krazykohns

9 minutes ago, reedprincess said:

Hedes over 1500 reviews, many of them by cruise passengers.

TA is a sister site to CruiseCritic..

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147342-d1073082-Reviews-Joe_Knows_Tours-St_Lucia.html

Was one of the first places we checked... most reviews say they booked from their sandals resort and not many recent from cruises. 

Has anyone been on tour with them lately? We’re signed up to go with them next month on a recommendation from someone who stayed at a hotel on the island. Wondering how your excursion went as a cruise ship passenger went. TYIA

3 minutes ago, SteamboatCruiser said:

Interesting.  We are on the March 8 sailing and this is what my check-in tab says:

"As a Haven or suite guest, a Platinum, Platinum Plus, Ambassador Latitudes Rewards member or a guest with air travel or transfers provided by Norwegian, you do not need to select your arrival time to the pier. We ask that you arrive no earlier than 9:30 am - 10:00 am and no later than 1 hour prior to departure and we will get you settled in."

Mine said that up until Friday. Now it says 3:00-3:30pm. My letter and tags arrived today saying please arrive at your scheduled time... I never scheduled a time, always had this message. NCL said to go based upon your edocs. I think they are just as confused as the rest of us. 

On 1/9/2020 at 3:27 AM, Sweetnspicy said:

I believe someone on your cruises roll call also got the same letter. 

Guess what I got today lol 

Following as we are embarking on Feb 16th.  Was not allowed to pick a time to check in, but am not haven or higher ranking Latitudes. Called NCL and was told not everyone was allowed to select a time but can show up starting at noon. A bit unsettled by his answer so I called again today.. same response. 

Edited and cannot delete post - found my answer. - Spa credit can only be used on treatments only. 

@Aviator of the Seas and @MrLacox I think its good to keep it in the San Juan board too.. We're sailing out of SJU in February on NCL and are closely watching what is going on just incase.   Just my opinion. 

Always enjoy your posts, especially the live at sea reviews. Enjoy- we’re watching you sail away on PTZ!

First time actually bidding despite having the changes to previously. Searched this and the old thread but seem to have some conflicting info. Could someone confirm if my theory is right - TYIA: 

Currently booked in a B6 Balcony and have the chance to bid on Mini Suite, Spa Balcony and Haven. 

If I bid and it was accepted, I retain my "3 at sea perks" that I gained at my time of booking. I would not gain the new "take all perks being offered." 

If I was to be accepted for Mini Suite - would I gain the double latitude points that was and is offered currently? 

If I was to be accepted on a spa level, is it guaranteed that I get a spa pass or just the spa location room? 

TYIA for answers! 

I recently checked into a few outside companies to see if my NCL coverage was worth it on our upcoming trip. From what I found, and this is specific to my travel plans, preferences and experiences, is that the NCL is not worth my money. I can have my flights, airbnb/hotel, and cruise coverage for similar price. The value is double what NCL is offering on delays, luggage and medical coverage. I am also covered for cancellations for work or economic hardship reasons, something my NCL policies have never had. 

Sources: AIG TravelGuard, Insuremytrip (Broker with several options) and AMEX travel

Next from NCL: Premium Towel Animal package starting at $49.95  for a 5 night sailing....

Kinda bummed that my next sailing is on my birthday and I will admit to looking forward to see what I got on that day... But this change won't cause us to cancel our cruise or tip my steward any different during our vacation...  And I would TOTALLY buy the package if it did come out. 

On 2/22/2019 at 4:17 PM, bigherky said:

My fiancee and I went to Cagneys on the Getaway in August. This was my first NCL cruise and I was excited because I had heard a lot of good things. However, Cagneys was by far the absolute worst meal I had on board. The steak was mediocre at best and the pork belly was inedible. I also couldn't believe the size of the side of broccoli. Two relatively small pieces of broccoli apparently constitutes a side. 

 

Overall, I was very happy with the rest of my meals on the Getaway, however this meal was an absolute disappointment. Going on the Escape in June and I'm considering trying it again, but I feel like I'd be safer with one of the other dining options.

