TRIP REPORT Fresh Off Breakaway to Bermuda {First Time NCL, Upsell, Spa, Vibe}

[ProfCruise]

Great review so far. Keep it comin! We love the Breakaway and will be taking our first trip to Bermuda on her in July. Can't wait to read/see more!

[bam1957]

I don't think there will be one. I read through the thread and saw where the person that was going to coordinate it is no longer going on the cruise.

 

But I'm sure we are all going to have a great time without the Meet and Greet.

[fabnfortysomething]

I don't think there will be one. I read through the thread and saw where the person that was going to coordinate it is no longer going on the cruise.

 

But I'm sure we are all going to have a great time without the Meet and Greet.

 

you can always step up and take responsibility for the meet and greet

it is actually pretty easy-you email ncl as per thread below re meet and greet and put yourself forward as the contact

Ncl do the hard work re organising time and venue where officers will attend-usually first sea day

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1300907

Edited June 16, 2016 by fabnfortysomething

[Viva_la_Vida]

Time to write now about our room, and how I navigated upgrading and upselling from an inside, with some notes about the perks that came with the bookings. This is going to be a LONG post!

 

We initially booked in February of 2016 and chose the Breakaway, though slightly more pricey, over the Celebrity Summit and the NCL Dawn out of Boston. A big factor in this decision was that at that time, inside cabins could choose from one of the four perks (dining, drinks, wifi, or shore excursion) + onboard credit ($50 pp). I booked through a TA and also got an additional $100 for using a mastercard to book. Celebrity usually makes you take an oceanview or balcony to get the perk and since we had already sailed the Summit and wanted to try something new, it was a pretty easy choice.

 

We opted for the inside cabin because at that time, oceanviews were $400 total more and balconies were $800 more total. We didn’t even price the mini-suites or haven at that time. I figured the prices would fall.

 

[some side notes on the perks: One thing I really disliked about NCL compared to Celebrity is the service fee when booking the “free” package, both dining and drinks. You also have to pay taxes on drinks when you are docked in NYC with NCL. This is non-existent with Celebrity. We’ve sailed out of Port Liberty and Miami with the beverage package and never paid taxes in port or a service fee on the package itself. I know $200 is still not bad when it comes to unlimited drinks for a week, but it still stung a little.

 

I also hated that NCL does not include any bottled water, specialty coffees, or cans of soda. Those are all included with Celebrity’s basic alcohol package. The really dumb thing is that if you ask for a pepsi at the bar, you get charged for a can, but it’s free if the bartender takes the time to fill a cup with ice, pour the pepsi, and stick a straw in it. It makes no sense, just allow the cans and give the bartenders a break. I’ve heard that there is also a loophole that if you order a specialty coffee with liquor and ask for the liquor on the side, there’s your specialty coffee for free. I didn’t try that one, though I did have an irish coffee in the Manhattan Dining Room and it was included with the package.]

 

I watched the prices very closely and by April 23rd, they took a large nosedive. I decided I would go ahead and call my TA to upgrade. I paid close to $400 extra and got a balcony guarantee. This was about $400 cheaper than when we originally booked, so I felt good about the deal I got. I didn’t have to give up any perks, nor did I have to cancel and re-book. In fact to my excitement, I got to choose an additional perk and was given $100 more onboard credit. Score! I was interested in the dining package, but didn’t want to pay the $100 or more in service fees, so I opted for the 1G of wireless. It was a great choice.

 

I still watched the prices and less than two weeks later, they dropped again significantly to the point that a mid-ship mini-suite was now the price I had paid for the guarantee balcony. I called my TA again and the person that answered was really skeptical that I would be able to upgrade again. She gave a long speech about how NCL was one of the worst for upgrading without making you cancel and rebook, especially after the takeover of the most recent CEO. But she said she’d try. . . . I didn’t hold my breath, but it was my lucky day because she came back on the line successful. I was actually going to get an assigned room! The once piece of “bad” news was that while I could keep the beverage package, my wireless and $100 onboard credit would have to be traded in for a $100 gaming credit and a photo package. I waivered a little - I thought the gaming was something I’d never use, and I would much prefer internet to photos. I told her I was reluctant, but if that was the only way, to go ahead. She went back on with NCL and again to my surprise, came back and said they were letting me keep all my old perks. WOO HOO!!!

 

At this point, I was too excited not to tell my husband something. He was not the happiest when he saw a video of an inside cabin and was pushing me to try and upgrade us if possible. So I told him we had gotten an oceanview. Yes, it was a white lie, but I was OK with that, and he was happy.

