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Excellent Review! Really enjoyed reading your posts!!!

Thanks so much!!!

We are leaving Sunday on the Getaway, and I just sat tonight and read your review. Thank you so much for taking the time to post your review. It was very helpful. I am even more excited to get on board on Sunday!

Wow, you are sailing tomorrow! I'm SO jealous. Have a great time and enjoy it all!!!

Thanks so much for your informative and entertaining review. Bob Marley Tribute was day 5 at 9:30p. A do not miss if your a classic Reggae fan. Your review of day 7 was a bit soggy from all those tears. Hate loosing data. Nothin like comin home to the wagging of man's best friend! :D

I love the different tribute sets - I missed the Bob Marley in the Dailies, but did see Eagles, Abba, Elton John, etc. We didn't make it to most of them as they were always at the same time as something else we wanted to do.

Thank you for the wonderful and detailed review. Just wanted to share how we handled getting a notice concerning work done on our balcony on port days. We put the do not disturb sign on the night before so we were not nervous that workmen would be coming by earlier than they said. We got ourselves together and were out of our room by the assigned time. I spoke with my room steward. He said that the ship just wanted the rooms available during those hours not that they would be in there the whole time. So when we got back from port we were one hour earlier than the latest time stated. We checked with our room steward and he said they had come and gone so feel free to use the room. Judging by the other people on our deck who had gotten the same notice I think we were the most cooperative. There were quite a few people that just left the do not disturb sign up because they couldn't be bothered. Don't know if they got a phone call and were asked to vacate or not. I always try to be cooperative but also see if our own plans can be minimally impacted.

Good advice. We thought about the Do Not Disturb but didn't know if they'd still knock. Honestly, it wasn't such a big deal other than I didn't like knowing when they would get there - but glad both days it was after we were gone. I can see how someone needed to be "bothered" as they were right - there's never a day off from passengers to do it. So, I wanted to cooperate as much as I could.

Great review. We will be sailing on her on April 22nd. We are flying into Fort Lauderdale from Richmond VA.We are

from the Staunton area. We are waiting to see if Roatan's dock will be ready for us since the ship hit it this week. Thanks again for the great review and we have also sailed on the Escape and loved it.

 

 

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I was so sad to read about the dock and see the video. I know how much they count on the money the ships bring in. I'm hoping you - and all the ships - get there soon!!

We flew out of Dulles.

Wonderful review! Thanks for taking the time to do this. I love your writing style. I hope you do a similar review of your Jade cruise. We'll be on her in Fall of 2019, so would love to hear about your experience.

Thanks, I will definitely do a review after - so hold tight! :)

What a fabulous review - thanks for taking us along on your adventure. We are a group of 10 'Golf Bags' sailing on Getaway in October. I took lots of notes - thanks! Your Jade cruise will be here before you know it!!

Wishing you a great cruise!! Glad this review was able to help with your planning.

Great review. Thank you so much!

 

 

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Thanks!! :)

Once our cards were scanned for the last time, we walked down the ramp and off the ship. There was a bit of a line and for a moment it didn't seem to be moving. Then it started and it didn't take us any time at all to get into the building where we claim our luggage. We looked for the gold Priority area and immediately found all our bags. I teased the boys who were a bit nervous to just leave their suitcases in the hallway. Passport control went quickly and we were soon out front. This is the hardest moment. Seeing all those passengers arriving and excited for their cruise. That was us last week. I would spent this whole first week after the cruise thinking "oh, now they're in Cozumel" or "A week ago at this moment I was blah, blah, blah".

Here's where our family would split up. My youngest son and I were traveling home to Virginia from Fort Lauderdale. My oldest (returning to Colorado), Middle (Boston) and husband (heading to Mexico for business) were all leaving out of Miami. I usually use Uber and had never taken Lyft before. I've been in Lyft quite a bit with my husband but he always used his phone to request it. So, I'm a Lyft newbie so I decided it was the perfect time to upload the app so I could get a new user discount. The discount was only $5, but hey, every dollar helps. I had uploaded the app and added my credit card information earlier that morning while at Savor, so I was set to go. I requested our ride, and within about 5 minutes Jose was loading our luggage into the car. My youngest and I hugged the others goodbye, as they were requesting their Lyft to Miami Airport. My husband later texted me that Miami Airport was a crazy mess and he wants to use Fort Lauderdale from now on too. My middle son was flying out at 12:30 pm that day but poor husband and oldest had to hang there until 3:00 pm. They had planned to spend the time in the United Lounge and I'm sure they were not happy when they found out that there wasn't one for them to use.

My son and I arrived at the Fort Lauderdale airport at 10:00 am. That's not bad, considering we left Savor at 9:00 am. It cost me $34 which isn't bad at all. The airport wasn't too busy at all by we were sitting at our gate by 10:30. Our Southwest flight wasn't until 12:40 so we had plenty of time. We took off on time for a quick ride to Orlando where we unfortunately had a 3 hour layover. The 3 hours actually went rather quickly, and we spent our time eating (even though I swore I wouldn't eat for a week after the cruise), reading and people watching. Our flight was once again on time, and we before we knew it, our 2 hour flight arrived. We were soon in 35 degree temperatures waiting for our ride. The best part of the day was going next door to pick up our dog - who was beyond excited that we were home.

A Sunday to Sunday cruise meant having to go to work the next morning. That was painful. Not nearly as painful as stepping on the scale to see a 10 pound weight gain. My suitcase is still mostly packed - other than I finally did my laundry. Summer clothes just haven't been needed since I returned, so there was no incentive to empty it out. Maybe I can just keep it packed until the next cruise!

I'm sure I'll think of things I forgot - but in the meantime, let me know if you have any questions. I'm now in the process of counting down for my next cruise - currently at 364 days......and counting. NCL Jade, here we come!!

I woke up the next morning at 7 am. Morning had come after all. I immediately put on my bathrobe and went out to the balcony knowing I would see Miami. We once again would "park" with the port side having great views.

