WankersAwayCarib

DAY6 pics attached. I probably won’t finish my review until I get home Sunday or maybe Monday depends how the sea day goes.

DAY6 is our last port day and we went to Costa Maya. again I slept in and had breakfast in the buffet is a good variety and not the exact same thing from each previous day. And I headed back to my room out for a bit and then headed on shore for a quick look at shopping options and was able to see the million holes swingers do their thing before heading back to the boat for our 1:30 PM departure. Yes it was a short day. excursions, I hear, met up at seven or 7:15 in the morning in order to make it back to pier by the time we were scheduled to leave. now I am sitting in the floor on the eighth floor where a lot of the bars are closed until we leave port. Despite it being 1:55 we’re still missing a large group of passengers.
 

I have a hair appointment in the salon at three and dinner reservations for Cagneys at eight.

I may hit doing pianos tonight and of course there is the glow party in spice. 

DAY6 is our last port day and we went to Costa Maya. again I slept in and had breakfast in the buffet is a good variety and not the exact same thing from each previous day. And I headed back to my room out for a bit and then headed on shore for a quick look at shopping options and was able to see the million holes swingers do their thing before heading back to the boat for our 1:30 PM departure. Yes it was a short day. excursions, I hear, met up at seven or 7:15 in the morning in order to make it back to pier by the time we were scheduled to leave. now I am sitting in the floor on the eighth floor where a lot of the bars are closed until we leave port. Despite it being 1:55 we’re still missing a large group of passengers.
 

I have a hair appointment in the salon at three and dinner reservations for Cagneys at eight.

I may hit doing pianos tonight and of course there is the glow party in spice. 

Yes, the transition to American diner from Jimmy Buffett‘s Margaritaville was completed Wednesday and they opened from 12 to 5 on Thursday. I checked out the bar and took a couple of pictures. No one else was there. See provided images of the menu. I did not take a picture of it but they do offer milkshakes for four dollars.

Day five was harvest caye. I did not get off the boat as the Tinder service was not open for those without reservations until almost 11 AM and it was raining.

I got up and laid by the pool after breakfast at oceans. If she wins is the only 24 hour option on the boat and has a good menu selection at each meal time including late night snacks. Service is hit or miss no matter what time you go. I went for a late breakfast and it took a while to get my order but it wasn’t that bad.

I spent an hour and a half in the gym or training for an upcoming distance hike. Then I grab lunch in the buffet was really impressed with the options they had a create your own Cobb salad station where a crewmember it’s the salad for you based on what you ask for as well as a build your own possible station and traditional lunch items such as sandwiches chicken tenders french fries and my personal favorite mac & cheese. I was impressed with the beer wine and soda bar that was in for lunch and dinner. Since I have the drink package I went to the counter and was able to get a soda for my meal.

Then I ran down to the atrium for the afternoon activities of pictogram trivia and win lose or draw. I’ll add a review of the atrium activities in another post.

After we left the pier and I stop by the casino bar for a cocktail before heading up the solo cruisers meet up in the Studio lounge and then to get dressed for dinner. 

I spent too much time getting ready and ended up just barely making bingo at 6:45 before I reserve seats for the million Dollar Quartet.

I really enjoyed million dollar quartet it’s an amazing story and featured great music and the performers do actually play and sing.

Since I have not had a chance for before the show and then went to Shanghai the noodle bar dim sum and some chicken noodle dish was basic but feeling and just what I needed to keep me going for the rest of the evening.

I met a few friends and Syd Norman’s for karaoke and then headed to headliners for the last comedy show of the cruise. It was the 11 PM show so more raunchy than earlier family friendly shows and definitely funny.

I called it a night before midnight again and got some much-needed rest.

We were at Coxen Hole for the day at Roatan. We were up early for an 820 meet up for the only excursion we booked for this cruise. We went to Osheehans for the express breakfast and arrived about 745. It was almost 10 minutes before anyone came to our table to take our order and in the end we were very rushed and only after another table who had been waiting just as long as for help. They still didn’t have their food when we made a quick sandwich of toast eggs and bacon and headed to the pier

We did the ultimate beach getaway which is at pristine Bay Beach club at pristine Bay golf resort.

The resort is gorgeous and aside from our excursion group and a smaller one that arrived a bit later from a carnival ***** also docked in Roatan we were the only people there. 

There were infinity pools and lounge areas little bar with a pub menu and very friendly staff.

The short ride there ended up being about 45 minutes due to road construction and slow traffic. We had about four hours at the resort and I left one guide at the location with us who reminded us of the upcoming departure. A ride back was a bit smoother on an actual paved road but also took about 45 minutes to get back to the pier. We had enough time to walk through the shopping area before getting back on the boat.

