NCL Getaway with 9 yr old - Dec 2016 - Inc. Video & Dailies

[LASilva]

INTRODUCTION

 

Hello! I am finally getting around to posting a review for our Getaway vacation (Part 2). We sailed from December 4 to 11, 2016 and this was our second time on the Getaway out of Miami. It was a different itinerary this time: Roatan, Harvesy Caye, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

 

To start I'd like to say that our experience was better than last time - partly of course due to the fact that this time I didn't get sick with a staph infection in my foot :eek: and also because I enjoyed the ports more. However, a lot of what I have to say and photos etc. would be similar to last time so I am only going to post new comments and experiences here. For my full review of our May 2015 cruise (which also includes video and 2015 dailies) you can go here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2212485

 

So I am going to try to be more organized this time, and I am going to try to post a different topic in each post so please bear with me as I only have so much time at the computer. Feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer them and work on this every day :p

 

Since everyone is always looking for the dailies I will post them next....

[LASilva]

DAILIES FOR DECEMBER 4-11, 2016

So the good new is - I have dailies... the bad news is - I lost day 7! :( So sorry! Also, I am only posting the schedule pages because I really don't have time to scan and post the entire thing. If there is something that you are specifically looking for let me know and I will post it for you.

It seems that they don't change too much of the program each week for the same itinerary, so they should similar for a while. Keep in mind that sometimes they switch the days for Costa Maya and Cozumel depending on how many ships are in port.

 

 

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[LASilva]

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[LASilva]

VIDEO

 

Our family vacation video 2016.

 

I can answer questions about what you see in the video, but for technical questions (how it was made etc.) please post your question/comment under the comments section in YouTube (click on the YouTube button at the bottom of this video and it will open up on the YouTube site) and my husband will answer your questions. He also did a video for our 2015 Getaway cruise and our Disney Magic cruise, you can look those videos up on his YouTube page as well.

 

[YOUTUBE]vWZVncnBefc?t=1s[/YOUTUBE]

 

I noticed that the video doesn't appear properly when using Tapatalk - you can follow the link here:

Edited January 28, 2017 by LASilva

[L8Daydreamer]

Great video! Where did you go in Cozumel - looks like it was a great day for snorkeling!!!

[easyboy]

Nice video!

[wiesjenn]

Sweet video, looking forward to your report!

 

 

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[coach jim]

Great video! Where did you go in Cozumel?

 

Coach Jim

[Culaccino]

This is great! Thank you.

 

 

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[RN Cruiser1]

Interested in hearing what excursions you took and how you liked them.

Thank you

[js]

Great video! Thanks. Leaving end of next month!! Cant wait! Thanks again!

 

 

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[LASilva]

Sorry about the delay with posting my my review, I was having computer issues. I am going to continue posting tonight.

 

Also, I didn't mention that my cell phone stopped charging 2 days before the trip :mad: I take all of my photos with the phone and so I don't have any of my own. My husband took lots of pictures but he likes to review them in Photoshop etc. before posting and he hasn't done that yet so I will have to wait for that. I will post photos at the very end of my review.

[LASilva]

FLIGHT & CAR RENTAL

 

We flew in to Ft. Lauderdale the day before the cruise. We flew with Air Canada. Everything went smoothly with the flight to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

We rented a car from Avis at Ft. Lauderdale airport. We chose Avis because of price and there is a location to drop the car off about 10 minutes from the Port of Miami. There is a shuttle that takes you to the port. We did not have to wait at all for the shuttle. It was there when we arrived to drop off the car. We went directly to the port.

 

We did the same on the last day of the cruise. We took a shuttle to the Avis rental office; it took about 20 minutes for the shuttle to arrive at the port. It is the same shuttle as Budget I believe. Our flight wasn't until 9 pm and we wanted to visit some friends. We dropped the car off at the airport. Our flight back did not leave until after midnight because unfortunately we were arriving on the first snowstorm of the year. Long day! :(

 

HOTEL

 

Pre-cruise hotel was the Best Western Oceanside Inn in Ft. Lauderdale. I highly recommend this hotel. It was basic but very clean. They have a full complimentary breakfast in the morning. It is only a few blocks from the beach and there were a lot of places to eat and shop within walking distance. I will post pictures of the hotel at the end of my review.

