Mitsugirly BREAKAWAYs for a summer cruise: Review/Pictorial

[mitsugirly]

DAY 2: MONDAY: SEA DAY

 

I have come to really dislike sea days. I feel so bored on those days and if I could have a cruise with absolutely no sea days, that would be perfectly fine with me.

 

We headed to breakfast and I found the scrambled eggs to be runny at most stations. I grabbed what I could that didn't look to bad and hoped for the best. I also discovered that there seems to be a change in the bacon that was being used. I don't know what kind it is but I'll try to explain it. It wasn't your normal "strip" of bacon. It was the kind that has the big fat pieces of meat along it that is very "chewy"...which isn't good to me. I don't know if this is a cheaper type of bacon to buy or what but it was really hard to find good pieces. Most of the time it was in crumbles that you had to pick out and no strips.

 

 

 

 

The hubby stood in line at the omelette station because he said the regular eggs just didn't look good. Then Sakari discovered a station with pre-made omelettes. Every day seemed to be different: cheese omelettes, spinach and cheese, vegetable and so on. They were yummy!

 

 

 

 

After breakfast, Sakari couldn't wait to get back to the ropes course and insisted that mommy had to come.

 

 

 

Away we went...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I guess we would have to pose for daddy since no camera's seem to be working this cruise.

 

 

\

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Von & John]

Kim  --  your writing & fantastic photos, make us feel like we are there with you!

[mitsugirly]

I really needed a drink after that...

 

 

 

 

So I had a discussion (on here) prior to the cruise about not being able to bring pop on the cruise now and what I could possibly do. It was suggested that I buy the bottled pop, that could be found in the game room, on the ship upstairs. I remembered that and referred back to my pictures from the breakaway and found this...

 

 

 

 

So we headed up to the game room and found this instead....

 

 

 

 

 

Completely empty!!! I was so disappointed!! Like you can't buy pop anywhere other than getting it from the bar. I mean at least on other cruise lines you can purchase pop to be delivered to your room. Expensive, but you can and I would have so that I would have some when I went to bed in the evening. Ugh!

 

 

So like I said, this ship was CROWDED!!! Then it being a sea day as well...there was no place to sit or swim at all. It was terrible.

 

Just a sea of people everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then since there were so many people in the adult pools, we would notice that adults would start coming to the kids pool just to have room....which to me, isn't fair because everyone complains about the kids not being allowed in the adult pools so why should the adults be able to come to the kids pool if they have no kids?

 

 

 

 

It was so incredibly hot and humid out and there really wasn't anything to do other than swim...so swim we did. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After awhile, we decided to get some lunch and headed to the buffet. I always love salads and seem to crave them even more when cruising...

 

 

 

 

I really didn't have much of an appetite so decided some fruit would hit the spot.

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, how about a liquid lunch instead?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Sakari wanted to go play a game of putt putt. At least there was somewhat of a breeze up there on this hot day.

 

 

 

 

 

Look at this cheater...blowing her ball in.

 

 

 

 

 

Time for some more liquid on this hot day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

I almost forgot...the washy washy crew was entertaining during breakfast and were all over the place each morning.

 

 

 

 

 

Then that song that will stick with you the rest of the day and can't get it out of your head...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MJSailors]

      Jumping in here,Kim as I just read about your disappointments found on the ship.

My DH and I had two cruises on the Breakaway from NYC to Bermuda. As NYC is our home port, we thought it would be a convenient Summer vacation for us two years in a row.

      The first cruise was good,obviously,as we booked another cruise the following year. However,we were very disappointed in the second cruise.

Not going into all the details,but I will address the crew’s attitude that you noticed and offer an explanation as to the lack of friendliness and availability of the crew.

during yourcruise.

        During the second cruise, I was witness ,on two occasions ,to a crew member being chastised in front of passengers. It was difficult for me to see people being treated in a harsh way in public.

        The first time I saw this was in the buffet. A young server was being reprimanded in full view of passengers. The young lady took it from her supervisor, but I could see that she was struggling to keep her composure after the supervisor left. Apparently, the young lady was late to a staff meeting. I thought that issue could have been handled in a private conversation where the server would not be embarrassed in public.

              The second time was an instance between a man cleaning the stairs between interior decks and an officer, apparentlyhe was an officer, from the bars on his uniform. The cleaner was being reprimanded as people were using the stairs and the hallway near the stairs. Again,the crew member took the reprimand and continued his job when the officer left.

