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BKNYChick

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    Encore - Specialist Restaurant

    in Cruise Foodies

    Posted

    Cagney's FOR SURE.. Teppanyaki... I would lean towards that if hibachi bars are not a common experience ... cuz honestly, if you do one hibachi bar you have literally done them all... Ocean Blue is a high end seafood experience, beyond Red Lobster on its' best night... since for me, that would be a rarity... I'd lean towards that...

     

    Still have options like,  Food Republic, Onda by Scarpetta, Le Bistro, Los Lobos (really small portions, but this was really good!!! IMO), and La Cucina (which might give you a little Olive Garden vibes, so maybe not...) try to aim for using your package to have a different cuisine experience on the cruise because YOLO! 

    "Q" on NCL Bliss Opinions

    in Cruise Foodies

    Posted

    Everything boils down to personal taste.. I love BBQ but could never declare myself an aficionado... I am married to a KC, MO native who declares himself one... so I guess I sidle up to the title by proxy LOL! 

    I personally enjoyed most of the offerings in "Q" we sailed Encore way back in 2019, before the Earth turned upside down. My belly wasn't empty enough to gorge the way I planned. I did remember the brisket being perfectly tender and fatty and delicious! Some of the sides, I could have done without but the meats are where it's at... I wasn't disappointed and have eaten at some of the famous K.C. establishments like -- Gates, Arthur Bryants... etc... "Q" wasn't bad and should meet some of your cravings if you want BBQ on the high seas... I remember the sauces being of the Carolinas.. vinegar/mustard base which is what I like... I didn't see any smokers... but the meats and scents led me to believe there is one on the ship...   

    NCL Pepsi Products

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    There is a year and a half wait for my next cruise and I don't mind... we all need this Corona business to be a memory... HOWEVER, in preparation, I need this post to get to someone at the cruise line, on behalf of all the diabetic diet soda drinkers PLEASE improve your sugar free soda options!!!! Pepsi Zero, Diet Mountain Dew and Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry -- NEED to be added... Diet Pepsi and Diet Sierra Mist CANNOT be the only carbonated drinks we are provided... I'm sure Pepsi Co wouldn't mind the increase in purchase! 

     

    Thanks! 

    • Like 7

    Would you recommend The Epic?

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    I've sailed Oasis sister ship, Allure and LOVED it!!

     

    Just recently cruised on the Epic for the first time and although it was a wonderful experience, I would not cruise Epic again. There are features of the ship that impacted my experience such that I have no interest or anticipation to cruise on the vessel again, but I would cruise Allure and for that fact give Oasis a try...

    Epic Disembark in Barcelona

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    17I disembarked from the Epic in Barcelona yesterday, (4/23/17). The Epic docked by 4:30am and I had a 9:40am flight. Utilized the "easy walk off" option and was off the ship by 6:45am, at the airport by 7:30am with plenty time for flight. You should be fine if you plan and execute with precision. ;-)

    Teen program and Breakaway

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    We sailed the Getaway (Breakaway's sister) last April. The programming is pretty similar, I couldn't get my daughter out of the teen program, ever!! She really enjoyed it, after 4/5pm she was out!!!I think even shy teens let it hang a bit... so someone will mosey up to your daughter, so long as she is open enough to engage. She'll be fine! Enjoy!!!

     

     

    Be sure to go to the Open House the first night so she can survey the land.

    # of days till your next Norwegian cruise?

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    No, getting off & spending a couple of days in Barcelona before flying home. At the time that we booked this cruise, I was working & had limited time off. I no longer work, but too late to change plans.

     

    Aaaawww... well you are all set to have a blast, I'm sure of it!! Enjoy!! Make sure everyone behaves so she is ready for the 2nd crew! 😉

    Who was your worst nextdoor neighbor on a cruise?

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Worst neighbors on a cruise for me had to be in April 2015 aboard RCCL 's Allure... a pair of sisters and their children booked the same type of set up as my husband and I with our kids... connecting cabins.

    Well for some reason, these two sisters kept forgetting that their children were next door to them and kept knocking or rather banging on my hubby and I's cabin numerous times in the morning and evening... everytime they were re-directed to their side of the hall and the inside door that constituted a connected room.

