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Full Daily Detailed Review of the Getaway 11/29 - 12/06

emilyreid09

By emilyreid09,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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emilyreid09

emilyreid09

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Background: This was my second cruise and BF’s first cruise. I had been on the Epic two years ago (to the exact day – not planned!) and loved it. I read CC like crazy in the months before this trip and was beyond excited for our first vacay as a couple. We have been together about 2.5 years and most of that as a long distance couple so this trip was the first time we ever would be together for 7 days and nights in a row. I think that was the most exciting part to me, I’m a big sap!

 

We flew from Toronto to Miami and stayed one night pre-cruise.

 

We had the UBP and loved it (more on that later).

 

I am a vegetarian so I have dining info for meat eaters (BF) and veggies (myself). We only ate at complimentary dining options.

 

We did a mixed amount of shows and activities and plain old lounging so I think I have a little bit of info for everyone.

 

I wrote a million notes and took over 1600 photos so those will be showing up soon. Not all of them don’t worry! I kept all my dailies so they will be posted as well. I am planning to start with daily reviews and then add in photos in their own section, that way people who like just text can find that and those who like photos can view those.

 

 

Day 0 (travel day) will be coming soon!

 

Thanks for reading :)

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emilyreid09

emilyreid09

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Day 0 - Toronto to Miami

 

This isn't the exciting part of the trip by any means but I wanted to include it just so I covered everything on this trip.

 

We left from Toronto to Miami. We got to the airport around 9:15am and before 10am we were waiting in the lounge at the gate. It was super quick to check my luggage (BF did carry on only) and we got through security with minimal lines. Everyone at the airport was pretty cheery and friendly which I really liked. It seemed like a great way to start the trip. With 90 minutes to kill before boarding we grabbed some breakfast and waited for our flight. This was the first trip of any sort that we had taken together and I was so excited for all the new experiences. Our first time at an airport and we managed to come out on the other side happier than ever!

 

We boarded the plane just after 11:45 and took off at around 12:15. Take off was a bit rocky and we had some turbulence on and off for the whole flight which I did not enjoy but after that it was an okay flight. BF and I were both impressed with the leg room we had at our seats.

 

We landed in Miami at 3:15 and waited an hour to get our baggage. Once we had that it was a ten minute shuttle ride to our hotel (Elements by Weston). The hotel was really clean and fresh looking. It had a green modern look and our room had a mini kitchen and living room. We were very pleased with that and part of our booking package was a $50 credit to the restaurant so we were set for the night. We had dinner there and it was really modern and clean, and the food was good. I had a tropical splash drink that was delicious and for food we got quite a bit with our gift card. The chocolate lava cake was amazing and we really enjoyed our first vacation night, even if it was just at an airport hotel.

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emilyreid09

emilyreid09

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Day 1 - Embarkation

 

We got up around 8:30 and gathered our stuff, had a little breakfast downstairs, and then lounged around until 11 for the transportation to the Port of Miami. This was meant to be $12 per person but I had it in a package so ti was free for us. We left the hotel at 11am exactly and arrived to the Port at 11:15 so it was a smooth ride and pretty quick! We went though security in a matter of minutes and then waited in the check in line from 11:25 to 11:50 and we were on the ship just a few minutes after.

 

We walked around a little and landed at Savor so we sat down for lunch. First drinks of the trip were a Pina Colada for me and a Honey Lemonade for the BF. Also don't worry - I took menu photos for all the CC people! For food BF got fish and chips and I got the mushroom, spinach and chive omelette. We finished off with the peanut butter cup cheesecake. We both gave the meal a 7/10. Everything was okay but nothing was special. The omelette was really nice and maybe I would give that an 8 or 9 on its own. We did pay tax on the drinks in Miami but that was $1.50 for both.

 

By 2pm we were in our room but our luggage was not. We were happy to see our angled balcony had 2 chairs, a table, and a lounger! I was really excited about that and so was the BF. He claims that he will nap on the balcony while I get ready every day! We were in cabin 9736.

 

Small dining note here: I am a vegetarian and when I got to my room I had a letter saying that they were taking care of my dietary needs and to visit the Maitre'D on deck 6 for more info. It was nice that they planned ahead for that and I felt extra taken care of. Unfortunately later on in the trip I was not so accommodated and had limited options in the MDRs.

 

We walked around the ship for a while and tried another drink (Bahama Mama) before we had to get to our safety drill. We checked out the wraparound Waterfront deck and it was really nice. It looks like we will spend a lot of time out there in comfy seats with a beautiful view.

