emilyreid09

I know from experience that when my teeth hurt everything hurts and it is impossible to focus on anything....

Exactly! I couldn't even look at a screen all night. I'm recovered now and have set an alarm on my phone to remind me as soon as I get home from work to grab my laptop and upload the dailies! :)

Day 3 - Sea Day

Today was our first sea day so we slept in a little longer than usual. We had a nice breakfast at Flamingo Grill and BF got a made to order omelette which he enjoyed. I liked the look of the Flamingo Grill and I think we will end up back there for another breakfast.

We headed up the highest sundeck at the front of the deck and grabbed a few drinks. I tried a Passionate Kiss and it was delicious. It was really windy up at the top so we tried to move a few times to a better spot but the wind was pretty strong.

For lunch we checked out the menu at MDRs but it's the same every day and there was only one option for me to eat as a vegetarian, which I had on Embarkation Day. I was kind of disappointed that my options were so limited. I was also disappointed to find out that all soups are made with chicken or beef stock, so even a classic tomato soup isn't actually something I can eat as a vegetarian.

We ended up just getting a little snack at the Garden Cafe and then came to lounge on our balcony for a while. We went back to the pool deck for the Mr. Sexy Legs competition and it was quite entertaining. Some men were hilarious and others were super shy and awkward. BF wasn't sure about it to start but as the show went on he was laughing out loud and was glad we went up to watch.

After watching the competition we tried a mojito at Sugarcane and spent some time (and money) in the casino. We went to Savor for dinner and BF really liked his Striploin Steak Roast. He gave it a 9/10. I had zucchini pomodor and it was pretty good but had way too much cheese on it. We tried the warm chocolate lava cake for dessert and it was really delicious. I would give that a 10/10 on its own!

After dinner we walked around and took a few photos before going to the theatre for Burn The Floor. The Latin dance show was full of energy and sparkly costumes which I love. BF wasn't super into it but he did say it was a good show and the dancers were really good. I liked it and I enjoyed seeing the different dances. I used to ballroom dance myself so watching this show brought back some memories and I liked it even more.

After the show we walked out to the deck and were surprised at how hot and humid it was. We were melting out there and it was 9pm! We wandered up to the mini golf area and it was empty so we decided to play a round. The holes are pretty neat and have interesting tricks to them. Some have hills to make them tricky and some have gimmicks like plinko pegs and other obstacles. We both did terribly but it was fun to be up in the deck alone with everything lit up. if you do have some time I would recommend playing a round of mini golf with kids or adults, it was really fun and crazy to be doing that on a moving ship!

We grabbed a crepe at the Garden Cafe before we went back to our room. That was a yummy bedtime snack and I was glad we found them since yesterday they seemed to be closed early.

I promise the dailies are coming tonight! I had an emergency dental appointment last night (yuck) so I was a little out of it all night.

They are sitting on my laptop ready to be posted and I have blocked off my evening tonight! :)

enjoying your review. we are sailing her in 75 days and staying in the cabin beside you-9734. did you feel a lot of movement? dh and dd are prone to seasickness. also, do you remember seeing if they have 2 loungers and 2 chairs in the balcony, since it is a B6?

 

i see that you're a fellow canuck. did you book in cdn$$? did you use the casino to cash out unused obc, if you bought any. and if you did, was it easy to do? sorry for all the questions...

I bought $300 OBC before we left and cashed out at casino with no problems! BF was impressed with my math to get that rate and we used that cash both in casino and in ports.

I did not see the cabin beside us because the partition totally covers it (so yay for privacy!) but on a top deck i remember taking photos of our room below and maybe I got yours in there too! I can check my photos tonight and get back to you!

For seasickness - yes we felt a little movement and we did hear some noise from theater shows under our room. BF took 2 Gravol and in 30 mins was better again so if you come prepared to combat/prevent it your DD and DH should be okay.

Sailing January 24. Can you post dailies?

Hi there! I will be uploading those tomorrow! I had some camera trouble last night but sorted it out so they will be posted tomorrow for everyone to see. :)

Day 2 - Great Stirrup Cay

We woke up around 7:30am to a still ship and the tenders were starting already. We could see GSC from our balcony and it was neat to see the tenders coming in and out. We got ready for our excursion (Wave Runner) and headed to the Garden Cafe for a quick breakfast. I made the mistake of getting the regular scrambled eggs instead of an omelette which are prepared fresh. The pre-made eggs are pretty watery and I plan to avoid them for the rest of the week. After a quick breakfast we headed down to deck 4 for tendering and got in a large boat to head over. The ride was pretty wavy but it was cool to see the ship from that angle. Once we landed at GSC we had about half an hour to check it out before meeting for the excursion.

