Gotta Getaway - Semi Live From NCL Getaway - June 16th-25th

[Spinelli1107]

40 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Oh...how did you manage to get all that legroom in standard economy? Do you have connections at the airline...was the pilot your brother...or...??

 

While my brother probably dreamed about being a pilot at some point in his life, sadly he was not the pilot this time. We actually got “stuck” in the emergency exit row. But it worked out in our favor and I was certainly not complaining! 

[Spinelli1107]

So this morning, my husbands alarm goes off at 6:15am which we both slept through. At 6:30am, my alarm blared and scared the ***** out of both of us but I silenced it and we rolled over and fell back asleep. At 6:35, my second alarm startled me awake but I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed. I knew we had a tour scheduled today but I was ready to say eff it in the essence of sleep. However 25 minutes later my husband told me it was time to get up so begrudgingly we dragged ourselves out of bed. Luckily by 7:30 we were ready to go! I requested an Uber and they were to arrive in 4 minutes. 4 minutes later, I checked and our driver was 8 minutes away…..uhm what? I watched for another minute or 2 as he continued to drive in the opposite direction. Next thing I know it was 12 minutes away and we couldn’t wait any longer. I cancelled the request and once again we sought out after a local taxi. One great thing about Barcelona is the availability of public transportation. Not too long after cancelling did a local taxi drive up and happily take us to Palau de La Música so we could meet with our tour guide for today. Upon arriving a swarm of people were waiting outside as evidently the office wasn’t even open so why were we told to be there at 8?!? 
 

At 8:01 and not a moment sooner did the gate finally lift to let us inside. 
 

We checked into our tour and met the 6 other persons we would be traveling with today before we set off for Montserrat.

 

Montserrat is where you will find the Black Madonna. And it is named serated mountain for the imagery it presents from a distant. Montserrat is about an hours drive away from the Palau and away we went.

 

Our guide was phenomenal and pointed out many historical charms to Barcelona including the old bullfighting ring turned shopping mall. 
 

Once we got to Montserrat, there was an evident chill in the air and I was regretting, yet again, my outfit of choice. Be that as it may, an Americano con leche warmed me up in no time! We walked the path up the Basilica and along the way, our guide pointed out the funiculars, cogwheel train and sky lift around the facility. We also learned the history of the square, the monk activity that is still present to this day at the site as well as the patron saints.

 

After a brief history lesson, we were given free time before entering the Basilica at 12:05.
 

Well, there was a local market with cheese and honey and I begged the hubs to check it out as I could have easily spent the full almost 2 hours there but he, knowing that, insisted we do something else first so we at least can say we did something. 
 

I agreed to the funicular up to St. Joan but said I’m not walking after officially clocking 26,250 steps. He agreed but sure enough, when we got to the top, he insisted we at least do the shortest walk. OooooKkkkkk Ffffffffiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnneeeeeee was my response so walk we did. 
 

After the walk we took the funicular back down and off to the market we went. We ended up walking away with a strong sheep’s milk, a rich creamy cheddar and a rosemary infused cheese as well as some local honey. There were plenty of samples to go around so we already knew we like what we got and plan to enjoy it on the cruise. 
 

After the market we made our way back to the Basilica for a quick tour inside. I made sure to light a candle and we learned all about the hanging lanterns. 
 

The whole group reconnected and it was off to lunch from there. But lunch would not be our last stop. 
 

As it’s already after midnight here and we had a couple of drinks we’re calling it a night and I’ll finish a recap of tonight before we get into any activities tomorrow.

 

Till then, goodnight! 

 

 

 

[Spinelli1107]

Good morning, It’s cruise day!!!!!

Before we get into any shenanigans today, I’ll quickly finish yesterdays tour.

 

Linch was about an hour away from the Monastery of Montserrat and it was through a very quaint area of Spain. We were surrounded by olive trees and vineyards nearly the whole way. Very pretty and peaceful. So much so that the majority of the van fell asleep during this drive, basically everybody but myself ended up passing out. Good for them.

when we arrived at the place for lunch we were given the choice beteeen sausage, lamb, cod, or churrasca. I chose the lamb and hubs selected the churrasca. Before the main came however we were treated to some tapas.

 

Spanish olives, tomato bread, variety of meats and cheeses and a goat cheese salad. Everything was very yummy. Our entrees came and while the presentation was not pretty the flavors were spot on! The meats were simply grilled with no sauces or any special add ons and they came out perfectly. Hubs and i shared but our plates were entirely cleaned to the bone. Each piece of meat had some part of bone in it so who had to be careful but oh my was it delicious.

 

Following lunch, it was off to the winery only about 6 minutes away.

