My View: Our End-of-Summer Breakaway

[APDMOM]

Views of the Far Pool - lots of loungers, hammocks, and other seating:

 

 

 

 

My Favorite View in Taino Bay 🙂

 

[APDMOM]

Addition since our last visit - They now have a Flowrider:

 

Unfortunately, they have added a fee of $8 per person to see the tropical birds, which is a bit steep IMO.  It was free in 2023.  I do agree with charging some, it is just more than I was willing to pay.

 

 

[schmoopie17]

Prelude Duo is one of the better lounge acts we've seen on NCL. They were on our Jade cruise in March. Sounds like they're making the rounds.

 

If Daniel (the piano player) ever has a solo show, check him out. He's pretty darn awesome.

[APDMOM]

The pool closest to the ship:  Beautifully clear!

 

 

 

Taino Bay is still a tropical paradise - worth the visit, despite our disappointment over the lazy river.  Hopefully, they can figure out how to get it clean again soon!  We will be back in November…

 

 

Edited August 4 by APDMOM
photo edit

[APDMOM]

Back on the ship… guess what we are doing?  Since the balcony price is so outrageous on Aqua, maybe an interior?  Decisions, decisions… 😅

 

 

[APDMOM]

Lunch at O’Sheehan’s:

 

Spinach and Artichoke dip: Excellent (the chips are still not my favorite, but I dipped fries in it too - so good!!)

 

Wrangler Burger - Very Good

 

Lechon Asado: Good - a bit dry

[APDMOM]

Views of Taino Bay and Puerto Plata from the Ship, including sail away:

 

 

We talked to a fellow cruiser on the elevator, who said they walked to the fort.  We may do that in November, if it is a bit cooler.  It was VERY humid and hot on this day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look!  A Horse and Carriage - will need to research that for our November visit…

 

…and then there is that… Where are my fellow conspiracy theorists? 😜 What is that?  It is huge - looked to be about the size of our Mazda CX9, but it is hard to estimate from a distance. I just know it was not the size of a regular buoy. 

[APDMOM]

The Pilot, taking a picture of me, taking a picture of him:

 

Enjoy your last few hours in Taino Bay, Norwegian Jade!

[APDMOM]

That Cruise Next Temptation:

On our last Escape cruise in December 2023, we purchased $1,000 of Cruise Next certificates to obtain the $500 OBC, which we would have spent anyway.  With 2 of those certificates, we did the double up to book this cruise.

 

Since we had 2 more left, we decided to book a cruise on Norwegian Aqua, because the onboard team did an AMAZING job of selling that ship as the MUST DO experience.  Grudgingly, we booked the interior for $4,315 - the most expensive cruise we have ever booked, and that an interior.  BUT, it has minigolf and a waterfront, a new ship experience, and a convenient drive to Port Canaveral, so we justified the cost.  Booked!  

 

More about that booking later.  Find out what happened when we got home…

[APDMOM]

 

Sorry for the large font - copied from an email, as my wifi is still spotty.

 

Dinner in Taste/Savor:

This is the night we had reservations for only 2, because that was all they had available.  While I fell in line for those with reservations, DH went to the ‘other’ line to see if we could add DS.  The hostess knew us by this time and quickly arranged to add DS to our table.  So, the lack of reservations ended up not being a problem.  We were seated quickly - I was even called out from the ‘reservations’ line to be seated faster than if I had stayed in line.

 

The Menu: I cut the pic to exclude the daily items, as it may make reading easier, since the pictures are decreased quality here on CC.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 4 by APDMOM
double pic

[APDMOM]

Our Selections:

 

Caesar Salad (DH) Still Excellent

 

Waldorf Salad: Excellent

 

Almond-Crusted Hoki - Very good

 

Barbecue Mixed Grill (DS) - Excellent

 

Breaded Flounder (DH from Daily menu) - Good

 

Bananas Foster - Excellent - Maybe better than that even!

