NCL Getaway Sept. 19th Eastern Caribbean Review

[tmackel]

Thanks for the awesome review! Can't wait for more!

[aubreyc1988]

Thanks for the awesome review! Can't wait for more!

 

Thanks! I'll be writing more this afternoon :)

 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask away!

[moesyk4]

Hey! We were on that sailing and although we didn't end up going to anything organized, we happened to be at both those shows and I remember you bringing up the drinks and then the shot of water later, so funny. :) I thought the woman was funny, but when you went to a couple of shows she got old since she just did the same jokes again and again.

We debated for months about going on our own to the Baths. I literally ended up booking the NCL excursion the night before we left because we didn't want to end up getting up at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry and my MIL has some mobility issues.

In the end, I was glad we did because her mobility was a lot worse than I had realized and it would have been a real struggle for her to get to the ferry. We still had a rough time with the paths, I could have sworn on the Tortola board they said the one path straight to the beach was pretty easy but the guides forced her down the regular path and said that was the only one and it was extremely difficult for her and very stressful for us. Hoping to revisit one day and not be so rushed. Gorgeous though...

FWIW, are you sure there was an 11:30 ferry? I looked at the ferry schedule about a hundred times for both Speedys and Smiths and never remember seeing one, and I just double checked and didn't see one listed either. I agree I would've been mad that you left the beach early for a non existant ferry!

[aubreyc1988]

Hey! We were on that sailing and although we didn't end up going to anything organized, we happened to be at both those shows and I remember you bringing up the drinks and then the shot of water later, so funny. :) I thought the woman was funny, but when you went to a couple of shows she got old since she just did the same jokes again and again.

 

We debated for months about going on our own to the Baths. I literally ended up booking the NCL excursion the night before we left because we didn't want to end up getting up at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry and my MIL has some mobility issues.

 

In the end, I was glad we did because her mobility was a lot worse than I had realized and it would have been a real struggle for her to get to the ferry. We still had a rough time with the paths, I could have sworn on the Tortola board they said the one path straight to the beach was pretty easy but the guides forced her down the regular path and said that was the only one and it was extremely difficult for her and very stressful for us. Hoping to revisit one day and not be so rushed. Gorgeous though...

 

FWIW, are you sure there was an 11:30 ferry? I looked at the ferry schedule about a hundred times for both Speedys and Smiths and never remember seeing one, and I just double checked and didn't see one listed either. I agree I would've been mad that you left the beach early for a non existant ferry!

 

 

Yes to the comedian lady getting old with her jokes! I was disappointed that her subsequent shows were all recycled jokes. Improv was definitely not her strong suit! And when she was judging some of the game shows, she re-used some - like she had none of her own personality or something to bring to the show. The main guy, Tom I think, we thought was overall funnier.

 

And yes to the 11:30 ferry! I wish I had taken a photo of the ferry place where you buy tickets and when we were trying to get on the ferry, a lady in our group pulled up the speedy a website and showed them where they had listed the 1130 ferry and the guy shrugged and said "it's not updated"!!!!

 

Now, I just looked and it has been since updated but was really unprofessional of them! But alls well that ends well!

 

And I can't imagine how hard it would be for people with mobility difficulties! I had trouble with it!!!

 

Next time I'll probably do a different excursion but the baths are a must do for sure!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited October 2, 2015 by aubreyc1988

[aubreyc1988]

Ok, so after Tortola, we have another sea day.

 

We had a free bingo card in our stateroom, and with nothing going on in the morning, we went. It was for a cover all, and no, we did not win. A lady I drank with a lot at the Mojito bar did win 160.00, and it was fun to watch.

 

My husband and I went and did the Ice Bar on this day, I THINK. Days are getting mixed up, haha. We had a free invite to go, and so why not!?!

 

 

We hadn’t done the ice bar yet because being super cold while drinking just really doesn’t appeal to us. We lived in Iowa for 4 years before moving to Texas and I HATE the cold!

 

Fake it till’ you make it, right? I look like I’m LOVING the cold here!

 

 

 

Because it was a invite only party, there were quite a few people in there, but we weren’t in there for long.

