed it so they onLy have one menu, the late night one, this was very disappointing to me. I can only eat so many fajitas! A little rest and then of to see Burn the Floor. The dancing and singing is fantastic. Late dinner at taste while 18 yr old went to watch the newlywed game. She loved all the game shows and was often found in the atrium. Off to bed. Roatan tomorrow!

 

[funlovinguy2011]

do you have the menus of the dining rooms?  will be on this cruise jan 6th-13th 

[Galgirl74]

Day 3. Roatan! Buffet for more waffles and hash browns😂 We were port side for this cruise so I was pretty excited! We were heading off to Daniel Johnson’s sloth hangout. We did this last year also and had to go back. Again warnings for the girls, and anyone else on their first cruise, getting out of the port can be a pain. Lots of people yelling, trying to get you to take their tours. Children trying to sell you things. Easily found the hangout, met our guide, she went to get the van and off we went. We asked a lot of questions about the area which she happily answered. The hangout has changed since last year a little. Different check in,more cages for the monkeys and a place to get your scuba gear. We loved holding the sloths, feeding the birds and playing with the monkeys. Then off to my favorite part, snorkeling! Tide was very low and we weren’t able to go off to the deep reef but still a great time. Lots of fish. The girls jumped right in and my youngest spend lots of time finding an eel in the one section. We were worried she would be bothered by seeing the fish but she loved it. After over an hour of snorkeling it was back to the hangout. You can get bottled water or soda cans there for $2. Also they sell some handmade items there. Driver was waiting for us, she answered more of our questions and dropped us back off. She told us about banana soda, which we got at the port. I heard it was yummy. It was a lovely time and highly recommend them! 

My daughter plays the marimba in the marching band and she was very interested to see the homemade ones that are played in these ports. We did some shopping at the booths and took some pictures. Back to the boat. Cold water and cool towels waiting for us! Headed to the buffet for a late lunch. We went to the balcony to watch for runners, there weren’t any. But we were watching the drummers and dancers telling us goodbye! Dinner and game shows tonight. The dance off is one of my favorites! Get there early for seats though! Buffet for snacks! Lazy day tomorrow.

[Galgirl74]

5 minutes ago, funlovinguy2011 said:

do you have the menus of the dining rooms?  will be on this cruise jan 6th-13th 

I’m sorry I don’t! Day 5 I thought I should of been taking pictures. I know I look for those also. One night we had meatballs in a spicy sauce as an appetizer, we are still talking about those! 

[BirdTravels]

Very cool!  Thanks for the dailies and review. 

[Galgirl74]

Day 4. Harvest Caye. Kind of a lazy day. We aren’t big beach people. Buffet for breakfast. The girls and I headed over. My husband decided to hang out and read. Spent sometime in the water and laying in the sun and the girls decided they would like to try the pool and water slides on an almost empty boat. Went and grabbed some fruit and dessert from the buffet and got some chairs in the shade. Tried all the slides. Even the free fall one. Scary waiting but it’s a good ride. Hung out in the empty kids pool with the 13 year old. They are salt water pools. There was no one in line for the slides. The hot tubs were filled however. Late lunch since we are seeing cirque tonight. I wish taste or Savor would be open on sea days. We got in line for cirque at 8. We were 3rd in line. Haven gets priority seating, so all front row seats were gone. Second row table for us and we were sat with another couple. Had nice conversations. They have been cruising for over 30 years. They had lots of interesting stories to tell. The meal was great! The show.....amazing, fantastic, wonderful.....I could go on! I would even think about paying to see it again. 

The ship seemed to move more some times. Especially aft. Worried the 13 year old some. Amazes me how these shows do the things they do with the movement of the ship. Costa maya tomorrow and the husband and I are splitting kids for different excursions and hoping that goes well!

[Dave&Ronda]

What nights were the Prime Rib nights?

[Sand and Seas]

Nice start!  Thanks for sharing your review with us

[rwf1]

Enjoying your review!

 

[Galgirl74]

22 hours ago, Dave&Ronda said:

What nights were the Prime Rib nights?

Prime rib was in garden buffet on the 1st night and at O’Sheeans on the last night. We ate 4 nights in the main dining room and it was never on the menu. 

[Galgirl74]

Day 5. Costa Maya! We had excursions booked through The Native Choice. We used them last year and loved them. The walk out of the port to their office is a little awkward, however they are building up the area so it will be interesting to see after they are done. It is a pain to get out of the shopping area, confusing exit signs and pretty much walk til the other side of it to get out. 

My 18 yr old and I were going to the dzibanche ruins and my 13 yr old and husband were going to Chacchoben ruins. Our trip included lunch and Mexican coke! Real sugar. Also bottled water for the whole trip. We happened to have the same guide as my husband and I had the year before, she is very knowledgeable. She brings maps and pictures. We enjoyed the ruins and you can still climb almost all of them. There also weren’t many people there, We stopped on the road to buy fresh pineapple. $1 for a bag of about 8 halves. I don’t eat pineapple, my daughter said it was the best she had ever had! 

