ajax6262

That makes sense.  Thanks for the insight!

Anyone know of a good fishing charter in Ketchikan (or Juneau, but Ketchikan preferred) that can accommodate 7 people?  Everything I’m finding is capped at 6 (I know the boats aren’t very big).  We would like to get all of us together and not split up between 2 boats if at all possible.  Thanks!

16 minutes ago, mcmomny said:

Thank you very much for posting!

Follow up question about the Woodford Reserve, so no upcharge at Tobacco Road but there is everywhere else?

Woodford Reserve is not listed on the Basic Beverage package but is on the Premium Plus package

My husband will be thrilled if he can have it at Tobacco Road!

Thank you

When I was on the pearl last year, the whiskey bar had a Woodford Old Fashioned (cocktail) that was included in the regular package, but if you wanted just straight Woodford (neat or rocks) it was above the $15 limit, and therefore had the upcharge.  It didn't make much sense to me, as the quantity of bourbon felt the same (but it could have been a significant amount more when ordering straight, who knows).  I enjoy an Old Fashioned, so I didn't mind.  But if your husband only wants it straight, perhaps you could try to sweet talk the bar tender into making you the Woodford Old Fashioned without the extra stuff. 😉

Was on the Pearl's return to service cruise that disembarked on 1/3.  From what I experienced, in customer facing areas, the crew was adhering flawlessly to the covid protocols (of course, no protocols would be able to prevent spread in the tiny crew only areas of the ship). 

My first indication that something might have been up, however, was on our final sea day (1/2).  I was in the Casino at about 2 in the afternoon.  An employee came up to me and said that they needed to close the entire casino to "fog" it.  I also noticed only a couple tables were actually open.

The afternoon of their final revenue producing day of the trip, when the next day the casino would have already been closed the entire time.  Seems like poor timing if it was a regularly scheduled procedure. 

Makes me wonder if casino staff make up a large portion of the outbreak.

Can you tell me more about the massages at the caves at the Grotto. I had no heard of that. What is the cost and can it be booked in advance. Thanks

For a 50 minute couples massage it was $327 including gratuity. They billed it as 2 separate individual massages, so for just one person it would be about $163, which isn't terrible for a hotel spa. Unfortunately you don't get to use the pool or beach at the resort when you are do everything, but you can swim in the other cave and have lunch at the poolside restaurant.

It was super cool being in the cave. The massages take place on floating docks, so you are rocking a but during the massage too. If you google grotto bay cave massage you should be able to find pictures of the spa, I did not get the chance to take any.

I would highly recommend booking in advance. Just call the resort and they'll be happy to help. I booked about 2 weeks in advance, and was able to get exactly the time I wanted.

I must have missed it but are they doing with The Grille?

In the next couple weeks they will be converting it to a margaritaville. Unfortunately this change will come with an additional fee to eat at.

My wife and I just returned from a great week on the Breakaway, and here are my thoughts:

Background:

My wife and I are in our mid 30’s, not very big party animals, or sun worshippers. The running joke between us is that we’re 35 going on 60. I won this cruise at my company’s annual picnic. I actually won $4,000 towards a cruise, from there, the rest of the details were up to me. This was our 4th cruise with NCL since 2012, and our 2nd time to Bermuda. We had previously sailed on the Dawn in 2013.

Pre-cruise Hotel:

We flew in the day before, and my wife used her Marriott points to book us at the Courtyard Marriott Midtown-Central Park. The hotel was very convenient in terms of location. It shares the building with the Residence Inn, which had my wife known at the time, she would have booked since it was fewer points. We spent our afternoon walking around Central Park, which was lovely. We found the best pizza either of us have ever had. Sacco at 54th and 9th. If you are in midtown and want a slice, that is the place to go. It was so good that we went there for lunch, and a post dinner snack.

Embarkation:

As has been well-documented here, the sail-away time was moved up 2.5 hours to try and avoid tropical storm Hermine. Communication of the change was not an issue. I think my wife and I both received 5 text messages, and 3 phone calls notifying us of the change. We even got texts and a call while we were standing in line to check in.

Unfortunately, with everything being moved up, this caused some night mares on embarkation. Rather than having everything spaced out, it seemed like all 4,000 passengers were there by 9:30 (which is what NCL advised), but the terminal was not made for that. While we were in the line to check in, they announced that since the holding areas were full, they would be halting check-in until embarkation started. This meant we were standing around in the hot check-in line for about 45 minutes before they started moving again. Several messages were announced asking passengers to please not to try and board until their number was called. We had number 26. By the time we got checked in, they had only called up to number 5, but when we got to the holding area, they were sending everyone on board regardless of number. From the time we arrived at the pier to being on board was about 2 hours, but from the time we got checked in, we were on board within 10 minutes.