 

 

 

 

When I was standing in line, the guy in front of me ordered the ice wine. Now, I would not consider myself a “Wine Snob” by ANY means, but I have had ice wine before and know what it tastes like. For those who do not know, ice wine is made from late harvest frozen grapes and is a sweeter, dessert wine. Whatever I was drinking was white ish in color and didn’t taste anything like ice wine! In fact, I couldn’t really taste any alcohol in it. Kelly (Sweetpea_1993) went in the ice bar at a different time than we did and said it was ice wine mixed with

 

Here is my husband loving the cold.

 

 

 

Ice Wall Art

 

Edited October 2, 2015 by aubreyc1988

[Snapdad]

I was at the same comedy show. The thing with the shot was probably the funniest part of her act. :D

[aubreyc1988]

I was at the same comedy show. The thing with the shot was probably the funniest part of her act. :D

 

haha! So glad to hear it was enjoyed by the audience! I wonder how many people in the audience figured out it was water - when she was taking tiny sips, I couldn't believe she hadn't figured it out! :D

[mcship]

...

 

And yes to the 11:30 ferry!

 

 

Yep, I have a print out from just before we got on the Getaway, where I highlighted the schedule, clearly showing 11:30. Also checked the physical board where we bought tickets, and it said 11:30. So 100% sure that everything was indicating the 11:30 was running.

 

Problem is, maybe next time they cancel the 12:40????? Not really sure how to be 100% sure what the schedule is, since they did not keep it updated.

[MandyMommyof2]

:) Loving your review of the Getaway!! We sailed on her in July and had the best time!!! I have rebooked us again for next summer on the new route. I'm very excited about that!! We never made it into the Ice Bar :( Looks like you had a blast!! We loved The Baths. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We booked through NCL though. I was scared to venture out on our own. I couldn't find much info on it. I'm proud of you for deciding to do it on your own. Your inside room looked pretty roomy. Can't wait to read the rest!!

[aubreyc1988]

:) Loving your review of the Getaway!! We sailed on her in July and had the best time!!! I have rebooked us again for next summer on the new route. I'm very excited about that!! We never made it into the Ice Bar :( Looks like you had a blast!! We loved The Baths. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We booked through NCL though. I was scared to venture out on our own. I couldn't find much info on it. I'm proud of you for deciding to do it on your own. Your inside room looked pretty roomy. Can't wait to read the rest!!

 

Thanks! I wanted to do the NCL Excursion initially, but they wanted 110.00pp, which only included transportation and park admission costs which I thought was outrageous. But yeah, it definitely IS a risk doing it yourself. If I were to recommend someone to do it on their own, I would say to do the water taxi at 50.00pp or a private group charter if you could- the ferry moves SO slow

[aubreyc1988]

Ice Bar

 

 

Ice Hallway

 

 

After the ice bar, we decided to pig out at O’Sheehan’s. I am not kidding, we did pig out.

 

No judging, pls ;)

 

 

The waitstaff everywhere were excellent most of the time, and service was pretty fast at O’Sheehan’s. Food usually was good, normally hot in temperature, which I appreciate. I hate eating lukewarm food. My husband says I have no taste buds because I have burned them all off! My husband loved the wings best, while I am a mozzarella stick lover. I LOVE the little baskets they are served in - even though this is my third NCL cruise, I still get a kick out of seeing them presented that way.

 

On the Jewel, the brownie cheesecake at O Sheehan's was AMAZING - on the Getaway, it was so-so. Good, but it really didn't taste like "good" cheesecake.

 

During the afternoon, my husband went to take a nap, and I went to my favorite bar to have some drinks with some cruise critic people I met

 

 

 

We ended up moving over to the Sunset Bar, which was really busy, busier than the mojito bar. This was the ONLY time bar service was terrible the whole cruise. My friends and I were even tipping 1-2.00 per drink, and it would take them 30-40 minutes to get back to us. Not a HUGE deal, as we were still talking, laughing, and having a good time…but would have appreciated faster service.

