Dragonfire Anime

When we were there, it had rained too much up in the mountains, so that excursion got canceled.  It was very disappointing, but we did the mangrove river boat cruise with that same company and had a lot of fun.

I do NOT believe that it is cave tubing.  It just takes that long to get there and back, as it is on the mainland if you are docked in Harvest Caye.  If Belize City is on your itinerary, cave tubing should be offered as an excursion. 

Are there Cave tubing trips originating from Harvest Caye or Placencia?

 

I was in Belize a few years back and booked a cave tubing trip, but our bus broke down so we were not able to do it. I am on the Getaway in November with Harvest Caye as a port of call and would be so happy if I can finally do the cave tubing.

My husband and I are sailing Getaway next week! We are booked (with NCL) to do the river tubing. Rafting was also available. The description doesn't say whether or not it is "cave tubing," so I'm not sure. I thought that the cave tubing was only offered out of Belize City, but our excursion is 5 1/2 hours so it could be? I guess it is popular enough that NCL decided to add it as an excursion for both ports - Harvest Caye and Belize City - possibly. Either way we're floating down a river, and it'll be fun! My fingers are crossed that it is for both of us. ;)

We're on NCL Getaway. Western Caribbean - Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.

We have excursions planned each day, but they're land based. Mainly looking at birds from afar kind of tours.

If we do use binoculars, they'll most likely only be used onboard.

Hubby and I sail in <7 days! and I'm not sure whether or not to buy binoculars for the trip. It would be nice to see some marine life from our balcony or out on the ship somewhere, but I doubt we'd use them much.

What do y'all do? Do you pack them? or not even bother?

If you do bring them, what would you recommend I get?

Thanks.

Personally I felt pulled to sail NCL because of the Waterfront, the SPA, Moderno, and the "go-with-the-flow" attitude the line represents. To me the line appeals to a wide variety of people and has a lot more fun vibe to it without feeling like you're on a party boat. At first glance I was really hoping to sail on the Breakaway Plus class ships, but I was definitely wanting at least the Breakaway class for sure. When choosing our booking, I really liked the itinerary more on Epic, and that water slide bowl looked like a MUST TRY. But we opted for an earlier sailing due to our schedules and my health concerns right now. As our sailing approaches more quickly, I am getting more and more excited to sail Getaway for my very first cruise. Many others have expressed their love for her, and I feel confident that I chose a favorite ship in the fleet for this very first time.

If Epic deems not worthy for you to try due to her quirks, then by all means choose Getaway or any other ship, not limiting yourself to NCL. However, if you feel like you can overlook some of those quirks, then I don't believe you can go wrong in sailing with her if you have the right attitude. It's all how you look at it, and either way you're cruising. Hakuna Mata!

This is very true (except for the food).

NCL have learned their lesson.

A great job has been done (correcting epic mistakes done with the Epic).

The Breakaway/ Getaway (not the Escape) is a unique project.

Since 2008, this is the cruise industry's only new project (same size category) that was better than the previous one! And better with a huge margin.

 

Look at these two pictures below.

This how the Getaway looks like.

Note that anything like this is absolutely impossible on the Epic.

 

Two (!) promenades on the Getaway:

 

 

The stern:

 

 

The water slides are more exciting on the Getaway:

 

My rating overall:

Epic 3*-

Getaway 3.5*+

 

Happy cruising!

Thanks for posting your pics of Getaway. My husband and I will be sailing on her for our very first cruise in <2 weeks. Your pics seem very fun, exciting, and even romantic, and I can't wait to experience it all myself (and my husband) soon. :D

I can only tell you what my TA would.

 

She would wrap you in her arms, give you a hug, then patiently answer any questions you had.

She has done this even with some of my friends who ended up shopping around on line for “better deals”

Is there a LOVE button on here? Thank you for posting this to me. It definitely made me smile. :):):)

You are one lucky person to have such a sweet and caring TA.

Thanks for the replies! I thankfully did find a TA I am working with, and I did book with her rather quickly. She is nice and actually sat down and listened to all of my concerns, instead of pushing me into something that I did not want, especially not for a first time. I'm sure there are plenty of bad apples in the bunch of good ones. But I expect that kind of service when I'm paying good money to use a TA. Or it's just how I was raised... Treat others as you would want to be treated. Thanks, Dad, for drilling that one into my head.