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I think somehow I had hoped the Captain would make a wrong turn somewhere and we'd still be out to sea. No such luck. I made my last cup of coffee and sat on the balcony for awhile, taking in all that I saw and all that had happened over the last week. So much of the cruise was fun, exciting and perfect. But, we also had some frustrations. A non-flushing toilet, traffic jams, balcony work, and an attack by ants. But somehow those seemed minimal compared to the memories we made as a family. I wasn't sure when I would see my two older boys again and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment with them.

Thinking about the cruise itself, the Getaway is a nice ship. I do like the Escape better, but that is mostly because I loved Food Republic and I know my husband missed the District Brew House. I had read some shaky reviews recently from the Getaway. Some felt that staff wasn't friendly, or service wasn't good. We didn't see that at all. That said, my husband did comment that he felt the Escape staff was more open and friendly overall. To me, I think the difference was there was nobody on the Getaway that stood out as amazing. There wasn't a Chocolate Cowboy or a Bong. Now, understand that is not taking away anything from the Getaway staff. We had such great service all week and hardly ever had to wait for drink or someone asking if we needed anything. And most everyone was definitely nice. I really have no complaints at all about service. It's just if I had to rank them, the Escape ranks higher. This was a spring break cruise, and it was crowded. And the Getaway staff still managed to treat us well, provide us with great service and show us a good time.

After awhile, I got dressed and ready for the day. I stored anything left in the cabin into my purse. I thought we had to be out of our cabin by 8:00 am so I had to rush a bit at the end. It turns out I was wrong and we could have stayed until 8:30. Oh well. We left our cabin and went to our boys room. They may be 25, 22 and 17 but I still felt like I had to go through their cabin and make sure they didn't forget anything. I had them all put their suitcase out the night before. Especially for the 17 year old, I knew there would be something left behind. Mama's intuition was right and I found a pair of boxers on the floor in the bathroom. Turns out they belongs to the 22 year old. Whoops. I urged them to get a move on it and soon we were out of both cabins and heading with our carry ons to Savor for breakfast. As we were walking out we heard "Code Alpha Deck 13". That's our deck, although I didn't see anything. It made me sad though that somebody's vacation ended this way.

Once at Savor, we asked to be seated by the window, which didn't provide us any nice view this time. That's sad. I ordered French Toast, Hash Browns and crispy bacon. And for the last time, I just had to order Muesli. We drank our coffee slowly and enjoyed our last meal together until it was soon 9:00 am. This was the time that I wanted to disembark.

As I've mentioned throughout the week, we were lucky enough to have a few perks here and there. On Thursday we received "tree mail" and in it was an invitation for VIP disembarkation and gold priority luggage tags. I saw quite a long line several times this morning to disembark and I was very thankful for the perk. I wasn't sure if there would still be a line at 9:00 am or not, but I was glad we didn't have to see for ourselves.

The letter told us to go to the Sunset Bar when we were ready to disembark. We walked through the ship one last time and up to the bar. We wanted to go up the middle stairs near Headliners from Deck 6 to Deck 8 but they were roped off. We ended up just walking around the rope and using them anyways. I'm not usually one to break rules, sorry. For some reason in my mind, I thought the letter told us to go to Sugarcane Mojito Bar (on a side note as I type this, I realize I forgot to mention the Coco Mojito that they serve that is awesome - we stopped by multiple times during the week so I could have another!!). I got to the Mojito Bar and it was deserted. There's no way this was where we were supposed to meet. I decided to walk over to La Cucina where someone was standing to ask where we were supposed to be. "Right here" she said, pointing in front of her to the Sunset Bar. Oh yeah. That was it! She told us to wait while she called someone to escort us down. In about 2 minutes someone arrive who ushered us through a back door, down a staff elevator and out to give our sail card for one last scan. There were multiple staff members waving goodbye and I almost threw myself at their feet begging for more time.

When the Perfect Couple Game Show ended it was 9:20. We had just enough time to race quickly to the Getaway Theater for the Farewell Show. My son went up to the cabin to watch the Villanova/Kansas game. He said that was more important than any farewell, LOL. We made it to the theater in time and it wasn't crowded at all. We went down to about the 4th row and just as we sat my son texted. He said that the game wasn't even close and he would come to the Farewell Show after all. We had several seats still available next to us so I texted him back to come quickly. He arrived right when the show started. Pacquito came out and quickly introduced Groove International who sang a few songs. We also saw Spencer James do a bit more comedy and the Burn the Floor cast danced several songs. This was nice to see as that was a show we decided not to see, but they were great. Soon it was time for all our favorite NCL staff to march down the aisles to the NCL song.

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After everyone finished clapping and thanking the staff, Pacquito introduced all the officers. Every Farewell Show I've previously seen ended with the Captain coming on stage. The Captain must have been busy or at dinner because he was a no show. Pacquito thanked us all one last time and the show was over. On the way out, staff and officers were all at the exits shaking everyone hands and thanking us for coming. I thought about begging some of them to allow me to stay another week but in the end I didn't want to embarrass my family so didn't.

Anyone who knows me (or who has made it through this review) knows I probably wasn't ready to call it quits. That would mean the cruise is done. So awhile husband returned to the cabin, my son and I went to Howl at the Moon one last time. It was another fun time and the song selection was great. The drinks were flowing and the guests were singing. Tambourine Girl was in her usual spot doing her thing. We ordered our last drinks of the cruise (goodbye UBP) and stayed for about an hour. I tried to contain my singing, as I knew if I took it too far my son would say it was time to leave. By about 11:30 it was time, I went back to the cabin knowing there would be no towel animal and no Freestyle Daily waiting for me. How depressing.