I swung by the pool to scope out what was going on before heading up to shower and get ready for dinner in Teppanyaki. Easiest options for the dining plan as they bring you your appetizers you choose an entrée and you choose a dessert. Our chef was entertaining there was a short speech about the history of Teppan-Yaki in Japan and the meal was delicious. They do have their own signature sauces that are different from what I’m used to it a typical hibachi restaurant but not bad. They do use a lot of garlic and butter so if those are on your allergy list just let them know.

After dinner we had reserve seats for a burn the floor I’ll let them dance show. While the show was very good and the dancers are talented the story lines for the dance teachers or sometimes confusing and seemed a bit out of place. One of my favorite things about it was that they mixed in live singing performances with the dancing instead of just dancing to a soundtrack.

After, I tried dueling pianos for a bit, stopped by the 80s party at Spice H2O, but wasn’t feeling it so I went to bed.

I’ve been dictating my review and waited for another day with cell service to post. Each of the following days will have the schedule attached. My apologies for any grammar or spelling mistakes ahead of time.

Day three I have been to Cozumel before so I was not sure I would get off the boat. I had a late breakfast in the buffet which had a good variety of options and an omelette and egg to order station. Then it was for a little time by the pool. Honestly I needed a day of rest and relaxation after a crawl I went on Monday night. And I spent an hour in the thermal spa and afterward felt refreshed enough to brave the heat of Cozumel. I have not ported at the pier where to get away parked before and wasn’t familiar with how close to downtown we would be. It’s nice to just walk off the boat through the shopping area and downtown Cousin

After about an hour and a half back to the ship and found the return is on the second floor of the shopping plaza at the pier. After shopping it’s back on board for some more time laying by the pool in the shade until it was time for the solo cruisers meet up. This time instead of the Normans we were in a solo land lunch the studio lounge and they provided a bartender and a limited selection of drink options

After the meet up I had dinner in the Tropicana room which features like Latin music and I menu similar to that of taste and savor. I had pink aggressive flounder and my cousin had to roast chicken both were delicious I’ll post pics of our meal as well again tried the ravioli which was again tough and a bit too al dente for my taste.

After dinner I play in the casino for a while and then met up with friends to go to the Mardi Gras party at space Age 20 on deck 16. Adults only area it was pretty busy and a lot of f

When your friends and I had had enough 30 and explore a couple of other areas of the ship for Another cocktail before Heading to bed.

Bonus 2, Atrium bar menu
With the premium beverage package you can order anything that is $15 and under. When I realized The ship bartenders use a well liquor if you don’t specify (strong vodka taste), I checked the list and made sure to say Tito’s for future orders. 

Bonus the Taste menu for day two that I looked at with the head waiter on night one.

After dinner on, I went to the casino for a bit and then ran into some of the soul cruisers on the way to Bliss. We danced and danced and it was a late night for me. I didn’t get up until 10 am on day two.

Options for late breakfast we’re limited to the Buffet and Osheehans which has breakfast until noon. I forgot to take a picture of the menu or my food. I had a country platter which standard is bacon, sausage, toast, hash browns, baked beans, tomato, mushrooms, and two eggs anyway. I also ordered hot chocolate which came in its own teapot so I ended up with 2 cups of hot chocolate. I like the little touch of the teapot so that when I wanted more I already had it. I really liked the maid to order aspect of this breakfast. I got fried eggs that you cannot get on the buffet and I said no to the tomato and the mushrooms. The service-level is noticeably better than on the fun ship. 
 

About 1130 people started trying to come in for lunch. A lot were turned away. There’s a short window in the late morning were very few food things are open. If you’re looking for an early lunch then you’ll have to settle for late breakfast.

I ran over to the cruise critic meet and greet that was set up. So far the only thing I’ve been on time for has been dinner.

I went to the cruise shopping which had some good information not just sales pitches.

after that I went to the dealer no deal game and show. Not sure I would do that again. It’s $29 to play and you get two games and you could be picked to play the game on the big screen, it was fun but I don’t think for me. There was a player who brought her daughter up and let her make the decisions about briefcasesLittle girl did great and ended up with $150 which mom claims because you have to be over 18 to win.

in the afternoon I joined up with some Facebook people. There was a Facebook group Setup months ahead for this sailing on This ship and one of the members organized a pub crawl scavenger hunt.

It was fun we met a lot of new people and invited them to join our group. The time allotted was 2 1/2 hours but we were all done within an hour and a half.