               If this is just a glimpse of how the crew is treated by the superiors on the Breakaway, such treatment could lead to low morale that affects the crews’ lack of friendliness and upbeat attitude toward the passengers.

                It is unfortunate if the crew and staff are treated harshly on the Breakaway. Passengers are aware that jobs on a cruise ship are difficult. It is my understanding that employees respond to fairness and respect. If someone needs to be corrected about their work,it is best handled in a discreet manner. From my working years of forty-two years, I know that a happy staff is a productive staff. 

                   By the way, I hope today has had some good hours for you and that your days in recovery get easier and easier.

[mitsugirly]

2 hours ago, Von & John said:

Kim  --  regarding the service failures - I hope this was just a one-off on this ship & that future cruises improve. 

 

Our last NCL cruise was Sept/Oct 2018 - Transpacific on the Jewel & all Team Members were friendly.   At that time, we thought the main food (non-specialty restaurant) had improved.  We are looking at a cruise for this October - nothing like waiting until the last moment...  And we hope to find NCL is still improving. 

 

If you select to cruise w/ NCL again  --  here's hoping things improve!!!!

 

Cheers  --  Von

 

 

 

I was hoping it was just a bad cruise myself but then heard/read some others mention that it was like that before (and after) as well. Maybe it's just this time of year and the abundance amount of people on the ship at this time (or month)? But I have never experienced this before. It was just terrible.

 

2 hours ago, Von & John said:

Kim  --  your writing & fantastic photos, make us feel like we are there with you!

 

Aww thanks so much.

 

1 hour ago, MJSailors said:

      Jumping in here,Kim as I just read about your disappointments found on the ship.

My DH and I had two cruises on the Breakaway from NYC to Bermuda. As NYC is our home port, we thought it would be a convenient Summer vacation for us two years in a row.

      The first cruise was good,obviously,as we booked another cruise the following year. However,we were very disappointed in the second cruise.

Not going into all the details,but I will address the crew’s attitude that you noticed and offer an explanation as to the lack of friendliness and availability of the crew.

during yourcruise.

        During the second cruise, I was witness ,on two occasions ,to a crew member being chastised in front of passengers. It was difficult for me to see people being treated in a harsh way in public.

        The first time I saw this was in the buffet. A young server was being reprimanded in full view of passengers. The young lady took it from her supervisor, but I could see that she was struggling to keep her composure after the supervisor left. Apparently, the young lady was late to a staff meeting. I thought that issue could have been handled in a private conversation where the server would not be embarrassed in public.

              The second time was an instance between a man cleaning the stairs between interior decks and an officer, apparentlyhe was an officer, from the bars on his uniform. The cleaner was being reprimanded as people were using the stairs and the hallway near the stairs. Again,the crew member took the reprimand and continued his job when the officer left.

               If this is just a glimpse of how the crew is treated by the superiors on the Breakaway, such treatment could lead to low morale that affects the crews’ lack of friendliness and upbeat attitude toward the passengers.

                It is unfortunate if the crew and staff are treated harshly on the Breakaway. Passengers are aware that jobs on a cruise ship are difficult. It is my understanding that employees respond to fairness and respect. If someone needs to be corrected about their work,it is best handled in a discreet manner. From my working years of forty-two years, I know that a happy staff is a productive staff. 

                   By the way, I hope today has had some good hours for you and that your days in recovery get easier and easier.

 

 

That is just uncalled for. I hate when people in management do that in front of others. This is just something that a staff member should always be pulled aside to be told. That might account for the unfriendliness but the fact still remains that the ship had a lot of things that wasn't working or closed down, reduction of amenities from the past, and what I thought was a decrease in the food taste and choices. Maybe I'm just now noticing that Royal has the best food and we never found anything we didn't like on there and everything was fantastic. I'm not sure at this point. It was just very disappointing.

[mitsugirly]

Sorry, I had to take a break. This pain is just unbearable at times. I'm going to try to finish out this day at least.

 

So it was getting late and we decided to go see if there was anything interesting at dinner. Sakari had went in for some ice cream and said they had it all dressed up with this display made out of food and an ice carving. So we had to go check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything was so cute and all the food carvings were so neat.

 

I found the crape station and knew I had to have one. I wasn't really hungry, but figured I'd get one anyhow. On the way to find a table, I thought maybe a slice of pizza sounded good as well.