My husband was there finishing packing up. I changed into my pajamas and put on my NCL robes to help my husband put the suitcases in the hallway. My husband had also packed his clothes so was modeling the robe as well. He offered to put the luggage out front for both of us. I took him up on it because I just knew I'd see someone if I went out there in my pj's and robe. He didn't seem to care! The few leftover items we had in the room (pajamas, toiletries and hair brush) could easily go my larger purse and his backpack. Once we get our luggage tomorrow, we can then shove it in the suitcase. I always find this so much easier than lugging my suitcase to breakfast and around the ship.

I climbed into bed and read a few chapters of my book, willing myself to not go to sleep. Sleep means waking up in the morning which then means going home. Without Rommel, without my UBP, without food, and without Howl at the Moon. Finally there was no choice, I turned the lights off, rolled over, and went to sleep. Morning will come too soon.

After having just spent an hour writing and proof reading the rest of day 7, I just lost it all. So, I'm going to do my best to cover it again, but forgive me if you see a few tears mixed in with this section of the review.

We had just returned to our cabin after a full day of fun. After quickly showering, I dressed for dinner. This would be the first time I wore shorts to dinner. I have to say, it was nice. Usually I wear a sundress or capris and a nice shirt. Everyone dresses however they want for dinner. This is what I love about NCL. I really don't notice who is wearing shorts, who has jeans on or who is dressed up. Maybe I notice when we're out and about passing people, but I never really look at individual tables. That said, I always wanted to at least look "presentable". Well, tonight I discovered that you can be presentable in shorts. I may do this more often!!!

Once showered and dressed, it was time to pack. This is something I had put off all day as I was in denial that the trip was ending. Now, packing to leave on vacation takes times although it is a lot more exciting than packing up at the end of a trip. This packing job literally took about five minutes. I basically just threw everything in my suitcase quickly and then shoved it back under my bed. I left out clothes for the next day, a few toiletries and my pj's. I planned to add my current clothes I was wearing later that night once the jammies were on.

We told our boys to meet us in our cabin at 5:30. I realized I should have told them 5:20. Waiting for the boys to arrive......this was the story of our cruise. Whether it was for breakfast, leaving on an excursion or dinner, they seemed to always be late. Now, I do understand why they were late. Three people sharing a bathroom. You have to plan ahead and think it through. Something they probably didn't do. And then there is my youngest son - who takes forever. So, it didn't surprise me when they didn't arrive at 5:30. They finally got to our cabin at 5:40 and we rushed down to Shanghai's. I was worried that it might be late to get a table but was still hopeful. When we arrived it looked pretty crowded. The hostess told us she could seat four of us - two in the back of the restaurant and two in the front. Obviously, that wouldn't work. There are five of us, and it is our last night, I'd like to eat together. So, we bagged the Noodle Bar and headed to our normal stomping ground - Tropicana.

We were seated right away and soon we soon all had our wine glasses full. They of course stayed full the whole time, I just love this UBP and the way they kept the wine flowing each night, even without asking. I think we had a Malbec with this dinner if I remember correctly.

Tonight was Prime Rib night, so just like the first night, I had to order it. This makes me 7 for 7 with Steak/Red Meat. I may have been in a rut but I did eat well each night. The Prime Rib was great and I ate it all. We each ordered a different dessert so between us all, we tried them all. I honestly can't remember what I ordered, but I do know that I loved it. We recognized most of the dancers out on the dance floor and enjoyed watching them one last night. Tonight the Velvet Duo was the band that performed. While I liked them when i saw them previously in the week and they were good, it seemed like the other band from the other nights may have had more dancers.

After dinner we went to the Atrium to watch the Ultimate Challenge Game Show. The winner from the first night that we watched earlier in the week faced the winner from the other night. While it was the most exciting of their shows, it was ok. I ordered a Cosmo and it was the best I had all week.

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My son loves the show Mad Men and always wanted to try an Old Fashioned like Don Draper drank. He ordered one and seemed to like it better than the Manhatten the he tried a little earlier. The boy is branching out from beer it seems.

We decided to stay in the Atrium until the Perfect Couple Game Show later that night. This way we wouldn't lose our seats, and we can just relax and listen to "Easy Listening with James Morris". He quickly set up to sing and began his show. My sons didn't seem so thrilled for Easy Listening so they went up to the cabin to catch part of the first Final Four basketball game. The game was on at O'Sheehans just above the Atrium. The fans were loud. I can only imagine how difficult it was for him to sing while overhearing fans chanting, groaning, clapping and screaming. I love NCAA basketball but I didn't have a dog in the fight anymore (Thanks UVA, gulp!!). So, I had no desire to watch the game. That said, O'Sheehans sounded like it was the place to be and everyone was having a great time. It just wasn't the best timing for "Easy Listening".

Once he finished his set, the Perfect Couple show started. One of my sons returned down to watch the game also. This is another show we've seen too many times. We knew exactly what games they would play but still enjoyed every moment of it. There were some funny couples - and we were laughing a lot. We had no problem flagging down the waiter and our next round of drinks arrived quickly, despite the crowded Atrium.

We did this cruise with my sisters and their husbands in January 2017. You are bringing back a lot of great memories. Thanks!

I'm so glad - Cruise memories are the best! Then again, being on another cruise is even better!!! :)

After the Ice Bar I went right back to my room to change. It is not a cruise if I'm not wearing flip flops. Jeans and running shoes don't cut it for the last Sea Day. I put my bathing suit and cover up on, and packed up my small beach bag (luckily the LL Bean enormous bag is only for excursion days) and announced to the family I was heading up to find the sun. At this point, it was around 1:30 pm. Will I be able to find a lounger? We'll soon see. Hubby and one of my son's decided to join me (will we be able to find 3 loungers together?) so off we went.

Between my two Escape cruises and this Getaway cruise, I still have never gone to Spice H2O during the day. I considered this, as I really wanted to give it a try. However, I thought we might have more lounger luck up on the higher sundecks. We headed to the elevator and went up to Deck 16. Then went out and up to the sundeck. We were easily able to grab 3 loungers together with the perfect view of the pool. As we don't see waiters up on this deck, we just quickly ran down to the Vibe bar for drinks. They had a delicious Sangria that I discovered that was perfect in the sun.

