My week on the Getaway (March 25-April 1)

Sitting at Margaritabille RIGHT NOW, having a zombie - Margaritaville is free the first day for Haven guests, so I jumped at the chance to have my nachos!

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We had a great day at Maya Chan. I reached out to them about 9 months earlier, and questioned if it was too early to book. They immediately responded that it wasn't, and they recommended booking early as they would surely book up and have a waiting list. So beware, if you want to go - book early! They may have had a few folks choose not to go due to the seaweed issue, but they looked like they were pretty much filled up. It never did feel crowded though - we all had our own space, had wonderful waitstaff serving us continually, and I didn't have any issues finding a water chair and floating around in the sun. The wind continued throughout our time there, and a few times our almost empty cups were knocked off the table - but the sun was out and the weather was warm.

This was my view from my palapa - we were set back from the water but it was a perfect location.

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The seaweed was there but it didn't take away from our day.

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Some areas had more than others and they had staff out there raking it up the whole time. Once over the seaweed and into the water, it wasn't too bad. As I was floating on a chair in the water, some small amounts of seaweed would float up towards me - but it wasn't enough that it was annoying or bothersome. I had read about waiters coming out to those floating in the water and serving drinks. Well, as I was out there floating, one of the awesome waiters kayaked out to me and asked me for my order. Let me add that the drinks there were delicious, with lots of specialty drinks. I told him to pick one and surprise me, and soon he was kayaking back with one. I tried them all, so I don't remember what it was......but it was good!!! One thing about the floating chairs which was great - they were anchored down so even on a windy day like we had, I didn't need to worry about getting blown out to sea! They had other chairs on the beach if you want to paddle out somewhere - but for me, it was so relaxing to bob and float in the same place.

After floating around for awhile, I went back to the palapa to dry off. Soon they were serving lunch. The homemade tortillas (both corn and flour) were delicious and I had the most amazing tacos. They served chicken and beef (the beef was so good my husband had second and thirds of just the beef) and seafood (which I don't eat so I can't comment on). They also served rice, beans, homemade salsa and guacamole. It was all amazing and I am still sad I was too full to go back for seconds. This was the only time all day that we experienced a line - as everyone wanted to go eat at the same time. We just stayed at the bar for a drink until the line went down which was only a few minutes. The food stayed out for awhile, and you can easily avoid any lines by just waiting a bit.

Following lunch, the staff came around to everyone to ask what time we wanted to return to the ship. Some people started leaving earlier but because we didn't get there until around 10, we chose to stay until 3 pm. All aboard was at 4:30 but we never like to cut it close. We relaxed, read, and drank more delicious drinks until 3 pm when we packed up and returned to the bar area to say goodbye and get our van. The staff was there with clipboards, ensuring that everyone was leaving at the time they wanted. They were very organized and we only waited about 5 minutes at the most until we walked to the van. We put a nice tip in the tip box and were on our way. All along, I had planned to get a massage at Maya Chan, and brought extra cash for it. I changed my mind though and decided to do it the following day in Cozumel, so I can't comment personally on the massages, other than to say others I spoke with said it was wonderful.

Soon we were heading back to port. We were dropped off as close as possible and we walked the rest of the to board the Getaway once again. As in each port, NCL provided a beach towel exchange service. They also are there with cold washcloths and water/juice. Today I didn't see them, which was strange, but then I found them on board just after where you swipe your sail card. I guess it was too windy for them to set up outside. We exchanged our towels and made our regular stop at the Atrium for a drink. This is the drink I got - it was delicious and I really liked it. For the life of me, I don't remember what it was. I'll have to find the Atrium bar menu to remember - unless someone here knows what it was.

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I woke up the morning of Day 2 at 7 am or so. So much for sleep in. I made myself a cup of coffee in the room (the coffee pod made surprisingly decent coffee), threw on my cute NCL bathrobe (which BTW was waiting for me in my closet when we unpacked) and went onto my balcony to read. I have to say this balcony seemed to be the smallest I've had before, but maybe it just seems small compared to the one I had in June on the Sun. Regardless, I didn't care. I was on my balcony on a cruise, and not at work. All was good.