The Wave Runner excursion was really fun and both BF and I enjoyed it a lot. He drove and I was the passenger on a double jet ski. We watched a quick safety video beforehand and were out on the water for 45 minutes or more. It felt like 2 hours we were out there for a long time and it felt very worth the money. We stopped twice and one of those stops was to take photos with a starfish. I was amazed at how heavy they were! The view out on the tour was incredible and we went pretty far out. There was open water everywhere and stunning photo opportunities. There were about 12 jet skis out with us, and 3 guides as well. BF loved the adventure of this and it was fun to ride around on the water in the gorgeous Bahama sun. The only note I have to add is that goggles or sunglasses are a must! I went without them and I was squinting from the sun and my eyes were absolutely burning when the salt water sprayed up. It was really painful at times and I was hiding behind BF's shoulder when it got bad. He had sunglasses on so he was alright but I don't know how anyone could drive without some eye protection from the salt water.

After the excursion we walked around the beach a little. We had the signature Great Stirrup Cay cocktail at the Bacardi bar and I had a delicious pina colada. It rained for a few minutes but we managed to get some nice time laying in the sun. After some tanning and a few more photos we decided to beat the rush and head back to the boat. We took a tender back and went to the Garden Cafe for a snack before getting to the room at 3:20pm. By this time we saw a huge dark cloud over GSC and we were glad we weren't tendering over in the rain.

We had a quick cat nap and took our time getting ready for dinner. We ended up passing Taste and decided to try it. The fried Brie appetizer sounded good but when it came out both BF and I were pretty disappointed. It was deep fried and the cheese inside was liquid. I got the vegetarian lasagna roll which wasn't bad but it wasn't really incredible either. It was pretty basic but it was okay for a quick easy choice. I would give this meal a 6/10. We skipped dessert and decided to try our luck in the casino. We had some ups and downs and came out only $20 down between the both of us so that's pretty good.

We had a little snack at the Garden Cafe after and by this time BF was feeling a little dizzy so we went back to the room to lay down for a bit.

Small note here about seasickness: We bought a bottle of generic Gravol pills and BF was taking 2 with every meal. They worked great and I took one every once in a while when it was particularly wavy or if I felt the rocking. They worked like a charm but they take at least half an hour to an hour to sink in so I would suggest taking them well before you think you may get sick or dizzy. The worst BF ever got was a bit dizzy but with a quick lay down and two pills he was back to his normal self.

We checked out the Garden Cafe for a crepe but the crepe station was gone! This was around 10pm so I guess they close that earlier than they close the Garden Cafe itself. We got another round of mozzarella sticks at O'Sheehans to cover our bedtime snack and called it a night shortly after.

Small note about noise from our room: We were in room 9736 which is forward starboard. It's right on top of the Illusionarium and the theatre and there were times we could hear some noise from shows. From what it sounded like I am pretty sure it was the finale of Burn The Floor and although it was a little loud to hear the percussion and music from our room it wasn't too much of a bother. There were only two shows a night and we mostly weren't in our room at that time anyways. BF did say that since the people seemed to be loving it (we could hear them applauding wildly) it made him more interested to see the show.

Day 1 - Embarkation

We got up around 8:30 and gathered our stuff, had a little breakfast downstairs, and then lounged around until 11 for the transportation to the Port of Miami. This was meant to be $12 per person but I had it in a package so ti was free for us. We left the hotel at 11am exactly and arrived to the Port at 11:15 so it was a smooth ride and pretty quick! We went though security in a matter of minutes and then waited in the check in line from 11:25 to 11:50 and we were on the ship just a few minutes after.

We walked around a little and landed at Savor so we sat down for lunch. First drinks of the trip were a Pina Colada for me and a Honey Lemonade for the BF. Also don't worry - I took menu photos for all the CC people! For food BF got fish and chips and I got the mushroom, spinach and chive omelette. We finished off with the peanut butter cup cheesecake. We both gave the meal a 7/10. Everything was okay but nothing was special. The omelette was really nice and maybe I would give that an 8 or 9 on its own. We did pay tax on the drinks in Miami but that was $1.50 for both.

By 2pm we were in our room but our luggage was not. We were happy to see our angled balcony had 2 chairs, a table, and a lounger! I was really excited about that and so was the BF. He claims that he will nap on the balcony while I get ready every day! We were in cabin 9736.