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And this was the view the other way. Look at all the free loungers!! Score!!!

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By overlooking the pool, we were able to enjoy the music of Groove International, watch Miss Norwegian Getaway and later people watch during the Pool Party with the DJ. But, we could enjoy it without the crowds. It worked out well for us. At one point they brought NCL staff out for the party and to dance. We had the best view.

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Soon it started raining. Now, it only rained for about 30 seconds but we decided this was a sign that it was lunchtime. I didn't want to go to the buffet and we hadn't been to O'Sheehans to eat yet. So, I decided it was time for wings. Every cruise, I plan to eat late night wings and I never am able to. I just can't squeeze them in. So, if I am going to have wings on this trip, now is the time. I texted my oldest son to meet us and the four of us went for lunch.

We were immediately seated and soon ordered drinks. I ordered wings and Nachos. My plan was to share the Nachos with the family and then keep the wings for me. The Nachos were pretty small and although I shared a few, I pretty much scarfed them down myself. While they were ok - they couldn't compare to Margaritaville's Volcano Nachos. Curse you Margaritaville for taking away your a la carte prices. The wings were perfect - I love crunchy wings and they weren't too spicy for me. I was a happy girl. I can't remember what everyone else ordered - but everyone seemed happy with their food. Maybe not gourmet, but nevertheless hitting the spot and perfect for lunch.

Once we finished chowing down, we went back to find sun again. It was a bit later which was enough for the crowds to thin a bit and for other loungers to empty out. We ended up another deck lower directly looking over the pool. We had a perfect view of the stage for Bandaoke. There were some very good singers and it was very enjoyable. Until all of a sudden there was a very painful performance. And I mean painful. Now I know what I would sound like if I went up there on stage. Fortunately, it didn't last long and soon we were back to singing "Friends in Low Places" and of course finished up with "Sweet Caroline". Fun times at the pool. But the best part was I was never in that mess of people - and never had to be a chair hog. A waiter came by and I asked for a Pina Colada. He shortly returned with my drink - I do have to say on the whole cruise, this was the only bad drink. There was no flavor and it really just tasted like water. I ended up not drinking it and later ordering another which tasted fine.

The sun was hot though - there was a nice breeze and I wasn't too uncomfortable, but by 4 pm or so, we were cooked. I was enjoying myself and didn't feel like heading in - so we moved down to the pool deck into the shade. We easily found two loungers right near the stage but in the shade. After another 30 minutes listening to the music and people watching, it was then time to return to the cabin. We wanted to get ready for dinner early to go to Shanghai Noodle Bar. I spoke with the hostess the night before and she urged us to get there around 5:30 or there will be a wait. So, we quickly showered and got ready for dinner.

I woke up to Day 7 around 8 am. I was happy and sad at the same time. I love Sea Days. Really, I could easily do a whole cruise of Sea Days each day. I love all the activities, plenty of time to eat and drink and and lots of opportunity to lay in the sun and veg. That said, Day 7 is always a sad day. You go through the day knowing this is your last lunch, last afternoon at the pool, last Howl at the Moon and last supper! The writing is on the wall - this cruise is almost over. But, I was determined to make the most out of Day 7 and go out in style.

The boys were excited to have a day to sleep in so we were just heading to breakfast on our own. The morning began with my daily coffee on the balcony followed by a quick look-see at the Freestyle Daily to confirm our plans and double check breakfast options. I couldn't remember what time they stopped serving there. I thought it was 10:00 am but didn't want to take a chance. It turns out Savor serves breakfast until 9:30 am and Taste until 10:00 am. We decided on Savor, and went on our way. We passed Rommel on our way out, he greeted us as always by name. I love that.

Breakfast was wonderful as always. I think back to other cruises and breakfast - and even lunch - often took time. It was slow. This could become a problem when there were places to go. I remember arriving late to a Meet and Greet once due to slow service. This cruise is the opposite - wonderful service each morning, and food coming out quick, hot and delicious. We ate in either Taste or Savor every morning other than that one morning we had room service. We were pleased each time - such friendly staff and timely service. This morning, I ordered one of the daily specials. It was Eggs Benedict on a rosemary biscuit. I thought it was very good and enjoyed it. I gave my husband a bite and he thought while good, the eggs benedict didn't go well on the biscuit, as the biscuit was too dry for that type of food. Of course, my answer was that was what the hollandaise sauce was for. I obviously had to order bacon (with my normal "crispy" request) as well. Today was the crispiest day and the bacon was perfect!! One thing we never did do was order a drink with breakfast. I always planned to order a Mimosa and just never did. I guess I stuck to an 11 am drinking time on this trip!

The Yummy Yummy girls showed up and started coming around but ran out of food before they made it to our section. We considered waiting for them to return, but who knows if they would. We had finished eating by this point and it wasn't like we were hungry. So, we finished up our coffee, took one last look out the window at the water and then headed out. Of course we were greeted by everyone as we left, either saying goodbye, thank you or have a good day.