We were first timers to Cageny’s in September on the Getaway- never again. Moderno and LeBistro are by far the best places to go. 

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I am generally a confident traveler and do my research, but this port was a wake up call.  I have not been here since 2005, but it was not set up for tourism then.  A guard in a folding chair, machete and AR sat guarding the port gate, which was a cattle panel and a few pieces of chain link fence. We took an excursion from the ship and it included several stops to sugar cane, cigar and other local spots. We were told not to take backpacks, purses or carry beach bags for security reasons. We quickly learned at stop lights why- the safari bus was engulfed by kids and teenagers begging for “American Money” and they would try and jump up and tap your hand and arms for your attention. Yes, I was aware that this was a higher poverty area, but was not aware of the intensity in which it presented itself. It was a newer stop from what I understand and I hope that the cruise line has helped the economy with community service oriented excursions and providing support to the local area... however, it felt very flung together and not thought out. Lessons learned for all. 

However, once back on ship, there was several baseball fields off the port area and was some of the best baseball I have seen. 

2 hours ago, WAHMto5 said:

We cruise almost every year on our youngest child's birthday.  We started out purchasing the package every year, for the past few years we now bring our own decorations and decorate the room ourselves.   We have been lucky to have great cabin stewards over the years that always seem to add something special like a decorated towel cakes, special towel animals, a special happy birthday sign from them, etc.

Thank you for the reply - I was thinking of bringing some of our own to add as well. Glad you've had a great group of stewards. 

Also, noticed you were on the Getaway in September from your signature - so were we (23rd sailing). Hope you had a good steward... we did not have such luck, so this last trip really makes us question how to ramp it up for the birthday cruise. 

Thank you all! 

@NLH Arizona - I wouldn't expect anything beyond 4-5, which I know is a lot. Some of the "surprise" photos are similar to what @HBCcruiser posted above. And @Sauer-kraut I wouldn't have expected it for free/not tipped in appreciation. 

I know NCL has packages for decorations, however I have seen some photos online where rooms have been decorated with a ton of towel animals as a way to say Happy Birthday. The posts and photos did not call out what they requested, if at all, for it to be done. So out of curiosity, does anyone know if this is a particular package or what top secret code word it is to request this to be done?   We have two birthdays being celebrated, one of them actually while on the cruise, and it would be awesome to bombard the room with them (yes, we love the towel animals every day... don't judge). TIA 

@amyh13I read the T&C  and see that it's not available on any sail-aways.

Looks like you have to independently book your reservation, so if you booked via a group or travel agent it cannot be applied. 

We enjoyed the port area actually. The tequileria was a big win in our books. Try the lychee mezcalrita. Lots of shopping and sun to be had when we were in port in late September.  The pool area was busy but not over stuffed. We had one other ship in port with us and never felt overly crowded. 

Whatever you end up doing just enjoy your day and make sure you're back in port in time to leave! 

We sailed at the end of September, apparently a month after roll out. All of the menus were taken from the 2017 Escape menus of the same restaurants according to the bottom of the menus.

Thanks for your mini review. I've highlighted some of your points about the dining in order to comment. We were on the sailing the week prior to yours (9/16/2018). It was our second time on Getaway (first time was in Sept 2016). Overall, I feel like the fleet's new menus, which were launched only a couple of months ago I think, are significantly inferior to the previous menus. Almost every meal at dinner gave me heartburn. Not sure why, but I suspect that they are using lesser quality ingredients than what was used on the previous menus. Also, the food seemed extra salty.

 

On more than one occasion when being seated in Tropicana, the server seating us had a table-map in hand (made me think they were new to the ship or new hires with NCL). In fact, a few of the servers we had seemed new. In Tropicana on a couple of nights the service was very slow---like 25 minutes between courses. We took it in stride, but still.

 

And with regard to the food in Cagney's, I ordered the shrimp skewer with sides of mac n cheese and creamed spinach. I ate one shrimp and a forkful of spinach and instantly it began to repeat on me. LeBistro was our best specialty meal. The mushroom soup there was to die for. LaCucina was pretty good also.