 

For the safety drill it took a while to get everyone into their stations but once it started the whole thing lasted less than 15 minutes. We were out of there in no time and headed up to deck 16 for sail away. We grabbed a drink there (Cherry Lime-aid) and that was the only time we had to wait at a bar. The wait was maybe 10 minutes and it was because everyone was crowded up on the top deck for sail away. We watched from the front of the ship for a while before we headed downstairs. We stopped at O'Sheehans for a quick snack and I can report that the mozzarella sticks are still there. We felt the boat rocking for about an hour here and it was a little unnerving for a while. Both of us took some Gravol and that seemed to dull the feeling of movement.

 

We had reservations for the Illusionarium at 8:45pm so we headed down around 8 and got in a short line. We ended up getting great seats right at the front of the stage. The meal was really good and BF really enjoyed the shrimp and beef tenderloin that he got. He ended up saying that was the best meal he had on the whole ship. The started was a tomato, mozzarella, and prosciutto salad (mine without the prosciutto) and I liked that as well. I had the vegetarian dish which was eggplant parmesan and it was very good. The dessert was a trio of mini ones and 2 out of the 3 (red velvet cupcake and a flourless chocolate cake) were delicious. The third one neither of us liked. For this meal BF gave it a 10/10 and I would as well.

 

The Illusionarium was a really well done show and I like the storyline and attention to detail. It seemed like every server was involved and they had a good cast of magicians and illusionists. Some of the tricks and things I could figure out but other ones were really impressive. The mentalist act was my least favourite and it felt kind of obvious, but the illusionist and other acts were really entertaining. Overall it was a great show and I definitely think everyone should go once. There were some points where I was really baffled and amazed at an illusion or trick and I love when I can't figure it out since usually I see little details or giveaways and solve the illusion myself.

 

It was a great first day on the ship! :)

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perditax

perditax

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Thanks for the review. I was also pleasantly surprised with the Illusionarium food (this is back in June) after the reviews I had read. I found that whole experience pretty enjoyable except when I got pulled up to be a volunteer for the psychic team. ;) No Bueno.

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emilyreid09

emilyreid09

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Day 2 - Great Stirrup Cay

 

We woke up around 7:30am to a still ship and the tenders were starting already. We could see GSC from our balcony and it was neat to see the tenders coming in and out. We got ready for our excursion (Wave Runner) and headed to the Garden Cafe for a quick breakfast. I made the mistake of getting the regular scrambled eggs instead of an omelette which are prepared fresh. The pre-made eggs are pretty watery and I plan to avoid them for the rest of the week. After a quick breakfast we headed down to deck 4 for tendering and got in a large boat to head over. The ride was pretty wavy but it was cool to see the ship from that angle. Once we landed at GSC we had about half an hour to check it out before meeting for the excursion.

 

The Wave Runner excursion was really fun and both BF and I enjoyed it a lot. He drove and I was the passenger on a double jet ski. We watched a quick safety video beforehand and were out on the water for 45 minutes or more. It felt like 2 hours we were out there for a long time and it felt very worth the money. We stopped twice and one of those stops was to take photos with a starfish. I was amazed at how heavy they were! The view out on the tour was incredible and we went pretty far out. There was open water everywhere and stunning photo opportunities. There were about 12 jet skis out with us, and 3 guides as well. BF loved the adventure of this and it was fun to ride around on the water in the gorgeous Bahama sun. The only note I have to add is that goggles or sunglasses are a must! I went without them and I was squinting from the sun and my eyes were absolutely burning when the salt water sprayed up. It was really painful at times and I was hiding behind BF's shoulder when it got bad. He had sunglasses on so he was alright but I don't know how anyone could drive without some eye protection from the salt water.

 

After the excursion we walked around the beach a little. We had the signature Great Stirrup Cay cocktail at the Bacardi bar and I had a delicious pina colada. It rained for a few minutes but we managed to get some nice time laying in the sun. After some tanning and a few more photos we decided to beat the rush and head back to the boat. We took a tender back and went to the Garden Cafe for a snack before getting to the room at 3:20pm. By this time we saw a huge dark cloud over GSC and we were glad we weren't tendering over in the rain.