 

Oh and while sitting at the sunset bar, we found a Carnival FunTimes...someone must have jumped ship :p

 

And while I am talking about bar service, I will insert my comments of my experience as a whole. Yes, the wait times can be longer at the pool bar and Spice during peak hours, like sea day afternoons, but most of the time, at any bar, wait times are at most 5 minutes, so pretty fast considering the customer to bartender ratio.

 

Also, you can only get certain drinks at certain bars. Like you can't get a Raspberry Guava Mojito at the Sunset Bar or the Atrium bar, just at the Mojito bar. Some drinks that I tried on the NCL Jewel's Martini Bar, like the Watermelon Martini, they would not make at any of the bars. They will make things that are not on the particular bar menu of that bar, but it all depends I think. I was able to order things like Sex on the Beach, Cosmo, Appletini, Chocolate Martini, a good number of frozen drinks, Rum and Coke, Cranberry Vodkas, shots, at MOST bars. So just keep that in mind when bar hopping.

Edited October 2, 2015 by aubreyc1988

[hansolosmom]

Looks like a fun trip! I've always wanted to do this itinerary then the standard Cozumel & Jamaica.

 

What was the ice wine mixed with ?:confused: In post 30 you say

....the ice wine was mixed with

then have pictures - you left me hanging. :)

I'm interested because my sister and I want to do the ice bar on the breakaway

[aubreyc1988]

Looks like a fun trip! I've always wanted to do this itinerary then the standard Cozumel & Jamaica.

 

 

 

What was the ice wine mixed with ?:confused: In post 30 you say

 

....the ice wine was mixed with

 

then have pictures - you left me hanging. :)

 

I'm interested because my sister and I want to do the ice bar on the breakaway

 

Oh sorry! I forgot I was waiting for confirmation on what it was mixed with....I think maybe something pineappley but I will get back with you when my friend lets me know! It's definitely light and not syrupy at all like ice wine!

 

You can get two drinks I think per person, so you can try the ice wine one and the reddish cocktail they serve with svedka in it

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hansolosmom]

Oh sorry! I forgot I was waiting for confirmation on what it was mixed with....I think maybe something pineappley but I will get back with you when my friend lets me know! It's definitely light and not syrupy at all like ice wine!

 

You can get two drinks I think per person, so you can try the ice wine one and the reddish cocktail they serve with svedka in it

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks, it sounds interesting, because you're right the ice wine can overly sweet

[moesyk4]

Yes to the comedian lady getting old with her jokes! I was disappointed that her subsequent shows were all recycled jokes. Improv was definitely not her strong suit! And when she was judging some of the game shows, she re-used some - like she had none of her own personality or something to bring to the show. The main guy, Tom I think, we thought was overall funnier.

 

And yes to the 11:30 ferry! I wish I had taken a photo of the ferry place where you buy tickets and when we were trying to get on the ferry, a lady in our group pulled up the speedy a website and showed them where they had listed the 1130 ferry and the guy shrugged and said "it's not updated"!!!!

 

Now, I just looked and it has been since updated but was really unprofessional of them! But alls well that ends well!

 

And I can't imagine how hard it would be for people with mobility difficulties! I had trouble with it!!!

 

Next time I'll probably do a different excursion but the baths are a must do for sure!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yes, the main comedians were both very funny, and we went to the big show with all 3 as well. I don't know if she just assumed no one would go to more than one show? Oh well, we still enjoyed it.

 

That really is too bad about the ferry, I'm sure you guys were pretty stressed about getting back. The ferry ride was longer than I had imagined. We ended up getting back after 2:30 because they were super slow taxing everyone back to the ferry, but I really wish they would adapt the ferry schedule a bit to fit a little better. I think they would get a lot more cruise ship guests if we all weren't so worried we would miss the one ferry for some reason and not make it back. Well, in any case maybe you guys getting screwed forced them to update the website, so that is a good thing.

[aubreyc1988]

Yes, the main comedians were both very funny, and we went to the big show with all 3 as well. I don't know if she just assumed no one would go to more than one show? Oh well, we still enjoyed it.

