RAR24 Posted December 10, 2014 #1 Share Posted December 10, 2014 thanks for indulging all my inquiries - I'm asking on behalf of our group of 11, so I appreciate it! We're leaving on the 20th. We're trying to figure out whether a "shore excursion" in St Thomas is worth it, OR if we can grab our own taxi and hit a beach for a few hours, then maybe do the Sky Ride. Are taxis readily available, and "affordable"? Do we have to pay extra at the beach for chairs, etc. I've also been asked to find out what type of coffee machines the rooms have -we're in mid-ship balcony rooms - are they paper filter, pods, something else? I'm assuming the ship will be decorated for the holiday season (Christmas and Chanukah) -does Santa make any appearances? thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffd64 Posted December 10, 2014 #2 Share Posted December 10, 2014 (edited) thanks for indulging all my inquiries - I'm asking on behalf of our group of 11, so I appreciate it! We're leaving on the 20th. We're trying to figure out whether a "shore excursion" in St Thomas is worth it, OR if we can grab our own taxi and hit a beach for a few hours, then maybe do the Sky Ride. Are taxis readily available, and "affordable"? Do we have to pay extra at the beach for chairs, etc. I've also been asked to find out what type of coffee machines the rooms have -we're in mid-ship balcony rooms - are they paper filter, pods, something else? I'm assuming the ship will be decorated for the holiday season (Christmas and Chanukah) -does Santa make any appearances? thanks! Coffee machines use a special pod. Single cup at a time. Ship was beginning to be decorated when we left last week. No word on Santa. Here is my best advice for St. Thomas: Take a shuttle/taxi downtown to Charlotte Amalie (4 bucks per person). You will be dropped off behind the little flea market and the place where all the taxis park. Look for or ask where "Raymond The Fireman" is... You will notice his taxi - it is bright fire engine red with firefighting graphics on it and his name "Raymond" on the cab roof. Arrange a tour with him to see the island... He is FANTASTIC! Super informative and a pleasure to see the island with. He will take you on a tour from about 11 until 2:00 PM or so (with beach time if you wish at Coki) and you will have some time to shop before the tour and you will still have more time for shopping or the skyride when you get back to the Havensight. He will drop you off right at the mall beside the ship. Truly he is the best tour guide around. We have used him twice :) Edited December 10, 2014 by cliffd64 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAR24 Posted December 10, 2014 Author #3 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Follow up q about the coffee pods - when you say "special" pods does that mean the coffee makers on the ship can only use the pods provided on ship? My coffee-loving friends are coffee-particular, and wanted to bring some keurig type of pods if that would work. Thanks for the Raymond info re: St Thomas. I'm really only interested in the beach, not so much a grand tour - but I think your suggestion of getting to the taxi area is great, so we can figure that out. thanks again! -Risa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffd64 Posted December 10, 2014 #4 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Follow up q about the coffee pods - when you say "special" pods does that mean the coffee makers on the ship can only use the pods provided on ship? My coffee-loving friends are coffee-particular, and wanted to bring some keurig type of pods if that would work. Thanks for the Raymond info re: St Thomas. I'm really only interested in the beach, not so much a grand tour - but I think your suggestion of getting to the taxi area is great, so we can figure that out. thanks again! -Risa The coffee pods are not keurig, they are Lavazza pods of some sort. Sort of proprietary I guess... The water is best at Coki beach, so have your taxi driver take you there. You dont even need to go downtown to get a taxi for that you could arrange that at Havensight right off the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weltek Posted December 10, 2014 #5 Share Posted December 10, 2014 (edited) Looks like they are the single serve flat round pods. A VERY helpful thread related to this: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1989214 Edited December 10, 2014 by weltek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjbdtz Posted December 10, 2014 #6 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Lavazza machines are only in Suites. In balconies, I believe it's filter-based.... . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffd64 Posted December 10, 2014 #7 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Lavazza machines are only in Suites. In balconies, I believe it's filter-based.... . Yes it's a pod-filter system in the balconies, however, ours were made by lavazza... That was the name on the wrappers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilz Posted December 14, 2014 #8 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Just off Getaway yesterday. We were in a BA balcony and had our coffee maker had round filter pods. They are actually available in some grocery stores and on line but definitely not necessary. You can obtain as many as you need from your steward. St Thomas is very easy to go out and about on your own and the "taxis" which are actually safari buses can accommodate a group of 11 without a problem. We had a group of 8 that included 2 children and an adult with mobility problems. DH and I got off the ship at 7:30 and went to Coki Beach to snorkel. The fare was $9 per person. We met the rest of our group at 9:30 at Coral World and walked around a bit with them. When they did their Sea Lion encounter Booked independently on line) we returned to Coki Beach (right next door) to snorkel again since you could not observe the encounter. They had a bite to eat at Coral World and then came to Coki to swim for a while. There is no charge to use the beach but lounge chairs can be rented for $5 each. Afterwards we returned to Coral World to shower and returned for some shopping right at the port. There are lots of options in