 

We had a quick cat nap and took our time getting ready for dinner. We ended up passing Taste and decided to try it. The fried Brie appetizer sounded good but when it came out both BF and I were pretty disappointed. It was deep fried and the cheese inside was liquid. I got the vegetarian lasagna roll which wasn't bad but it wasn't really incredible either. It was pretty basic but it was okay for a quick easy choice. I would give this meal a 6/10. We skipped dessert and decided to try our luck in the casino. We had some ups and downs and came out only $20 down between the both of us so that's pretty good.

 

We had a little snack at the Garden Cafe after and by this time BF was feeling a little dizzy so we went back to the room to lay down for a bit.

 

Small note here about seasickness: We bought a bottle of generic Gravol pills and BF was taking 2 with every meal. They worked great and I took one every once in a while when it was particularly wavy or if I felt the rocking. They worked like a charm but they take at least half an hour to an hour to sink in so I would suggest taking them well before you think you may get sick or dizzy. The worst BF ever got was a bit dizzy but with a quick lay down and two pills he was back to his normal self.

 

We checked out the Garden Cafe for a crepe but the crepe station was gone! This was around 10pm so I guess they close that earlier than they close the Garden Cafe itself. We got another round of mozzarella sticks at O'Sheehans to cover our bedtime snack and called it a night shortly after.

 

Small note about noise from our room: We were in room 9736 which is forward starboard. It's right on top of the Illusionarium and the theatre and there were times we could hear some noise from shows. From what it sounded like I am pretty sure it was the finale of Burn The Floor and although it was a little loud to hear the percussion and music from our room it wasn't too much of a bother. There were only two shows a night and we mostly weren't in our room at that time anyways. BF did say that since the people seemed to be loving it (we could hear them applauding wildly) it made him more interested to see the show.

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DeadMenTellNo Tales

DeadMenTellNo Tales

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Day 1 - Embarkation

We had reservations for the Illusionarium at 8:45pm so we headed down around 8 and got in a short line. We ended up getting great seats right at the front of the stage. The meal was really good and BF really enjoyed the shrimp and beef tenderloin that he got. He ended up saying that was the best meal he had on the whole ship. The started was a tomato, mozzarella, and prosciutto salad (mine without the prosciutto) and I liked that as well. I had the vegetarian dish which was eggplant parmesan and it was very good. The dessert was a trio of mini ones and 2 out of the 3 (red velvet cupcake and a flourless chocolate cake) were delicious. The third one neither of us liked. For this meal BF gave it a 10/10 and I would as well.

 

The Illusionarium was a really well done show and I like the storyline and attention to detail. It seemed like every server was involved and they had a good cast of magicians and illusionists. Some of the tricks and things I could figure out but other ones were really impressive. The mentalist act was my least favourite and it felt kind of obvious, but the illusionist and other acts were really entertaining. Overall it was a great show and I definitely think everyone should go once. There were some points where I was really baffled and amazed at an illusion or trick and I love when I can't figure it out since usually I see little details or giveaways and solve the illusion myself.

 

It was a great first day on the ship! :)

 

We were on the same voyage and were at the same Illusionarium show. My sister in-law was the one that the mentalist brought up on stage. ;)

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bfamily4

bfamily4

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enjoying your review. we are sailing her in 75 days and staying in the cabin beside you-9734. did you feel a lot of movement? dh and dd are prone to seasickness. also, do you remember seeing if they have 2 loungers and 2 chairs in the balcony, since it is a B6?

 

i see that you're a fellow canuck. did you book in cdn$$? did you use the casino to cash out unused obc, if you bought any. and if you did, was it easy to do? sorry for all the questions...

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emilyreid09

emilyreid09

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enjoying your review. we are sailing her in 75 days and staying in the cabin beside you-9734. did you feel a lot of movement? dh and dd are prone to seasickness. also, do you remember seeing if they have 2 loungers and 2 chairs in the balcony, since it is a B6?

 

i see that you're a fellow canuck. did you book in cdn$$? did you use the casino to cash out unused obc, if you bought any. and if you did, was it easy to do? sorry for all the questions...

 

I bought $300 OBC before we left and cashed out at casino with no problems! BF was impressed with my math to get that rate and we used that cash both in casino and in ports.

 

I did not see the cabin beside us because the partition totally covers it (so yay for privacy!) but on a top deck i remember taking photos of our room below and maybe I got yours in there too! I can check my photos tonight and get back to you!

 

For seasickness - yes we felt a little movement and we did hear some noise from theater shows under our room. BF took 2 Gravol and in 30 mins was better again so if you come prepared to combat/prevent it your DD and DH should be okay.

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