 

We arranged for our boys to come to our room at 9 am to head for breakfast. I am one that enjoys the dining room for breakfast - no buffet for me. I want my waiter, menu, someone putting my napkin on my lap (my 22 y.o asked if they don't trust that I'll do it. No, silly.....it's called "service"), and relaxing while looking out the window onto the sea. We lucked out each morning that we always were seated at the window. We asked - but felt lucky they had one available. The dining room actually never seemed busy for breakfast and service was always quick. We alternated between Taste and Savor depending on what side was land or what we wanted to see. I honestly don't know which restaurant we went to this morning - but I just know we had our window.

 

Once seated, we were immediately greeted by our waiter and offered coffee, juice and water. When I sail, I always order Muesli. It is my cruise thing. I've never had it off a cruise ship and probably never will. So of course, I started with Muesli. I also ordered bacon (crispy!!!), eggs, potatoes and toast. They also brought the basket of pastries which I had to try. So much for a light breakfast, ha. I was stuffed full and it was not even 10 am. Once we finished breakfast, we walked around the ship for awhile until it was time to attend the Meet and Greet.

I love NCL's muesli. I first had it on the Getaway back in Sept 2016. After that trip, I started making it at home. My recipe: Combine 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 packet of Sugar In The Raw, 1/8 cup chopped walnuts, handful of golden raisins in a Corelle cereal bowl. Pour over it 2/3 cup of almond milk to which I've added a slight 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. Mix gently with a spoon. Top mixture with 1/8 cup slivered almonds, 2 ounces of fresh raspberries or fresh blueberries. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning top off with more almond milk (for a looser consistency, if desired) and half a banana, sliced (if desired).

I have since moved on from using the cereal bowl and have now started using a ceramic, straight-sided tall "soup mug" that has a tight fitting plastic lid, which also makes the muesli easy to transport for breakfast on the go.

BTW, you can substitute any kind of milk or fruit that you like.

I love NCL's muesli. I first had it on the Getaway back in Sept 2016. After that trip, I started making it at home. My recipe: Combine 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 packet of Sugar In The Raw, 1/8 cup chopped walnuts, handful of golden raisins in a Corelle cereal bowl. Pour over it 2/3 cup of almond milk to which I've added a slight 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. Mix gently with a spoon. Top mixture with 1/8 cup slivered almonds, 2 ounces of fresh raspberries or fresh blueberries. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning top off with more almond milk (for a looser consistency, if desired) and half a banana, sliced (if desired).

I have since moved on from using the cereal bowl and have now started using a ceramic, straight-sided tall "soup mug" that has a tight fitting plastic lid, which also makes the muesli easy to transport for breakfast on the go.

BTW, you can substitute any kind of milk or fruit that you like.

I just might have to try it. Thanks!

I'm taking my family on this cruise June 10th - first time ever on NCL - we have sailed with Disney a few times - but just couldn't afford it this year (4 days cost more than 7 days on NCL) - I'm staying on deck 11 (11912) aft facing balcony and my mom and daughter will be down the hall in an inside state room. We received this notice about bidding on upgrades, but seems for the money we spend to upgrade, we could better use that money on the ship... We booked the brazilian steak house the first night, then ocean blue the second - followed by the Japanese place and then doing the Cirque dream dinner (floor seating) and then Cagney steak the following night... I had booked Taste for the last evening - but after hearing the nice comments about Tropicana, I'm thinking it might be better. we have a 9 year old son and 13 year old daughter. We just booked right now, so haven't had a chance to book any events at the stops. My wife is from Honduras, and we have been to Roatan several times - so will be the first time going on a cruise there... we are talking to the hotel we usually stay and seeing if they will come pick us up and take us to the west side...(it's much better). really enjoy reading this, because again for a first time cruiser on NCL - I don't know what expectations to have? especially coming from Disney cruises - and having two kids... and what about the casino? is this a place to avoid at all cost?