Stateroom:

We were booked in a spa mini-suite. I was pleased with the size of our stateroom. Honestly, it was larger than our hotel room in NYC the night before. We had a room with the bed closer to the balcony. We would have preferred the bed near the closet, but it didn’t make a huge difference. The room had more than ample storage space, and there were probably 20 hangers in the closet, which was very nice. As everyone is aware by now, the balcony situation is not good. We normally enjoy spending some time watching the ocean go by on the balcony, but the small size really made that not enjoyable. But, the weather was pretty hot and humid for most of the cruise, so I’m not sure how much we would have been able to enjoy it anyway.

Spa:

I was originally skeptical of booking the spa room, because I didn’t know how much I’d use the spa. I am so glad we went. Since we aren’t really pool people (and the pool deck was so small anyway), we found this to be one of our main hangouts. It was great to be able to sit in the therapy pool, and the hot tub. The steam room and saunas were nice as well. I don’t know how much I buy into the salt therapy room, but they kept it relatively cool, so it was great to hit the steam room for a few minutes, then cool off in the salt room.

Despite the many signs asking people not to, many of the loungers were often reserved with people’s towels and other belongings. You could generally find one free, but there were several times where all the loungers were reserved, with very few of them occupied.

My wife and I both enjoyed spa treatments on the ship, a hot stone massage for myself, and a mani-pedi for the wife. Both were awesome, and extremely relaxing. Of course, my massage therapist tried to sell me about $500 in products afterward, which I politely declined. I must say, she did a great job of selling them though.

Dinner:

I made reservations for dinner pretty much as soon as we booked the cruise, and I’m glad I did. Once we got on board, reservations for the specialty restaurants were difficult to come by. As part of our booking, we got the 3 meal UDP included (as well as the UBP). We tried to hit as many different places for dinner as we could.

Cagney's

My wife’s favorite spot. Service was a bit slow here, but the food was very good. The running joke is that the cruise ship did not want us ordering wine. Except for our last night, every table we sat at did not have a wine list. That didn’t bother us too much, but we enjoy ordering a nice bottle of wine with a steak dinner. We asked for a list at Cagney’s, and were essentially given an ipad with the wine list loaded on it. Unfortunately, it only had the wines available by the glass, which we found very odd. We decided that they really didn’t want to make any extra money off us with a bottle, so we ordered off the by the glass list.

My wife ordered the tomahawk ribeye, which, much to my displeasure, she said was even better than the tomahawks I do at home. Challenge accepted, I guess. I ordered the 32oz Prime Rib (hey, we’re on vacation). It wasn’t the best prime rib I’ve had, but it was good. Our apps and sides were good, except for the brussels sprouts. Do not order them. It felt like they were just microwaved until they were warm, but still not cooked.

Moderno

Probably the best service we had on the ship. The food was excellent as well. When the brought around the lamb chops, the server told my wife she should take two, which she declined. As soon as she took a bite, she immediately regretted the decision. They were spectacular. Seasoned very well, and cooked perfectly. She later apologized to that server, and took 2 more when we asked him to bring them back out. The pineapple was to die for, as always.

Teppanyaki

Another one of those places that many people skip since you can get this kind of meal at home, but we’ve always found the food to be better than we can get at home. The shrimp was some of the best we’ve had anywhere. My wife used to sell food for Sysco, and she said she could tell this was an extremely high quality shrimp they were using. They were large, and cooked perfectly. The only complaint I have is that their desserts at Teppanyaki have always been sub-par. The green tea cake was dry, even with the ice cream they served it with.

Garden Cafe (Buffet):

We typically ate breakfast here, and an afternoon snack. Not much to say, it’s the same as any NCL buffet. Not the best food in the world, but it’s serviceable for what it is. I’m a burger snob, and I will say that the buffet burgers are better than they have any right to be. It’s not something I’ll be craving weeks from now, but way better than I would expect a cruise ship buffet burger to be.

The Uptown Bar and Grille:

We hit this spot for lunch one day, and I wish we would have found more time to get back. I’ve had better burgers, but for a “free” burger on a cruise ship, it was more than I’d ever expect it to be. Sad that this is going away soon.

O Sheehans:

We had several snacks here along with dinner one day, and breakfast on disembarkation day. I hear a lot of people raving about the chicken wings, and I think they were just ok. Not very meaty, and the only sauce I enjoyed was the Jamaican Jerk. On Friday night they had bbq spare ribs, and I really enjoyed them. Again, better than I’d expect “free” cruise ship bbq spare ribs to be.

Main Dining Rooms:

We ate in all 3 MDRs, and as you would expect, it was hit or miss. Nothing was terrible, but there were some things that were awesome. On Saturday night they had a braised lamb shank on the menu that I’d put up against any restaurant. It was spectacular.

When we ate in Taste, we had an excellent waitress. I forget her name, but she was from Jamaica. Without being prompted, she brought us an extra appetizer, dinner, and dessert for us to share. Something that we hadn’t ordered but she thought we’d enjoy. That was nice, unexpected touch that we found really nice.

Restaurant Summary:

Overall, we did enjoy the specialty restaurants more than the complimentary ones, but as long as you aren’t expecting the best food of your life, you can get along just fine without spending an extra cent. I’d equate it to Applebees quality, but smaller portions. The nice thing is that if you don’t like what you order, try something else!