 

Because I am just very persistent, I still was watching prices, this time having learned a lot about the upsell department from all of you lovely CC people! My next game plan was to watch the prices and inventory of the spa-mini suites and Haven cabins and try for an upsell when the time came. I knew they would be a longshot, but with so many stories of the “upsell fairy”, how could a dreamer like me not try?

 

I never received any of the emails that so many people seem to get. I called upsell once a month out and they had Haven cabins available for $1000 per person. Not even close to within our budget, so I thanked the lady and declined. I called again 3 weeks out (same deal) two weeks out ($750 per person), and finally one week out. That call and the one before, I had specifically asked about spa-mini suites but she said there were no deals on those, however being only a week out from the cruise, she told me to call back in a few days to check again. Although at that time, prices on spa minis and haven suites were remaining steady at well above what we paid, I called again on Wednesday or Thursday prior to the cruise and got the offer I wanted. She offered an upgrade to a spa mini-suite for $150 per person. I checked to make sure the spa access was included, and sure enough it was. She confirmed my thought that the upgrade price was cheaper than just buying spa passes on their own. She also confirmed that all perks would stay. You can’t even know how excited I was!

 

And my mother in law had almost messed up the surprise! I had told her about it and she said something to my husband about a “surprise” on board. Ugh! My husband hates knowing there’s something he doesn’t know, ha! He hounded me relentlessly until I let him think it was a specialty restaurant reservation I had booked. That wasn’t a lie at all, I had booked us a few reservations, though I hadn’t intended on them being a surprise :-)

 

So all of that build up and months of making sure we had the nicest vacation we could manage came to a head as we made our way to deck 14. We had room 14168. After the spa tour, we walked down one flight. It was around 2pm and we hadn’t heard an announcement saying rooms were ready, but there was an attendant standing near the landing and I asked her. She said they were ready! I was a bundle of excitement as we walked the short distance to the room. He opened up the door and I was too busy videoing to even stick my key card in the slot and turn the darn light on. He was FLOORED and so so happy! He couldn’t believe it! He was a bit worried and was like “um, how much did you pay for this?” but I assured him I got an awesome deal :-D We were both very pleased with the space. On the Summit we had one of the “Sweet Sixteen” balconies, which is roughly double the size of a normal balcony on the Summit, and probably four of the NCL balconies, so he was a little shocked at the small size of ours, but was still thrilled. Tiny balcony is definitely better than no balcony at all!

 

You’ve earned some pics after reading all of that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major props to NCL for having a coffee maker in the room, that was a first for us!

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

Part of the small feel of the balcony was the fact that there were three chairs out there. We had met our wonderful stateroom attendant, Joanna, by that time and had already asked her to empty the mini-fridge, so I didn’t want to give her too much since I know that turnover day must be absolutely a nightmare for the attendants. I had brought on two six packs of water. I would have brought more had we driven, but I didn't want to lug a 24 pack of water from Duane Reade to our hotel and then lug it into a taxi. I re-upped on water in Bermuda and it was fine. I do like Carnival's program of delivering a big pack of water for only $2.99!

 

 

We did ask for it to be removed on Tuesday though, and she asked if it would be OK to do when we were docked the first day in Bermuda. Fine by us, it was gone as promised by Wednesday night.

 

 

I really liked the location of the bed next to the balcony. It was so pleasant to read a bit at night with the door open and the fresh sea breeze coming in. I also loved how the balcony doors had a child lock at the very top. I don’t remember the summit having this, though I may just not remember it. I would imagine this is also handy if you drink too much or sleepwalk ;-)

 

 

There is just enough room on the balcony-side of the bed for a small nightstand. The bottom compartment was the perfect size for my laptop.

 

Here are some pics of the bathroom. It was very clean, so was the room, save the little shelf above the sink. It had what I assume to be dried toothpaste on it from the last guests. Eew! Luckily I always bring Lysol wipes and wiped that down along with the phone, handles, remote, and other surfaces before we used them.

 

The bath products were Bvlagari and included lotion, bar soap, shampoo/body wash, and maybe conditioner too, I can't remember. There was also a bath loofa and shower cap. I loved the products, definitely an upgrade from what was included in the dispensers on the walls.

 

 

 

[Burrata]

Great photos by the way.

 

Thanks for the tips about Vibe and the upsell.