 

 

 

 

I had been checking my app to see if any of the specialty restaurants were available to book and they were not. So, I figured I'd go ahead and try to eat something here instead.

 

They had a pasta station and I decided maybe some pasta would do the trick...only after they made it for me, I discovered they only had tomato sauce and no Alfredo. I was pretty disappointed because I really only like Alfredo. The lemon rice looked good and I grabbed some of that too.

 

 

 

 

We had a seat in the aft section and we ate and watched the waves from the ship. I think I only took a few bites and was done and by the time I ate the hot food, my crape was melted together and wasn't really appealing either. Just nothing seemed good to me.

 

 

 

When there's nothing else to do...there's always swimming...per Sakari. It was back to the shark game and she had met some friends that she would hang out with almost the entire cruise. There was a dad and his son and then a bunch of other boys and Sakari. The dad would get the games going and the kids would have such a blast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

It was getting late and we decided to head back to Spice H2O and check things out. After 7pm, they allow children back there and we hadn't been back there yet. I wanted to check out the waterfall area...only to find that it was closed and roped off.

 

 

 

Then the screen started flashing this...

 

 

 

 

 

So I knew there was going to be a party. Sakari was excited about this and wanted to stay. She was able to get a non-alcoholic drink like mommy and daddy were drinking and she was super excited.

 

 

 

 

She took her straw and drew in her chocolate against the side of the cup....she was missing her dog Loki.

 

 

 

Then the party started and everyone was dancing.

 

 

 

 

 

Sakari has always loved to dance...I look back at her younger years of cruising and she was always dancing. However, over the last few years, she hasn't been much into it. She's going through that awkward preteen stage and is usually embarrassed about things like that now. But...with the help of this Fortnite game all the kids are playing (Sakari is not but knows about it) they have these dances they do at the end of the game (my understanding) and all the teens have learned these moves...Sakari is really into them and does them non-stop around the house or when there's music playing. LOL It has brought her out of her shell somewhat these days.

 

She couldn't wait to drag daddy out there for some moves...

 

 

 

 

Before long...mommy was drug out there too. She didn't want to stop at all. She was having a blast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a funny video of her trying to teach daddy the moves...it starts out with daddy's signature move of just holding hands and bobbing up and down, then a little dab, then Sakari breaks out into the Orange Justice, and then attempts to teach daddy how to "floss". LOL  She's hilarious but at least she's coming out of her shy shell she's been in for a few years now.

 

 

 

It was about 1am when I decided we needed to get back to the room and get to sleep since tomorrow would be a port day and we also had a time change where we set the hour up one hour.

 

Then we got to the room and noticed that we wasn't in port until 10am...thank goodness.

 

 

 

 

 

[blarko]

That dance video is so freaking cute when Sakari is trying to teach her dad to floss!! You can tell she’s really enjoying herself.

[perfect match]

Kim, glad to see your “repairs” have been completed, you’re home, and onto the post surgery recovery phase.

 

Having followed your reviews for years, I’m not at all surprised that you have pictures of your injury. As to the injury, all I can say is that when you do something, you do a real good job of doing it! That’s quite the broken leg! 

 

I know now it will be difficult for you, being the active person you normally are, but, at least for now please take it easy and give your body the chance it needs to heal. You will get better, and be able to look back on this injury down time as just another bump in the road. You’ll also have some interesting injury and recovery stories to tell.

 

Today I’m sending you a picture of a friend I made while diving in Curaçao. It was taken with my Olympus TG 2, bought because I loved the pictures you got with yours. Hope you like this guy as much as I did!

[JinxyB]

On 8/15/2019 at 8:51 AM, hitch-04 said:

Can you post a picture of the specialty coffee menu?  

I did get photos of the coffee menu. I don’t want to hijack this thread, so post your email and I’ll send them to you?  It may take a few days bc I’m traveling, thanks.

[crusin fools]

Kim, as a platinum member, there is  Concierge service ( if they still have that benefit) so they could have made  your dinner reservations for you...we took advantage of that on our last cruise with NCL...the funny part is when we went to dinner, there were many empty tables throughout our dinner ...so what was the story that we couldn't get reservations??

 

You're right NCL has changed a lot...we also have been cruising with RCCL..

 

BTW...don't let your accident stop you from cruising..and I know you will get better and stronger...  