We highly recommend them, and they also have insurance in case of an unlikely event that doesn’t get you back in time. We were back in plenty of time to do some looking around in the stores. However, I do feel most of this stuff is commercially made. 

Back to the boat for some rest. Some time on the waterfront. Dinner and game shows. We had the drink package. I don’t drink but get lots of virgin frozen drinks. I was sharing them with the girls. This night we ordered while sitting in the atrium, my daughter took the first sip and said ummmm I don’t think this is right. Sure enough it wasn’t virgin! My husband went up to the bar, they apologized and made us a new one. The 13 year old was very worried she was going to get intoxicated from her one sip😂 the 18 year old was mad she didn’t take the first sip, she probably wouldn’t of said anything! 

Off to bed. Cozumel in the morning, no rush to get off.

[Galgirl74]

Day 6. I don’t wanna go home yet! We headed to the buffet for waffles, strawberry sauce, whipped cream and hash browns. I’m there for the eggs Benedict without the Benedict. Had no plans for Cozumel and the husband decided to stay on board again. We walked the shops. Got some Mexico coke, and treats. We stopped in a jewelry store and my daughter feel in love with an opal ring, some bartering and tequila and got what we thought was a good deal. A week after we got home the silver started peeling off. Lesson learned. No buying jewelry in Mexico! She is heartbroken. 

We headed to the big grocery store. The girls did math so I knew what things cost in u.s. dollars. We bought lots of different snacks. Spent $22. Took some pics. The 18yr old loves sugar skulls and the day of the dead celebration.

The girls were bothered by the yelling from merchants there, I didn’t think it was to bad. Small children selling chips on the street, maybe 5 years old. Very sad.

Back to the boat. It’s early, and there are no wash clothes! My last chance for them. No port runners here either.

Escape the Big Top tonight. We enjoyed it. No one got out. You are given all you need in the beginning but clues are given out intermittently. I really like the idea of these being on the ships, I assume they are all the same though. Maybe they will start changing them up.

Back to the atrium for a game show. Then the 18yr old and I headed to the glow party. The husband is not a dancer and we told the 13 yr old it was only for adults. But there were lots of kids there. We got our faces painted and had a good time. We brought our own glow sticks, but the also passed them out. Buffet is closed when we leave. Off to O’Sheeans for food. It was very crowded. Got the last seats before a line formed. This is the only night I had an issue with service. We waited 25 min for someone to come to the table. The table sat right before us had already ordered and eaten their food. I went up and asked about it and was taken care of right after that. 

Off to bed. Last day tomorrow😭

[Langham1865]

thank you for your review so far, as I will be going on the Getaway in January.  If you don't mind, I have 2 questions.  First, do you still have the card from the Meet & Greet of the officers?  Second, of the Costa Maya ruins excursions, which would you do, if you can pick only one?

[PTC DAWG]

No drunken battery mentioned, would not sail. 

[Galgirl74]

1 hour ago, Langham1865 said:

thank you for your review so far, as I will be going on the Getaway in January.  If you don't mind, I have 2 questions.  First, do you still have the card from the Meet & Greet of the officers?  Second, of the Costa Maya ruins excursions, which would you do, if you can pick only one?

Here is the card of officers.

As far as the ruins, that is a tough one. There are some more unique things at the dzibanche ruins. There are some small sections where they have uncovered pictures on the walls. I enjoyed them both. Last year we did Chacchoben extreme tour where we had lunch and hung out at the 7 color lagoon. So if you picked that ruin I would suggest doing the extreme tour. There is another ruin you can go to also. We looked at all of them and picked which one interested us the most.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Galgirl74]

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

No drunken battery mentioned, would not sail. 

I am so sorry to disappoint! I did hear that someone threw up the first night by the elevators. Doesn’t really classify as battery. Did sit at the bar the last night with a drunk guy that said he was not getting up early to get off the ship.that they could wait for him to be ready. Wish I had known his room number to see how that worked out for him!

[Galgirl74]

Day 7. Packing and enjoying the last day on the ship. Headed up and played a round of mini golf. Talked about all the things we didn’t fit in. We will have to go back I guess! Went to Savor for lunch. The youngest couldn’t wait to have chicken nachos again! Time on the waterfront, checking out the T-shirt sales, relaxing. Dinner and the last game show, it really was pg-13😂.

My goal was to make it to Howl at the Moon. I love dueling pianos and the 18 yr old can’t go to the one at home. So we get there early to get seats. Not sure if it was the night, but it was bad. My husband got up and left after a few songs. I waited for a change in piano players, didn’t get any better. Both cruises have had exceptional talent. I have read wonderful things about howl at the moon. But it was not for me. If left the 18 yr old there. She enjoyed. Maybe I am use to our piano players here at home. I would go back and try it again. I’m sure it depends of the players and the crowd. 

Stopped at the bar for my last virgin mudslide and then off to bed.