Small dining note here: I am a vegetarian and when I got to my room I had a letter saying that they were taking care of my dietary needs and to visit the Maitre'D on deck 6 for more info. It was nice that they planned ahead for that and I felt extra taken care of. Unfortunately later on in the trip I was not so accommodated and had limited options in the MDRs.

We walked around the ship for a while and tried another drink (Bahama Mama) before we had to get to our safety drill. We checked out the wraparound Waterfront deck and it was really nice. It looks like we will spend a lot of time out there in comfy seats with a beautiful view.

For the safety drill it took a while to get everyone into their stations but once it started the whole thing lasted less than 15 minutes. We were out of there in no time and headed up to deck 16 for sail away. We grabbed a drink there (Cherry Lime-aid) and that was the only time we had to wait at a bar. The wait was maybe 10 minutes and it was because everyone was crowded up on the top deck for sail away. We watched from the front of the ship for a while before we headed downstairs. We stopped at O'Sheehans for a quick snack and I can report that the mozzarella sticks are still there. We felt the boat rocking for about an hour here and it was a little unnerving for a while. Both of us took some Gravol and that seemed to dull the feeling of movement.

We had reservations for the Illusionarium at 8:45pm so we headed down around 8 and got in a short line. We ended up getting great seats right at the front of the stage. The meal was really good and BF really enjoyed the shrimp and beef tenderloin that he got. He ended up saying that was the best meal he had on the whole ship. The started was a tomato, mozzarella, and prosciutto salad (mine without the prosciutto) and I liked that as well. I had the vegetarian dish which was eggplant parmesan and it was very good. The dessert was a trio of mini ones and 2 out of the 3 (red velvet cupcake and a flourless chocolate cake) were delicious. The third one neither of us liked. For this meal BF gave it a 10/10 and I would as well.

The Illusionarium was a really well done show and I like the storyline and attention to detail. It seemed like every server was involved and they had a good cast of magicians and illusionists. Some of the tricks and things I could figure out but other ones were really impressive. The mentalist act was my least favourite and it felt kind of obvious, but the illusionist and other acts were really entertaining. Overall it was a great show and I definitely think everyone should go once. There were some points where I was really baffled and amazed at an illusion or trick and I love when I can't figure it out since usually I see little details or giveaways and solve the illusion myself.

It was a great first day on the ship! :)

I do! Just got home last night and am downloading all my photos tonight. I have every day or dailies saved and will post them in my review soon!

I just got off the ship yesterday and am downloading all my photos tonight - I have every day of dailies and will include them in my review!

Day 0 - Toronto to Miami

This isn't the exciting part of the trip by any means but I wanted to include it just so I covered everything on this trip.

We left from Toronto to Miami. We got to the airport around 9:15am and before 10am we were waiting in the lounge at the gate. It was super quick to check my luggage (BF did carry on only) and we got through security with minimal lines. Everyone at the airport was pretty cheery and friendly which I really liked. It seemed like a great way to start the trip. With 90 minutes to kill before boarding we grabbed some breakfast and waited for our flight. This was the first trip of any sort that we had taken together and I was so excited for all the new experiences. Our first time at an airport and we managed to come out on the other side happier than ever!

We boarded the plane just after 11:45 and took off at around 12:15. Take off was a bit rocky and we had some turbulence on and off for the whole flight which I did not enjoy but after that it was an okay flight. BF and I were both impressed with the leg room we had at our seats.

We landed in Miami at 3:15 and waited an hour to get our baggage. Once we had that it was a ten minute shuttle ride to our hotel (Elements by Weston). The hotel was really clean and fresh looking. It had a green modern look and our room had a mini kitchen and living room. We were very pleased with that and part of our booking package was a $50 credit to the restaurant so we were set for the night. We had dinner there and it was really modern and clean, and the food was good. I had a tropical splash drink that was delicious and for food we got quite a bit with our gift card. The chocolate lava cake was amazing and we really enjoyed our first vacation night, even if it was just at an airport hotel.

Hi all!

We made it to GSC and I loved it! Wave Runner tour was awesome!

O’Sheehan’s still has the old menu and I ate about a hundred mozzarella sticks!

There was prime rib night too! I noticed the sign but don’t recall the day. I have all my dailies so I can probably find it there.

I am going to do a full detailed daily review if anyone is interested.