We changed our reservation from taste restaurant to the dreams and steam show which comes with dinner. They complete dinner service before the show starts. Preshow the performers come out in costumes and take pictures with guests. Some of the costumes are elaborate and unique.
The menu is preset with Caprese salad, surf and turf, and three chocolate desserts. The steak was great. This is coming from someone who does not like steak. The shrimp are good, also came with broccoli and fries.

The dessert  came just as the show is starting. It was a trio from Sweet and light to more dark chocolate or cocoa strong taste.

The room is fairly dark during the show with the only light on the stage. I will upload a couple of pictures. I did have to take them without flash so they’re dark.

After dinner the pub crawl and dinner drinks caught up to me and I called it an early night around 10.

daily For day two is uploaded. 

I figured out how to see the rest of the daily schedule right now. Broken down into parts of the day morning, afternoon, and evening. And you can look at the schedule for up to 24 hours ahead of the current time. Other users were frustrated with the App lacking scheduling and open close times. Since I am taking pictures of each daily, I have the schedule with me.

now for the rest of day one: I went to the small raffle. They have it in the fitness studio which is small and it was pretty crowded. Some people brought small children with them and strollers; I have never seen children in the fitness area of the ship before. They offered deals on spa services that were exclusive to those who attended the raffle drawing. 149 for a 75 minute Swedish massage with some extras. It’s a pretty good deal the standard Swedish massage is 180 I believe.

after the raffle I ran down to catch the end of the silver cruisers made up. My experience with solar cruiser meet up‘s has been very lackluster on order ships. This was not the case on the getaway. Even though I was arriving late there were still a room of people all introducing themselves sharing fun facts. And to get away because it has the studio rooms and lounge has a solo cruise coordinator. She encouraged people to sign up toSee the onboard shows and if they wanted to sign up for specialty dining together or make plans for other things week. I was impressed.

After the solo cruise meet up, we had prebooked reservations for dinner at Savor. Dining rooms on cruise ships haven’t been the best experience for me because I have some weird food intolerances. When the waiter came to our table he started by asking if there were any food allergy issues and I usually try to avoid making a fuss and just find something that doesn’t have any of my new foods. The head waiter came to the table and talked with me and relayed that They were concerned about cross-contamination with anything that might make me ill. I gave him my top two things that I cannot have, cucumber and coconut. And he came back later for us to plan for the next nights meal. I’ve only had a similar experience when I cruised on Disney. So far so good with my food choices and not having a reaction. 
 

We ordered the bruschetta,Scallops and ravioli. The ravioli was obviously fresh made and a bit tough for chewy. The scallops were cooked perfectly and were on a fennel purée that was amazing- The woman at the table next to us scraped every possible bit off of her plate, if it would have been appropriate she might have licked it clean. The bruschetta was light and refreshing. We found the portion size is perfect for ordering multiple items to share.

For the meal my cousin ordered the sirloin and substituted mashed potatoes for fries.

I had the fettuccine Alfredo. Again the pasta was made fresh and a little al dente for my taste but the meal was delicious. The mushrooms were obviously sautéed from fresh, shaved mozzarella was the topper. 
We both ordered the apple cobbler with caramel ice cream For dessert. We were very happy with our choice.

attached is the Savor menu and food pics. 

On 2/24/2020 at 11:21 AM, townsla said:

We're on the Getaway in 2 weeks.  Do you mind confirming if Margaritaville has changed to American Diner? On the app, both are listed for my sailing.  Looking forward to your review.

They are changing during the sailing. Looks like it will be open on Thursday. 

muster.

It was pretty disorganized and staff in other areas on the same floor told people one thing and the Muster crew provided accurate information on where to meet for our specific muster group. Part of the confusion was that the staff running muster only showed 5 minutes before the start time. Announcements were great starting about 15 minutes before and people seemed to listen and show to the muster location ahead of time. 
I'm not sure but it seemed like the longest muster I have experienced. Additional details were given on safety topics. 
 

After muster, we went to look for a drink. The bars on 7 and 8 that were open were slammed. The Mojito bar had a line (orderly) of about 25 people ordering from one spot on the bar. 
the Casino bar, Bar 21, was not yet open. Neither was Shanghai; this didn’t bother me but there were people trying to find something that wasn’t the buffet. Lots of people tried to order at Bar 21 but were turned away. 
 

The app was not helpful in the search for food and drink.

The new NCL app is pretty and has some cool features like, reviewing your room charges in real time.

BUT (notice the big but) there are no hours of operation for any bar or restaurant. For activities, I cannot see anything that starts more than a couple of hours later than the current time. 

uploading freestyle daily for day one, Feb 23.

muster.