[Royals Carol]

On 12/27/2018 at 6:47 PM, Galgirl74 said:

Day 2 at sea. Headed to the buffet for breakfast. My girls are still complaining that they don’t have waffles with strawberry sauce and hash browns every morning. They were addicted. We talked a lot to our girls about being polite (in general) that these employees work lots of hours, to make sure they thanked them. We talked about where they lived and leaving family behind and putting up with rude Americans. We had just gotten in line for the buffet when a gentleman was yelling at the cooks about needing his poached eggs on top of his hash, asking what was so hard to understand and then started yelling dos eggs.....the cooks were from the Philippines. We only found 2 incidents like this. Please be kind. My girls said “why can’t he put his own eggs on the hash?”  Headed to the great meet and greet! Watched a wedding taking place in the Tropicana room. We played deal or no deal,  superhero trivia, and signed up for escape the big top. Lunched in O’Sheeans. NCL has changed it so they onLy have one menu, the late night one, this was very disappointing to me. I can only eat so many fajitas! A little rest and then of to see Burn the Floor. The dancing and singing is fantastic. Late dinner at taste while 18 yr old went to watch the newlywed game. She loved all the game shows and was often found in the atrium. Off to bed. Roatan tomorrow!

 

Where do you go to sign up for Escape the Big Top? How many people can play at once? Do they offer it daily?  Thanks so much for your review..

[Langham1865]

4 hours ago, Galgirl74 said:

Here is the card of officers.

As far as the ruins, that is a tough one. There are some more unique things at the dzibanche ruins. There are some small sections where they have uncovered pictures on the walls. I enjoyed them both. Last year we did Chacchoben extreme tour where we had lunch and hung out at the 7 color lagoon. So if you picked that ruin I would suggest doing the extreme tour. There is another ruin you can go to also. We looked at all of them and picked which one interested us the most.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thank you....

[Galgirl74]

49 minutes ago, Royals Carol said:

Where do you go to sign up for Escape the Big Top? How many people can play at once? Do they offer it daily?  Thanks so much for your review..

You sign up at the box office. Do it early in the cruise. There were only a few spots open when we signed up. There were 10 of us at our table I believe. They ask how many and give you a table to sit at. There were some no shows and a table of 4 behind us. It’s listed in the dailies. Sometimes it’s twice in one day, not sure if it’s everyday. 

[Galgirl74]

Time to disembark. None of us are happy about this! Went to the buffet for a final meal of waffles and hash browns. Disembarking seemed to be going very slowly. We were just hanging out in the buffet with a bunch of other people. They then asked us to go down to the common floors to wait. We weren’t in a hurry, we were renting a car and driving to ft. Lauderdale for the night, but I don’t like to wait. We were told that luggage was sorted and we could get in line whenever we want by one of the asst. cruise directors. The line was long but moved quickly and our luggage was very easy to find. Customs was a breeze Then came the worst part of the trip!

We went out and asked where to get the Alamo shuttle, we were directed to the end of area. After waiting 30 min with only one Alamo bus passing us full, I called. Was told they come every 20 min. Over an hour later one shows up at the beginning of the area. Then drives past. Another one shows up at the beginning and another gentleman and I walked down there. He told us to wait at the end and another was coming. Walked back down, another shows up and stops at the beginning, it’s been 2 hours, I’m cranky, decided to walk to the beginning and was able to get on. He didn’t stop at the end again. After I left, I read it was the busiest day ever at the port. I hope once the new NCL terminal is built there is better places to wait and better direction on where you are suppose to be. Picking up the car was easy and it was a nice evening in Ft. Lauderdale. Flight home was delayed 40 min. We had a wonderful trip and can’t wait to do it again!

[Galgirl74]

Some final thoughts.

I had read some posts that the crew was cranky. I didn’t find this to be true at all! We had one bartender that wasn’t very friendly but everyone else was wonderful. The staff was full of energy and always smiling.

I had a few problems with the room steward and I called and they were taken care of immediately. Like they said at the meet in greet, if you have a problem let them know right away. Don’t wait and write about it here instead. 

Straws, I only got a straw twice for a frozen drink. Both times from the same bartender. I had brought my own plastic straws and often forgot them in the room. The one day I remembered them, the waiter took my drink when I wasn’t looking and my straw went with it. The husband teased me about my lost straw for days.

The ship is going in for rehab soon. If you have lots of people and lots of electronics, there are only 2 plugs. I’m sure that will be fixed during rehab. I hope they keep the purple carpet color. I loved it!

Thank you for reading my review. Ifthere are any questions you would like to ask, please do! Can’t wait for our next cruise.

[1michelay]

What time did you dock in Roatan and make it to Daniel Johnson's?  

[Galgirl74]

7 minutes ago, 1michelay said:

What time did you dock in Roatan and make it to Daniel Johnson's?  

We were docked by 10 I believe. At Daniel Johnson’s by 11:30. You are suppose to meet them an hour after you dock. We may have been  little earlier then that.