Honestly the YouTuber seemed like a standup guy, so I thought I'd be courteous and ask if I could email him first. I wanted to introduce myself and not get lost in his sea of emails. Oh, well. I understand where he is coming from in that post... him trying to make a point across that he's not doing freebies, but stating it rather harshly by saying You was a low blow. Besides, it was posted two months after my post. I've been booked with another agent for like a month prior. I guess one or two TAs didn't think I was being indecisive and a nightmare to work with! He should have just taken my post down himself, but I'm sure he felt entitled to make an example out of me. YouTube has gotten to his head. Now I have my first Internet troll! Yay! :) :) :) I feel so special being in our society now. LOL.

Thanks for the insight! I actually never new about those other resources. My sister has gone on a cruise, but she just found one she liked and booked online. The other people I know who have cruised, I don't think they used an agent either. I guess I was trying the "old-fashioned" way and walked in to my local places off the street... there's not much left around here.

I am using a good agent for this first cruise now, and what I mean by that is someone who listens and works with you, giving you what you want and making it easier, especially for this first time.

I'm not going to be a first timer in 3 weeks, so I'll definitely have more insight into what to expect for next time.

Thanks for your quick reply!

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Nonetheless, it's a bit perplexing to hear that you think you did a lot of "research" (e.g., CC, which doesn't permit TA recommendations) and YouTube(?) Then you chose only to connect with less than a handful of "local" shops.

 

Next time, try some targeted research. Look at those TAs often quoted about cruising in major metro newspapers' travel sections; look at the "best of..." lists of trusted travel resources like Condé Nast Traveler; check with your college alumni association regarding what TA handles any cruise travel they offer to members. Even talk to cruising family/friends (but take these recommendations with a "grain of salt." Once on a cruise, ask (and ask again) fellow passengers about who they use.

 

If you do this work, you'll eventually have a short list of "top sellers" for your preferred cruise line(s). And, yes, many of the best cruise specialist TAs steer clear of Carnival - just not enough commission to make anything other than a large group worth their while.

 

As for the added value of a good TA?

 

You are a "rounding error" in any cruise line's "bottom line." That top selling TA may book millions($) annually with that cruise line. Who do you think will get a problem solved more efficaciously?

 

Then there's commission sharing (beyond whatever perks the cruise line may offer). On longer cruises with upscale lines, this can mean thousand(s) of dollars in your pocket.

 

The list of pluses goes on.....

 

In any case, you may not want to give up just yet on finding a good TA.

I posted this in another thread under the First Timers TA or something like that. I wasn't sure that post would be seen by many people, so I am also posting it here. Sorry if you read it in both places!

In a much quicker version, here is what I basically said:

I have been having much difficulty finding an agent for my very first cruise. I am already booked on NCL Getaway soon with an agent, so this was over the course of a few months before I chose.

I have gone to many different agencies, and my experiences with each have been comical. I was only asking for some general advice in where to start in picking a cruise and whether or not the TA would be a good choice as well. I wasn't sure yet as to destination or price or big ship vs. a smaller ship, but I was leaning more towards NCL. I was completely overwhelmed researching on my own, so I thought to go to the experts and have them guide me. And book with them as everyone has advised on here.

I have been watching one TA's vlogs on YouTube, who happens to have thousands of subscribers and he appears to really know his stuff, which was quite refreshing to see up to this point in my search. I made the mistake of posting to one of his vlogs.

I started off by trying to compliment the guy and express to him my frustrations in searching for a good agent and then asking him for permission to email him. His email address was posted on the vlog's description, so I didn't think he'd mind. Unfortunately, I went into greater depth than necessary, explaining that this TA did this or that TA did that, and sadly my post was misinterpreted. I debated whether to take it down or not, but I was hopeful it would make someone else feel like they weren't alone in the search. Anyways, the guy did finally reply back 2 months later, and it was rude and quite shocking to be fully honest.

I want to know honestly how you would respond to someone like me being a first timer. His reply has been bothering me all day, and I really don't suspect that what he says is what you ALL think. Your opinions please!

His response was this:

"You sound pretty indecisive. A travel agent probably would not say it to you, but indecisive people are a nightmare to work with in any field. On top of making free videos you also want the guy to reply to emails for someone who will more than likely not even become a client? Basically you want the guy to work for free."

I didn't know quite how to respond to that, but I replied back very nicely that I apologize for the communication gap and I continued to compliment him. And of course I was hoping he would help us find the right cruise for us and work with him as his clients.

I've been scratching my head thinking that not ALL TAs think like this, do they?

Here's my two cents, for what it's worth:

I do not recommend using one unless you already know someone who is good at it. Call the cruise lines directly.

