JimR24

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Getaway in a little more than a month. My youngest is a high school sophomore. Oldest is a sophomore in college. Time does go by quickly. Glad my oldest still wants to go on vacation with us :)

 

How was the beach at Majahual? Was seagrass an issue? We were there about 12 years ago (prior to the hurricane that wiped that area out) and there was no seagrass at all.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Some sea grass where we were but not up to the shoreline. We had plenty of room to relax in the water. As we shopped, we noticed the grass was thicker down past the Krazy Lobster beach club.

We had a pretty cool thing happen on the beach. My daughter was looking at some pelicans perched on some posts about 30 yards out in the water. A guy was standing there and asked if she wanted a picture with one of them. He walked over to the shoreline and waved his hand at them. One flew over to where he was standing and she was able to stand beside the pelican and get a picture. Never seen anything like it.

Really enjoyed your review. We are booked on the Getaway next February and I'm reading all I can about her. Glad to hear that there are crepes - on the Star and the Pearl the crepes were at the buffet in the evening. Is the location the same on the Getaway? Thanks!

Same location. The station was located mid-buffet. I think there was only one station making them.

Thanks for the info Jim .. what were your impressions of her?

We absolutely loved the ship. We "felt" the Epic while she was sailing last year but didn't feel the Getaway at all. Friendly staff everywhere we went. We are not fans of smokers (sorry) but the only place we found bothersome was down wind of the smoking cube on deck 15.

I am cruising with a large lot and some of them are smokers. I have kind of taken on the role of leading this group and the smokers are bugging me about locations. I know that the casino offers smoking areas if you are playing but I'm curious where the other areas are. Any bars that let you sit and smoke while drinking? Port side? Starboard side outdoor? Just would like to know all the locations. Thanks.

Just off the Getaway today. Deck 15 mid deck has a smoking area that is kind of boxed off. It's near the adults only pool and close to the bar.

Just off the Getaway this morning from a fantastic cruise. It was my wife and I plus my 17 year old daughter and 12 yr old son.

We drove down to Miami from the Tampa area on Saturday the 17th. I had a free night certificate for a Spring Hill Suites about 20 minutes from the port. Nice and clean with the typical hotel breakfast.

Embarkation:

Nice and easy. Got to the port around 10:15 AM and parked in garage C. After a short walk we unloaded the bags with a porter and moved into the terminal for check-in. We got checked in and were in Group 2. Boarding started at 11:30 sharp and we were sitting in Taste for lunch by 11:55 AM. We had a trip out of Canaveral last year on the Epic and this year was much better in Miami.

Ports:

Roatan - Great tour with Rony. We actually had his mom as the guide and had a great time. We went to Daniel Johnson's right off the bat. Traffic on the island heading East was bit of a mess due to fixing pit holes but didn't delay us much. We got a change to go into the cage with the 2 Coatis. Very cool experience as they were very curious. The monkeys were awesome and very curious to see if I had anything in my pockets. The highlight of course was holding the Sloth's. Thank goodness we were there early. As we were leaving, the waiting are was full with people. We also went to the Iguana farm, Chocolate shop for a tour and a small beach. I highly recommend Rony's tour company. They met us outside the gate and of the port and escorted to his place. Always answered emails if I had questions.

Harvest Cay:

We knew we wouldn't spend much time here. We got off the ship and looked around and was not overly impressed with it. Found the cost was really high for shopping. The beach itself is nice but the sand is crushed shells and is rough on the feet. Spent the day enjoying an empty ship.

Costa Maya:

This may have been my favorite port. We had nothing planned but knew we wanted to spend some time on beach and shop. We got both at the town of Majahual. We got off the ship after breakfast and did some shopping at the port. Made our way to the cab stand and paid $2 per person to head to the beach. As soon as we got out we were met by a guy asking if we needed chairs/table on the beach. Family run place that took great care of us. Had a few Coronas and food. Food was outstanding and the Coronas cold. I think we spent 4-5 hours at the place and paid $80 for the day for all of us. Wish I could remember the name but I can't. Maybe too many Coronas. Shopping with the local vendors was a good time. Nothing like seeing your 12 year old negotiate for something he wanted. Funny how that works when it's his money that he is spending. Never seemed to care when spending ours.