We decided to go to the 10:00 am "Technical Talk with the Captain and Chief Engineer" in the Getaway Theater. We've never attended anything like that, and after watching them work on the bridge while out on our balcony, I thought that might be interesting. The session started with Pacquito showing a Power Point for the first half hour. It was interesting but not really any new information for us. He talked about the different classes of ships, and described specific ships and talked about NCL in general. At around 10:30 the Captain and Chief Engineer came out. They answered questions for about thirty minutes ranging from specific ship questions (such as "Where does the pool go" - I bet they get that question every week!) to asking both about their careers and how they worked their way up the chain to their current positions. They also talked about their backgrounds, education, etc. It was interesting and I did learn some things. The audience consisted of both adults and children asking the questions. As I mentioned previously in this review, the Captain definitely appeared very personable, approachable and seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

We finished with the Tech Talk around 11:00 and headed back to the cabin. We texted the boys to see who wanted to join us at the Ice Bar at noon. Once back at the cabin, we noted that Rommel had already made up our cabin for the day. How I love it when someone makes my bed - I really do miss Rommel and do wish I could have brought him home with me!! It turned out that 2 out of the 3 boys wanted to join us at the Ice Bar. I changed into my jeans and running shoes (this proved to be the only time I put those on this cruise - so much for working out!) and we headed to meet the boys at Sugarcane Mojito Bar which is just in front of the Ice Bar entrance. My youngest son showed up and told us he decided he didn't want to go in - so he headed off to meet up with his crew. That left just our middle son to join us. The oldest was in the bathroom causing our middle son to be late to meet us. He kept texting saying he was "coming soon". Noon came around and everyone who was invited to the bar started putting on the coats and gloves provided by NCL. My son was nowhere in sight. Finally, he showed up at 12:05. Most people had already gone in and the Ice Bar was full so we had to wait outside. The worker told us never fear, there are always a few people that leave quickly. True to his word, a few minutes later multiple people came out and we were ushered in.

Now, I dressed for the cold. I had jeans, shoes and socks and even a light long sleeve pullover. My son and husband both wore shorts, and Sperry type shoes without socks. Really? You're going into a 17 degree meat locker. There were other folks in shorts too, but I was glad I dressed for the "weather". We were probably in there about 10 minutes when my son was ready to leave. And my husband too. At that point, I had seen what I wanted to see, and already had one of the drinks, so I was ok to leave. While in there though, it was chilly. We joked that the waiter must have drawn the short straw, or is being punished! What an assignment! But, I loved the bar and tables made from ice and the decor. We did talk though that we expected more. Looking up and around you see metal. If feels a bit when looking around like you are in a walk-in freezer (yeah I know, you are) and we stated that wouldn't it be nice if they could figure out a way to make ice everywhere. It was fun - I'm glad we went in, but I am also very glad that I didn't have to pay the $20. Back in the day before UBP, you had to pay $20 but you got two drinks. I think that would make it very worthwhile without the plan. But, with UBP and not needing to buy drinks, I don't think it's something I would need to do again. That said - it is fun and definitely different, so give it a shot. If you go in with a fun crowd (we had a nice friendly group in there) it can be a good time!!

LOL "and the kitchen sink."

Haha, seriously!! I should have taken a picture!! :)

Looks like many are enjoying your review and planning on sailing on the Getaway. My DD and I are returning to cruising together but now biennial rather than annual with our November 2019 cruise.

Plenty of time to enjoy the planning! :)

Our next one is April 2019. Seems so far away!!

I'm glad many find this review helpful, and as I just previously posted, I'll do my best to finish it up in the next day or two.

this makes me smile. I always get salmon and bagels... only on cruises..

My husband did salmon and bagels every morning on this cruise. They started giving him so much salmon he had to ask for additional bagels each morning! :)

Really enjoying your review! We are booked on Getaway in 2019, so it is fun to read about your experience. Thank you

Thanks. It's taken longer than I had hoped due to life but I will definitely finish it up within the next few days!!

Was the ice bar invite because of the balcony work?

I don't think the Ice Bar was due to the balcony work. I don't think I got anything for that. My guess is that is was from the Meet and Greet as I coordinated/scheduled it with the group events person and also met and chatted with several of the officers at the Meet and Greet who asked for my cabin #.

Once back on board, my husband and I discussed where to go for sailaway. Today we couldn't enjoy the vistas it from our balcony so we headed up to Deck 16 to watch. We ended up moving to right outside of Margaritaville. There were plenty of loungers there and this gave us a great view. I ran quickly over the Margaritaville to grab a few drinks. The bar in Margaritaville is one we hadn't tried yet. I have to say the Margaritas are so much better than other places. What a difference. It went down quickly as we were still hot and thirsty - and it really hit the spot. I got off my lounger after awhile and stood at the railing, where I could get a better view of the pier runners. It was kind of crazy - by this point it was 5:00 pm. Sailaway time. And people were just walking to the ship. I guess they saw it still there and just assumed it would wait for them. Really though - hustle it up a bit. You have 5000 people waiting for you!! I guess everyone made it back because we only left about 5 minutes late.

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We stayed a little longer to admire the views then headed back to the cabin to shower for dinner. Once back in the cabin I spent a few minutes enjoying the balcony (which was freshly painted again with new signs hung up), perusing the Freestyle Daily to plan the evening and getting ready for dinner. The boys all came by at 6:20 and we headed out for the evening.

Tonight we ate at Moderno's. We all love going to the Churrascaria restaurants and we usually will choose Moderno's with our dining plans. But, I have to admit my last few cruises Moderno's was just so-so. Last year on the Sun they just didn't have enough Pasadores floating around. On the Escape, it was ok but the quality wasn't what I had hoped. I have to admit, tonight was delicious. We started at the salad bar and although I always swear I won't eat very much, but I overdid it as always. The service was exceptional. They were so friendly and engaging but also always there with more food when we needed it. And finally, the quality of the food was excellent. The beef was tender and flavorful - and that pineapple.....mmmmmm. We all ate way too much. I'm happy to say I continued my steak/beef frenzy and am now 6 for 6 with steak for dinner. I did try the chicken with bacon too but really focused on my red meat overload. I think I'm set for the year!!! The caipirinha drink was delicious and we all enjoyed several - with a few of us moving on to wine as well. I ordered the mango rice pudding for dessert and it was very good. All in all, a great meal that each of us seemed to enjoy.