My story is really long and frustrating, so if you're interested in my experiences, read on. In a nutshell, it's easier dealing with the cruise line directly because it seems to be the same in cost and they are nice people to talk to or just book online.

~~~~

Over the last year I have been researching to death all over the Internet (here and on YouTube mostly), so I figured I needed to go talk to a TA and get their opinion on the matter. They're the experts; I'm a complete newbie; and they could guide me. It's their job, right? In my local area, visiting each one has been comical to say the least. I just wanted to talk and get a good feel for them as an agent. Here's some insight into my story:

I should start off by saying I was still very new to the idea of taking a cruise, and I wasn't sure if there was one particular cruise that I should consider, being that it was my first time and all, nor was I sure what price point I was looking at, nor which destination I wanted to cruise in. I wanted to talk about it all and hopefully get a better sense of where I needed to be so I can book one I really like with that agent, if that person was any good.

Still interested? Read on.

The first place I went to was fine. The TA answered my questions, and I explained to her that I wasn't sure I wanted to be on a party cruise or one that was much older in age range, like Holland America. And she stopped me in my tracks and said there are some younger people who do like Holland America. Yes, but I'm not sure it would be a good fit for a first timer. She told me to consider Celebrity, and that was that.

The next agent you could tell was ready to leave for the weekend, given that it was a Friday afternoon. She was pushing for me to consider the luxury lines, like Regent Seven Seas or Crystal. At one point I had told her I was possibly interested in a cruise to Hawaii from the West Coast, out of LA or San Diego, but she stopped me and kept on telling me only Norwegian did Hawaii. (If you didn't know this already, many cruise lines do Hawaii. NCL Pride of America is the only ship that is there year round, and it is the only ship stationed in Honolulu.) One of the brochures this agent gave me was gold-plated looking, so definitely out of my price range! Next.

The third TA I went to was a really nice woman. She hadn't been working there long, but she did listen and was informative. After we got to talking, I asked her if she had taken any cruises yet, and she had not. Her sister has, though. Given some of the talks here on CC, I was hesitant to book with an agent with no experience. This is my first time cruising, and she didn't have the experience herself. This company also sells outdoor grills. Weird.

A few months have passed, and I am more serious shopper now.

Still interested? Keep reading. I warned you this was really long.

One place I decided to try had "Cruises" in its name, so they'd be good, right? Well, that is when the door is unlocked! I walked up, and the door was locked. One agent saw me and invited me in, but it was a rather cold experience. She answered my questions. At one point I said to her not to get any brochures, I just wanted to talk. She got two anyways. I specifically asked about Carnival Cruiseline. Many of our friends have gone on them and really liked it. The TA said they don't do Carnival. Ok. She priced out a cruise for me out of my homeport and didn't bother to explain the price layout. After all was said and done, she excused herself to continue writing her email. I could have waited you know!

This next to last place I tried, the TA WAS WONDERFUL. She actually listened to what I had to say and relieved all of my concerns. She kept saying for a first time consider Celebrity, Norwegian, or Royal Caribbean. If you don't have kids, I wouldn't do Disney, not as a first cruise. She also went on to say that her company had certain perks if booking with them, like a free dinner with RCL.

I was convinced to use the last TA. However, when we met the next time, she didn't say anything at all about the free perks her company had for being a XXXX member. She kept pointing out the perks NCL was offering at the time, and the cost looked to be the same as on the NCL website. The only difference was we had to pay $$ to use her!

We finally did book our first cruise (NCL Getaway) with another agent my mom decided on, since my grandmother is paying, and she is great too!

I couldn't be any happier that we finally just threw our hands up and booked the cruise we wanted. We sail out in 17 days, and I will be a newbie no more. :)

---

The story slightly continues if you'd like to continue reading. You've made it this far, so why not?

In the last few months I made the mistake to post a message on a TA's vlog on YouTube. He has thousands of subscribers, and he really seems good and nice in all of his videos. Unfortunately, I made the mistake to ask him if I could email him. His email was posted in the description of his video, so I thought he'd just say ok.

In the post I made the mistake of trying to compliment him and then venting some of my frustrations before I asked for permission to email him. I guess I was hoping to let others see that finding a good agent can be frustrating, and I wanted to give somewhat of a back story to why I was writing the guy.

Well, he did write back 2 months later. His response was very rude and quite shocking to be honest.

If you're still reading this, I'd like your thoughts on the matter. It's been bothering me all day, and I highly question if this is the norm or if he's just being a jerk.

