NCL Getaway Redux - Live Junket from 12/31/22 - 1/8/23

[Rubybadu]

1 hour ago, Dorhead1230 said:

@cruiseny4life thanks so much for your informative and engaging review. I noticed in the Dailies that at night it didn’t look as though there were parties listed in Spice H2O. Did I miss something? Did they stop having those parties? I’m asking because it would make me happy if they weren’t doing them 🤭. We’re aft on deck 13 in Feb. My husband and I are generally in the casino pretty late, but I’m hoping it won’t be crazy loud at night for my mom and our 4-year-old son who will be 2 cabins away. By the time we booked, our only option for an aft-facing with a regular balcony as close as possible was deck 13, so we took it, but I did have some concerns about noise from Spice parties just a couple decks up.

 

Thanks again for the great review!

Im guessing they was off because of the weather on the first few days

 

[cruiseny4life]

Great Stirrup Cay! I love this beach. Absolutely love it! The water is never too crowded, food is good, drinks copious, and fish are mesmerizing. 

 

Someday I will try ceviche. I'm just leery of raw seafood when I'm on a ship. I'd prefer a land-based hospital nearby. Same reason I won't order steak tartar. Plus, it looks grosssssss! Raw egg, raw steak, oh my. Alas, back to GSC.

 

We anchored off shore before 6 AM. We skipped breakfast as I was not hungry and I knew they'd have some sort of breakfast snack on the island. As we headed forward on deck 13 we heard the cruise director say that there was no wait for tenders.

 

 

We just went to Deck 7 as there was no need for priority tendering. We got right on and were to GSC by 7:45. Sand under my feet is the best!

 

We wandered, well my husband galloped to the furthest beach from the ship. I wandered slowly as I'm just slow. The water was chilly at first, but it got better. After a bit we went in search of water and food. We found walnut cinnamon rolls, water, and hot tea. That tided us over until lunch. We beached ourselves on the chairs for a bit to enjoy the sun. 

 

 

 

Basically we went swimming, saw some cool fish, including a barracuda and a fish that stayed close for a good 15 minutes. Next up was to go beached whale mode on our chairs. We did spring for a $29 umbrella which was useful in the afternoon. 

 

Food. It was food time at 11 since the cinnamon roll was small, dry, but tasty. We went to the buffet for a grilled burger (best of the trip), ribs (blah), and a couple salads which were fine. Oh, and jerk chicken! It was alright. Later we found the bbq pork shack where ceviche is served. We got the Baja chicken which the husband enjoyed. I did not. The bbq pork sandwich was really good. 

 

We did find the 2:30 tender. 6+ hours was a long time to be in the sun, even if it wasn't really hot. We were in the water for about 4 hours swimming and it was absolutely lovely. 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, Dorhead1230 said:

@cruiseny4life thanks so much for your informative and engaging review. I noticed in the Dailies that at night it didn’t look as though there were parties listed in Spice H2O. Did I miss something? Did they stop having those parties? I’m asking because it would make me happy if they weren’t doing them 🤭. We’re aft on deck 13 in Feb. My husband and I are generally in the casino pretty late, but I’m hoping it won’t be crazy loud at night for my mom and our 4-year-old son who will be 2 cabins away. By the time we booked, our only option for an aft-facing with a regular balcony as close as possible was deck 13, so we took it, but I did have some concerns about noise from Spice parties just a couple decks up.

 

Thanks again for the great review!

 

We stayed in the exact same room in September when they did have the parties in Spice H2O. We heard nothing from above once we closed the balcony door. On this cruise the bridge blew the fog horn the entire night. Those forward heard it. We could vaguely hear it on the balcony. Close the door and no fog horn! The rooms all seem to be pretty insulated from sound. I wouldn't worry too much. 

 

The only sound we heard is when those on deck 14 moved their lounge chairs around. The scraping was loud, but only lasted for a moment. 

[Dorhead1230]

15 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

We stayed in the exact same room in September when they did have the parties in Spice H2O. We heard nothing from above once we closed the balcony door. On this cruise the bridge blew the fog horn the entire night. Those forward heard it. We could vaguely hear it on the balcony. Close the door and no fog horn! The rooms all seem to be pretty insulated from sound. I wouldn't worry too much. 

 

The only sound we heard is when those on deck 14 moved their lounge chairs around. The scraping was loud, but only lasted for a moment. 

Thanks so much for this info! We will be in the two balconies that are on either side of the same suite you had, but on the port side. I feel better knowing that the balcony doors insulate from sounds pretty well. Have a safe trip home!