I'm taking my family on this cruise June 10th - first time ever on NCL - we have sailed with Disney a few times - but just couldn't afford it this year (4 days cost more than 7 days on NCL) - I'm staying on deck 11 (11912) aft facing balcony and my mom and daughter will be down the hall in an inside state room. We received this notice about bidding on upgrades, but seems for the money we spend to upgrade, we could better use that money on the ship... We booked the brazilian steak house the first night, then ocean blue the second - followed by the Japanese place and then doing the Cirque dream dinner (floor seating) and then Cagney steak the following night... I had booked Taste for the last evening - but after hearing the nice comments about Tropicana, I'm thinking it might be better. we have a 9 year old son and 13 year old daughter. We just booked right now, so haven't had a chance to book any events at the stops. My wife is from Honduras, and we have been to Roatan several times - so will be the first time going on a cruise there... we are talking to the hotel we usually stay and seeing if they will come pick us up and take us to the west side...(it's much better). really enjoy reading this, because again for a first time cruiser on NCL - I don't know what expectations to have? especially coming from Disney cruises - and having two kids... and what about the casino? is this a place to avoid at all cost?

We are not casino folks although I kind of wish we were - it looked fun though. We walked through each day and the smoke wasn't so bad on this cruise. I can't speak for the games though. We love the West End in Roatan. We used to spend our days in Roatan in West Bay and West End. My kids grew up visiting the Mayan Princess each summer and so loved their pool and beach. Part of me wanted to go back since I miss it, but we decided to try something new. Taste and Tropicana serve the same food - the difference is the size and live music in Tropicana. We really enjoyed that. Best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

We are not casino folks although I kind of wish we were - it looked fun though. We walked through each day and the smoke wasn't so bad on this cruise. I can't speak for the games though. We love the West End in Roatan. We used to spend our days in Roatan in West Bay and West End. My kids grew up visiting the Mayan Princess each summer and so loved their pool and beach. Part of me wanted to go back since I miss it, but we decided to try something new. Taste and Tropicana serve the same food - the difference is the size and live music in Tropicana. We really enjoyed that. Best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

Thank you for the quick reply! yes, the smoking is something that I'm praying won't be bad. My wife gets quezy? when she smells smoke and of course the boat moving... Disney was 100% smoke free - so never had to worry... I'm glad you spent the time in the west end - the Mayan Princess is amazing... we have been there and also the Grand Roatan - which had some of the best service and the rooms were actually very nice for the price... We are hoping they will come pick us up... waiting on the owner to get back to me...

we are also hoping that the restaurants will be nice to our kids! meaning I have one that pretty much only eats hamburgers, friend chicken fingers, or pizza... so not sure if these restaurants will cater to kids - just crossing my fingers...

looking forward to reading the rest of your travels... Thanks again for the quick reply... we will fly down a day early as you did (staying at the Double Tree near the ports), and having the hotel transfer us to the Cruise ports... looks like we need to get there early based on your comments also...

Thank you for the quick reply! yes, the smoking is something that I'm praying won't be bad. My wife gets quezy? when she smells smoke and of course the boat moving... Disney was 100% smoke free - so never had to worry... I'm glad you spent the time in the west end - the Mayan Princess is amazing... we have been there and also the Grand Roatan - which had some of the best service and the rooms were actually very nice for the price... We are hoping they will come pick us up... waiting on the owner to get back to me...

 

we are also hoping that the restaurants will be nice to our kids! meaning I have one that pretty much only eats hamburgers, friend chicken fingers, or pizza... so not sure if these restaurants will cater to kids - just crossing my fingers...

 

looking forward to reading the rest of your travels... Thanks again for the quick reply... we will fly down a day early as you did (staying at the Double Tree near the ports), and having the hotel transfer us to the Cruise ports... looks like we need to get there early based on your comments also...

There is a children's menu. It is also available by request in the specialty restaurants. Sorry I do not have one.

Thank you for the quick reply! yes, the smoking is something that I'm praying won't be bad. My wife gets quezy? when she smells smoke and of course the boat moving... Disney was 100% smoke free - so never had to worry... I'm glad you spent the time in the west end - the Mayan Princess is amazing... we have been there and also the Grand Roatan - which had some of the best service and the rooms were actually very nice for the price... We are hoping they will come pick us up... waiting on the owner to get back to me...

 

we are also hoping that the restaurants will be nice to our kids! meaning I have one that pretty much only eats hamburgers, friend chicken fingers, or pizza... so not sure if these restaurants will cater to kids - just crossing my fingers...