[jenseib]

On 8/15/2019 at 11:19 AM, mitsugirly said:

Sorry it will be awhile before I continue. Fell at gas station and broke leg in both fib and fib and ankle yesterday and have been in the hospital. Surgery today to get plates screws and who knows what else. I’m going to be down for several months so once I get moving around I’ll get going. 

 

 

OMG! I am so sorry about your accident. My sister did the same thing but luckily she ended up with just a bad bruise. I hope the recovery is fast and the pain lessens up for you.

 

I have heard similar complaints about the Breakaway. Such a shame.

 I haven't been on NCL in a few years but will be on the Joy next summer. I know I will have a good time but I worry about what changes I may see.

[mitsugirly]

12 hours ago, blarko said:

That dance video is so freaking cute when Sakari is trying to teach her dad to floss!! You can tell she’s really enjoying herself.

 

She was really having a good time. She's in a really interesting pre-teen stage these days. I'm so glad she is starting to come back out of her shell. She loves dancing now.

 

10 hours ago, perfect match said:

Kim, glad to see your “repairs” have been completed, you’re home, and onto the post surgery recovery phase.

 

Having followed your reviews for years, I’m not at all surprised that you have pictures of your injury. As to the injury, all I can say is that when you do something, you do a real good job of doing it! That’s quite the broken leg! 

 

I know now it will be difficult for you, being the active person you normally are, but, at least for now please take it easy and give your body the chance it needs to heal. You will get better, and be able to look back on this injury down time as just another bump in the road. You’ll also have some interesting injury and recovery stories to tell.

 

Today I’m sending you a picture of a friend I made while diving in Curaçao. It was taken with my Olympus TG 2, bought because I loved the pictures you got with yours. Hope you like this guy as much as I did!

 

 

Lol, see I knew someone would expect that picture from me (laying there minutes after breaking my leg).

 

Oh my gosh. What a cute picture. That brought a smile to my face for sure! So cute!

 

 

2 hours ago, crusin fools said:

Kim, as a platinum member, there is  Concierge service ( if they still have that benefit) so they could have made  your dinner reservations for you...we took advantage of that on our last cruise with NCL...the funny part is when we went to dinner, there were many empty tables throughout our dinner ...so what was the story that we couldn't get reservations??

 

You're right NCL has changed a lot...we also have been cruising with RCCL..

 

BTW...don't let your accident stop you from cruising..and I know you will get better and stronger...  

 

Yea, I have used the concierge service in the past, but it seems like these days they make it so hard for you to figure out how to use them. Like what number do I call? Who do I talk to? They used to give you something in your room with the concierge's name and number on it. I didn't get anything this time. It has just become such a hassle to collect on your "platinum benefits". I ran into the same thing with using one of our coupons. It was saying full all week and even the night we went and one opened up and I snagged it (had been watching all day) and when we got there, there were "maybe" 4 tables with people at them. Like what the heck???

 

 

 

1 hour ago, jenseib said:

 

 

OMG! I am so sorry about your accident. My sister did the same thing but luckily she ended up with just a bad bruise. I hope the recovery is fast and the pain lessens up for you.

 

I have heard similar complaints about the Breakaway. Such a shame.

 I haven't been on NCL in a few years but will be on the Joy next summer. I know I will have a good time but I worry about what changes I may see.

 

Thanks so much! I know things will get better with time but I have a long road ahead of me. Ugh! It's going to be tough for sure.

 

I hope to make it on the Joy some day. Even thought we've noticed all these changes, I still want to cruise some of the newer ships we haven't been on yet.

[17cruisesnsl]

Kim, 

Wishing you a speedy recovery.  

Your ankle photo brought back memories of my  trimalleolar fracture  resulting from a fall dismounting from a horse on my 8th grade class trip to a dude ranch.   Lesson learned - city kid on a horse - first and last time.   Same scenario, stabilizing (then two hour transport by car to hospital closer to home) and a 4 hour surgery.      It takes time to heal but it will and yes, it is extremely painful when the nerve blocks wear off, but that too will become a distant memory - it just doesn't seem that way now! 

 

 I agree with you concerning some of the changes on NCL.    We get cruise certificates from our stupidity, oops I mean slot play, from AC casinos and have been able to upgrade to the Haven on a few trips, so on those vacations, we are able to avoid some of the the crowding but the main pool is just undersized.     for me - it's all about being in the water not just on it - so that is a major negative.    Food is subjective but I agree the food quality has gone down, even in the Haven.  We have always had good staff experiences.   agree that the rules, such as taking dessert with you,  seem to change by ship or crew member.   