    The sisters apparently had a mission to "lure" my husband and any other man they'd set their eyes on (they made themselves QUITE known in the casino, pool area and all the bars) to their lair because each time they would knock, they'd be partially dressed. One morning, one of them decided to GO THERE and knock on our door calling out her son's name with only a towel covering her breasts... yeah well, I answered the door that time and had to unleash the native Brooklyn, NY wife and "I WILL beat that ass", tone with MY re-direct to the correct cabin...

    I mean really... I got that they were single and ready to mingle... the cruise is a perfect venue for a drive by love affair, but not in my space sweetheart... one of the few times I ever recalled being thoroughly annoyed on a cruise, but by Day 3, they got themselves together... even though the last night of the cruise they got into a heated argument with each other... over a man of course, which spilled out into the hallway and one of their teen daughters had to keep the peace... smh...

    A mess...

    Getting Away on the Getaway 4/24-5/1 Review

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Very helpful review. Thank you for posting. We are sailing May 22, 2016.

     

    Seeing you had a 90 minute wait to get through Customs is scary because we have a noon return flight to JFK out of Miami.

     

    Eric

     

    They offer other disembarkation times for those who have flights to catch... you have to sign up for those times on Day 6 and 7.... there were definitely a few families leaving much earlier than we did.

     

    I was awake when she pulled into the Miami port at about 6:45am and I could hear people rolling their bags down the halls at 7am.

     

    For whatever reason, Customs was really on it on Sunday...

    Getting Away on the Getaway 4/24-5/1 Review

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted · Edited by BKNYChick

    Continuing....

     

    After securing the kids into the programs, we continued our exploration of the ship... again, Getaway is a replica of her sister Breakaway so the layout was pretty much the same.

    Exploration/thoughts/ides of the ship: O'Sheehans smack dead in the middle of all the action... gives such an authentic pub feel... loved it... the 6, 7, 8 stairwell fashioned with the casino and shops were a cool touch.

     

    I discovered the photo kiosk on this ship (where you can snap a pic and email it to yourself or send it through social media like facebook or twitter)...never noticed on Breakaway and I thought it a cute touch...

     

    fishies on the carpet most definitely came in handy to orient oneself in the right direction.... fishies swim forward, forward, forward... =)

     

    I also loved that there were so few clocks around the ship and no daily carpet reminders of what day of the week it was (RCCL loves doing that). Reinforced the idea that you are on VACATION and so who the hell cares what time it is? Except if you were trying to get to a reservation... lol!

     

    Staff in general seemed to be in jovial moods and were always greeting and nodding... loved that! Some of those hallway encounters would transform into a 5-10 minute chat about anything!

     

    Random question? why put the library and card room behind the atrium? One of the liveliest areas of the ship? I rarely went into the library to read, because the noise level was distracting. The door also took about 2 minutes to close so the one time I did go in to test it out... anyone who wanted to open and peek would open the gateway to the raucous noise of the Atrium crowd... until the door sealed shut....

     

    Muster Drill: the dreaded... took about an hour... but did give a chance to meet some fellow cruisers the first day... I swear they need to figure out some other way to do this, no one is paying attention, some people were showing up already saucy from their 3 hour stay on the ship already. smh... I understand the purpose, but lets be real -- if a ship were to run aground or begin to sink, there are 2 things everyone will want to know... the closest emergency escape route to where I am in the moment and how do you get those life boats and rafts started???? As such, why not film an emergency video and loop it mandatory throughout the week on the kiosks and the televisions? At least then the key messages are being drilled into our minds regularly as opposed to the one shot deal the first day, I am not going to make my way to the Tropicana if the ship is going down.

     

    Savor: First night in one of the smaller main dining rooms... In my humble opinion, NCL has the best food of the 3 major that I have cruised... NEVER a disappointment for me -- however I was a tiny bit underwhelemd by the shrimp risotto I had that night, but I ate a little off all of my family's plates and NCL confirmed in my mind again... the executive chef knows what he is doing...