As a first timer, I was only asking these different agents for very basic information and some of their insight into picking a good fit for me as to the various cruise lines and destinations. I was just trying to get a sense of who they were and yes, book with them if I liked them.

He goes on to reply:

"You sound pretty indecisive. A travel agent probably would not say it to you, but indecisive people are a nightmare to work with in any field. On top of making free videos you also want the guy to reply to emails for someone who will more than likely not even become a client? Basically you want the guy to work for free."

I nicely replied back that those were not my intentions and went on to compliment the guy further. And yes, I told him I was interested in emailing him to be his client and to find that first cruise for me and my husband.

Does that sound right to any one? Was I being "indecisive" by asking some basic questions in my search to find a good TA? I can understand that I might have come across that way, but I think of someone who is "indecisive" as someone who can't choose between NCL Getaway, Celebrity Edge, or XYZ. I was just hoping for some general answers to some basic questions a first timer would have. I felt lost and thought he could guide me to a booking with him! Or he could have at least pointed me to some of his other videos, but this?

I'm scratching my head as to what other TAs think about us first timers. Are we really a NIGHTMARE to work with?

A year and a half ago, roughly, I watched this video and fell in LOVE with this room and the spa. In 17 days IT WILL BE MINE!!!!

Thanks everybody!!!! :)

Hi, Cruisers!

My husband and I will be sailing for the first time on NCL Getaway out of Miami. We already booked the JW Marriott Marquis the night before our cruise. We are wondering:

How do we get to the port from there?

A hotel staff member told me there were no shuttles to the port, and I was just curious what others do/have done.

We are thinking about using a pick up service from the airport to the hotel, and we are thinking about doing that to the port as well. Any reputable companies we should book with?

Thanks.

My husband and I are booked to do the Dolphin Swim and Ride in Cozumel. Our travel agent told us that Cozumel is a good port for shopping, so we didn't want to spend all day going to the Mayan ruins and miss out on the shopping!

We are visiting Kohunlich Mayan Ruins in Costa Maya. It's a long bus ride to/from (2.5 hours each way), but the reviews say the ruins are a must see and a favorite for many.

This will be our very first cruise. Sorry I can't be of any more help, but I'm sure whatever you end up picking will be fun!

Y'all are my kind of people! I LOVE planning, but what is more fun is the ACTUAL DOING!!!!!

My first cruise is coming up soon (Western Caribbean on Getaway Sept. 23), and I already have it all planned out...

Thanks A LOT CruiseCritic and YOUTUBE *being sarcastic*

I've been "researching" for over a year now, and I'm afraid the element of surprise and wonder is all gone. It'll still be fun, right?

Must leave thread... NOW.

Doing the EXACT same cruise on September 23rd, which happens to be my very first cruise! YAY!!!

Gotta be surprised about something. :)

I'm glad to see you enjoyed yourself, or you wouldn't be posting it on the Internet. Bye!

For those who can’t live without Coke products (NCL is exclusively Pepsi)... $2 soda, $3 energy drinks, $1.50 water. Last Chance soda machine in the waiting area.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

WAIT! THERE'S NO CHERRY COKE! :loudcry::loudcry::loudcry::loudcry: Just awful.

Oh, well. At least you CAN get Coke while still waiting to board. That's better than nothing I suppose.

Just FYI, I'm still bitter about not having any more Lime Coke... that stuff was good :p RIP LIME COKE!

Thank you all for posting to this thread. I appreciate all of your responses. :) I guess if the tub isn't clean I can always ask my room attendant to do something about it. If it's that big of a deal this first time, I'll know to bring something the next time. I doubt this will be my first cruise anyway.

Happy Cruising to All!!

The had something they put in the tub and then ran the jets. We used the tub and it was always cleaned right after we used it. This was on the Getaway.

That's great to hear! Thanks for posting. :):):)

We too are sailing on Getaway, and I didn't want to be one of those first timers who overpacked or brought something they shouldn't have.

What am I missing? You started this thread & said you use WhirlOut at home. Why are you now asking how to clean it?

Other than that. I will be flying to Miami, and I wasn't sure if that specific product was allowed with the airlines and/or cruiseline. My husband was telling me that it was not, so I'm hoping to find other alternatives.

Thanks for replying. I appreciate any info any of you can give me. :)

It's been a few years, but our Spa Suite tub was full of hairs and dirty when we embarked. The stewards have a lot of cabins to clean and don't necessarily do what they should.

My concerns EXACTLY! How do you clean it? What do you recommend?

bring a packet and run it through the tub on embarkation day.

A packet? Of what?

Forgive me for this rather odd post, but here I go.

Is the in-room whirlpool tub clean in the Haven Spa Suites? I mean the jets, not just the tub itself.

I use WhirlOut jetted tub cleaner at home, but I wasn't sure if the cleaning staff would use such a product onboard.

Last time my husband and I stayed at a nice hotel, we were unable to use the tub because it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. I'd hate for that to be the case on our cruise, since it's our first and such a nice feature of the room we booked.

Thanks.