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g34227-d80490-Reviews-BEST_WESTERN_PLUS_Oceanside_Inn-Fort_Lauderdale_Broward_County_Florida.html

[LASilva]

ROATAN

 

In Roatan we did "Roatan Eco Walkways, Treetop Suspension Bridges and Zip Line and Beach Break Adventure Excursion (S1315)" booked with Shore Excursioneer. We LOVED this excursion. The staff were amazing. The lady who was the guide for the Eco Walkways was extremely knowledgeable about local nature and she was very good with DS. She made him the "assistant guide" as he loves to learn about science and nature. He went on the Zip Lines attached to a guide which have me peace of mind :) There were people of all ages and sizes doing the Ziplines and they will go with you if you are nervous. So even though it might seem a little nerve wracking, anyone can do it.

 

If I were to do it again I would probably skip the Beach Break as it was very short. We were REALLY hot after the Ziplining and Walk so it was nice to take a dip in the ocean, but we didn't have time for much else.

 

The company that actually did the Ziplining and Suspension Bridges was South Shore Zipline. If you decide to go last minute, you can arrange the tour with them right at the port. They have a booth there. I was warned that if you ask for them, other tour providers may mislead you to their own operation so make sure you get to the right place. They are very highly recommended on TripAdvisor as well.

 

https://www.shoreexcursioneer.com/

 

http://southshorezipline.com/

 

[LASilva]

 

 

[LASilva]

HARVEST CAYE

 

We enjoyed Harvest Caye. It was just a beach day for us, we didn't pay for any extras at all. We were disappointed that the water was so cloudy. It looked like it had been dredged or something, and so it was kind of muddy on the bottom. That's my only complaint. The island itself is beautiful. The pool was amazing. There is a nature area where you can see butterflies, snakes and birds.

 

Note that drinks and food are not included on Harvest Caye. You can use the beach and beach chairs at no cost.

Keep in mind that Harvest Caye is not a "private island" like Great Stirrup Caye, it was a joint project with the government of Belize and so the employees on the island are locals from Belize and the restaurants etc. are run by a vendor, not by Norwegian. From what I understand, eventually other cruise lines will be able to use the island.

 

I also discovered that there is supposed to be some sort of pier where snorkeling excursions will depart from but it wasn't ready. The men hired to be the snorkel guides were working as guides in the nature area until the snorkelling trips start.

 

 

[LASilva]

COSTA MAYA

 

We booked the Blue Lagoon Adventure Tour (Kayak Excursion) with "The Native Choice".

https://www.thenativechoice.com/tours/blue-lagoon-adventure

 

This company has really great reviews everywhere I looked (TripAdvisor etc.) and we were very happy. The guides were amazing, and you do not need to be experienced to kayak. The food (Mexican-included) was really good too. We were pretty much the only ones there until other tours arrived a few hours later (you could also go to the ruins first and then go to the lagoon).

 

This excursion is at a small secluded resort area in the Bacalar area called Bacalar Lagoon Resort. It took about 40 minutes to get there. https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g1202648-d1773038-Reviews-Bacalar_Lagoon_Resort-Bacalar_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

[sclipere23]

FLIGHT & CAR RENTAL

 

 

 

We flew in to Ft. Lauderdale the day before the cruise. We flew with Air Canada. Everything went smoothly with the flight to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

 

 

We rented a car from Avis at Ft. Lauderdale airport. We chose Avis because of price and there is a location to drop the car off about 10 minutes from the Port of Miami. There is a shuttle that takes you to the port. We did not have to wait at all for the shuttle. It was there when we arrived to drop off the car. We went directly to the port.