The boys wanted to go see The Big Pyramid Game Show in the Atrium at 9:00. We all used to watch the $25,000 Pyramid on Game Show Network so it's a show they know. We went to the Atrium right from dinner to arrive early for seating. I'm so glad we went early, as we were in for a treat. Groove International was doing their Tribute to Motown. It was so good - you know I sung along with them!!! After the show, we waited about 15 minutes for the Game Show to begin. The first half of the show was actually picking the guests who will participate and then the second half was the actual Pyramid Show. We ordered some drinks while watching, and as always we had no problem with finding a waiter and getting our drinks in a timely manner. We really did have good drink service throughout this cruise, and if you noticed, we definitely put our UBP to good use. We later went and saw the comedy show with Spencer James at Headliners. My sons had seen some of the comedy from the first night on TV and they warned us that this might not be very good. We actually all laughed a lot and enjoyed it.

Following the show we returned to the cabin. As we were getting back to the cabin, we saw we had "tree mail" once again. Oh now, the last two nights of mail brought the bad news of the balcony work. This time it was much better!! We were invited to go to the Ice Bar the following day for free. I had wanted to go but just couldn't see paying $20 each for it. I was excited that we'd be able to check it out and wouldn't have to pay. We went into the cabin and were greeted by a cute little penguin telling us that once again we would need to move our clocks forward another hour. I've never had a cruise where we've moved our clocks 4 out of 7 nights. Maybe I have - but it just seemed like that's all we do each night.

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I climbed into bed for my nightly dose of my Freestyle Daily and contemplated how this cruise was almost finished. After spending almost two years planning and waiting, it sped by way too quick. I planned my last Sea Day, moved the time on my phone back to Eastern time, and closed my balcony curtain as tight as possible hoping it would stay dark and I would sleep late. Ok, not too late.....we have one last day to enjoy this ship and I want to milk it for all I could.

Do you remember the cost of the phone package that you got that allowed you to text?

 

Thanks!

It was $14.99 which allowed you to text through the Iconcierge App.

After lunch, it was time to jet ski!!! My oldest son and husband bowed out, so it was my middle and youngest son and myself. I wasn't sure if my 17 y.o would be able to drive the jet ski or not. I hoped he could as I really didn't want to myself. I just wanted to hang on for the ride. I sent the boys over to check to see if any jet skis were available and the minimum age to drive. They came back to report that we could go now - and the minimum age was 16. Great - now the question is who do I trust more to drive me around. I probably trusted the older son more, but my motherly instinct took over and I chose the younger one...thinking somehow while hanging on behind him I would be able to protect him if needed. Huh? Not sure how, but my fate was sealed....I would be hitching a ride with my 17 year old - the one I still don't think is a very good driver. Gulp!

We walked over to the jet skis and put on our life vests. My middle son went first - he received a brief instruction on what to do and was on his way. Next was our turn!! They showed my son what to do, I climbed on, and off we went.

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He started a little slow but quickly gained confidence and soon we were flying across the water. We only had 30 minutes of jet skiing which I was worried might be too short. Boy am I glad that's all the time allotted. Now, when I decided to jet ski, I didn't think about how my old body would react to bouncing around on the water. Oh my aching bones. It was fun - so fun, but as we went airborne over a wake and landed, I felt it in my back. We landed hard. So hard. I had both my knees replaced three years ago and after about 20 minutes my legs were becoming stiff as well. I just knew I wouldn't be able to move the next day. I'm proud to say I felt fine after, but at the moment I was very nervous that I was either going to fly off the jet ski or worse, not be able to get off once our time was up. The water was rough, both from the many boats going by as well as the breeze. Meanwhile, my sons were having a blast. It was all worth it, and I did enjoy myself.......but I do wish I would have tried this years ago, before I became old and paranoid.

30 minutes was the perfect amount of time. I found myself just about ready to tell my son to take me back to shore when I saw my savior.......Mr. Jet Ski man, waving the red flag that it was time to come back. Both my sons ended up with blisters on their hand from driving - but they loved it. I am very glad though that we didn't buy additional time like I had considered.

Following jet skiing, we returned to our daybed/table area for a much needed drink......or two. After relaxing for awhile, I announced to the family that I wanted to get a fish pedicure. You know, when all the little fish nibble on your feet leaving them as smooth as silk. I have always wanted to try that...I've had friends do this in Thailand and they claimed it left their feet a smooth as a baby's you know what. I had researched Islander Fish Spa before we sailed, and considered making a reservation. But, I wasn't completely sure we'd have time for this and also I wanted to see the facility first before committing. As much as I wanted to do this, it kind of gave me the heebie jeebies also. The reviews discussed the cleanliness of the facility, and how although initially it may tickle, it ends up feeling relaxing.

We saw Islander Fish Spa right next to the massage place. It was empty at the time but looked clean and I definitely wanted to try it. My two older sons and husband decided to try it to and we walked over. Oh no!! There was a line! I don't know why I didn't think about reserving a spot when we walked by earlier, and I was frustrated that I didn't. It was about 2:00 pm at this time and we had planned to head back to the ship around 3:00 pm. They told us that they could see us at 3:20. The pedicure takes either 20 or 30 minutes, depending the time you buy. That was cutting it too close for our 4:30 pm all aboard. And I definitely didn't want to be a Cozumel pier runner. We sadly said no and walked away. My feet were destined to stay just how they were.........someday!

I enjoyed the sun from my lounger and read more of my book until it was time to pack up. Although Mr. Sanchos had wifi, we had to head to the bar area for a decent connection. We have a plan with Verizon that allows us data coverage included in Mexico and Canada, so the poor Internet didn't bother me at all. I was able to post a few photos online and check email from my lounger through my Verizon connection. My husband needed the Internet connection to take care of a few things for work so he spent time at the bar to connect. Just before leaving, I joined him to take a photo of us sitting on the bar swings. And of course, I had one last Cozumel Breeze.