Background: This was my second cruise and BF’s first cruise. I had been on the Epic two years ago (to the exact day – not planned!) and loved it. I read CC like crazy in the months before this trip and was beyond excited for our first vacay as a couple. We have been together about 2.5 years and most of that as a long distance couple so this trip was the first time we ever would be together for 7 days and nights in a row. I think that was the most exciting part to me, I’m a big sap!

We flew from Toronto to Miami and stayed one night pre-cruise.

We had the UBP and loved it (more on that later).

I am a vegetarian so I have dining info for meat eaters (BF) and veggies (myself). We only ate at complimentary dining options.

We did a mixed amount of shows and activities and plain old lounging so I think I have a little bit of info for everyone.

I wrote a million notes and took over 1600 photos so those will be showing up soon. Not all of them don’t worry! I kept all my dailies so they will be posted as well. I am planning to start with daily reviews and then add in photos in their own section, that way people who like just text can find that and those who like photos can view those.

Day 0 (travel day) will be coming soon!

Thanks for reading :)

I'll be sure to get photos of dailies and menus!!

I am worried about missing GSC dice we have a wave runner excursion booked but I am hoping for the best!

Leaving hotel now heading to the ship!!

Hi all,

I am getting on the Getaway tomorrow and am super excited!!

If you have any questions or any last minute advice/tips feel free to ask or share! I'll try to look into everything and I will be taking tons of notes!!

I will be on the Getaway on the 29th (so soon!) and I have $50 OBC. I was wondering if all of you experts can help me out with a specialty dining choice.

First of all, does my OBC work for a specialty restaurant?

If so, would you recommend La Cucina or Le Bistro? This cruise will be my boyfriend and my first trip together and we really like Italian and French food so I don’t know which to pick.

Does anyone have links to menus for these, or if you have any good or bad experiences to share about either I would love to know! More information the better :)

Thanks in advance!

My sailing November 22 will be the first 7 night Western Caribbean. There is a shorter 6 night the week before. I will be posting all of the menus and dailies when I return.

I sail on 11/29 so I will be so looking forward to your posts when you get back!!!

Oh thats awesome - thank you all so much! This is exactly what I wanted to hear :)

Hi there,

I have been reading your review (and loving it!) and am dying to ask a question. Is there a space opposite the vibe on deck 16/17 that has the nicer lounge beds and stuff? Or was that a thing of the past..

Thanks so much and great review!

Hi all,

I recently saw in a review I read that there are little kiosk stations on the ship where you can take a photo and load it to Facebook or something. Has anyone used these or seen them? I only saw it in a photo quickly but I would love more information! Is there a charge to them? What ships are they on?

Thanks!

Has anyone done the Carlo’s Bakery decorating class? I am really interested in it for my sailing and want to hear from people who have tried it.

What is the age range?

Is it worth the $40?

And most importantly are the cupcakes yummy? :)

Thanks in advance!

60 for me - I can't believe it!!

I believe that gratuities were included when you booked. Since they they were broken out and are no longer included. I booked a few days ago for a late October 2015 sailing and had to pay the UBP gratuities at the time I booked.

 

Now with the change in price of the UBP program, the gratuities go up accordingly to match 18% of the new higher price. However, anyone who'd already paid them (or had them included) is grandfathered.

Okay great, thank you! I would be in that original grandfathered promo group, not the second group with gratuities then, if I am understanding this correctly. :)

I saw recently that there is a change in the beverage package. I know that the value is now $15 instead of $11 but this meant some people had to pay gratuities or other charges to make up the difference.. I saw that the gratuities needed to paid by October 1 to make the new value work on the cruise, but I can’t tell if this applies to me.

I got the Ultimate Beverage Package as a booking promo back in April/May for my November sailing.. I never had any mention of gratuities for the package (Not the DSC this is different right?) so I don’t know if I am supposed to pay the additional charge now or since I didn’t have gratuities to begin with this won’t apply to me.

Does anyone know the answer to this or can you help figure out what I mean?

Thanks so much!

Thank you both very much! Its good to know the area is there but I guess the rumors I heard about the sun beds isn't true for the Getaway.

Thank you both!

My boyfriend and I (23 and 24) are going on the NCL Getaway in November and will be stopping at Cozumel one day. We really want to do parasailing but I am nervous about tours that aren't through the cruise line.

The cruise is not offering any parasailing excursions at this port, so I want to know if anyone else has booked an individual excursion for this and with what company?

I've looked up a few but it's so hard to know what is reliable, worth the money, safe, etc. Any experience you have had would really help me decide!

Thanks in advance!