 

:)

[Viva_la_Vida]

We grudgingly left our lovely room and went down to attend the muster drill. Our station was on deck 6 at guest services. Holy moly it was crowded! Also, we found out almost too late that you have to let an attendant scan your card. We almost got counted “absent” although we were there the whole time :-0. That was truly the only time I felt overwhelmed by the number of passengers. I know a lot of this was due to us having Vibe and spa access since we didn't use the main pool at all, but I was pleasantly surprised with the crowd flow in the main spaces, especially after reading so many people say what a nightmare the crowds were. When the muster drill was dismissed, everyone rushed for the elevators. No thank you, we just decided to wait it out at the bar. I had a coffee from the atrium cafe. Actually, I had a caramel latte for a whopping $5 something plus tip. It was really good though. Once the crowds thinned enough, we made our way to our room.

 

 

We still had no luggage and to my surprise, we were already sailing down the Hudson! I realized pretty quickly that my Bonine was in my checked luggage. That was dumb of me, always keep meds you need with you on your person! That being said, I didn’t really need them as it was smooth sailing. I just didn’t think about not having the luggage by sailaway! I guess since I’ve always been on smaller ships, this was never an issue.

 

We usually had a sail away party to attend with fellow Cruise Critic passengers, but none had been planned on the roll call. Maybe that’s not an NCL thing? We had a very nice sail away on our own little balcony.

 

 

 

 

 

The weather wasn’t ideal. Still a lovely view though.

 

We wanted a good view going under the Verazzano so we made our way up with the intention of finding Vibe and watching from there. Well, it took us a while and we totally misjudged how fast the ship was moving! It seemed a LOT faster than the Summit, and we barely got to see the swift, graceful glide underneath the bridge.

 

 

On the Summit I was able to take numerous pics under her. I’m telling you, the Breakaway was booking it so get those cameras ready!

[Shannon12]

And I see in your signature it's a wedding cruise? How fun! Is it your wedding?

 

No not mine, I'm married almost 13 years!! It's a friend of ours...

Loving the review btw!

Edited June 16, 2016 by Shannon12

[grandmarnnurse]

Loving reading your review! Looking at Breakaway for a family cruise to Bermuda in July 2017. NYC is within a decent driving range for us Buffalo, NY, and we have been to nearly every island in the Caribbean, but never to Bermuda! Thanks for the review and pics!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Viva_la_Vida]

No not mine, I'm married almost 13 years!! It's a friend of ours...

Loving the review btw!

 

Thanks, Shannon! You're friend has great taste choosing the Breakaway, how fun for friends and family! We saw at least two wedding parties on board. One got married while still docked in NYC, the other wedding took place the first or second day in Bermuda. It seems to be a popular trend.

[Sizzlechest]

Great review so far! Keep it up!

[Viva_la_Vida]

We found Vibe. The easiest way to access it is from the forward elevator bank. Go to deck 16 and make sure you use the left set of doors. From there, climb the stairs shown here. You can see I took it from the top of the stairs looking at the doors to deck 16 elevators.

 

 

Only 4 of the elevators go to deck 16, so you can get off on 15 if needed and use the left set of doors. You’ll see the outside staircase there. Just go up one deck, then up the next set of stairs to deck 17. In the picture above you can see the stairs that go to deck 15.

 

Once you’re up on 17, head straight and turn right at the first bar. You’ll see the gate next to it. There is a box on the left that you stick your card in and the doors slide open.

 

 

The bar was open when we entered and Leon, one of the bar managers saw we had red wristbands, which meant we had a cabana. He said he would make sure to know us so we didn’t need to wear them after the first couple of days. Leon was fantastic, as was Richard. They took great care of us. I asked about when it closed and Leon said that the bar was open 9am-7pm and that the rest of vibe was open until 11. I asked about weather and he said it was always open. It was very empty in Vibe, just a few other people were around.

 

More to come later today!

 

Please feel free to ask questions about anything!

[littlelulu01]

Great review so far. Thank you for the clear directions and taking time to explain the details. Much appreciated. We will sail the getaway next year in Europe. First time in a mega ship so I'm loving the details about the sister ship.

[grandmarnnurse]

We found Vibe. The easiest way to access it is from the forward elevator bank. Go to deck 16 and make sure you use the left set of doors. From there, climb the stairs shown here. You can see I took it from the top of the stairs looking at the doors to deck 16 elevators.

 

 

Only 4 of the elevators go to deck 16, so you can get off on 15 if needed and use the left set of doors. You’ll see the outside staircase there. Just go up one deck, then up the next set of stairs to deck 17. In the picture above you can see the stairs that go to deck 15.