 

Just read your RCCL spring break review and our new favorite casino offers certificates on Royal.   I've been reluctant to book because of the size of the ships as DM is approaching 91 but thinking it may be time to try another line 

 

get well soon! 

Angela

[Nclgetawaymenhoney]

Loving your review as always, really look forward to the harvest care part, will be our first time there in nov on breakaway.  Take care of that ankle and do what the doctors say.

[crusin fools]

25 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

She was really having a good time. She's in a really interesting pre-teen stage these days. I'm so glad she is starting to come back out of her shell. She loves dancing now.

 

 

 

Lol, see I knew someone would expect that picture from me (laying there minutes after breaking my leg).

 

Oh my gosh. What a cute picture. That brought a smile to my face for sure! So cute!

 

 

 

Yea, I have used the concierge service in the past, but it seems like these days they make it so hard for you to figure out how to use them. Like what number do I call? Who do I talk to? They used to give you something in your room with the concierge's name and number on it. I didn't get anything this time. It has just become such a hassle to collect on your "platinum benefits". I ran into the same thing with using one of our coupons. It was saying full all week and even the night we went and one opened up and I snagged it (had been watching all day) and when we got there, there were "maybe" 4 tables with people at them. Like what the heck???

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much! I know things will get better with time but I have a long road ahead of me. Ugh! It's going to be tough for sure.

 

I hope to make it on the Joy some day. Even thought we've noticed all these changes, I still want to cruise some of the newer ships we haven't been on yet.

 

26 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

She was really having a good time. She's in a really interesting pre-teen stage these days. I'm so glad she is starting to come back out of her shell. She loves dancing now.

 

 

 

Lol, see I knew someone would expect that picture from me (laying there minutes after breaking my leg).

 

Oh my gosh. What a cute picture. That brought a smile to my face for sure! So cute!

 

 

 

Yea, I have used the concierge service in the past, but it seems like these days they make it so hard for you to figure out how to use them. Like what number do I call? Who do I talk to? They used to give you something in your room with the concierge's name and number on it. I didn't get anything this time. It has just become such a hassle to collect on your "platinum benefits". I ran into the same thing with using one of our coupons. It was saying full all week and even the night we went and one opened up and I snagged it (had been watching all day) and when we got there, there were "maybe" 4 tables with people at them. Like what the heck???

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much! I know things will get better with time but I have a long road ahead of me. Ugh! It's going to be tough for sure.

 

I hope to make it on the Joy some day. Even thought we've noticed all these changes, I still want to cruise some of the newer ships we haven't been on yet.

Kim yes it was a hassle...they cater to those passengers that have the specialty dining package...but I went to Customer relations to ask for the concierge's number since it was a benefit...they gave me the phone number to the concierge for Haven passengers... I only used him for reservations......I guess it is moot point now... but if you ever go back to ncl...you might want to try that

[david_sobe]

Hi Kim

I see that the munchkin is no longer a munchkin.  She has really grown up and by your next cruise, she may be taller than you on the embarkation photo!  I stay active here on CC but have not cruised NCL since 2015 and that was before FDR became CEO.  The changes are impossible to keep up with.  I have a NCL cruise planned for Feb 2020 and am curious at what changes I will encounter.  It seems NCL is cutting back everything while at the same time raising prices.  Food is subjective but it was sad to hear how depressed the crew seemed to be especially coming from you.

Anyway, following along here and wish you a speedy recovery.

[mitsugirly]

2 hours ago, 17cruisesnsl said:

Kim, 

Wishing you a speedy recovery.  

Your ankle photo brought back memories of my  trimalleolar fracture  resulting from a fall dismounting from a horse on my 8th grade class trip to a dude ranch.   Lesson learned - city kid on a horse - first and last time.   Same scenario, stabilizing (then two hour transport by car to hospital closer to home) and a 4 hour surgery.      It takes time to heal but it will and yes, it is extremely painful when the nerve blocks wear off, but that too will become a distant memory - it just doesn't seem that way now! 

 

 I agree with you concerning some of the changes on NCL.    We get cruise certificates from our stupidity, oops I mean slot play, from AC casinos and have been able to upgrade to the Haven on a few trips, so on those vacations, we are able to avoid some of the the crowding but the main pool is just undersized.     for me - it's all about being in the water not just on it - so that is a major negative.    Food is subjective but I agree the food quality has gone down, even in the Haven.  We have always had good staff experiences.   agree that the rules, such as taking dessert with you,  seem to change by ship or crew member.   