 

Brownie S’more (DS) - Excellent

[APDMOM]

My View: End of Day 3 - Taino Bay

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the balcony, including “my” lounger 🙂

 

[APDMOM]

Freestyle Daily: Day 3 - Taino Bay, Puerto Plata DR

(I forgot to take screenshots of the Daily in the app, so I took real pictures)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kealy]

Enjoying your review.  Thank you for sharing your trip!

[Oakman58]

I'm enjoying your trip report and all the pictures.  My wife and I will be on the Breakaway out of NY in September on a New England/Canada cruise.

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 3 - St Thomas

[APDMOM]

Excursion Plans

 

This was a bit of a stressful day to me.  We had an excursion booked for 3:30 PM, which would last 2 hours (from my experience we always allow at least an additional 30 minutes because they usually don’t return on time).  With an ‘all aboard’ time of 6:30, this was cutting it close, but the excursion was through NCL, so I was not too worried… until I heard they left a family behind in Alaska who had been on an NCL excursion!

 

On top of that, they changed our excursion time to 4PM.  I checked with guest services twice and they did not straight out say the ship would wait if an official NCL excursion ran late - just that they would take care of us.  DS stayed behind from the excursion, so it was a bit stressful to leave him, but 

 

I did decide this is the last time I book an excursion that late in the day… Too much for my “type AA” personality 🤣  More about the excursion later.

 

TIP:  Be sure to ask about your Latitudes discount when you book the excursion onboard.  We had to ask for the 10% discount to be applied.

 

The booking form:

 

The excursion ticket with different time:

[APDMOM]

Breakfast in Taste/Savor:

 

Huevos Rancheros (DS) Good - but not as good as Carnival:

 

Eggs Benedict: Very good 

[APDMOM]

Beautiful Views as we sail into Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas:

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Lunch - O’Sheehan’s

 

The only new thing we ordered was a the Sausage Sliders - Excellent

 

[APDMOM]

Our Excursion: Champagne Harbor Cruise with Chukka Tours

 

After all the agonizing (sorry DH and DS 😉), we had an amazing time with this group.  They played fun music, served “champagne”, rum punch, water, sodas, and snacks.  The scenery was absolutely beautiful, and the sailing was pretty smooth.  The tour guide who took us to the catamaran told us they usually do tours with up to 180 people, but we only had 22 signed up for this one, so there was plenty of space on the catamaran for us to move around.  It was lovely!  I cannot imagine how crowded it would get with 180 people though… I think she meant 90 per catamaran, since they own 2.  Even with 90 it would be a vastly different experience.

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

TIP:  If you book this excursion, you have a long walk to the catamaran.  Thankfully, the shuttle showed up right when our group started walking, because we already left the pier only at 4:05 PM

 

 When we left the pier for our excursion, this tent was set up for those returning to the ship.  They have water, lemonade, and wet face cloths for cooling down.

 

 

Beautiful Views from the Catamaran:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This couple got engaged the night before, so Chukka gave them their own bottle of champagne just before we returned to port:

 

It was closing in on 6:10 when we pulled back into port… I could already see myself running down that LONG pier…

 

 

Shuttle to the rescue:

For a second time, the shuttle saved the day.  They took us back to the port.  My ship card dinged at 6:23 PM - the most beautiful sound I had heard in a long time.  It is the VERY latest we have ever returned to the ship.  Never again- these momma nerves were worn and the adrenaline rush replaced my need for the ropes course. 😅

 

When we got to the ship, there was a friendly welcome from Mihaela despite our last-minute arrival.  The beverage and towel station were long gone, of course.

[APDMOM]

Evening Sail Away Views:

 

 

 

 

 

After our eventful day, we just took a stroll on the waterfront before enjoying the balcony.  We noticed the Sid Norman music plays outside too, so if you don’t find seating inside, this may be an option.   Due to the long lines for the special events, we just skipped them this cruise - I would rather sit on my balcony and listen to the ocean than wait in line for a show in a crowded space:

 

Edited August 5 by APDMOM
photo edit

[APDMOM]

My View: End of Day 4 - St. Thomas

Edited August 5 by APDMOM
day 4

[APDMOM]

49 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

My View: Day 4 - St Thomas

Should say day 4 😄