 

Once you’re up on 17, head straight and turn right at the first bar. You’ll see the gate next to it. There is a box on the left that you stick your card in and the doors slide open.

 

 

The bar was open when we entered and Leon, one of the bar managers saw we had red wristbands, which meant we had a cabana. He said he would make sure to know us so we didn’t need to wear them after the first couple of days. Leon was fantastic, as was Richard. They took great care of us. I asked about when it closed and Leon said that the bar was open 9am-7pm and that the rest of vibe was open until 11. I asked about weather and he said it was always open. It was very empty in Vibe, just a few other people were around.

 

More to come later today!

 

Please feel free to ask questions about anything!

 

I'm not so sure I would like Vibe. I like all the activities, music, and people. I'm not sure I would want to pay $99pp for complete solitude. That's not what I go on a cruise for. It also kind of peeves me that they would actually charge for an adult only area. But to each their own. Everyone has different expectations and visions of what their vacation should be like, so I'm sure there are plenty of people that would pay for quiet and solitude. I want more action! Lol!!

But I am loving your review and pics, so keep them coming! 😊

[Sizzlechest]

It also kind of peeves me that they would actually charge for an adult only area. But to each their own.

 

In all fairness, the area at the back of the ship is adults only and it's free.

 

Everyone has different expectations and visions of what their vacation should be like, so I'm sure there are plenty of people that would pay for quiet and solitude. I want more action! Lol!!

 

I'm not sure I'd want to do Vibe either. The lack of a pool or hot-tub makes it less attractive to me. The Haven area would be a better fit if you want to avoid the packed Breakaway pools, but you have to spend thousands on a Haven room to get access, so...

Edited June 17, 2016 by Sizzlechest

[Viva_la_Vida]

I'm not so sure I would like Vibe. I like all the activities, music, and people. I'm not sure I would want to pay $99pp for complete solitude. That's not what I go on a cruise for. It also kind of peeves me that they would actually charge for an adult only area. But to each their own. Everyone has different expectations and visions of what their vacation should be like, so I'm sure there are plenty of people that would pay for quiet and solitude. I want more action! Lol!!

But I am loving your review and pics, so keep them coming! 😊

 

It's funny you called it quiet, because it definitely wasn't! In fact, there was one particular group at the bar that I could hear from the other side of Vibe over the piped in music, wind, and seas, lol! Adults are often louder than children. The quiet area was the spa. I like some action as well.

 

It's true there is a free area, but it's not quiet I wanted, it was a lounge chair next to my husband that we didn't have to fight for, a hot tub that was always available, and a bar without a line. We met some nice people in vibe. You see the same faces over and over, so it's easy to meet people if you want to. :)

[Viva_la_Vida]

Here is the paperwork, cards, and wristbands we got upon signing up for Vibe and a cabana.

 

 

If you go right out of the elevators instead of left and take the stairs, you can see Vibe from overhead:

 

 

 

Here is a look at Vibe at sunset. We were already in Bermuda when these were taken, but I figured go ahead and post them since I am talking about Vibe during this part of the review.

 

 

After you walk through the sliding door, you have this view in front of you, restrooms to the left, hot tubs ahead, and bar to the right.

 

 

Looking back at the gate from the hot tubs

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

There are two unisex single restrooms. I usually hate unisex bathrooms because usually they are dirty compared to just the ladies room (sorry guys), but these were kept extremely clean. One interesting thing I noticed is that there is an accessible restroom. That’s wonderful and I’m glad they have it, but those who have trouble or are unable to walk upstairs should know that there is no other way to access Vibe except that one staircase.

 

There is also a shower visible to the right in this picture.

 

 

 

There was a lot of smoking happening at this bar. I think it was technically supposed to be kept to one side as that’s where the ashtrays were, but it spread to the whole bar. Slightly annoying, but sea day wind guaranteed the smoke was whisked away quickly.

 

Towels were provided just as you walk in.

 

 

 

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

The wall that is straight ahead separates the Haven’s outdoor area.

 

 

A partial inside view of the cabana

 

 

 

 

 

 

We really liked having the cabana. It did get hot as it blocked a lot of the wind. That's as far up as the roof would go, however, we did see that #5 had the roof down most of the week, so they are adjustable to a certain extent. The did provide some shade. There is a speaker with music playing pretty much all the time. It wasn't too loud and I liked having it.

 

[Quincella]

Your review is fun! We were on this cruise with you, also flying into La Guardia from Atlanta.