Around 3:00 pm we packed up, tipped Jose and said goodbye to Mr. Sanchos. There was a small line out front for taxis but it went quickly and there were plenty of taxis there. There was a worker out front helping everyone get cabs and we told him we were 5. As he found an SUV with enough seats, I asked him how much to return to port. He told me $26. So much for the $30 we paid on the way to Mr. Sanchos. The traffic back to the ship was bad. It was stop and go for awhile and I thought maybe there was an accident. Our taxi driver told us that it's often like this when there are many ships in port on the same day. He said that there is basically just one road in and out and everyone returns to the ship at the same time. It was definitely a good thing we skipped the fish pedicures!! Keep this in mind when planning your return time - or you too can be a pier runner!!! I was actually wondering if I should worry but pretty quickly traffic opened up again. We made it back to the ship in plenty of time - and probably only had about an extra 15 minutes for our trip. But, I could see how it could be very nerve wracking if you are cutting it close to all aboard/sailaway time.

We pulled up to the port drop off area and walked back to the ship. Because we had gone the incorrect way earlier in the day, we were a little confused at first about which way to go. Once we figured out we had to go up the escalator and through the mall of stores, he headed up. We got our ship cards ready to show - we all had our ID's each day but were never asked to show them. We were early enough that I could have shopped a bit, but at this point we were hot, tired, and that darn beach bag weighed a ton. As usual, NCL had cold towels available (felt heavenly), a towel exchange, cold water and today was the "Rock the Dock" party. We returned to music, dancing and a line of enthusiastic dancers greeting us. Many passengers were dancing along as they passed.....me, it was all I could do to keep walking. It was a long day and I needed a drink!!

If your cruise was booked before Feb 2016 you are grandfathered in to the old tier levels. No error. Enjoy. :)

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app

I'm not sure if this is the case - we booked well before that date and would have just hit platinum - but didn't because of the new tiers. We are now 7 short. Bummer.

We had some great weather - not as windy as the day before but a nice breeze. Our waiter Jose came by every few minutes and brought drinks quickly. We ordered pina coladas, margaritas but my favorite that I drank the rest of the day was a Cozumel Breeze. It was made with Sprite, which made it cold and refreshing. Mmmmmm. This is the life!

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Someone soon came around to our daybed and asked us when we wanted our massage. We decided 11:30 would be a good time so we enjoyed the sun/shade a bit more then at 11:25 headed over to the building where they give the massages. We were led upstairs to an open air second story level that had 4 or 5 massage tables. We were told that our 30 minute massage that was included in our package only covered neck/shoulders, back and arms. That was fine with me - that's exactly where I needed it to recover from pack muling the beach bag around all week. While my masseuse gave me a form to fill out asking what type of massage I wanted (relaxing, deep tissue or swedish) my husband was told our package only included the "relaxing" option. I requested a swedish massage but soon realized mine was just the relaxing type as well. While it felt good - it was not hard enough to do much for my aching shoulder and back. Not that I'm complaining - it was fine. I just wish I would have either paid for a full massage the previous day at Maya Chan, or asked about enhancing this one to a full one-hour real massage.

Now, my husband had it easy. He walked over to the massage "parlor" without a shirt on. Me, I was wearing my semi-tight tankini style bathing suit top. For those that have read my previous reviews, this is the same tankini top that caused the Escape slide fiasco. You'd think I would have learned my lesson. I laid on my stomach on the table and asked her if I should pull the straps off. My lady said once she is ready, I can go ahead and take the top off. She held up a sheet around me. She then told me to pull my bathing suit top off as she covered me up. It was very private, very appropriate and definitely added to the experience as it would have been a very bad massage with the top on. As I'm laying there and she's giving the massage, I began to wonder, how the heck am I going to get this bathing suit top back on. Remember, there's 4 other tables next to me, and the whole floor is open to the beach below. Although the massage was relaxing as promised, the thought of wiggling back into my bathing suit top stayed on my mind. I was jealous of the lady next to me in the string bikini that just needed to untie/tie her suit as needed. Curse you, Tankini. You will not be joining me on any more cruises.

She finished the massage by waving something that smelled good under my face. Now it's the moment of truth. Time to get dressed. How does one slip on a tight tankini top while laying on her stomach? My masseuse handed me my top and held the sheet around me. She held it low down - thinking I would be putting it on laying down. I wiggled, and waggled, and wiggled some more. At one point, I'm sure I flashed half the beach - who was looking I don't know - and probably don't want to know. I eventually got it half on and then sat up to pull it down, surely flashing the other half of beachgoers that were spared initially. Success, I was dressed. Meanwhile, my husband just popped up and stood up when he was finished. So unfair. We thanked them and headed out, realizing we forgot our cash for tips. We would have to return later to give them their tips. Honestly, the most important tip of all is don't wear a tankini to your massage if you're going to strip down. So, if you're taking notes.....we have now discovered no tankinis on the drop slide - or when you go for your massage.

I definitely worked up an appetite after that massage so we ordered lunch once we got back. I had the steak fajitas and they were excellent. My youngest son ordered coconut shrimp and the others got tacos. My husband ordered multiple taco plates. He wanted a mix or seafood and something else and Jose told us he couldn't mix plates. So, he just ordered one of each!! Gotta love it. The food was surprisingly good for this type of place and the food came out rather quickly considering the crowds. While we were never feeling packed in, it was definitely very busy and full at Mr. Sanchos. Everyone seemed to be having great service though - we never lacked for a drink and often Jose came by to check before we were even ready for a refill.

Let's talk quickly about Cozumel excursions. My family are not huge beach-goers. I mean I love it - but the boys could take it or leave it. And the husband just doesn't like all that sand. We had already had several beach days (Little French Key and Maya Chan) and a pool day in Harvest Caye. I knew Cozumel needed to be some adventure. They are not ones to enjoy just laying out each day. I booked us for the Rio Secreto excursion through NCL. We typically don't take NCL excursions ourselves but tend to do it ourselves. We have found some amazing adventures through Cruise Critic and other website reviews. But, when it comes to taking ferries, I usually like to use NCL. That ferry schedule just scares me when it comes to making it back to the ship on time. So, with the Rio Secreto excursion including a ferry to Playa del Carmen, it just seemed best to stick with NCL.