     

    First Night the kids ran off to their clubs and neither returned before midnite (yes, we paid for the Late Nite Zone)... hubby and I hit the casino and dipped into a few of the clubs for some fanny shaking and meeting people....

     

    Next day was a sea day, I cooled out and ate and read all day...

    Ocean Blue lunch: THUMBS UP!!! Had to pay for it but it was worth it to me... Lobster roll and fried calamari.... mmmm mmmm good!!!

     

    More than enough activity on the ship for the day too...

     

    Roatan, Honduras: The family did the Best of Roatan and Beach excursion... great air conditioned bus ride through the town with a very knowledgeable tour guide chock full of history... Iguana conservation stop (OMG, I did not know iguanas could get that big) the beach stop was cool, almost 90 minutes, more than enough time to bronze and go.... back on the ship

     

    Belize City, Belize: Belize Zoo and Howling Monkey Sanctuary excursion. This was my favorite of the whole trip... the Zoo was great and there were some nice views of the animals, they seemed to be performing for us... walking close to the fence, spreading their wings for photo opps... I love "zoos" with conservation agendas... they're trying... Howling Monkey sanctuary paid off after an exhaustive trek through the jungle in pursuit of a small troupe of 5 howling monkeys. We finally caught up with them and the male let it be known he did not trust or appreciate us gawking at him and his family... to our satisfaction he gave us a full on howling monkey exhibition -- screaming the whole time (great video shots), warning his family which included 3 little babies (aaaw) about us... at one point after shaking a branch (an act of aggression and a warning to stay away) he threw a branch down at us! Despite the irony, of his anger and our pleasure... it was a great experience.

    Also, the group feasted on cashew fruit and got a glimpse of some wild horses that had just stopped to nibble grass a ways down the road...

     

    Costa Maya, Mexico: Chacchoben Ruins... we make sure to visit Mayan ruins if we can. This one did not disappoint... the marvel of the structures.... also was able to capture breathtaking views of the country via the backside of one of the ruins... this trip got us back to the ship with 5 minutes to spare...

    Cozumel, Mexico: been there 4 times already... went to Chichen Itza last year... no thanks, I stayed on the ship. My hubby went out to shop the pier, the kids went off to their respective clubs.

     

    NCL Food/Specialty:

    Teppanyaki 5 star hibachi show and food... stuffed

    Shanghai's complimentary dim sum -- thumbs all the way up, but be prepared to wait for your food

    Wasabi sushi --- ehhh, not moved much, also a long wait for the food

    Moderno Brazilian great salad bar, LOBSTER BISQUE was delicious!!! Meats were well cooked, tasty but this is a place to pace yourself -- I did

    I have made a spectacle out of myself in the past... took it easy this time

    Room service did one breakfast because I couldn't move that morning... and this diabetic HAS to eat. yes, the 7.95 charge is a bit annoying, but seriously, food arrived piping hot and just as I ordered (20 minutes after I placed the order) ... that was A-OKAY for me!!

    Garden Cafe hands down one of the best cruise buffets I have ever eaten.... really, really good... of course it got repetitive but every night I hit them up for a vanilla cone and a cookie! (no worries I was strapped with my insulin pump, lol)

    Illusionarium included here because of the dinner, I thought it was delicious, but I did overhear a couple of others complaining about the food being salty... I thought it was really good and the magic show was awesome. My hubby was pulled onstage for one of the acts... the mentalist was my favorite...

    O'Sheehans was THE breakfast spot for the most part, awesome service, very tasty menu, I loved it... my favorite was the country platter, ordered it the 4 times I ate there in the morning. One morning we arrived right after 11am and they still allowed us to have breakfast even though 11am is the turnaround time between the bk and lunch menu -- very appreciative of that. My daughter and the rest of the teens LIVED in the pub in the evening... lol!

    Tropicana great food and service, we ate dinner there twice and had the same server Grace... she was a doll and offered impeccable service, very attentive... I loved her... she was so personable that one time I wanted to ask her to just pull up a chair and kick it with us for dinner... ooops, you are working right now, MY BAD! lol!! I made sure to fill out a vacation hero comment card for her!