[cruiseny4life]

Totally not cruise related, but since we were in the Jersey/ NY area we typically find an European store so my husband can get some treats from his motherland. This time was no different. Instead of heading to Brighton Beach, we stopped by a store in New Jersey. 

 

Here's a few interesting finds:

 

Not exactly russian, but we laughed at Gypsy Canadian Bacon

 

 

Lots of "nectar," known to Americans as juice.

 

Sweetened corn puffs

 

Sunflower seeds and a happy babushka (grandma) 

 

Large selection of caviar

 

And expensive fish eggs! 

[JGmf]

29 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Totally not cruise related, but since we were in the Jersey/ NY area we typically find an European store so my husband can get some treats from his motherland.

 

If you are ever driving by on the Thruway, come by to the Albany area if you can't find these things in Utica area.  We have several of these stores here.

[cruiseny4life]

One observation I'd like to add regarding the thermal suite. In previous posts I mentioned towels, cups, and fruit weren't being replenished often enough.

 

Yesterday was a cold day outside, so the thermal suite was full. Every lounger, every jetted place in the big pool, the hot tub, and the rooms. It was packed! The towels were being replenished and we never ran out of cups. So kudos to the staff for doing this!

The floors still weren't being squeegeed, which led to several people nearly wiping out. Be careful if it's wet! I learned that almost the hard way. I did a little dance in the space between the lounger area and sauna a few days ago.

 

But, credit to the crew for really keeping supplies stocked on the busiest day of the cruise.

[cruiseny4life]

5 hours ago, JGmf said:

 

If you are ever driving by on the Thruway, come by to the Albany area if you can't find these things in Utica area.  We have several of these stores here.

Thanks! Will definitely keep that in mind, especially when we head to New England and are coming back.

[cruiseny4life]

As this was a New Year's Eve cruise we had plenty of door decorations. This included New Year's, honeymoons, birthdays, etc. Here's a few of those that were allowed to be plastered on doors (aside from our upside down pineapple friends).

 

 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

After I explored Nassau on foot...funny (kind of sad) story time.

 

Before Nassau I noticed a few posts somewhere that mentioned how we had to watch out for muggers in Nassau. Onboard, I also heard several passengers discuss how dangerous Nassau is. As I mentioned earlier, I wandered through Nassau on my own. I went to some places that didn't look "safe," but not one time did I feel in danger or unsafe. I'm not sure why Americans feel places that are different than here are anymore dangerous than any place in the USA. Our towns and cities aren't exempt from danger. It's not like the cruise ship was taking us to a war torn city. It's Nassau!

Ok, I'm not sure that was funny.

Anyway, I returned to the ship after my walk, collected my finally non-working husband, and we ventured to Junkanoo Beach! It was a slammed beach with tons of people, cold water, but a lot of fun! Here's some photos of our grand time at Junkanoo!

 

 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

I may come back every now and then to add a thought, but we're a full 24 hours since I started to leave the ship, therefore I suppose my live is concluded. It really sank in when I had to make my own cup of espresso this morning!

 

 

Do not be afraid! I shall return in March. It will be a different cruise for us. No more NCL Getaway. No more Manhattan Cruise Terminal. We are embarking on a voyage of flight using the buy one get one airfare offer from NCL. This shall be a fun adventure. We're half expecting to see weather delays/cancellations, and have to jump in the car for a twenty hour drive to Miami, one way. If so, then the extra sea day that was just added to our itinerary will be really, really great for napping!
 

Did I mention, we'll have no thermal suite? I'm hoping the Joy's Haven Courtyard can handle us, and our love of hot water! 

 

Here's a snippet of our summary. Wednesday is the added "At Sea" day which has folks raising their arms in angst. As for me...you all know I love me a sea day!

 

 

And so, I'll sign off from here, but not before wishing you all the merriest of days and smoothest sailing on the high seas! 

[wolft927]

37 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I may come back every now and then to add a thought, but we're a full 24 hours since I started to leave the ship, therefore I suppose my live is concluded. It really sank in when I had to make my own cup of espresso this morning!

 

 

Do not be afraid! I shall return in March. It will be a different cruise for us. No more NCL Getaway. No more Manhattan Cruise Terminal. We are embarking on a voyage of flight using the buy one get one airfare offer from NCL. This shall be a fun adventure. We're half expecting to see weather delays/cancellations, and have to jump in the car for a twenty hour drive to Miami, one way. If so, then the extra sea day that was just added to our itinerary will be really, really great for napping!
 

