tv77

It took us about 20 minutes to walk into town from the pier, and we were in a hurry.  But it’s very easy to get to. 
 

Heading back to the ship we used Uber and it was quick and super cheap.  We heard taxis were expensive. 

I don’t have the email address, however we just stayed there at the end of August and really liked it.  Good sized rooms, upgraded to a water view, and the executive lounge was great for snacks, drinks and breakfast.   Also a great location - the HOHO bus stops right in front. 

Enjoy!

We just stayed at absalon post cruise and loved it.  They provide a fan in the room if you don’t have AC. 

We stayed 1 night at the Marriott, which I believe had AC, and 1 night at Absalon, which did not, but provided a fan, and the windows opened. 

We loved both for different reasons, but I feel the absalon was in a *better* location. Not necessarily nicer, but easier to walk to many attractions and restaurants. The rooms at both were large in my opinion. 

The only downfall of absalon was that the neighborhood is a little sketchy, and there was a lot of yelling outside until 4am.  We were exhausted so it didn’t bother us, but if you are a light sleeper, I’d maybe look elsewhere. 

On the Getaway currently - The lobster at Ocean Blue was bigger, and much tastier than Cagneys. 

The steaks, however, were MUCH better at Cagneys than OB.  And when we got the steak without lobster at cagneys it was better than when we got the steak with lobster at Cagneys. 

57 minutes ago, JandC_Cruising said:

We returned from our Escape Bermuda cruise yesterday and had a fantastic time.  

On the flight home we did some rough calculation and the Premium Plus package definitely worked out for us.

We paid the extra $243.60 per person and likely drank what would have been $500 per person worth of beverages that we either would have paid for outright, or chosen to avoid altogether.

We had no billing mistakes, which I always checked.

 

- We consumed 8 bottles of wine from the "free" category over the course of the cruise.  Our favorites were the Doglioti Barolo and the Louis Jadot Chardonay.  (both priced at over $70 per bottle, but free under the PPlus)

- We had at least 20 1-liter bottles of Aqua Panna Italian still water over the week.  We had a bottle with every dinner and most lunches

- We also had 6 glasses of Vueve for free.

- Lastly, since our bartender in the haven got to know us well, he would always make my Manhattan with one of the premium whiskies/ryes rather than Bullet for example, and make suggestions of more interesting options knowing we had the PPlus

 

There is no doubt that if you plan on drinking bottles of wine at dinner- on top of the daily pina coladas and such poolside, it is of value for some better wine choices.

 

The one minor issue was that many bars around the ship do not have the premium liquors or wines available.  For example we went to Headliners for a show and they did not have the Louis Jadot Chardonay available by the glass.  We also were at one bar that didn't have any Vueve, so we had to order another drink for that moment (poor us --- LOL!)

 

 

Our next cruise is in March and we will do the Premium Plus again.

Great to know!  Did you have to upgrade the package by the first day of the cruise?  Or could you upgrade on the 2nd or 3rd day?  Thanks!

3 hours ago, MNcruisingcouple said:

Thank you hitch-04....We get on the Star on Sunday so we will see if it is the same.  We are also doing the Epic after that so we will probably upgrade one of the cruises to the premium package.

Can you let us know if you can only upgrade on the first day, or up to the third day?

Thanks!

Great review!  How was the weather?

thanks!

28 minutes ago, hawaiideb said:

It was cold out, so not a lot of information on Vibe. I didn't even go topside much, as we had a SPA balcony that was sheltered, and if we were outside it was there. Sorry.

Debbie

What were the temperatures like?  We are going end of August. 

Thanks!

Thanks for the info.

 

 

 

I certainly don't want the "get there a.s.a.p." My flight home isn't until 9:30 pm so I have plenty of time. A tour would be great.

Check out south excursions. We did a valpo / vina del mar / winery / Santiago / airport drop off your which was really nice. Small bus (13 people) and maybe $90 pp? You paid for your own lunch, and we stopped for ice cream as well. Went from 9:30am until @ 7:15pm.

Dining

 

Teppanyaki – 1 time

 

I will say – the shrimp were AWESOME. Worth the wait. The steak – not so great. A bit overdone and chewy.

 

 

Cagneys – 3 times

 

I had the filet mignon twice (5 oz) and the port ribs once. The filet was .. really, really good. 5 oz is the perfect size for this cut. The pork ribs were cooked perfectly – the meat just slid off the bone.