    Ocean Blue for one lunch, as I mentioned before, I loved the lobster roll and fried calamari... ate outside on the waterfront... how cool....

    Flamingo Grill first day lunch and then once for breakfast.... stick with the lunch menu... in my opinion

    Dulce Gelato tangy strawberry on a cone? -- perfection!!!

     

    Did not eat anywhere else on the ship -- Cagneys and Le Bistro seemed to be the top favorites of the specialties from those I chatted with...

     

    Entertainment:

     

    I read many negative reviews about Legally Blonde but honestly, I thought it was hella funny and entertaining. If you are familiar with the movie, then you would know what to expect, hence the look of shock on the faces of parents who thought it appropriate for their 7 year olds to be in the audience, was amusing to me. I mean really, sometimes you need to do your own due diligence when deciding on entertainment but NCL could have also been a bit more transparent about the content and suggest that the audience be full of 13 year olds and up. Unfortunately, my hubby and I were surrounded by 3 families with kids and so we had to listen to them gasp and grumble and then get up and walk out with 15 minutes to go... really? Regardless, I still laughed my butt off and enjoyed the singing.

     

    Illusionarium was great and you really see the power and amazement of magic and illusion. I loved the walkway, which was pretty creepy with its pictures and flickering lights. GREAT show!!!!

     

    Burn The Floor my hubby and I were the annoying ones this time, we kept scoring the dances like we were judges on Dancing with the Stars... I didnt really care too much for the show, but it was cool. I do need to know the name of that awesome Afro-Carib song they played during one of the Samba routines... it was HOT! And I had to resist the urge to jump up and shake it...

    Casino and Humidor Cigar Bar my hubbys FAVORITE hang outs, lol!

     

    Deal or No Deal my hubby was called on stage to play (yes the staff were fond of him for some reason,lol) he won a $1!! But what a FUN GAME!!!

     

    Dancing with the Stars - patterned after the real deal. hilarious!!!! I cried laughing... such a good time.

     

    End of Cruise show: almost cried, this was such a classy cruise crew and they did a great job looking back.... Scott is a great cruise director!

     

     

    Disembarkation: We opted for easy walk off with our bags... All good until we hit the U.S. customs line and that was a good 90 minutes... not NCL's fault though

     

    Overall, this was a fantastic cruise, great memories, great ship and great crew... if you are considering, I'd say move on it...

     

    Spring Break 2016 cruise.... over and out....

     

     

    Soooo... reality is kicking in. Upon my arrival at Laguardia Airport this afternoon... I realized Cinderella's dance at the ball had come to an end...

     

    What a great dance!

     

    This was my 7th cruise, 3rd with Norwegian and 1st Norwegian cruise with the kids (we usually do RCCL with them). I'd sailed on Getaway's sister, The Breakaway back in 2013 so I was familiar with the ship's layout and features but there were a few things that separated the two... So here goes my review of my getaway on the Getaway....

     

    We flew into Fla the night before and stayed at the Marriot Biscayne Bay hotel all of 15 minutes from the cruise port. The hotel was okay (I am not a huge fan of most hotels as I have an unnatural fear of bed bugs and hyper sensitive skin) I mean it did it's job by providing lodging and a hot shower but I was too excited about getting on the ship the next day to really appreciate.

    Embarkation: We arrived at the port around 11:30am and it took nearly an hour to get through security and check in and receive our key cards.

    The Getaway is a cutie... the artwork on the outside of the ship is beautiful... my eyes are always drawn to the Mermaid Ariel looking woman at the helm... as we walked the gangway, calypso music and some fiarly enthusiastic crew members greeted us with balloons and all... nice touch...

    Once on board, I reveled at her beauty -- it is a pretty ship-- we were STARVING (my 11 year old son's favorite word) so we headed to the Flamingo Grill for lunch and to await entering our cabins.

     

    Flamingo Grill: Definitely a smart pick if you want to avoid the crowds in the buffet and you are not a Haven member. The menu is limited but satisfying spanish food... I crushed the fried yuca and pernil... delicioso!!!! =) Downed a number of cups of the complimentary flavored water (cranberry is my favorite) and by the time we wrapped our lunch the announcement was made that our cabins were ready.