 

I was going to post a detailed review, then decided against it because of yours, but now I may do it anyway because it seems like you may have done very different things than we did. Between us, we might cover then entire ship! :-)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Viva_la_Vida]

Your review is fun! We were on this cruise with you, also flying into La Guardia from Atlanta.

 

I was going to post a detailed review, then decided against it because of yours, but now I may do it anyway because it seems like you may have done very different things than we did. Between us, we might cover then entire ship! :-)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thank you so much, and please go for it! It takes all types! I would love to read a different perspective from our sailing. Did you do the roll call activities?

 

I missed it because my phone changed times on me :o

[Viva_la_Vida]

We went then to check out the buffet for the first time and get a snack. There was a good variety. The baked potatoes were great, although I didn’t seem them out again. I’m sure I just missed them.

 

We tried to go back to Vibe, but the staircase was blocked off due to high winds. So much for it being open no matter the weather! It didn’t even seem that windy. Luckily that was the only time it was closed, at least when we tried to access it.

 

We went to spend some time in the thermal suite instead. We walked in during the spa raffle. Since we’d gotten raffle tickets for having taken a spa tour earlier, we decided to hang around for the drawing. It was so long and drawn out though, we left after a few names were called. There was a log sales pitch between each name and most of the prizes were $50 and under, well under the cost of what I would want done. I’m sure they gave away something bigger at the end but I just didn’t have the patience.

 

We came back from thermal suite around 7:15 to get ready for dinner. We had not unpacked all the way and the suitcase was still on the bed. The fridge had been emptied as requested and ice was also in bucket, without even asking for it. Impressive! We left a card in the room for the a/c but did not push the “make up room” button. We came back from dinner around 9:30 and there was no turn down service. Our day 2 daily was there though, so she had been in at some point, although it’s very possible it was there before we left for dinner and we just missed it. Do you have to press the button to get this service? It’s always been automatic on every other cruise I’ve been on, but I’ve also never had fancy buttons like on Breakaway! We pressed “make up room” every other night so we didn’t test our theory that it has to be on to get turn down service.

 

Dinner at the Manhattan Room was very good, although we had to ask for a wine menu and didn’t get wine until a good way through our meal. The Manhattan band (jazz trio) was performing, and they were amazing! The vocalist was extremely talented. We absolutely loved the live music and this was our favorite free venue by far. We had Boston salad with gorgonzola and raspberry dressing and conch fritters for appetizers - both tasty. I had the herb crusted chicken with mashed potatoes from the “everyday” menu. Marc had the NY strip steak diane. Both were good. Dessert was chocolate lava cake and apple pie, both great but not anything like Carnival’s chocolate melting cake!

 

We unpacked the rest of the way, donated some money at the casino, and then went for a midnight snack at O’Sheehans. We had the nachos and wings and they came within probably 5 minutes of ordering. The nachos were cold and nothing like the nachos I had for an appetizer at lunch at Taste, but not too bad for a midnight snack. The wings were fine and served there purpose as well.

 

Here was the daily from Day 1, sorry I forgot to post it earlier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

Day 2, At Sea

 

Let’s start with the Daily! Sorry it’s so crumpled, it got lots of use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We slept fairly well. We were woken up around 5:30 by the spraying of water hoses just above us. We were able to go back to sleep, but both woke up several more times from the scraping of deck chairs. We finally woke up for good at what we *thought* was just before 11. This was based on the time on my cell phone. We couldn’t believe we’d slept so late, even considering the interruptions from above. I was disappointed because our roll call gathering was scheduled for 11 at la Cucina and there was no way we'd make it. We headed for the buffet instead. We were shocked to see that it was still crowded and had a great variety of breakfast foods still out. We had cereal, yogurt, bagel with lox, fruit, pretty good coffee, sausage, these amazing mini-hashbrowns, and bacon. When my husband looked at his watch while we were eating, we realized we were confused. His watch read just after 10am, while my phone was an hour ahead. We knew there would be a time change, but knew it wouldn't occur until tonight. We realized my phone had been wrong. That was great! It’s always great to gain an hour! Lesson learned, never go by the cell phone time!

 

After we finished eating, we went up to Vibe. It was pretty much empty. The weather was overcast, but very pleasant.

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

We grabbed our favorite drinks at the bar - a makers on the rocks for DH and a Mango Meltdown for me :-) The service at Vibe was fantastic. Waiters came over with fruit skewers, lemonade and iced tea, and when the sun came out, cold towels.