It was pretty disorganized and staff in other areas on the same floor told people one thing and the Muster crew provided accurate information on where to meet for our specific muster group. Part of the confusion was that the staff running muster only showed 5 minutes before the start time. Announcements were great starting about 15 minutes before and people seemed to listen and show to the muster location ahead of time. 
I'm not sure but it seemed like the longest muster I have experienced. Additional details were given on safety topics. 
 

After muster, we went to look for a drink. The bars on 7 and 8 that were open were slammed. The Mojito bar had a line (orderly) of about 25 people ordering from one spot on the bar. 
the Casino bar, Bar 21, was not yet open. Neither was Shanghai; this didn’t bother me but there were people trying to find something that wasn’t the buffet. Lots of people tried to order at Bar 21 but were turned away. 
 

The app was not helpful in the search for food and drink.

The new NCL app is pretty and has some cool features like, reviewing your room charges in real time.

BUT (notice the big but) there are no hours of operation for any bar or restaurant. For activities, I cannot see anything that starts more than a couple of hours later than the current time. 

uploading freestyle daily for day one, Feb 23.

Popped down to drop things in our balcony stateroom. The room is spacious. I really like the fact that the door is recessed from the hallway and it opens out. The door isn’t too heavy and I didn’t feel I had to fight with it to get into the room. More on Stateroom on Cozumel day.
 

I ordered Spinach dip; my cousin had fajitas. I also ordered my first drink on the drink package, a caipirinha. 
Portion size is great; other pubs might be too much food. Fajitas were the perfect size (2 tortillas) and the dip was good for a bar dip. It was more like a bechamel sauce (creamier) than spinach dip you might get at a place like Applebee’s. 
The cocktail was strong. I had my reusable cup so I took it with us when we went to explore.

Embarkation 

It went smoothly. Traffic was a bit backed up due to parades but we had a shuttle driver from the rental car company take us. We shared the ride with a nice couple who was leaving on Carnival Glory today. 
Traffic, honestly, was worst at the port. Most of the back up due to drivers who were unloading not following police and sheriff’s directions. 
New experience with NCL, they had the driver pull into a parking space (precious Carnival and Disney cruises it was curbside in a line or shuttle bus parking area). It was easy to unload. The porter was friendly and provided reminders for things we needed as we were going into the terminal.

The area outside of security is very small. We entered at door 4 and had a short walk to the start of security. Security was smooth with only two notes, they had people take off fitbits which in general have no problems at airport security. Secondly, another thing new to me, REAL ID passports (issued in the last ten years with the chip inside) set off the metal detector. 
 

The process for check in with NCL was mostly painless.  Be prepared with a pen to fill out the public health questionnaire and coronavirus addendum. People were picking them up from a table but NCL had staff handing them out. When I cruised with Carnival during the Ebola outbreak, they sent the questionnaire with the check in documents with a reminder when the addendum was added. I personally would have preferred to have these printed and filled out ahead of time instead of trying to fill them out while the line was moving.

Check in seemed to go much more smoothly than my experience with Carnival. Completing the pre departure check in and adding a card for my onboard account ahead of time saved time at the check in desk. 
We headed to O’sheehans for lunch to avoid the buffet crowds. When I find a spot to hang, I will post food and service review along with menu and a copy of the welcome aboard info from the check in desk.
 

Until then, it is lunch and Exploring.

My cousin received a cruise voucher. We ended up getting an upgraded cabin; prepurchasing spa/pool access; took advantage of free at sea with dining, excursions, unlimited beverages, and upgraded the free WiFi.
Pre cruise we also purchased bottled water for the stateroom.
Check in was an easy process online. Edocs makes it more convenient to not have to print a boarding pass. We are a little concerned one back might be a couple of pounds over the 50lb bag limit. 

Going into the cruise (writing this a few hours before we board), we are pretty happy. It does seem as though NCL nickels and dimes you for everything. We are not planning to purchase Vibe beach club passes for the adults only pool area. 
We need to try to get one more specialty dining booked when we get on board or lose the credit we have from free at sea. 

We joined a Facebook group a few months back and have plans for a Cruise Critic meet up on day 2. 
 

I plan to post Freestyle Dailies and food menus as part of the review. I noticed there are none from recent NCL or Getaway sailings.

Now we drive to port. We stayed in Biloxi last night as New Orleans hotels were pricy being the weekend before Fat Tuesday and the busiest of Mardi Gras season. We are familiar with the drive and have planned around possible street closures in Nola for parades this morning. Tip, download the New a Orleans Parade tracker and the Waze app. Together, you can figure out if you need to make alternate route plans.

One personal note, last night I realized I forgot my glasses. I have contacts but I haven’t worn those everyday for a week in about two years. Should be interesting. I may be seen stumbling around half blind at some point (or maybe it will be the beverage package 🙂

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