 

That really is too bad about the ferry, I'm sure you guys were pretty stressed about getting back. The ferry ride was longer than I had imagined. We ended up getting back after 2:30 because they were super slow taxing everyone back to the ferry, but I really wish they would adapt the ferry schedule a bit to fit a little better. I think they would get a lot more cruise ship guests if we all weren't so worried we would miss the one ferry for some reason and not make it back. Well, in any case maybe you guys getting screwed forced them to update the website, so that is a good thing.

 

Yes, I just hope they keep it updated. Next time we will do some excursions in Road Town closer to the ship. I'd love to do the baths again, but I like to try new things as well and I think they need to figure out how to let guests have a more enjoyable time there.

[aubreyc1988]

Nassau

 

This would be our 6th time in Nassau. The past couple trips we didn’t get off the boat in Nassau, but this time we decided to and I had planned to do Greycliff Cigar and Rum Tour, and the John Waltings Rum Distillery tour. We didn’t have an official tour booked, but it appeared within walking distance or a short cab ride and you can just do an impromptu tour at each place. Prices seem to vary, but all were under 40.00. Because of the forecast, I decided that if it rained, I would not get off to do these tours. I have no interest in waddling in the rain in Nassau.

 

The day started off very grey and rainy looking. I went to the waterfront outside the Mojito Bar to watch us sail into port

 

 

I met my bar buddy who was always hanging out with her husband at the Mojito bar and we talked for a while about cruising while sailing into Nassau. They were not getting off the ship either, but because they lived in Florida, they could pretty much go to Nassau whenever they wanted for a weekend.

 

pretty windy and grey

 

 

Surprisingly, we haven’t been to Atlantis yet, and after talking with some people onboard during this cruise, I’ve decided if the weather is good next time we are in Nassau, we will definitely try it, even if we don’t do the waterpark, and just visit the aquarium and casino

 

 

Carnival Ship coming in

 

 

There were two Carnival ships in port with us, one was the Conquest, couldn’t tell what the other one was. They all look the same!

 

[aubreyc1988]

So since we decided to stay on the ship, we planned some relaxation and drinking - but a lot of the bars were posted as closed until 3:30.

 

So for those planning on using Nassau for a drinking day, the bars that will be open are

 

Spice at around 10am, Atrium Bar is open early, Pool Bar at 10am (I think)

 

I saw that Sunset was open at 8am ish, but then it shut down for a while after that

 

Mojito Bar was scheduled to open at 3:30pm, which I was bummed about. So imagine my surprise when I walked by at 11 am to find it open. I was like “YES, Raspberry Guava Mojito, here I come!”

 

So here’s a story that I just HAVE to tell.

 

There were about 10 people waiting for drinks at the bar and one frantic bartender. There was a group of 5 people who ordered 3 Mango Meltdowns, the other two people already had drinks. They ordered them before I sat down and were waiting for the mango meltdowns. Literally, the bartender was working as fast as he could, and a lot of his bar was not set up yet. Lots of things were out of stock and were saran wrapped still. He came to take my order and the people waiting for the Mango Meltdowns started to have a meltdown, literally. They starting freaking out, saying “We’ve waited 5 minutes for these, blah blah blah” I told the bartender “Hey, help them first, no worries, I’m here all day” so he got the meltdowns all made, handed them to the people waiting at the bar and that group left in a huff.

 

So then the bartender starts to make my order and apologizes and I was like “Hey, nothing to apologize for, those people were rude, take your time” and told him I didn’t need the garnish for my drink, since he was still setting up stuff.

 

So I found out that the bar wasn’t supposed to open until 330pm and he was only supposed to be stocking until then, but those people came over and were rudely ordering him to make him drinks

 

It was UNBELIEVABLE some of the behavior I saw at bars throughout the week. :eek: Almost ALL the bartenders I encountered were AMAZING and will work as fast as they can to deliver amazing drinks!

 

So to let future cruisers know, sometimes you might have to wait a few minutes for a drink, as there is usually only one or two bartenders at a bar, even if it is really busy.