Cozumel:

Booked the day at Mr. Sanchos. Picked up a cab at the port and paid $20 for 4 of us. Trip was about 20 minutes from the port. We were one of 4 ships in port and I expected Sanchos to be packed but it wasn't. Got a set of chairs and a table close to the water. Food and drinks both really good. We booked the fish pedicure for us and had a blast doing that. One of the strangest things I have ever done but worth it. Kids and wife loved it also. Overall, we liked it but thought the beach club in Costa Maya was better.

We had 2 sea days and both were fun. Some lines at the bar but nothing I am going to complain about. I think the most I waited was 15 minutes. Most times I would use the waiters that were walking around the deck. A dollar tip a drink goes a long way to make sure they remember you.

Disembarking:

Really easy. Had breakfast at 8 AM and went back to the room to pick up our luggage. Got an elevator right away and off the ship, through customs and in our car by 9:15 AM.

Dining:

We ate at the Noodle Bar one night. I like the setup on Epic better but the food was still good. We hit both Taste and Tropicana room one night each. Overall, good food and service. The ship was full and we knew there was a chance service could be slow. We did see a couple leave the Tropicana room because they said they waited 10 minutes and didn't see a waiter. I would have left also but we didn't experience that issue. The rest of the nights and morning we went to the buffet. Good selections every night. Desserts in the case were OK each night but the fresh crepes were awesome. The female chef making them was always asking about our day great to talk to.

Spring Break Crowd:

I know this has been a hop topic on the board lately. We had no issues with young spring breakers at all. I can say that I saw some things during the Mr. Sexy Legs contest that will forever be burned into my brain (and not in a good way). All I can say is that I hope my grandmother never acted the way 2 of the "Judges" acted. I guess that is the way that these 2 New Yorkers "Brought it", to quote one of them. I have to find a way to get those images out of my head. No issues with chairs at all. We would not think twice about booking another Spring Break cruise.

Ship itself:

We liked the Getaway better than the Epic. We liked the room on the Epic better but the bathroom on the Getaway. Cabin Steward (Charles) was really good. We saw him every day and he was a really nice guy to talk with for a few minutes. We are not a fan of the Atrium setup how they handle the shows there. We know that going in and plan our days around not going there. Walked through the casino area a few times and never had an issue with the smoke coming from the area. Overall, the staff was friendly. Make sure you are a careful on the decks. We saw a few people slip and fall.

We are not the type to look for issues. I'm sure they were there but we were on a family vacation and it will not be ruined by petty things. Our daughter is a junior in HS and will be heading off to college after next summer. The time we have with her like this means a lot to us and we had a great family vacation this time around.

Let me know if you have any questions.

People who like or want to cruise during spring break are out of their minds or didn't do their homework. Yeah, nothing says relaxing vacation like a bunch of drunk rowdy kids overflowing the bar and pools ........ I have two little ones and am not that old and that's the last "atmosphere" I want to be in.

I love the drama in this post. I will be on the Getaway leaving Sunday and was on the Epic last Spring Break. Had a bunch of kids from Clemson on there with us and had a blast. Didn't see any issues and these kids actually were pretty respectful. They engaged my kids in conversation about the sports they play with no foul language. I have researched the heck out of this cruise and can't wait to go.

We were also AP holders at Disney and refuse to go back there. I have seen more drunk idiots at Epcot for their Food and Wine festival than I have anywhere else in my life. Nothing like seeing adults with "Drinking Around the World" shirts on and acting like fools. Talk about not wanting to expose kids to behavior like this. You can have that "atmosphere".

Google is your friend:

https://www.worldweatheronline.com/lang/en-us/roatan-weather-averages/islas-de-la-bahia/hn.aspx

Looks like the average wind speed from Jan '17 through Sep '17 was 15+ MPH with average gusts over 20+ MPH. I don't remember reading about NCL missing the port because of this. I am not a doom a gloom type so I am hoping we will be in Roatan on Tuesday on the Getaway. Really looking forward to this port.

