The Getaway Tie Breaker Cruise Live Trip Report 4/26-5-1 2023

[justhappy]

After a great dinner we walked  back to spend our last night at our time share.

Heres a look at the 2 bedroom unit we are in…

 

 

And as always tomorrow begins the best part, embarkation day.

 

 

[amygutman]

8 hours ago, justhappy said:

After a great dinner we walked  back to spend our last night at our time share.

Heres a look at the 2 bedroom unit we are in…

 

 

And as always tomorrow begins the best part, embarkation day.

 

 

That’s lovely! 

[lapid001]

We are getting off the Getaway this morning. I noticed I can view the Freestyle daily for the first day of your cruise. Have fun!

[justhappy]

1 hour ago, lapid001 said:

We are getting off the Getaway this morning. I noticed I can view the Freestyle daily for the first day of your cruise. Have fun!

Thank you this is awesome!

[av8tr90]

We are also on this sailing…live in New Smyrna!

[cruiseny4life]

Your condo looked great! Nice, comfy spot to stay pre-cruise. I hope travel and embarkation go smoothly for you!

 

Next time I go to Disney I need to hit up Saratoga Springs. I lived in the real Saratoga Springs and would love to see which one I find better. 🙂 

 

Looking forward to the next few days! Enjoy Getaway!!!

[amygutman]

3 hours ago, lapid001 said:

We are getting off the Getaway this morning. I noticed I can view the Freestyle daily for the first day of your cruise. Have fun!

This is amazing, thank you so much! Hope you had a great time. 
 

Heads up … ship is not at 0 count yet. According to our shuttle driver the ship got in to port on time, but held up in disembarking. 

 

The pier is backed-up and slightly chaotic. 

warmest, Amy

[justhappy]

6 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Your condo looked great! Nice, comfy spot to stay pre-cruise. I hope travel and embarkation go smoothly for you!

 

Next time I go to Disney I need to hit up Saratoga Springs. I lived in the real Saratoga Springs and would love to see which one I find better. 🙂 

 

Looking forward to the next few days! Enjoy Getaway!!!

Thank you,  so far so good!

Yes you need to Stat at Saratoga Springs and then give your comparison of how Disney represents 😉

 

 

[justhappy]

T- minus today is the day!

we hit the road right on schedule and had a smooth drive down 1-4 to 528 and before you know it we got a good look at our ship.

At this point (10am) there was very little traffic arriving but departing guests were still departing the ship and waiting for pick up.

 We headed to the Haven check in area and I’ll have to say it was the fastest I’ve been checked in to a cruise. We breezed through security and  escorted to the Haven waiting area.

There is a nice waiting area there with snacks and beverages. I meet the lovely and sweet AmyGutman while waiting. So nice to meet other Cruise Critic members!

 We started boarding at 11:30am and the were in the Haven eating lunch right away.

 

[justhappy]

The weather was nice so we decided to dine outside in the courtyard. We all had what was probably the last healthy meal of the cruise😂

Ceasar Salad with salmon and our friends had Cobb salads. We did split the dessert of Banana Banofee.

[justhappy]

Some photos of our Haven aft balcony penthouse on deck 13.

[justhappy]

This stateroom has more storage than we could ever use!

 Random information for this cruise.

The fresh flower arrangement has now been replaced by a succulent arrangement.

 Our cruise director for this cruise is Alvin.

The captain is Luigi De Angelis.

 Around 3pm we came back to our room and saw that our luggage was sitting in the forward hallway so we rolled it back to our room.

 The room attendants are trying their best to get the luggage out to everyone but the amount of passengers asking them to drop it all to get them random items was ridiculous.

 They all have the patience of a saint!

 So far we have not met our Butler, but no big deal as I’m sure we will at some point.

 

Unfortunately the rocket launch has been postponed until tomorrow. 
 Thanks all for following along and if you are on the cruise with us pleas add your experiences and photos too!

[amygutman]

@justhappy and family are lovely as her posts. I chose my embarkation shirt with her in mind 🥰

 

This ship is beautiful, but I miss my “what direction am I going in” fish. Small quibble. Muster drill was fantastic… We had watched the video so we walked on-board, they checked our muster station, scanned our card and we were free to go. Literally took 30 seconds.

 

Enrolled our son in the kids club. Kiddo has some special needs due to ASD and often does not have a great time in the kids club due to this. The Entourage staff could not have been more accommodating - asking very appropriate questions, reviewed all of the activities that would be appropriate for his age / interests and made special plans to ensure that he has as much of a fantastic time is any other teen. As a mom, this made my heart sing.

 

Plus, the added benefit of Alex as the Haven Concierge. He was on the Pearl for our Panama trip and one of the nicest human beings we’ve met. Other than missing the Falcon launch due to the storm, a great first day on the ship.

 

Warmest, Amy 

[justhappy]

2 minutes ago, amygutman said:

@justhappy and family are lovely as her posts. I chose my embarkation shirt with her in mind 🥰

 

This ship is beautiful, but I miss my “what direction am I going in” fish. Small quibble. Muster drill was fantastic… We had watched the video so we walked on-board, they checked our muster station, scanned our card and we were free to go. Literally took 30 seconds.

 

Enrolled our son in the kids club. Kiddo has some special needs due to ASD and often does not have a great time in the kids club due to this. The Entourage staff could not have been more accommodating - asking very appropriate questions, reviewed all of the activities that would be appropriate for his age / interests and made special plans to ensure that he has as much of a fantastic time is any other teen. As a mom, this made my heart sing.