 

Here’s a picture of the mango meltdowns…delicious, but remember they aren’t worth a true meltdown :D

 

[samiam0403]

Thanks for posting your pics and a great review! We're sailing on the Getaway in January, and I'm loving every little bit I can read about her. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time outside at the mojito bar! :)

[sweetpee_1993]

Looks like a fun trip! I've always wanted to do this itinerary then the standard Cozumel & Jamaica.

 

What was the ice wine mixed with ?:confused: In post 30 you say

....the ice wine was mixed with

then have pictures - you left me hanging. :)

I'm interested because my sister and I want to do the ice bar on the breakaway

 

I loved the ice bar! It was us and 1 other couple when we went. The drinks are all cocktails of sorts. The one being discussed, I believe, was Sittin' on the Dock of Biscayne Bay. It had SVEDKA citron vodka, Inniskillin Icewine, and lemon-lime soda. Not terribly sweet. Fabulous taste. Super smooth from the ice cone glasses.

 

 

 

 

 

Lovin' the review, Aubrey! Like livin' it all over again. It was an amazing week, wasn't it????

Edited October 5, 2015 by sweetpee_1993

[DeBlonde1]

Hopefully, someone is still reading this haha!

 

I am not really covering what my husband and I did in the evenings on the Getaway because it really wasn’t anything other than eating or drinking. We went to the occasional game shows, which were hilarious (especially the Sing it if you know it one) but because this was our second time on the Getaway, we had already done Legally Blonde, Burn the Floor, Illusionarium, etc. So it really made the evenings a lot more relaxing and laid back. We did more game shows this time around.

 

Day 4 - Tortola

 

A fellow roll call member and I decided we were going to try to do the Baths “On our own” with no NCL excursion. We planned for weeks, reading up here on Cruise Critic reviews and different ferry websites and schedules and we thought we had a pretty good idea of how to get where we needed to go.

 

 

LOTS more on the baths to come!

 

Great review! Can you tell me what the Sing it if You Know it show is? Also, we are taking a private catamaran to the Baths and wonder if water shoes are needed when coming from the water to the shore? Thanks!

Edited October 5, 2015 by DeBlonde1

[deladypilot]

Thank you for your review. We are doing this itinerary next year on the Escape so your incites are great

[aubreyc1988]

Great review! Can you tell me what the Sing it if You Know it show is? Also, we are taking a private catamaran to the Baths and wonder if water shoes are needed when coming from the water to the shore? Thanks!

 

 

Sing it if you know it is a game show where there are two teams, two team captains, and they play a popular song, and the team captains try to get people in the audience to join them on stage by their team to sing it. The person hosting it will throw twists in it, also telling them to do things like "sing it if you know it and do synchronized dancing"

 

It's so funny, especially if you have some people playing who have been drinking!

 

They do the celebrity dance off right after that and it's also hilarious.

 

And I would wear water shoes the entire time! While the rocks in the water are just kinda big and flat, I wouldn't risk slipping and cutting your foot! Also, you have two choices for the hike back, the dry uphill trail, or the going back through the obstacle course of the caves. Either one, water shoes would be essential to have on

 

Hope that helps

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aubreyc1988]

Great review! Can you tell me what the Sing it if You Know it show is? Also, we are taking a private catamaran to the Baths and wonder if water shoes are needed when coming from the water to the shore? Thanks!

 

i found a short video of some of this game show I took

 

[aubreyc1988]

We went to the Farewell show, which was OK - they had snippets of all the shows, and brought some of the staff and crew on stage as usual.

 

Burn the Floor

 

 

Video snippet

 

 

got a pic with JC, cruise director - a really nice guy, by the way. Very down to earth!

 

 

We did the Quest in the evening. It was HARD to get my friends to join in, some of them I couldn’t convince, but we did come in “Second place” and I got a free t-shirt! Much better than Carnival’s ship on a stick. The Quest on the Jewel and other cruise ships I have been on were longer and more organized, but it still is a ton of fun! I asked a couple sitting in Spice next to our table to join us and they were really great, so if you two are reading this, give me a shout out, haha!

 

 

We went back to our cabin early because we had to figure out how to pack everything back into our two backpacks and were disembarking early.

 

Coming up, debarkation and my rating of Dining, Entertainment, Service, and conclusion :)