 

 

After a few hours in Vibe, we went to deck 6 to visit the atrium cafe (coffee for me) and the bar for DH.. We also needed to sort out our dinner reservations. Since it was Norwegian’s Night Out I wanted to make sure I did reserve something since I knew a lot would choose to not eat at the buffet. I had Ocean Blue already booked, but wanted to see the menu to make sure it was something we wanted, and also double check the time since our reservations were all off by a half hour. The specialty restaurant menus were all available at the counter and I scouted out the menus for Taste/Savor on the wall next to the restaurants. It would be nice if the just added those menus to the guest services area too. Since we did have the food/bev credit, we opted to keep our reservation at Ocean Blue for 8:30. We then ate some lunch at the buffet in the Garden cafe. We were both very impressed with lunch, especially since it was around 2pm and we figured it would not be a full array of items. There was everything you could think of. There was a delicious green bean dish with fried onion, great salads, beets, chicken salad sandwiches, italian sandwiches, and so much more. The hand dipped ice cream with toppings was a great dessert, as well as flourless chocolate cake.

 

We went back to the room and DH took a nap while I enjoyed the balcony with a book. I then went to the thermal spa. At that point it was still pretty cloudy and the spa was quite full when I first went in, with no heated loungers available. All were occupied but two on the end, and those two had towels on them. Now I feel those loungers are specialized and that if you get up, you lose your spot. It’s not right to keep a towel on them to reserve them, especially when it’s crowded, but that’s just my opinion. I enjoyed a regular padded lounger with my book, and then had some nice time in the hot tub and the thalassotherapy pool. The boat was really rocking, so that and a combination of it getting a bit later in the day I think really emptied it out. I had no problem getting a longer to dry off when I got out of the pool.

 

I headed back up to the room and then went back to Vibe. We took our drinks into the hot tub and enjoyed being two of only about six people total in the space. I went back to the room to get ready for dinner while DH took his time now at the spa. He said it was somewhat crowded.

 

We had reservations at 8:30 and made our way to the 8th floor. It was our first time up there, and so nice, but very very hot. This was an ongoing theme with the 8th floor as it always seemed 15 degrees hotter than the rest of the floors. We were seated right away. It was a small space and nobody was sitting outside, presumably because it was quite windy and a little chilly. We ordered cocktails. We weren’t sure whether they would be covered by the bev package, but thankfully they were. It took them a while to get them to us, but they were worth the wait. In the meantime, we had some nice soft bread and good butter, and ordered our food.

 

DH ordered lobster bisque and I had calamari. Those came out just about the time our cocktails did. The calamari was a bit too oily for me, but otherwise good. The lobster bisque was fantastic. I should have gotten that!

 

 

Our entrees came out soon. I had ordered the red snapper with a side of broccoli and had added a side of potato wedges when I saw another table get them. Marc had the seared scallops with garlic creamed spinach. When our waiter took our order, he had asked what sides we had wanted. There were no prices listed on the sides, so we were a little wary. Turns out, they were at no charge so feel free to order away. The entrees were fantastic, very high quality and we ate every bite. I can honestly say that the broccoli side was the best broccoli I’ve ever eaten. It was lemony, charred, and had *I think* balsamic vinegar. The potato wedges were also fantastic and had a salty, spicy rub on them. They came with sour cream and bacon, so that you could dip them in sour cream and then in the bacon. Very very good, by far our best meal on the ship.

 

 

 

We skipped dessert because we were just too full. We got our check, which came out to about $50. The chef came out and asked how everything was. We loved this and really felt Ocean Blue was worth the money.

 

We walked around deck 8 after, as I’d been wanting to check out the waterfront. Very few were taking advantage of it! We got a formal pic and admired the color-changing chandalier for a while, then to the casino.

 

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

The casino “Bar 21” was crowded, so we went into Bliss Lounge to check out their bar. I'm so glad we did! It was very lively and it was fun to watch the dancing while we ordered and we were able to find a seat to enjoy the fun.

 

 

We really enjoyed the salsa music they were playing. Lots of people were out dancing to it. Unfortunately the DJ wasn’t really attentive and didn’t notice (or maybe didn’t care) that when he switched away from salsa, the dance floor totally emptied. Oh well. We went up to check out the party at Spice H20. It was up on deck 16. It was fun with also lots of dancing. This DJ was playing more salsa thankfully :-)

 

 

We stayed for a while before going back to the casino and then back to the cabin. We would lose an hour tonight, so we wanted to make sure we went to bed so we wouldn’t sleep all the next morning away. Our room was very nice with turndown service when we entered. We even had a towel animal! Great job, Joanna!