 

Just read your RCCL spring break review and our new favorite casino offers certificates on Royal.   I've been reluctant to book because of the size of the ships as DM is approaching 91 but thinking it may be time to try another line 

 

get well soon! 

Angela

 

Thanks for sharing your story. I can't wait for that "distant memory" to be in the past. LOL  Owie!

 

Same for us...it's all about being in the water and the size of ship pools are too small for the amount of passengers on most ships. I'm always hoping they'll get it right one day.

 

You should try RC...it's amazing! We have had nothing but good experiences with them so far and great food and friendly staff!

 

2 hours ago, Nclgetawaymenhoney said:

Loving your review as always, really look forward to the harvest care part, will be our first time there in nov on breakaway.  Take care of that ankle and do what the doctors say.

 

Thanks and I can't wait to share our day at Harvest Caye. It's a beautiful place.

 

2 hours ago, crusin fools said:

 

Kim yes it was a hassle...they cater to those passengers that have the specialty dining package...but I went to Customer relations to ask for the concierge's number since it was a benefit...they gave me the phone number to the concierge for Haven passengers... I only used him for reservations......I guess it is moot point now... but if you ever go back to ncl...you might want to try that

 

Yea, and I noticed they revamped the latitudes as well and now since we are "platinum", I guess we are kinda back to being at the bottom of the barrel because they have the platinum plus and ambassador. I guess you have to be one of those now in order to be "pampered" or get great service and benefits. Blah

 

 

2 hours ago, david_sobe said:

Hi Kim

I see that the munchkin is no longer a munchkin.  She has really grown up and by your next cruise, she may be taller than you on the embarkation photo!  I stay active here on CC but have not cruised NCL since 2015 and that was before FDR became CEO.  The changes are impossible to keep up with.  I have a NCL cruise planned for Feb 2020 and am curious at what changes I will encounter.  It seems NCL is cutting back everything while at the same time raising prices.  Food is subjective but it was sad to hear how depressed the crew seemed to be especially coming from you.

Anyway, following along here and wish you a speedy recovery.

 

She definitely is no longer a munchkin, but will always be my munchkin or "mini-me" or "mini human" as we call her around here. I think you are probably right about her being as tall as me by the next cruise. This just came outta nowhere I tell ya!

 

I really liked Kevin when he was CEO and think he did a lot of good for the company. I really don't care for Frank at all and all of the changes he made when he stepped in. 

 

21 minutes ago, fyree39 said:

As always, this is another wonderful review. I hope you're feeling better. That was a nasty break!

 

Thanks so much.

[mitsugirly]

Well today has been a much better day for me. The meds are finally keeping the pain under control but the constant numbness and tingling is quite annoying. But, I managed to get a shower today and I feel revived and have a better outlook on the day. You never know what you are missing until it's gone...like water! 🚿  I also never thought the day would come that I would be in a wheelchair....but here it is...my wheelchair was delivered today and I have to say it's a lot more comfortable than trying to push myself around on the office chair...not to mention it has the leg rest. My entire body is aching from hauling myself around all day and my hips, groin, good leg and shoulders are pretty sore these days.

 

So...on with the review...

 

 

DAY 3

ROATAN HONDURAS

 

We would be in port with Vista today and here from 10-6pm

 

The last time we were here we went scuba diving. However, the weather did not cooperate with us and we were unable to dive at West Bay like we had hoped. I had really wanted to go out to Mandy's Eel Garden, but with the weather, we had to go over to the other side, where it was calm, and dive at Flowers Bay (which was fabulous!).

 

Once again, I contacted the dive company in hopes that we would finally get to dive West Bay and Mandy's Eel Garden. I knew out of all the ports we would be going to, Roatan was the place to dive. Then I got bad news...the dive shop we used last time was booked with a bunch of people that were staying at a hotel on the island that day. I started searching for someone else and although the dive company I decided to go with was more expensive (both for the dive and the transportation), their communication and all the time they took to answer my hundreds to questions was just great customer service and I felt so comfortable with them. They did say they don't normally cater to cruise ship people, but obviously was not going to turn anyone down either. They normally didn't include any transportation to and from the ships, but would arrange it for me because that was just something that was very important to me to have included. They ended up charging us $25 pp for round trip (which was more than any other place quoted us) but I guess it was worth it to know that we had someone waiting for us. The cost of the dive was $125 pp PLUS tax, which I didn't realize until after the dive. Some of the other companies quoted a price and said that it included taxes. So, I was caught off guard when we went to pay for the dive and it was more than what I had brought.