St Thomas and its easy to get around but the big downfall is all aboard being 3:30. The traffic gets very heavy so you need to leave plenty of time to get back. The ship was decorated but aside from 2 or 3 "holiday" drinks on the cocktail menus, there wasn't any holiday activities. I think there will be on your sailing though. Heard there was 1300 kids booked on that sailing. you will have a blast. Make your dinner reservations and entertainment reservations before you board!!!! Many people complained they were out of luck after the first day. Don't miss the Illusionarium or Burn the Floor. Howl at the Moon and late night Levity were also great. We absolutely loved Wine Lovers the Musical. But beware... You will be drinking 6 glasses of wine:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedtocruise Posted December 14, 2014 #9 Share Posted December 14, 2014 According to the itinerary, the ship doesn't dock until 8:00 a.m., were you truly off the boat my 7:30 a.m. That would be great for us as we are trying to get over to St. John's asap. Thanks!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAR24 Posted December 14, 2014 Author #10 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Wow 1,300 kids...thanks to all for the helpful info. I think we are going to "wing it" on St. Thomas, which sounds very doable. Good to know about traffic concerns. And I'm doing the wine lovers lunch myself so my group should be in for some laughs at my 6 glasses of wine expense!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP Tech Posted December 14, 2014 #11 Share Posted December 14, 2014 RAR24.. Have you thought about getting your clan to join a possible meet & greet. We dont' have one set up yet for this sailing because no one has really said "Yes" but the more the merrier. Check out the roll call (I've seen you on there) and let us know. The more the better and it's pretty cool to meet the senior staff and you never know what kind of perks will happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medtech2 Posted December 15, 2014 #12 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yes it's a pod-filter system in the balconies, however, ours were made by lavazza... That was the name on the wrappers. They are Senseo type pods... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine022 Posted December 15, 2014 #13 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Boarding the Getaway on Saturday... wondering if you can let us know if the showers have shampoo dispensers? Been on RCCL that does do that, but first time on NCL. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LrgPizza Posted December 15, 2014 #14 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Boarding the Getaway on Saturday... wondering if you can let us know if the showers have shampoo dispensers? Been on RCCL that does do that, but first time on NCL. Thanks! Yes, they have shampoo and body wash dispensers in the showers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine022 Posted December 15, 2014 #15 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yes, they have shampoo and body wash dispensers in the showers. THANKS!! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP Tech Posted December 15, 2014 #16 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Getaway this Saturday too!! Can't wait to get out of here and just fall off the grid for a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine022 Posted December 15, 2014 #17 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yes it's a pod-filter system in the balconies, however, ours were made by lavazza... That was the name on the wrappers. Just read your great review of the Getaway... thank you for all the GREAT info. Wondering which night was "formal" night for you? Also I know they have some White Hot Party. Which evening was that also? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodOrange Posted December 15, 2014 #18 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Follow up q about the coffee pods - when you say "special" pods does that mean the coffee makers on the ship can only use the pods provided on ship? My coffee-loving friends are coffee-particular, and wanted to bring some keurig type of pods if that would work. -Risa We had a Hamilton Beach machine for our balcony cabin. I do not think that you need a special coffee pod. Below is the coffee provided on the Getaway. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodOrange Posted December 15, 2014 #19 Share Posted December 15, 2014 (edited) Also I know they have some White Hot Party. Which evening was that also?Thanks in advance! On the Getaway, the White Hot party was replaced by the Glow Party. If I can recall it correctly, they had it on Thursday night (Day 5) @ 10pm at Spice H2O. Regarding the shampoo provided by the ship, I would suggest bringing your own shampoo or conditioner if you have long hair. My hair was in a huge mess using their shampoo. The quality of the shampoo was really bad. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Edited December 15, 2014 by BloodOrange Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffd64 Posted December 16, 2014 #20 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Just read your great review of the Getaway... thank you for all the GREAT info. Wondering which night was "formal" night for you? Also I know they have some White Hot Party. Which evening was that also? Thanks in advance! The first night at sea seemed to be more formal as that's when they had pics with the Captain. The Glow party was the night before Nassau. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted December 17, 2014 #21 Share Posted December 17, 2014 It's almost NEVER needed to do an "excursion" for a beach day. a guidebook will tell you all you need to know about each port. RESEARCH is key! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine022 Posted December 18, 2014 #22 Share Posted December 18, 2014 The first night at sea seemed to be more formal as that's when they had pics with the Captain. The Glow party was the night before Nassau. That's what I figured for the "dressy" night... thanks much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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