    Word to the wise... my recommendation would be to attempt to board the ship at between 11am and 11:30am so that you dont have to spend much time trying to explore the ship lugging your carry ons but just board, eat and then drop your bags in your rooms (which is by far the first thing most people want to explore anyways, lol!)

    So off to our cabins we went....

    Cabins 11906 and 11908 aft balcony: We booked 2 connecting balcony rooms, which is something we started doing on RCCL for a couple of reasons. One is the space and cost... you truly get more square footage for the same price as 4 people in 1 mini suite with 2 bathrooms! We also took advantage of an exclusive 1/2 off 2nd passenger, so my hubby booked with 1 kid I booked with the other.

    The cabins are very spacious and well appointed. My hubby and I had a bed near the balcony set up and the kids had 2 separate beds near the closet. Yes, the balcony's protruding width is slight and I am a woman with long legs so I was forced to turn the chairs diagonally, BUT it did not bother me any as I truly would not trade the serenity of the balcony late evening with a great book, a drink and the sun setting.... for the ability to have lounge chairs...

    The bathrooms are impressively sized, great shower with glass enclosure and awesome water pressure. I could also generate a steamy shower (which I enjoy) the hot water can get up there in temperature.

    Our cabin steward was Jose... he introduced himself later in the evening and by day 2 had already learned by son's name and frequently checked in on us to make sure all was well... a couple of nights he left some towel animals, he was certainly respectful of the fact that my children are tween and teenaged and so he kept their rooms very young adult! =)

    He was great!!!

    Here are the complaints about the room: they should include a mini iron in every room, requesting an iron was great (and receiving a full sized one and board made things a bit cramped).

    My hubby complained that he could feel and hear the murmur and rumble of the engines all day and night. I felt and heard it too but I was not as sensitive to it as he was.

    I will say that there felt like more swaying happening in the backside of the ship, as all night the hangers in our closets would make that scraping clinking noise as the swayed on the rod. Sporadically the sound was annoying, some nights I'd notice some nights I didn't.... my hubby noticed ALL the time! LOL!

    The television offered very limited viewing options -- about 4 NCL channels, CNN, Fox News and a couple of sports channels and 1 Favorite movies channel... which recycled the same 10 movies all week... I will say I was intrigued by this movie, "Self/Less" starring Ryan Reynolds, which I'd never heard of before and caught on one of the 2 sea days I stayed holed up in the cabin chillaxin'....

     

    Splash Academy and Entourage: my kids were eligible for the Dolphins (11 year old son) and Entourage (14 years old daughter) respectively. Seriously, they were on their own at least 75% of the time... they both really enjoyed the programs and would plan and announce their days to us in the morning! Just so we would not plan on spending time with THEM! My daughter let it be known she was hanging with her "crew" after 1pm... smh... My son was in Academy HEAVEN and would get VERY upset when I would come get him in the evening at 10:30pm as a matter of fact, I would hear a couple of parents strongly reminding their kids that when it was time to go... it would be TIME to GO!!! LOL!! What can I say, Norwegian did an AWESOME job with the young cruisers... on the last sea day the kids performed in a circus act that they'd practiced all week. My son was not allowed to participate as he showed up literally 2 minutes after the check in time, and that was disappointing... I could see he was hurt but he was in the crowd rooting on his peers none the less... I will say I was bit annoyed by their decision to not let him perform because he came a few minutes afterward... but that was the only smear of the week and my son is resilient.

    If you have any concerns about the children's program, I would vote yay! The kids all seemed to have a good time...

     

    Also this cruise hosted by far the best behaved group of teenagers I have seen in a long time... kudos to the parents, although there are and will always be a couple of knuckleheads here or there, the teens were really cool on this voyage, I'd spot a couple of groups of them having lunch in the buffet, cooling out in various parts of the ship, lounging at the pool and they all seemed real chill... I even saw quite the activity in the Entourage club the very very VERY few times, I popped in to tell my daughter something. They'd be playing video games, dancing, dj'ing... and or chatting away about teen nonsense! LOL!

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