 

Overall we had a good trip, but the dining was not spectacular like it had been last year on Escape and in 2016 on Getaway.

I think the new menu changes are just that - new to everyone and honestly.. a change not for the better. Granted I had one other NCL experience so my knowledge base is small in comparison to others, but there was a significant difference in quality. Granted I went on an older ship the first time, I think we expected newer, grander things with a larger than life boat.

We ate at Tropicana twice, and yes they had the maps in hand. I thought it was new staff coming on board myself and just kinda let it go. Service was not that slow there, only at Cagneys. The shrimp at the noodle bar were not fresh, and we avoided the Raw Bar and sushi area when possible due to smell.

We also noticed the menus said (whatever restaurant)_Escape 2017.pdf as well.

Already looking at our next one in early 2020. We're hoping its a better dining and service experience.

Thanks for the mini review. We'll be on board in 12 days, and we also have an aft facing balcony. On which deck were you?

Hi Jo - we were on Deck 12. Any of the decks, you won't be disappointed. You could slightly hear the parties at Spice2o at night but it wasn't obnoxious.

That is one thing about cruising, things can be very different from week to week on the same ship/itinerary. On our Getaway cruise two weeks before yours, everyone agreed that Cagney's was outstanding, and the loungers on the beach at HC were virtually empty at 12:30 PM (see fourth picture in the link below). So crazy how it can vary that much.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=57109341&postcount=103

GA Dave - your review was outstanding and one of the reasons I did a mini review! And yes, you are correct, sailing to sailing can vary based upon staff and guests on board.

Kazien2018 - I could see why you would say that. I will try NCL again personally, but another ship and another itinerary. I keep wondering if that over repetitive itinerary has the crew stuck in a perpetual rinse cycle.

Thanks for your review. Seems like you had a great time. I am concerned about Cagney's slipping. Has always been our favorite.

I am hoping our trip was a fluke for everyone else's sake. Heard from a few fellow cruisers that they were also pretty shocked about their Cagney's experiences.

Itinerary overall:

We went into this trip knowing we'd take it easy in a couple ports (Costa Maya and Harvest Caye). We were excited for Roatan and H.C. and coming home, we were surprised to very much enjoy the Mexico ports more than we anticipated. We'd been to an area not far from our two stops before and guess we had anticipated a bit of the same from our previous trip. We were pretty excited to see it was not and took advantage of the local area more than we anticipated. We had great weather during the days. Roatan and Cozumel had a brief rain downpour but didn't ruin the fun for long (find some shade and some tequila and watch it pass). Some nice passing thunderstorms as we sailed at night. Cannot complain at all!

Roatan/Coxen Hole - A+ Would highly suggest this location. We took a private excursion with Jackson Marine for snorkeling and fishing. It was an amazing day. The port area had more in it than I anticipated and wish I had a chance to explore it a bit more. Bit of a gauntlet of the tour groups getting out to excursions and outside of the gates. Be prepared. For those looking for a place to stamp your passport, there is one right in the center of the first floor. Looking forward to returning some day!

Harvest Caye: C I hate to give it a low rating, but I was very excited to visit the new stop/private island. We were prepared to pay for anything we did and that was not a bother, but the lack of lounge chairs, umbrellas or clam shells was ridiculous! We had the first parasail that morning and was done by 9:15. We could not find a lounge chair around the pool so we decided to walk around and shop a bit. Visited the nature center and birds. On our swoop back, we decided to try the beach. The beach areas were well taken up by 10:30 in the main area across from the pool over to the zip line. Decided to just head back to the ship and hang out poolside. Walking back we realized that most of the passengers were still coming on to the island and wondered where they'd all go. We gladly enjoyed our mango meltdowns poolside with only a handful of others. Some other cruisers mentioned that the other private island is much more enjoyable. We look forward to trying that one another time.

Costa Maya: B+ We did not have any excursions planned this day. We walked around the port, got some amazing mezcalritas at the tequilaria, shopped some more, ended up with friends at the cantina mid port watching mexican wrestling. All in all a great day for winging it.