Here we toured the vineyard, the winery and the cava were the cava is stored. 
Cava is the champagne of Spain and it is stored in the Cava which is the cellar like cave. We learned all about the fascination production behind cava. The difference between Brut natures (extra Brut or extra dray) all the way to Prosecco (sweetened with sugar) as well as how the dead yeast (the mothers) is removed. It was a wonderful lesson which I thoroughly enjoyed before we got to sample some cava, wine and olive oil 

 

After the wine tasting hubs and I bought 2 bottles to bring aboard that will pair lovely with our cheeses. As our friends who are flying in the morning of the cruise will not have an opportunity to explore much or any of Spain, we decided to bring a taste of it to them!

 

Finally we had an hours worth of driving until we would be back in Barcelona. Again, everyone but yours truly took a nap.

 

Once “back home” hubs and I walked back to our hotel to store our wines and cheeses. I’ll be honest although it was only 7:30, I was ready to crash but I pulled myself together and we made our way, by foot, these poor things hate me by now, to the Growler where hubs enjoyed several IPA’s and an ESB and I dipped on 2 different beers. The aforementioned manhocuya as well as Dracarys, a sour from Cierzo brewing company.

 

As we were walking back to our hotel I was feeling slightly peckish so we popped into a quaint cafe for tapas before bed. We shared some Iberico Jam, their version of Patatas Bravas, Grilled eggplant with Burrata and a Pulpo dish with roe (octopus). All 4 were simply splendid and it was the perfect amount of nosh to not go to sleep with fully heavy stomachs. 
 

But here we are now, 8:18am locally and I’m ready to face the day! Time to get ready

[Fredrik]

Enjoy your cruise! It will be amazing I’m sure! 🛳️🛳️🛳️

[Spinelli1107]

After a continental breakfast it is off to the terminal.

This time, no messing around with the app, we asked our concierge to assist with hailing a taxi. Less than 4 minutes later we’re making our way through the quiet early morning? Streets of Barcelona.

Everyone must still be sleeping from partying all Saturday night because the streets are empty! 

[Spinelli1107]

Hard to see but there she is!

 

[Spinelli1107]

The Barcelona terminal seems a little less organized than my experiences in NY and Florida. With little to no direction or seemingly anyone unaware of where to go. We were told to wait in line across the street. After an hour of waiting in the beating sun, the line finally started to move. All of these people surely couldn’t have had a 9:30-10 or 10-10:30 check in….

[Spinelli1107]

All checked in and ready to board!

[Spinelli1107]

And we’re on board, that was quick. Already checked into our muster station and obligatory first drink aboard!

 

[PelicanBill]

Fantastic! Now tell that interloper Oasis of the Seas to get our of your way.

 

You vacation just the same way I do.  I love it.  You got the most you could out of 2 days in Barcelona. I bet you'll sleep soundly tonight!

 

 

[Spinelli1107]

Connected with our friends K and T and had a couple more mojitos before trekking to Garden Cafe for a quick bite. The options were plenty and we had a ham and swiss panini, a slice of pizza, a beef carving, some penne paste in a Parmesan sauce with asparagus, and some fries. The fries were not good. Everything else was yummy but the ham and swiss panini was my favorite. After lunch we walked around the pool deck for a couple of Miami vices until the announcement that the rooms were ready. 
 

A quick check in to the room to drop off our personal bags and put the wine and cheese into the fridge and now it’s back to sugarcanes with the lovely melodies of the pianist in the background. 
 

Were ported today next to Virgin Voyages, Oasis of the Seas and a Costa cruise. For now we’re just going to relax and sip on our cocktails while we wait for our luggage to get to our stateroom.
 

Pictures of the stateroom to come later! 

[PelicanBill]

You're underway!

[stellarose33]

where is that view from?

[www3traveler]

43 minutes ago, stellarose33 said:

where is that view from?

Bow web cam

[stellarose33]

42 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

Bow web cam

cool beans

 

[Spinelli1107]

Hope yall haven’t missed me too much! 
 

After our cocktails we had more cocktails. 
Hubs and I got our Spanish wines and cheeses and we found our way to a starboard side aft table (look at me dropping all my ship (not a boat!) terminology). We prepared our own homemade charcuterie board and with our friends, the 4 of us got to work devouring a delicious rosemary encrusted cheese and a sheep’s milk hard cheese with a bottle of red and a bottle of white. While requesting a bartender to pop our corks, we were asked more than once if we can bring wine aboard. So what I once believed to have been common knowledge is apparently just a well known secret. Yes you may bring up to 2 bottles of wine per cabin. If you have the drinks package there is not corkage fee however if you did not opt into the drinks package there is a minimal (I believe $15) corkage fee. While we were enjoying our wines and cheeses, our ship started to sail away. While not the most spectacular of sailaways it’s always nice to enjoy the sea breeze as we start to move. 
So why was it not spectacular? For no other reason than the port is near a very industrialized marina full of shipping cargo container ships it made for a less then favorable view. Perhaps portside would have been better. 
 