 

 

 

We did the same on the last day of the cruise. We took a shuttle to the Avis rental office; it took about 20 minutes for the shuttle to arrive at the port. It is the same shuttle as Budget I believe. Our flight wasn't until 9 pm and we wanted to visit some friends. We dropped the car off at the airport. Our flight back did not leave until after midnight because unfortunately we were arriving on the first snowstorm of the year. Long day! :(

 

 

 

HOTEL

 

 

 

Pre-cruise hotel was the Best Western Oceanside Inn in Ft. Lauderdale. I highly recommend this hotel. It was basic but very clean. They have a full complimentary breakfast in the morning. It is only a few blocks from the beach and there were a lot of places to eat and shop within walking distance. I will post pictures of the hotel at the end of my review.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g34227-d80490-Reviews-BEST_WESTERN_PLUS_Oceanside_Inn-Fort_Lauderdale_Broward_County_Florida.html

 

 

Thanks so much for the great review!

Was parking difficult or costly at the hotel?

Lisa

 

 

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[LASilva]

COZUMEL

 

We had planned to just get a cab at the port and go to Chankanaab Park to snorkel. We are pretty experienced snorkelers - DS has been snorkeling since he was 4! We had been there before and really enjoyed it. It is also good for kids because you just step right in off the beach... However we ran into a tour operator, I think called something like Cozumel Snorkel Adventures, and they convinced us that their tour would take us out in a boat to better reefs. The reefs were not AT ALL better than snorkeling from shore at Chankanaab Park. There was a ton of marine traffic in that area too. I know it looks good in the video but of course, DH only took video where the coral was nice. I suppose if its your first time, it might be sufficient, the guide was luring the fish with food and I saw a small ray, but I would really recommend going to Chankanaab instead. There are several dive shops on the beach to give you gear and guide you if you are new to snorkeling. There are lots of other things to do in the park too, its great for families.

 

There is a fee to get into Chakanaab or you could book an excursion through Shore Excursioneer (I mentioned above regarding our Roatan tour with link) which would include transportation, entrance fee, snorkel gear etc.

 

If you want to see what its like to snorkel or do an intro scuba tour at Chankanaab, its in a large segment of our Disney Cruise video here:

[LASilva]

Thanks so much for the great review!

Was parking difficult or costly at the hotel?

Lisa

 

 

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Hi Lisa,

 

The parking was not difficult, they had their own parking garage. I believe it was $12 a day and you could go in and out for that price.

[sclipere23]

Hi Lisa,

 

 

 

The parking was not difficult, they had their own parking garage. I believe it was $12 a day and you could go in and out for that price.

 

 

Thanks. I've stayed there before but always took a shuttle. I may do the rental car this time. It sounds a lot more convenient.

Lisa

 

 

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[catgrab]

Is this pool area free at Harvest Caye?

[LASilva]

Is this pool area free at Harvest Caye?

Yes, the pool and beach are free to use, as well as lounge chairs

 

 

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[ourfamilylovescruising]

HARVEST CAYE

 

We enjoyed Harvest Caye. It was just a beach day for us, we didn't pay for any extras at all. We were disappointed that the water was so cloudy. It looked like it had been dredged or something, and so it was kind of muddy on the bottom. That's my only complaint. The island itself is beautiful. The pool was amazing. There is a nature area where you can see butterflies, snakes and birds.

 

Note that drinks and food are not included on Harvest Caye. You can use the beach and beach chairs at no cost.

Keep in mind that Harvest Caye is not a "private island" like Great Stirrup Caye, it was a joint project with the government of Belize and so the employees on the island are locals from Belize and the restaurants etc. are run by a vendor, not by Norwegian. From what I understand, eventually other cruise lines will be able to use the island.

 

I also discovered that there is supposed to be some sort of pier where snorkeling excursions will depart from but it wasn't ready. The men hired to be the snorkel guides were working as guides in the nature area until the snorkelling trips start.

 

 

 

did you have to pay to do the nature stuff? and did they rent snorkel gear? thanks

[LASilva]

The nature trail was free. I am not sure if there was a place to rent snorkel gear, probably not. We couldn't find any place to snorkel. The water was murky, I think it was disturbed by the development of the island (dredging etc.) The snorkeling is way better at the other ports.

 

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