Did I mention, we'll have no thermal suite? I'm hoping the Joy's Haven Courtyard can handle us, and our love of hot water! 

 

Here's a snippet of our summary. Wednesday is the added "At Sea" day which has folks raising their arms in angst. As for me...you all know I love me a sea day!

 

 

And so, I'll sign off from here, but not before wishing you all the merriest of days and smoothest sailing on the high seas! 

Looking forward to your Joy Review. We are sailing on the Joy on April 8th, 1st time on the Joy, sailed the breakaway several times. We are also in the Haven again, this time the aft facing penthouse, looking forward to that amazing balcony. 

[mking8288]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

... And so, I'll sign off from here, but not before wishing you all the merriest of days and smoothest sailing on the high seas! 

Love it and thank you for sharing, the time and having us virtually along - tomorrow is 10 on our countdown.  Packing warm/tropical weather clothing for a mid January winter cruise is nice and no blizzard in weather forecast next week. 

 

Your are going to love the JOY with the main Observation Lounge and the Haven Fwd Observation Lounge, shouldn't be as packed full as the Getaway last week in March.  Since you like comfort food from Shanghai Noodles,  you gotta to sample some of the Asian fusion items from Food Republic ... and sent the butler for it, better yet - go there & enjoy, it was never crowded & you are literally sitting under the bridge.  Warning, portions are HUGE.  

 

Just read that BA is currently on Starlink and that's promising & hopefully, that NCL can come to its smarter sense & adopt, deploy superior satellite WiFi fleetwide.  Sounded like disembarkation was smooth, quick & easy and you had an easy ride up the Thruway to get home ... did they use facial recognition or old fashion face-to-face with CPB inspection inside the terminal.  

 

Cruising can be truly addictive 😆 😎 😉 

[ggTexasGal]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

And so, I'll sign off from here, but not before wishing you all the merriest of days and smoothest sailing on the high seas! 

Enjoyed your review!  Thank you for the humor and photos.  I'm sorry that "the real world" now awaits your attention. 😀

[schmoopie17]

Thanks for the review.

You mentioned $29 for an umbrella on GSC. Where do you rent that...on the ship or on the island?

If on the ship, where do you go to do it...and by renting an umbrella do you get priority tendering?

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

Thanks for the review.

You mentioned $29 for an umbrella on GSC. Where do you rent that...on the ship or on the island?

If on the ship, where do you go to do it...and by renting an umbrella do you get priority tendering?

Of course - it was my pleasure!

 

We rented it on the island, so can't speak to any experience on the ship. I do know some people brought a card they handed to the guys setting the umbrellas and clam shells up. I'm guessing they purchased these on the ship and brought them on the island to claim.

 

No idea about renting/priority tendering, sorry!

[vacation44]

I think you are going to love the JOY.  We have been on both NCL Getaway and NCL Joy and prefer the Joy.  However, we were not fans of the Haven sundeck.    Looking forward to following along with you again in March (as long as it is not the same week we are on the Epic!).

[sailorusvi]

@cruiseny4life we are sailing on Feb 18th. I have no concept of what the weather (temp) will be throughout the trip in order to pack.   Obviously the weather is the weather, and we just had a 57 degree here in long island so it's a crap shoot.  Of course, some people run hot others cold, but in general what type of clothes should I be thinking about for the trip? (not formal/ casual wise, dressing for the weather wise)

 

Thank you again for your assistance.

[cruiseny4life]

37 minutes ago, sailorusvi said:

@cruiseny4life we are sailing on Feb 18th. I have no concept of what the weather (temp) will be throughout the trip in order to pack.   Obviously the weather is the weather, and we just had a 57 degree here in long island so it's a crap shoot.  Of course, some people run hot others cold, but in general what type of clothes should I be thinking about for the trip? (not formal/ casual wise, dressing for the weather wise)

 

Thank you again for your assistance.

Oh gosh, I'm probably the worst person on all of Cruise Critic to ask this. 😁

 

I packed a hoodie, knowing the temps even on our return to NYC wouldn't be bad. I only wore this on debarkation day. It's also the only day I wore jeans. Actually, no! Embarkation day saw me wearing jeans too. I had a bathing suit to change into as we enjoyed the hot tub in the courtyard after lunch. Yes! In Manhattan haha

 

Otherwise, I had athletic style shorts, LL Bean lounge pants, and t-shirts. I did bring a collared Bahamas shirt with me which was worn a couple times too. 