"The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli" - George Costanza

The count down is on. We leave for Miami on Saturday and get aboard the Getaway next Sunday! Can't wait!!!

Our trip on the Getaway is fast approaching (20 days!!!). We plan on hitting Margaritaville a few times and was hoping on some opinions on the best Margaritas they serve. I am eyeing up the Incommunicado and plan on having a few.

So let me get this straight. YOU bought a watch and it's their fault? I had no issue saying "thanks but no thanks" to any deal they had, either on the ship or off. Cruising isn't for everyone but not going back because YOU bought the watch takes the cake.

43 days until the Getaway out of Miami. Can't wait. oh and #FlyEaglesFly.

On our first cruise last year on the Epic, we took the kids to the MDR for lunch. They loved the fact that they could get whatever they wanted. I had a deal with them that they needed to try at least one new thing every day. We will be doing this again in 71 days when we get on the Getaway out of Miami. Can't wait.

Hello,

 

PS: If you wish to see fishes do not forget to bring some bread from the ship to feed them. So many beautiful fishes (Sargent Major) came up to eat the bread. It was a treat to see them.

/quote]

 

Oh no. You did it now. Can't wait to see some of these responses to feeding fish.

We were on the Epic in March in a mini suite with my family of 4. It was tight, but what cruise cabin isn't. We knew the bathroom situation before we got on the trip so it was not a shock. The doors are translucent and you can't see in.

That is fantastic. We are 210 days out from our next Spring Break cruise and we are planning a 10 Alaskan cruise in the summer of 2019 before our daughter heads off to college.

How can someone who I assume is an experienced cruiser by your number of posts on here be 'surprised' by this. It is printed in the dailies and standard practice on their published policies that the aft dining room has a slightly higher dress code. I wouldn't have been surprised by this even on my first cruise, it is spelled out.

To quote Ron Tater Salad White = " You can't fix stupid".

I hope you get the chance to go. We didn't on our March cruise. Winds and seas were high and it wasn't safe to tender. From talking to our room steward, he said it's about a 50/50 chance every trip. As much as we would love to see GSC, we are going to choose NCL cruises that don't have this in the ports.

We are going to stick with NCL though, even though they allow people to wear shorts at dinner.

Was this in the family mini suite? I can't seem to find out if the upper bunk is directly above the lower bunk (parallel) or sticking out blocking passage to the balcony (perpendicular to the lower bunk). I am also traveling with my husband and 2 kids...

Yes, we had a mini suite with a balcony on deck 14. The steward dropped the bed every night and put it back every morning. It was tight with the bed down but nothing I am going to complain about. I knew what it was when I booked the room. Both kids had no issues with the beds at all and neither did we, and I am 6'4".

We had our kids on the Epic in March. My son (11) slept on the drop down bed and daughter (15) slept on the couch/bed. She has no complaints all week. It does pull out a little and there is storage behind it. Had no issues with the bathroom setup either. Actually worked out for us since the shower is separate. The curtain gives you a little privacy.

We ate at Shanghai's twice last week. Once when they first opened and once around 8:30 pm. We didn't have a wait either time. Food was very good and the service was great.

Just off the Epic yesterday, make sure you get a clam shell once you get on board. You can make the reservation on Deck 5 at the Shore Excursion desk. We waited a day or two and none were available.

We were unable to go to GSC because of the weather. We were told by more than a few of the crew that it's a 50/50 chance of being canceled and the weather/wind can be bad around the island. Even someone at the Crews Next desk told us that this was at a least the 3rd time this year that they couldn't get to GSC. Totally understand the safety portion of not getting off the ship onto a Tender but they really need to do more than credit back to $15 per person port charges.

This has to be the most insane topic I have come across. There is not a chance in hell I am going to let a chair, or people hogging chairs, bother me while I am on vacation. I will find another chair and place to sit and go about having a good time. I spent way too much money and effort on this upcoming vacation to worry about a CHAIR!!!! 25 days and counting until our trip on the Epic.

28 days until Spring Break on the Epic.

Never went topless but I always go "Donald Duck" style.