After sailaway, we made our ways back to the rooms and brought our luggage in as well as change into our swimsuits to enjoy the sunshine. Even at 5pm the sun was still quite strong and high in the sky. 
 

For 2 hours, we enjoyed the quiet emptiness of Spice H2O. 
The water feature was lovely and we laid out on the loungers with a mango meltdown. 
 

Around 7pm, hubs and I parted ways from our friends as we got ready for our 8pm dinner reservations at Cagneys. 
 

Dinner was very nice, we started with a Caesar Salad and crab cake and a ribeye each along with sides of creamed spinach and truffle mashed potatoes. The steaks were cooked perfectly and everything was delicious. We skipped dessert as we had plans to meet our friends at Syd’s at 9:30 for the 10pm show and we were already running a touch late so off we ran. 
 

Luckily everything is quite close and easy to get to so we to Syd Norman’s at 9:40 and it was PACKED!

My husband was able to find 2 loose stools and we propped ourselves up in the back corner. We tried to find 2 more to no avail but as we were to find out, they wouldn’t be needed. 
 

The show was absolutely Phenomenal and we sang along to every song ranging from Styx, Toto, John Cougar and so many more. I’m kicking myself for never having made it to a Syd’s show previously but now know I will prioritize them moving forward and ensure we show up at least 30+ minutes early.

 

In a few days they will do a Fleetwood Mac show and a Rock the Prom and we will try to get to both!

 

After the show, it was easy to call it a night as it was already 11:15 and our alarms were going off at 8am so for now that’s where or first day on board ends but with 8 more nights and 9 days lefts of the cruise there will be plenty more activities and events to share with you all!  

 

[Spinelli1107]

Today we are calling to Cannes, France. This is a tender port but with a ship excursion booked it was not something we needed to worry about. However, if you do not have a tour booked, through the “TV’s” by many of the elevator banks, you can preselect your tender ticket.
 

Well anyways, this morning I woke up around 5am and the sky was beautiful. Hints of pink and blue started peeking through and sunrise was expected around 5:40am. As hubs was still snoozing, I tried to force myself back to sleep but “Field of Dreams” was on the movie channel so I enjoyed that but evidently sleep eventually won as at 8:00 my alarm re-woke me up.
 

We started getting ready for the day to head to Monaco and Eze.
 

By 8:45 we were making our way to the buffet for a quick bite before meeting up in the Manhattan room at 9:30 for our excursion.

 

Unbeknownst to us, your entire party must be present to check in for your tour as our friends got to the manhattan room a few moments before us, we had 2 different sticker numbers. Luckily the crew was gracious enough to allow them to trade in their number so we could be together. 
 

We hung out in the manhattan room and waited and waited and waited some more.
 

About 45 minutes later we were called to the tender boats. 

 

The tender ride was absolutely lovely. The water was smooth across the bay and the ride was enjoyable unlike some many tenders I’ve taken in the past.

 

The ride took about 10 minutes and before I knew it we were on the bus to Eze…..

 

From my research the ride should take a little over an hour but traffic is building up so who knows. Well better get back to the tour guides history lesson! 
 

Ill check in later with another update 

 

[cruiseny4life]

Just popping in to say that I'm loving your narratives! I'm about your age (I'm thinking a wee bit more grizzled) and am absolutely falling asleep thinking about all the wandering you did. You certainly got to see a lot of Barcelona! I just looked at my app to see our steps and noticed we were right at 26,000 on our Barcelona days too...gosh, how did I do that? 

 

Anyway - looking forward to all your updates. Have a stunningly beautiful time exploring Europe!

[DorothyB]

I will be on the Getaway in October so really enjoying reading about your activities onboard.

 

It appears that you were able to choose two appetizers and two sides at Cagney's as some have reported.  Hoping that is still the case when I am onboard.

[Spinelli1107]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

You certainly got to see a lot of Barcelona!

While we certainly saw a lot, I still feel like much was left unexplored so would love to come back and spend more time there! 

[Spinelli1107]

25 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

It appears that you were able to choose two appetizers and two sides at Cagney's as some have reported.  Hoping that is still the case when I am onboard.

Yes, when we sat, our server explained to us that we would be allowed 1 or 2 appetizers, 1 main, 1 sauce, 2 sides and 1 dessert per person. 

[stellarose33]

23 minutes ago, Spinelli1107 said:

Yes, when we sat, our server explained to us that we would be allowed 1 or 2 appetizers, 1 main, 1 sauce, 2 sides and 1 dessert per person. 

so no plain fish (tuna, salmon or cod ) for example? being a pescatarian is hard looking at these speciality restaurants. 