Cozumel: B+ Thanks to singing our hearts out the night before at the 80's party, I lost my voice and slept in through our excursion. We had another day of winging it and decided to sleep in and get a lazy breakfast before going into port for some shopping. You can easily exit port and continue down the road for more stores. Certainly the port for shopping and take homes. You name it, you'll find it!

Overall, I am still suffering from too much fun and sun, and my sea legs are kicking in. Back to reality today at home :( Hope my mini-review is helpful for an update for those looking for a bit more info that the other big reviews did not hit on. Enjoy your upcoming cruises!

We just came back from our 7 night western sailing from 9/23 and wanted to leave a mini-review. Why a mini review? Because there are some amazing reviews from others documenting day to day experiences, menus and dailies. They are extremely accurate and helped us in our planning.

Overall - we had a great vacation and met many great people thanks to our roll call. We ran into a few minor issues and tried to not let them ruin the overall vacation. The staff this time around seems very much ready for a break in contract or a vacation themselves. We found this was generally what caused the minor bumps.

The Getaway and its features:

Embarkation/Disembarkation: A We had a very smooth embarkation at 10:30am. We even got through the Latitudes line faster than Priority members. Ended up with Group 2 and was happily sitting by the pool, drink in hand by Noon. We did not want to try for vibe, but had friends who got Group 2 and was able to secure passes. (Still head to headliners for this). Leaving the ship on final day was smooth and effortless. We had a pre-arranged transfer with NCL to MIA. No problems here!

Room and Steward: B We loved our room (Aft facing), but its cleanliness immediately aboard was shoddy. The bed was partially made with only pillows (which had make up from what I am guessing is the previous cabin holder and marker or something similar on the other) one white top sheet and blue dust ruffle. Dusty ledges and tv area that is pretty well ignored. The bed ended up being completed at "turn down." Otherwise our room was made up well other days. Towel animals occasionally, sometimes dailies were not delivered which both were a bummers but nothing to get peeved off at.

Wifi: B We got the messaging package due to a reason for needing to keep check in on someone at home. The package worked well once we got it configured - and posting was a bit slow. Signal strength was great around the ship. Not many dead spots. Don't expect rapid fire posts, but you can send your messages on WhatsApp, FB messenger and similar easily with a minor delay. Worth the nominal charge and would add it again.

Food - complimentary: B+ Shanghai, Tropicana, O'Sheehan's, Garden Cafe were all consistent. Flavor was good and food seemed fresh. Strange hours for Garden Cafe with breakfast and late nights. Several times the lines were being refreshed at 9 am and then the lights were immediately being turned off and told to break down. Was just strange.

Food - Specialty Dining: Cagneys E, Teppanyaki B+, LeBistro A+ This is where the biggest quirks of the trip happened. The overall quality of the food and flavorings was subpar. Cagney's steaks were overdone, over salted and seasoned. A table next to us talked about grissled food and slimy textures. My porterhouse was way too salty and over seasoned, where the sides were under flavor and bland. 30 mins to get our wine, water glasses sat empty, and staff were bickering with each other about duties. Managers came over to diffuse several times. Several tables seemed to also be having issues as well. Teppanyaki - Great show and service, food was good. LeBistro was our favorite: Best service, food was amazing and a great pace.

Pools, Pool Bars and Spice2o: B Not sure if the ship was not at capacity, but for once we were actually able to get in the pool a few times. Loved the shallow ledge areas to hang out on. Many more servers around the pool area than other ships/sailings which was great to see. Bartenders were pretty over it - and I cannot blame them as the demands they get from people. Spice2o was pretty good day and night. Barstaff was friendly and entertaining. Hot tubs and refresh pools were nice. Did not feel like sardines laying out here like we did at the pool area.

Entertainment, Casino and Activities: A We tried to take advantage of the ship for this cruise and we were certainly happy we did! Casino was great with slot pulls, tournaments and variety of games. Staff was friendly and helpful when my friend and I attempted to learn Roulette during slow hours. Howl at the Moon was great, pool side games and Deal or No Deal were always a great experience. Zip line and Ropes course was fun - bummed the cameras were not working but, glad to have completed the plank!

Next post: Itinerary and Ports