 

 

 

So we woke up and headed for breakfast. I opted for the already made omelette (this time it was spinach and cheese) and I really didn't eat too much for breakfast that morning. I'm not sure what is going on with me this cruise. I just really didn't feel hungry most of the time.

 

 

 

 

 

We managed to get a window seat, which Sakari always loves.

 

 

 

 

 

Pulling into the port. I knew it was going to be a good day and the weather was perfect. Look at that crystal clear water!!

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what they are building at the port. It looks like they are putting in another dock?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tigerman4LSU]

Thank you for the review so far and the pictures.  Hopefully the recovery goes well.

 

Any thoughts on the food?  I am always afraid that the food quality has gone down hill.

 

George

[mitsugirly]

We got off the ship as soon as they allowed us and stopped for pics at the pier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We exited out of the port and asked some of the vendors in the area where is "West Bay Divers" and they pointed in the direction we needed to go. We met up with our driver and walked down the street to get to his van. He was parked a little far away and I guess I wasn't expecting to walk that far in the heat. Whew! I thought maybe they were having us walk to West Bay at one point. But the a/c in the van never felt so good and then we were off.

 

 

 

We passed by Flowers Bay, where we dove last time.

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

We arrived at the dive station, I'm guessing, within about 20 minutes or so and checked in with our instructor. The thing I like about NCL is that their dock (Coxenhole) is closer to West Bay than Carnival's Mahogany Bay and therefore, you get there quicker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She knew our history of diving and said she would make it a "quick" class. She legally had to go over everything of course, but she did it quickly as a review and we took our test. I was getting a good vibe from her, which I feel is important when diving and feeling confident.

 

 

 

We geared up with our equipment and was ready to roll....or dive...or sink....or something entertaining.

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, I gave in...sticking out the tongue is the "in" thing to do I guess. I wasn't fighting her anymore about it so I joined in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Mandy's Eel Garden on West Bay would be our dive destination. It was located right in front of the dive site.

 

 

 

 

"A great site for photography"

"Swim thru channels"

"Garden Eels retreat into their holes in unison as you approach"

"When snorkeling or surfacing from a dive always remember to be aware of the glass bottom boat that often passes directly overhead"

 

Now one thing I did want to mention is that during my conversation with the dive site, prior to coming here, I was told "We are a 5 star PADI dive center that specializes in small group, concierge diving (meaning we carry, set up, wash and store your gear for you) all you have to do is dive." However, we ended up having to carry our own gear. I'm not sure if the other instructors were out on a dive with regular scuba divers, but our instructor seemed to be the only one around other than someone working at the front desk. I honestly didn't mind that we had to do this...as long as there are no steps involved because I simply can not get up and down steps with the added weight on my back. I've tried before. It's brutal for me. They had a ramp to use and we walked right down to the beach and into the water where we started our skills. I will say that she did offer to do it if we felt that we couldn't or didn't want to do it, but we said we were good. So, at least she offered. It would have just taken up a lot of our time.

 

Since we were the only 3 in our group, our skills check off went fast and it was time to head out. I was super excited and once again NOT NERVOUS OR ANXIOUS! I'm finally getting the hang of this and enjoying diving so much now. I think this will make 3 or 4 dives for me that I didn't have any anxiety at all and it went so smoothly. 

 

Now I handed Sakari one of the camera's and I took the other. She started taking pictures immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then all of a sudden....nothing! Absolutely nothing! The camera stopped working. We have no idea why. The battery was good and we hadn't had problems out of this "older model" camera that we've had for several years until now.

 

I told her to turn it off and back on.

 

So she got this...

 

 

 

 

Then off we went again

 

 

 

 

 

She said she was playing in my bubbles...

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple more times she gave me that "look" and pointed at the camera. I turned it off and back on and she continued.

 

 

 

 

Then that was the end of it. It wouldn't turn back on anymore. Darnit. I just shrugged my shoulders and she would just have to go without unless she was able to get it to work again later. I felt so bad because she likes to take pictures when we are diving.