[Spinelli1107]

We have about 2 hours from Monte Carlo back to our tender port so I’m sure many naps will be had!

 

Today our tour was Monaco and View from Eze. Our first stop was Eze which was lovely. It was a quaint little village with shops and cafes. We walked up to a terrace that over looked Monaco and could see some remnants of the Grand Prix a few weeks back. The area was absolutely serene and picturesque. After a short while we rejoined our bus to head to Monaco. While here we learned about the impressive history of Monaco and its less than .9 square mileage. One of the smallest countries in the world second to only the Vatican. 
 

While in Monaco we were to have some free time for lunch but as our tour started 45 minutes late, our time was very limited. More on that later. 
 

We popped into the Pinocchio, a charming inside/outside restaurant, down one of the alleyways and enjoyed 2 pizzas, a glass of wine each and a crème brûlée before we had to jet off to catch the bus. 
 

We were 3 minutes late to board the bus but we were not the last ones on! 
 

From Monaco we took the short ride over to Monte Carlo where our tour guide pointed out aspects of the Monaco Grand Prix included Pole Position and the checkered line. 
 

I won’t pretend I’m an F1 super fan but I have watched drive to survive on Netflix and watch many of the GP’s. Not sure if I’ll be able to catch the one in Barcelona next week as we’ll still be on board and the tv channels are very limited. Again, more on that later. 

 

Let me rewind a touch. 
 

As I mentioned this morning, we were in the manhattan room waiting and waiting and waiting some more. When our friends initially got to the Manhattan room to check in for the excursion they were given sticker 41. When hubs and I arrived, we were given 42. We asked the girl if this is just for the tenders or for the entire tour and she said it was for the tour entirely so we traded in their 41’s to match our 42’s.

 

41 was called a few short minutes later and we assumed we would be following shortly but no that was not the case. It wasn’t until 10:30 (over 45 minutes later) that we were finally called. We tendered and boarded our coach at 11:15. Not a big deal, or so we thought…. When we arrived at Eze, 41 was leaving. At that moment we thought sure that makes sense. When we got to Monaco, our guide said we would have free time for lunch but then told us to follow him and proceeded to take 45 minutes delivering a History lesson on Monaco, the princes and princesses and by the time we were done we had less than 30 minutes for lunch. Furthermore this entire time, bus 41 was still there and remained there until it was time for us to board our bus as well meaning they had an entire additional 45 minutes in Monaco and our time there was rushed limiting our opportunities for lunch. Luckily for us the service was not only very friendly but also very quick at the Pinocchio and the 30 minutes was just enough to order, eat and pay. And like I said we were technically 3 minutes late to the bus. Imagine how much more enjoyable that would have been with the additional 45 minutes. The 2 busses then simultaneously delivered us to and collected us from Monte Carlo so we were essentially jipped that time all because the tenders were disorganized and we had to wait on the ship. Now we’re racing back because the last tender is at 6:15.

 

Anywho, back to Monte Carlo. Because we 4 were a little frustrated with how Monaco was handled we decided to ignore our guide and do it entirely on our own. I wished we had done that in Monaco as well but we didn’t know better then. We took in our own sights and sounds and it was perfect. 
 

We walked along the waterfront and gawked at the yachts. I asked my hubs if he was picking one out for me as a birthday gift. 
 

in order to reside in Monte Carlo you must have a minimum of 6 zero’s in your bank account. My math tells me that’s a million dollars at least. No wonder the caliber of cars and yachts is what it was If you’re a car person just walking around casino square and watching the Ferrari’s, Rolls Royce’s, Bugatti’s, Maserati’s and more driving around is quite impressive. While lovely to look at, entirely too rich for my blood. 
 

We stopped for some ice cream, as it was about the only thing our wallets could handle, which was actually very nice before heading back to the bus. Overall it was a good tour but would have been significantly better with that extra 45 minutes. I keep apologizing to my friends as they were to have been 41 originally. Whoops, sorry guys!!!! 

[schmoopie17]

7 hours ago, Spinelli1107 said:

Yes you may bring up to 2 bottles of wine per cabin. If you have the drinks package there is not corkage fee

So...I've always wondered, is this two bottles for embarkation only? If not, what stops you (or me) from bringing on two bottles at every port stop? How would they track it?

 

Having said that, we would never sail without the alcohol package, so bringing wine onboard is really unnecessary (unless you're a wine snob and want good stuff).

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

So...I've always wondered, is this two bottles for embarkation only? If not, what stops you (or me) from bringing on two bottles at every port stop? How would they track it?

 

Having said that, we would never sail without the alcohol package, so bringing wine onboard is really unnecessary (unless you're a wine snob and want good stuff).

Since when did they change the rule. The FAQs don’t have a limit as to the number of bottles you can bring on board. Just has to be carried on.