 

They ran out of Sauvignon Blanc part way through the cruise (the crappy house brand) and substituted Matua for us. This was a very good thing. More on that later.

 

 

We had a very similar dining experience. LOVED Cagneys - esp the Ribs and 8oz filet with garlic butter, caramelized onions and port wine jus.

Had the filet and chicken at teppenyaki and thought the steak tasted different. The chicken was awesome, and once I saw the shrimp, I knew I had to try them. Ended up back there two more times for the chicken and shrimp and the chicken with noodles. The fried rice was awesome.

Le Bistro 1x - steak not as good as Cagneys.

They also ran out of Malbec on day 2, curly fries, mint (no mojitos), and maybe hot dogs / fries.

And las ramblas was skippable - but the sangria was awesome. They need to reconcept that restaurant as its a nice space - maybe Mexican or add hot tapas as well.

Good to know - thanks!!!

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Dr dawggy - thanks for the recommendation. Can you recommend some other steak houses you like in other areas? Palermo, Recoletta, Puerto Madero? Thanks!

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Love your posts! Let us know how the weather is through the cruise!!

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Love all of your reviews and pix! I just ordered an Olympus tough 860 based on your amazing photos!!! They should sponsor you. :)

We stayed in 10686 in 2014. If you exit the cabin and walk towards the aft you go around a small corner and there is a door to the outside kids area / hot tub. It was February in the Canary Islands, so no one was ever out there. We used it as a short cut to get upstairs to the outdoor buffet area to get juice in the morning.

[quote name=dr__dawggy;47923103

We took another much more expensive penguin excursion in Chile' date=' which we found somewhat disappointing. The viewing station was quite a distance from the colony and the few available telescopes were "hogged" by those in front of us...limiting our ability to actually see

James Bates

email: manager.falklands4x4@fic.co.fk

Would you mind posting which port and / or excursion you were disappointed with? I'm curious if it's one we are looking at.

Thanks,

Teresa

Can you tell me if you could purchase the unlimited internet package on a daily basis? For example, I want it today, then not until a few days later? Or could you purchase a package for say 3 days, 5 days? Or do you have to purchase it for the duration of your cruise (14 days)?

Thank so!

I am curious as well. Please post what you find out. Thanks!

We did the non-exclusive imperial Rabat tour. I second the exclusive Rabat review. Very clean, awesome lunch at a restaurant on the water. I believe there were three stops, then a drink stop, then lunch, then a stop at the second largest mosque in the world. Last stop was 20 minutes at a carpet store and spice shop. Very glad we did it vs staying in Casablanca.

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Tracie,

Can you clear up the whole VAT issue? I've read so many posts I'm not sure which is correct. For example, once we leave Morocco, is there always a VAT added for drinks, on board purchases, spa and dinner reservations?

Thanks!

Teresa

Thanks for the quick response. We are looking forward to exploring on our own!

Day 6 - Lanzarote

 

Lanzarote was looking like an ambitious day, compared to prior ports.

 

Well before we leave for a cruise, I like to study the port of call, find the best sights to visit...grab a map, plot a route and check the timing so we won't find ourselves waving to the ship as it pulls away without us at the end of the day.

 

I make notes and create a day plan for us to follow. This morning, I took out the notes for Lazarote and read the mission I had planned...my gut felt we were overreaching.

 

------------

Loved your review. You've inspired us to rent cars in Lanzarote and Funchal for our 02/11 Spirit cruise. Is there a particular map online that you used to plan your routes? Or did you purchase maps somewhere?

 

Thanks!

Really enjoying your review as well! I am also allergic to apples - never ran into anyone else who was. But I can eat cooked apples (pie, tarts, etc) - just not raw apples. Too funny!

I had a couple of questions about Marrakech.

How long did it take you to get there in the morning?

How were the souks / medina? Interesting? Worthwhile?

What kind of food did you have?

Did anyone you bumped into who did the NCL tour comment if they were enjoying it or give any feedback?

Outside of the whole leaving port early nightmare, would you recommend going to Marrakech? I've read many mixed reviews. We are on the spirit next month and on the fence for that port

Thanks in advance, and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

I'd love to hear your review when you return. We are trying to decide the same thing for our feb 11th cruise. Thanks!