 

I'm a very strong believer in turning on vacation mode quickly which means no button up shirts, pants, or ties. I try to live with only flippie floppies, shorts, and t-shirts. Same with my husband. 

 

I know some don't agree with our style and judge us for wearing what we do, but our day to day is dress clothes. That's the last thing we want when spending thousands to be on vacation.

 

So, in the Bahamas, it was in the 80s. Shorts and t-shirts for sure! Orlando was around 75 with perfect shorts weather. 

 

On the way home, our first sea day started warm, but the breeze came out in the afternoon. We stuck with our shorts and chilled in the hot tub outside. 

 

The second day was windier and cooler. We survived in the hot tub for 20 minutes, ran to the sauna, and then to the thermal suite!  Shorts and tshirts were fine, but we both run hot. 

 

I don't know how helpful this was, but hope I was able to give context to our choices and what we wear. 

[JGmf]

Thanks again for your brilliant review.  We know these aren't easy to do (and it takes away from your ship fun time); and we are all grateful.

 

Say, did you ever find out (or ask) which other ship July* -- our favorite bartender -- went? 

 

(* For those curious, yes that's the name he used on his name tag.  Terrific bartender who always went the extra mile to ensure fun for all).

[sailorusvi]

19 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Oh gosh, I'm probably the worst person on all of Cruise Critic to ask this. 😁

 

I packed a hoodie, knowing the temps even on our return to NYC wouldn't be bad. I only wore this on debarkation day. It's also the only day I wore jeans. Actually, no! Embarkation day saw me wearing jeans too. I had a bathing suit to change into as we enjoyed the hot tub in the courtyard after lunch. Yes! In Manhattan haha

 

Otherwise, I had athletic style shorts, LL Bean lounge pants, and t-shirts. I did bring a collared Bahamas shirt with me which was worn a couple times too. 

 

I'm a very strong believer in turning on vacation mode quickly which means no button up shirts, pants, or ties. I try to live with only flippie floppies, shorts, and t-shirts. Same with my husband. 

 

I know some don't agree with our style and judge us for wearing what we do, but our day to day is dress clothes. That's the last thing we want when spending thousands to be on vacation.

 

So, in the Bahamas, it was in the 80s. Shorts and t-shirts for sure! Orlando was around 75 with perfect shorts weather. 

 

On the way home, our first sea day started warm, but the breeze came out in the afternoon. We stuck with our shorts and chilled in the hot tub outside. 

 

The second day was windier and cooler. We survived in the hot tub for 20 minutes, ran to the sauna, and then to the thermal suite!  Shorts and tshirts were fine, but we both run hot. 

 

I don't know how helpful this was, but hope I was able to give context to our choices and what we wear. 

It was very helpful.   Gives me a rough ideal of what to except.

 

 Funny enough, my husband wears a t-shirt under his chef jacket everyday.  Outside of that you will only see him in a t-shirt in public at the pool.  Otherwise it's always button-downs.  But, you will never get him in a tie (not even for our wedding) and a jacket is reserved for weddings only (but again, not our own 😛)

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, JGmf said:

Thanks again for your brilliant review.  We know these aren't easy to do (and it takes away from your ship fun time); and we are all grateful.

 

Say, did you ever find out (or ask) which other ship July* -- our favorite bartender -- went? 

 

(* For those curious, yes that's the name he used on his name tag.  Terrific bartender who always went the extra mile to ensure fun for all).

Oh July. How I missed him. He makes it really easy to use the drink package! But, yes, he is absolutely there to make ship time fun. He brings a smile even to those who just want a drink and no chit chat. I'm so not one of those people, but he even brought me out of my introverted shell.

 

I believe I heard the Escape. Please don't quote me on that one, but I'm about 75% positive that's what I was told.

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, sailorusvi said:

It was very helpful.   Gives me a rough ideal of what to except.

 

 Funny enough, my husband wears a t-shirt under his chef jacket everyday.  Outside of that you will only see him in a t-shirt in public at the pool.  Otherwise it's always button-downs.  But, you will never get him in a tie (not even for our wedding) and a jacket is reserved for weddings only (but again, not our own 😛)

Phew 🙂 I'm always too verbose!

 

Totally not cruise related, but you brought it up (and it's my thread, hehe):

 

Funny you mention weddings. We married on a friend's mountaintop home in Montana. There were shorts and short sleeve button up shirts worn for the wedding. For the reception, a friend played his guitar, another friend grilled up some rib eyes, then we all played bocce ball until we couldn't see. Like your husband, I have worn a jacket (heck, even a tuxedo) at some of my friend's fancified weddings. But, not at mine!