I was really looking forward to this excursion - it really had amazing reviews. Unfortunately, several weeks prior to our sailing, I starting reading all excursion excursions including a ferry from Cozumel were cancelled. This was due to some State Department travel warnings following a bombing and another bomb found on a ferry. While I read that the concern was only related to one specific ferry company, I also read that NCL was cancelling excursions. I didn't want to be stuck on board with a cancelled excursion - and I was worried if I didn't cancel ahead of time, NCL might only give me OBC for the refund. So - once I saw the excursions were still cancelled the week before we left, I went ahead and called NCL to cancel it ahead of time. I received my full refund of over $600 within a few days.

After having my Cozumel excursion planned and booked months ahead of time, I was suddenly left excursion - less. What to do, what to do. I spent some time on several travel websites including Cruise Critic and narrowed down the search. I finally decided to just go to Mr. Sanchos for the day. We have been to Paradise Beach before, but never Mr. Sanchos. I took the money refunded from NCL and book the Romantic Package for my husband and I which gave us a shaded/canopy bed on the all-inclusive side and two 30 minute massages. I then bought 3 more all-inclusive entrances for the boys (my 17 y.o was discounted as he wouldn't be drinking) and two tickets for jet ski rides. The boys have always wanted to jet ski so hopefully that would add a little adventure to the day. All of this still came out cheaper than the cancelled NCL excursion so at least the change was financially beneficial to us. I do think we were a little beached out though - but it was still a successful day.

Once off the ship, we followed to pier and passed several stores before we found our way out. To be honest, I think we went out the wrong way - we found a sign that said "exit" but it clearly wasn't an exit that we were supposed to use and probably more an emergency exit. Although we didn't go the wrong way on purpose, it worked and got us out quicker. I was a bit concerned about arriving late to Mr. Sanchos - I knew we had a daybed waiting for us but I wanted to make sure the boys would be set too. Once out of the door and on the street, we were immediately approached by a taxi driver. I asked him how much to Mr. Sanchos and he told me $30. I thought I had read on reviews that for parties of 5 or 6, the price was $34 so I agreed to his price and we walked over to his van and we were on our way. Mr. Sanchos - here we come!!

Our taxi driver was nice and we chatted with him about American's retiring to Mexico, house prices, the weather and probably several other topics. We passed by the other port where I saw the Royal Caribbean ship that was with us in Costa Maya, several of the other beaches that I considered going to, and finally the sign for Mr. Sanchos. I didn't time the trip but I think it took us about 20 minutes or so.

As we arrived, a guard in front of the beach resort asked us if we had a reservation and I showed him my reservation receipt. I don't know if they were sold out on the all-inclusive side or not but I was glad we were already booked in case. Our taxi driver pulled in and dropped us off out front. We had only paid a $10 deposit for the all-inclusive tickets and $35 for the romantic package. After paying the remaining balance, we received our wristbands, jet ski tickets and were led to our shaded daybed. They put clean sheets on the bed in front of us, and showed us the big table with umbrellas in front of the bed which was also reserved just for us.

I had planned to pull up three loungers around the daybed but realized once there that there was no room. But, they showed us the loungers lined up along the water and I went down and easily found several to put towels on. I felt a bit like a chair hog but I was urged to do this and they told me these chairs belonged to us for the day as well. Once I saw nobody else was interested in laying in the sun but me, I did remove the other towels. The rest of the family spent the day in the shade - sharing both the bed and table. I soaked up as much sun as I could down by the water. I knew I would soon be flying back to the cold and wanted to enjoy as much as I could.

Once again, I set my alarm for 7:30 so I could get up and dressed before any NCL maintenance men came marching through my cabin. I debated about just sleeping and leaving the "do not disturb" on but hey, I'm a team player so Go Team NCL. Time to de-rust my balcony. I hope the next passengers appreciate the rust-free (I will note I didn't really see any rust - but then again I wasn't looking I guess), new pipe, fresh paint balcony I helped provide them!! Just like yesterday, I woke up before my alarm, being worried that I wouldn't be up and ready in time. I woke up on my own by 7:00 - no worries - now I have time for a cup of coffee and balcony time!!

Once I was up and made my coffee, I put on my bathrobe and went out on my balcony. I sat down to relax then realized there was no way I was going to relax with a bathrobe on. What if my maintenance men came early? I quickly went inside and threw on my bathing suit and cover up. Now I was ready and could relax with my coffee. I sat on the balcony until 8 am when we pulled up to the port. Cozumel - I am back!! Today was the first time we weren't facing port - today is a sea view!!

The two older boys decided to order room service again and the youngest one was going to eat who knows what. I think he was still in bed too. I guess he didn't place a room service order last night. We went ahead to Savor. We had great service once again - and another table by the window with a great view. The Yummy, Yummy Girls were out once again, this time delivering delicious donuts to us all. Yummy, yummy! I ordered pancakes, hashbrowns and bacon. There was just no room today for Muesli. I knew my youngest son would be thrilled if I scored him some french toast. So, I asked if I could request an order "to go". They quickly obliged although told me they wouldn't bring it to me until we were ready to leave so it would stay hot. Love my breakfast service - they are all the best!!

We finished breakfast and headed back to the cabin. I expected to see people in my cabin, someone telling me I couldn't get in, or something going on. We got back and it was dead, nobody was there, and not a maintenance worker in sight. Phew - dodged another bullet. I took my son his breakfast then went into the cabin to packed up for the day. By the time we were ready to disembark it was 9:30. The boys came to our cabin, I picked up my 60 pound beach bag and we were on our way down to Deck 4 to join the masses (we had like 6 ships in Cozumel that day) in Cozumel. As I was walking out, I saw two or three men sitting in the hallway (not the main hallway - but off to the side near a crew area). I think they might have been waiting for me to leave - that was nice of them!!