Entertainment:

We saw Rock of Ages, and it’s probably the best cruise ship show I’ve seen. A little cheesy at times, but great music. We were shocked at how small the theater seemed. This was by far the biggest ship we’ve been on, but the theater seemed the smallest.

We also went to Burn the Floor, but quickly found out that it wasn’t our thing, and left.

Bars:

This was probably my biggest complaint. It seemed like during the day, very few bars were open. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t hard to find a place to grab a drink. However, if you wanted to get a drink outside, you really had 2 options. Either the pool (very crowded and very loud), or Maltings. The probably with Maltings is that this is also the smoking section, which my wife can’t really handle. Uptown Grill was also open, but we had a drink there the first night, and they were not very good.

We eventually found our favorite bar, Mixx. It’s right between Taste and Savor, but unfortunately does not open until 5pm. Prand (I think that was his name), quickly became our favorite bartender. He recognizes everyone, and makes the best drinks on the ship. His Mai Tais were outstanding. Very friendly, and very good at his job.

Bermuda:

On our first trip here in 2013, we fell in love with the island. We were very excited to come back and see more. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty unbearable for me on this trip. It wasn’t excessively hot, but the humidity was oppressive. The temps were in the upper 80s, but the dew point was in the mid 70s. I naturally sweat quite a bit, so as soon as we stepped off the ship, my shirt was soaked, and would not dry. It was quite uncomfortable, so we didn’t do as much exploring as we hoped.

On day 1 we took the ferry to Hamilton, then a bus to Grotto Bay resort where we had massages booked in their cave. It was a cool experience, but unfortunately, to get back we had to get on a hot and crowded bus, then wait outside for a ferry, so it took away a lot of the relaxation from the massage. They did have a 2nd cave that you could swim in, and I wish we had so I could have cooled down before getting back on the bus.

Day 2 we took the fairy to St. George’s. We did a lot of walking around there last time in Bermuda, so this trip we just took the ferry there for the great views of the island. From there, we caught a bus and went to the aquarium and zoo. A very underrated attraction. Lots of cool fish, and $10 to get in seemed very reasonable. We kind of sped through the zoo though, since the heat was getting to us a bit.

Day 3, as many people do, we stayed near the dockyard. We headed to the glass blowing and rum cake factories to bring back gifts for my in-laws who were watching our dog for the week, then headed off for a lunch at the Frog and Onion. The Frog and Onion has good beer and very good food, and while it’s expensive, it’s definitely the best food option in the dockyard. Last time we went to the bonefish and it was pretty bad, so we knew better than to go back.

Disembarkation:

I was prepared for this to be miserable, but we did the self assist program, and it was a breeze. We were off the ship and through customs by 8:15 or so. We did run into trouble trying to catch a cab. As we made our way to the taxi stand, a gentleman asked if we were looking for a taxi, and when we said yes, grabbed our bags and told us to follow him. I don’t know why we did, but we ended up in his SUV on the way to LGA. Long story short, we agreed to $60 plus tolls, and when we got the airport he tried to tell me the tolls were $20. I paid close attention, and knew for a fact that we did not use any toll roads. He then explained that he had to use tolls to get back, which I told him was not my problem. I gave him the $60 we agreed to, and told him that he would receive no tip for trying to screw us.

Other:

Sailing into New York on 9/11 was pretty moving. I was up early and watch the sail in from our balcony, so I had a great view of the freedom tower. Thinking about how 15 years ago to the day the view would have looked a lot different, and remembering what it was like on that day was emotional. When we got to LGA, and were going through security, we got the front of the line right at 8:46. The TSA closed the checkpoints, gathered together and had a moment of silence to remember the moment things happened. It was touching to see that, and a moment I won’t soon forget.

All in all, we had a great cruise, and a very relaxing vacation. Having been on both mid-sized ships and now a large ship, I think we enjoy the smaller ships a bit more. The breakaway is a large ship, but when you are inside it really doesn’t seem that big. My wife and I both remarked how surprised we were that there wasn’t the grand atrium we see on smaller ships. Nothing to give you a sense of the scale until you left the ship. But it was a beautiful ship, and definitely had something for everyone.

Thanks for reading!

Car services such as Dial 7 and Carmel Limo charge a flat rate, as does Uber, although all of them could add a peak hour surcharge or use surge pricing. Only a taxi will have a meter, so avoid taxis and instead use Dial 7, Carmel or Uber. Note however that according to the NY Times article some Uber drivers are avoiding LGA, so it's probably best to book a car service.

Awesome. Thanks! Car service was our plan A anyway, so sounds like we'll just stick with that.

So, what would be my best option, taking cost, time, and hassle into consideration to get from Manhattan Cruise Terminal to LGA on a Sunday morning (Sunday, 9/11)? We have a 2:30 flight, so I feel good there, but I would prefer not to sit in traffic with the meter running on a cab, car service, or uber.