 

looking forward to reading the rest of your travels... Thanks again for the quick reply... we will fly down a day early as you did (staying at the Double Tree near the ports), and having the hotel transfer us to the Cruise ports... looks like we need to get there early based on your comments also...

Hope it all works out. As Linda the Book Lover posted, they do have a children's menu. When my boys were younger they'd order from it when we were at the various specialty restaurants.

Once back on board, the boys all went their own separate way. I returned to our cabin and watched sailaway at 5:00 pm from our balcony. Once we were on our way I went inside to read. That of course led to a quick nap - which felt great! I made sure I woke up in time to shower and get ready for another night of "watch that dancers" at Tropicana. After numerous messages to my youngest son (which finally all went through to him at the same time) he told me that he wouldn't be joining us tonight. So, table for 4 tonight.

We arrived to Tropicana at 6:30 and were led to a table near the dance floor once again. Our "friends" were all out there dancing - we felt like we knew them all personally by now. Once again we had excellent service for dinner - we were really very happy all week at Tropicana. Our waiter kept our wine glasses full- again without us even to ask for refills. I love it! Today I ordered fried mozzarella, Steak Diane (yes, steak again!!) and raspberry rice pudding for dessert.

After dinner we planned to go to the Sing It If You Know It gameshow at the Atrium. I can't remember why we ended up not going - but instead we walked about the ship for awhile after dinner. As we walked through the Casino, I noted that it wasn't as smokey all week as I had feared. I remember on the Escape you could smell the cigarette smoke on Deck 6, 7 and 8. While it wasn't fresh smoke blowing everywhere, that stale stink permeated that whole area. I didn't notice this issue on the cruise. There was a slight smell while directly walking through the Casino but even that wasn't bad.

We ended up roaming into Fat Cats and sat down for a drink and to listen to karaoke. We usually try to listen to a night or two of karaoke each cruise - although I've noticed now that I'm on ships with Howl at the Moon, I tend to enjoy that much more. I never sing at karaoke - remember, that would be painful. But, I usually enjoy the song selection and there are often some great singers. And of course some not so great singers, which helps me to feel better about my own star qualities. The best karaoke we had was on the Dawn - the room was always packed and although we sang "Sweet Caroline" way to many times, it was a lot of fun. This night, there were only about 10 people total in Fat Cats, and the same 2-3 singers. We lasted about 30 minutes there, and following a few drinks, we had enough. It just wasn't much fun.

At this point, it was 10:30 pm and we decided to move on. Our choices were the 80's Party at Spice H20 or Howl at the Moon, both which were starting at that time. My sons had returned to their cabin prior to karaoke (were they afraid I'd sing??) and my husband informed me that he wanted to return to the cabin. What's a girl to do? Normally, I'm one that would be fine to head to either by myself....but I was really tired also and we had another early morning the next day. So, I reluctantly returned with my husband to the cabin at 10:30. I can't remember the last time I was tucked into the cabin at that time. I'm showing my age!

As we returned to the cabin, I saw we had "tree mail" again. Believe it or not - it was another letter from housekeeping. And again, they told us they would be working on our balcony the next morning.....AT 8 AM AGAIN. Oh no!!! This time it's going to be a 3 hour job, and they state they will enter the room sometime between 8 am - 3 pm. It's a good thing I wasn't planning to stay on board in Cozumel. I really didn't want to be up and dressed and out of the cabin before 8. This is getting old!!!

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Let me add (because I can't remember if I mentioned it) that maintenance had in fact worked on my balcony earlier in the day. Luckily, we were living it up at Maya Chan while they were there, so in the end it impacted us less than I thought. But, we still had the pain of having to wake up and get dressed and not know when they would be arriving. The only clue they were on our balcony working was a new pipe with gray paint around it and wet paint signs left hanging. I don't know if they ended up spending the full 5 hours but they definitely completed the initial work. So, I guess this is balcony maintenance part deux.

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!!

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.

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.

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

Thanks!

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!!

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.

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.

Was the ice bar invite because of the balcony work?

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 #.

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

Hopefully your review will hold me over until our June cruise! I’m already anxious and ready!

 

 

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when in June?

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

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.

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!!

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! :)