 

Plus, the added benefit of Alex as the Haven Concierge. He was on the Pearl for our Panama trip and one of the nicest human beings we’ve met. Other than missing the Falcon launch due to the storm, a great first day on the ship.

 

Warmest, Amy 

Alex is so awesome. I told him he reminded me of my favorite concierge Adrian Bica and he gets that comment a lot😁. I think it’s his great smile and easy going demeanor and charm.

[cruiseny4life]

I'll add to the Alex is amazing! He spent so much time with a guest on our last Getaway cruise. The guest was a younger guy that wasn't able to specialize with people his age. Alex was so patient with him and talked to him, literally, hours a day. It was really wonderful to see. You're in great concierge hands!

[justhappy]

After a wait in the Haven lounge, we were seated at a window table for dinner at about 7:10pm. A lovely sunset view and great food and service. Three of us chose the crab cakes and the one non seafood person got the filet.

Sorry I forgot to get a photo before beginning to eat! 
I had just enough room left for a serving of lemon sorbet. So light and refreshing it was a perfect way to end the meal.

Ending the evening early watching a movie from the comfort of bedTomorrow we are signed up for the behind the scenes tour for Latitudes members and then on to the Meet & Greet in Cagneys.

Good night with  day 1 one in the books!

[justhappy]

 We fell asleep quickly after watching Puss N Boots The Last Wish.

 

  Woke up to a beautiful sunrise view from the bed.

After a quick shower with a view  I sat out on the balcony to get some sunrise shots.

view from the bed…

 

[cruiseny4life]

Looks like a lovely day dawning! Have a relaxing sea day enjoying the balcony. 

[justhappy]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Looks like a lovely day dawning! Have a relaxing sea day enjoying the balcony. 

If only! Busy day today as we just got finished with the behind the scenes tour and now I’m off to the Meet and Greet. 
then at 12:30 there is the latitudes reception!

I’ll get on those lounger’s sometime today😬

 

 I don’t know if the internet is glitching today but the photos aren’t showing for me.

[rather be in Hawaii]

Looking forward to your post. I will be on getaway haven deck 16 May 1st. If you drink champagne would you mind posting the haven champagne options in haven on the premium plus beverage program? My husband upgraded us as a bday gift to me for my birthday. He would have been fine with the regular package but was sweet enough to upgrade us just for me.

Have a great time! love your large balcony😊

[justhappy]

1 hour ago, rather be in Hawaii said:

Looking forward to your post. I will be on getaway haven deck 16 May 1st. If you drink champagne would you mind posting the haven champagne options in haven on the premium plus beverage program? My husband upgraded us as a bday gift to me for my birthday. He would have been fine with the regular package but was sweet enough to upgrade us just for me.

Have a great time! love your large balcony😊

I just asked Francis the Haven bartender  and he said the Veuve Cliquot and the Pommery Rose and they are both available at the Haven bar.

[rather be in Hawaii]

9 minutes ago, justhappy said:

I just asked Francis the Haven bartender  and he said the Veuve Cliquot and the Pommery Rose and they are both available at the Haven bar.

Thank you!!!! I look forward to spending a lot of time with Francis!😉 I appreciate that you asked and relied back to me.😊💕

[amygutman]

7 hours ago, justhappy said:

 We fell asleep quickly after watching Puss N Boots The Last Wish.

 

  Woke up to a beautiful sunrise view from the bed.

After a quick shower with a view  I sat out on the balcony to get some sunrise shots.

view from the bed…

 

Beautiful photos. 

Aft balconies are so lovely - very tempting every time we make a booking but we love being in the Haven. Kiddo loves a quick trip from room to pool. After all of the amazing food this trip, I probably need to get more steps in!

[amygutman]

Not to step on @justhappy's review, but a few observations from today.

 

It was a sea day and super busy. The decks and pools were packed, the buffet was a madhouse (kiddo came home empty-handed from his first solo foray out as the crowds were...well...too crowded), and the bars were overflowing with what seemed to be very rude and loud people. We saw one poor woman in a motorized chair trying to get off an elevator but people kept piling into the elevator not let letting her or anyone out despite us hearing her ask repeatedly for help backing-up her chair. 

 

The crew were working extremely hard and were so polite but I was really struck (not for the first time) by the difference between the Haven and the rest of the ship. Honestly though, even the Haven was uncharacteristically busy today - more people than i've ever seen on the deck even on Breakaway+ class ships. I think one of the reasons is the Haven restaurant is smaller then similar class ships (compensates with outdoor seating). Luckily, there was no fighting for Haven loungers (unlike by the pool and nearby decks where it was a madhouse), and everyone was smiling. Other than at the peak of lunchtime there was no wait for meals or drinks - and no problems getting a hot tub spot. 

 

Did have an amazingly terrifying time the ropes course. Highly recommended as it was so much fun, even though the wind was whipping. Yes, there was a wait but worth every minute. What I did not like was being weighed in public - yes...I understand the need to weight everyone for safety, but they actually put me on the "you must be this tall to ride" measuring board. Now really...I'm five feet tall and weight like a buck ten. I suppose it was worth the giggle to see if I was >48 inches but seriously...it was just mean🤣. Slightly queasy at the thought of looking at my "walk the plank" photo tonight at the photo studio which is bound to be horrible..

 

Looking forward to NOT getting off with the crowds tomorrow at Cozumel and experiencing a (hopefully) less busy ship atmosphere.

 

Warmest, Amy

[Sand and Seas]

Thank you  for sharing  with us!

We hope  to enjoy a few meals at the Haven  outdoor  area.  Do they have a different more casual  lunch menu outside?