[cruiseny4life]

I'm trying so hard not to start a live for my upcoming cruise in March. Instead...my drive to work thoughts:

 

A post of appreciation to all those that made this cruise such a wonderful treat!

 

1. To John (I'm almost positive that's his name) - he's a port employee at MCT. He's a long-time NY'er, 50+ years in Manhattan, near Columbus Circle. He grew up in the Syracuse area, about an hour from where I live now. Since my husband still has his green card, it always takes us a bit longer to check-in than others. John was the usher who showed us the way from check-in to the  lounge. He was just such a nice man and the conversation was really a great way for us to start our cruise.

 

2. Karen and her husband - Karen (who understands the baggage her name brings her) is really a quite nice lady. At first I was annoyed. Yes Karen, if you're reading this, I was annoyed with you for joining me in the hot tub. But, she was such a great person to get to know. She was with two of her three adult children, taking an escape from a lively restaurant, shop, and farm life. Hard workers! They had to deal with their adult son who may, or may not have, been properly taking care of their farm. I hope the newborn lambs made it! 

 

We did return the favor of interrupting Karen in the hot tub. She had finally figured out how to do water exercises in the hot tub. We saw her from a distance singing and swinging her arms/legs about. The other hot tub had some unknown lady floating (on her belly) in the hot tub so we chose Karen. Again, lovely conversation even if we did interrupt her morning hot tub workout. 

 

3. Darius - what a kind man. He was the maitre d in the restaurant we frequented. I think he was stunned at the amount of shrimp someone (I won't say it was my husband) would order for his shrimp cocktail. Darius made sure to speak with all tables. It wasn't just "hey, how is your meal" conversation. It was deep (not too deep), understanding conversation. He truly took pride in his job and the job his servers were doing. 

 

4. Yohanes, Kristy, Roma, Rose - these servers really made our vacation better. They listened, talked about their lives (at home and onboard), and were consummate professionals. Our cruise was made better by their presence. 

 

5. Random port employee - this is more awkward. I'm not sure your name and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want me to use your name if I knew it. Upon disembarking there was a Haven exit from the ship to security. First time we've experienced this on a Haven MCT cruise. We appreciated this! A lot! There was one area where the line of passengers had to be cut so we could access a private elevator to the ground floor. One passenger was giving this port employee a hard time. The port agent then said, very sternly, "listen pig you need to step back," and almost pushed the lady. I felt...uhh...very awkward rushing past this passenger, but that port employee was there for us. Wow is really all I can say! I'm still not sure what to think. Thankful? Embarrassed? I dunno. 

 

6. Anita and Naveen - these were our bartenders. Anita was gracious, funny, and so personable. Naveen was more serious, but dang that guy could make a drink! Especially the non-alcoholic drinks for my husband. Both of these bartenders made the best drinks I have ever had. Not once did they lose their grace and poise, even when attacked from all sides for booze. 

 

7. Maitre d and server at Moderno - I don't know their names. I'm a bad person for not getting their names. Our server noticed when the gauchos weren't bringing us the meats we wanted. He made sure the gauchos brought us the correct food. Apparently, he also informed the maitre d. She came to serve us a couple of meats, then offered us dessert. We took a little bit of time to decide what we wanted for dessert, so she just said, "let me bring you them all." So that's what she did. She personally brought us all four Moderno desserts. Yum! 

 

8. Francis - he was one of the pair that serviced our room and ensured we had everything we needed. We spoke with Francis on our first day about having Shanghai Noodle Bar food delivered to our room. When we were ready, we called him and the food arrived when we wanted and he made sure there was plenty for both of us. Service, above and beyond! My husband adores chocolate covered strawberries and pineapple. Francis personally found pineapple and took them to a pastry chef to have them dipped. He could have said no. Instead he made it happen. 

 

So many times, on this board, and elsewhere, we let the slightest complaint turn into an uproar of epic proportions. Sometimes we just need to step back, reflect, and say thank you. 

 

NCL shipside employees - you are why we enjoy cruising so much. Thank you to those above, the ones I never see, and those who just do their work with a quiet smile. 

[Sugar Magnolia]

17 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm trying so hard not to start a live for my upcoming cruise in March. Instead...my drive to work thoughts:

 

A post of appreciation to all those that made this cruise such a wonderful treat!

 

Hear Hear! Thank you for your thoughtful and much needed positive energy on CC.

 

It was a productive drive to your boring job this morning! 😉