Eva’s NCL Getaway Western Caribbean Pictorial Review 12/4-12/11

[goeva]

Hi, folks! I’m going to make a token attempt to write my very first trip report! I have lurked and read many of everyone else’s over the past year and would like to join in on the fun. It can also be a great way to come back and remember details that aren’t so fresh anymore.

 

I’m Eva. My husband Tim and I have two kids, Katy is 12 years old and Michael is 8.

We decided to try cruising a few years back and fell in love with it. We’ve only been on Disney Cruise. We love their private island Castaway Cay so much, we went three times. This was our first NCL cruise, it was a very different experience but we love it!

 

In advance I like to apologize for some grammatical errors. I will however try my best so it’s easy to read. And post some of our pictures and let the photos speak for themselves. I hope you all enjoy!

 

 

Here are a few of pictures from our Disney Cruise:

 

 

 

 

Itinerary of our 7 day Western Caribbean cruise:

[shukapaw]

Looking forward to reading more

 

~Brian

[goeva]

Pre-Cruise

 

We flew in to Fort Lauderdale the day prior the cruise. We stayed in Comfort Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport South & Cruise Port. Very friendly front desk. Check-in process was easy and fast. The room was nice and clean. Beds were comfortable. The free breakfast started at 6:30am and selection was good. They offer Golden Malted Waffles. :)

 

The only negative I can say about the stay which really is more of an FYI. We took advantage of their free airport shuttle service. We called the hotel when arrived and was told it would be about 15 minutes. 30 minutes later - no shuttle. We called back and was told the shuttle was on its way. Our shuttle finally showed up almost 20 minutes after our 2nd call. If you’re staying in this hotel, I recommend using Uber instead.

Overall, it was a great stay.

 

Day 1 Embarkment

 

After breakfast, we requested a car using Uber. The driver showed up 3 minutes after. From our hotel to the cruise port, cost around $30. Since there was no way tip the driver in the app, we tipped the driver in cash.

 

After boarded the ship, we headed straight to the buffet and walked around the ship before our cabin was ready.

 

The buffet was crowed as expected but we were able to find a table after a few minutes. The food at Garden Café was surprising good. They serve variety of foods including Asian, barbecue and salad bars. Good selection of foods. Something for everyone.

 

We stayed in 8138, which is an angled balcony stateroom. It has 2 loungers, 4 chairs and a small table. It was a great cabin and convenient location.

 

We had illusionarium booked for our first night. For the main course, we were each served a filet with two jumbo shrimp. I generally eat my steak medium-rare and this was cooked well done and it was a bit too bland for my liking. Both appetizers and desserts are not impressed either.

 

My kids enjoyed the show but not for me. After watching cirque du soleil’s performance a few months back in Vegas. I was kind of disappointed of the show. Then again, it is not an apple to apple comparison. I guessed I just didn’t enjoy it as much as my kids.

 

 

 

[goeva]

 

 

CORRECTION: It was 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a small table. :D

 

 

[goeva]

 

 

 

 

 

[PhoenixCruiser]

Great start, cannot wait to read more!

 

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[goeva]

Day 2 At Sea

 

After breakfast, the kids wanted to try out the rope course. It wasn’t open when we first got there, so we went to shoot some hoops on basketball court.

 

Rope course – Katy and Michael were both excited to try the rope course. However, they got scared as soon as when they went up and didn’t finish.

 

They wanted to swim afterwards but the pool was too crowed, so they did water slides instead.

 

We had Teppanyaki for dinner. Main course selection include combinations of chicken, beef and seafood and served with miso soup, salad and garlic fried rice. Food was good and we enjoyed the entertainment.

 

 

 

 

 

[goeva]

 

 

 

 

[goeva]

Great start, cannot wait to read more!

 

###

 

Looking forward to reading more

 

~Brian

 

Thank you! :)

[RN Cruiser1]

Following, as we are on the same cruise in April. Thank you.

Edited January 4, 2017 by RN Cruiser1

[goeva]

Day 3 Roatan, Honduras

 

We’ve booked the South Shore Zip-N-Dip tour in advance. There was a booth right off the port where they met us. The driver drove for about 35-40 minutes before arrive to the site. There were 12 ziplines, started from the shortest to the longest. They had a guide ride with Katy and a guide for Michael. The guides were very helpful with all of us. They also used our phone to take photos for us. It was a beautiful location with amazing views. And it was fun, fun, fun!

 

After the zipline, the driver took us the West Bay. We’ve planned to snorkel there so we brought our own gears. The beach was crowed but beautiful. There were many street vendors approached us but they weren’t pushy. Simply say “no, thanks!” and they went on their way.

 

We walked for about 10 minutes from Mayan Princess Resort to our snorkeling site. There are many bars and restaurants within a 10 minute walk. The reef was right off the shore. A wide variety of coral and beautiful fish. The snorkeling at West Bay Beach was beautiful! I’ll include information here.

 

The snorkeling spot in West Bay is in front of Infinity Bay Resort.

http://www.snorkeling-report.com/spot/snorkeling-west-bay-roatan/

 

 

 

[goeva]

 

 

[goeva]

 

 

 

[goeva]

 

 

 

[goeva]

 

 

[sparkles217]

Thank you, going on this same cruise in March!

[jvsnana]

Following along!

We will be in the same cabin for a 16 day Transatlantic in April...any extra info on the cabin would be great :)

[easyboy]

Nice pictures. Will be in Roatan in March. Following along.

[goeva]

Day 4 Harvest Caye, Belize

 

Harvest Caye was very pretty, but nothing special, IMHO. They had several restaurants, bars and lots of lounge chairs & umbrellas. They had life guards, and police officers on duty to keep an eye out for danger. They have a kids’ splash park, an awesome pool area with swim-up pool bar…, etc. It was a nice resort-style island except for the beach, the sand was coarse and rough with small pieces of broken shells. It wasn’t sharp but it was unpleasant to walk on. If you have children, please be aware there is a steep drop off into much deeper water.

 

We didn’t really enjoy the beach, so we headed to the pool. We stayed around the pool area for a while and decided to head back to the ship, kids wanted to do the water slides and we wanted to try the rope course.

 

We had dinner at Cagney’s Steakhouse. For the main course, Tim ordered Tomahawk Steak and I had the ribeye. Both were good but mine was overcooked.

 

 

 

 

[goeva]

 

 

 

 

 

[goeva]

 

 

 

 

[goeva]

 

80's Party

[goeva]

Day 5 Costa Maya, Mexico

 

We took a taxi outside of port area to Mahahual beach area. $2 per person. There was a boardwalk that runs through the center of the beach with restaurants, bars, and shops. Water was clear and there were lots of little fishes around. We relaxed on the beach and had shrimp ceviche and tacos. Tim, Katy and I all enjoyed a full body massage on the beach for $20. Michael made a friend and stayed in the water most of time. It was a beautiful and relaxing day! We stayed for a few hours before returning to the ship.

 

We had dinner at Moderno Churrascaria. Salad bar was excellent! The lamb and beef ribs were my favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

[NCruiser2012]

Thank you for your review. We will be on the Getaway this summer, so I am enjoying your review.

 

Your family is super cute!

Edited January 5, 2017 by NCruiser2012

[goeva]