neptune18

Has anyone done the 30 minute introduction prior to entering the house?

Is it worthwhile?

We always hit Kelly's when in Ft. Lauderdale.

We always hit Kelly's when in Ft. Lauderdale.

We took a taxi to the Fish Fry and ate at Twin Brothers. We loved it, and they had free wifi. I wouldn't be concerned about the safety warnings, as long as you stay in well traveled areas, like downtown and other tourist areas.

We did the Kuralu cat charter in May and loved it. You may not get to snorkel, though, depending on what time your ship leaves.

You better get up and out early if you want that shade.

Have done both, would choose Allure. Bigger, nicer, better laid out ship. We liked the Getaway but the pool deck is awful and it often feels crowded. Better entertainment and dining options on Allure also.

On Getaway with UBP about a month ago. Bartenders worked hard but no question that bars were under staffed. Worst was the mojito bar. No excuse for having one bartender working a bar where most people order mojitos and each one takes 3-4 minutes to make. The trick is to find a less crowded bar, even if it involves a little walking. There are so many it's never really a problem.

Have stayed at ES and Marriott Courtyard on the beach. Would do both again.

Yes, and according to my wife and kids, they were excellent.

Another vote for Kelly's. Been to Bimini years ago and didn't love it. We also liked Coconuts very much although not sure if if walkable from ES.

Another vote for Jost. Best day ever on a cruise.

You will dock.

We had the UBP on the Getaway a few weeks ago. Between my wife , son and me, each round was about $30. Just a few rounds a night makes the free UBP a great perk. At $68 per person it's still a great deal.

There are many loungers in the shade but you'll have to get out early to snag them.

Is Grey Goose included in the Premium Package?

Kuralu usually stops at Sandy Spit for snorkeling but we didin't have enough time as our all aboard time on the Getaway was pretty early. We still had a few hours at White Bay, but some of our time was spent having lunch on the boat. You should email Gary at Kuralu and tell him what you're looking for.

We had a 10:45 reservation and were told we should be there by 10:15. We got off the ship at about 9:15 and took a taxi, arriving at Bolongo Bay way too early (about 9:30) so we just hung out and waited. The tour was awesome. We rode into the harbor right up to the ships, went to a beach where we swam and sat at the end of the runway while planes landed. It was a calm day but got pretty rough on the way back so we got beat up a little. We debated hanging at Bolongo after but didn't love it there so we went back to the ship,grabbed a quick lunch and went into town.

No, but I did the 340 Watersports tour last week. Let me know if you're interested.

I mean getting there earlier. There is nothing you can do on Kuralu to remedy this as he will take you straight to JVD. The sail over and back is nice but next time I would try to find a faster boat that leaves from the port area. It was about a 20-30 minute taxi ride to Soper's Hole where Kuralu is docked. Don't worry, it was our best day of the cruise.

Anet- The wave runner tour was 1.5 hours, same as yours. We rode into the harbor, right up to the ships and even went to where the Oasis was docked. We were so close that a steward cleaning a balcony with a hose tried to squirt us. We also went to the airport and sat at the end of the runway when a big jet was landing just over our heads. It was awesome but the way back was a little rough and we did get "beat up" a little. We were definitely ready to be done.

As for JVD, we used Kuralu. We wouldn't hesitate to use them again, as the sail over and lunch was very nice, but next time I'd look to maximize the time at White Bay and look for the fastest way there. Tortola port time is too short.

Gate- When did you eat? We were there at 7:30 ( at least that's when we started ) and the service was terrible. They put down your plate and run before you can ask for anything else. We thought the food in Tropicana was fine, not better than, but on par with RCCL and the Breakaway.

Can you be more specific?

Just off Getaway yesterday. Stayed pre cruise at Hampton Brickell. Had a great cruise, crew is great but ship is definitely noticeably understaffed.

Ate at Cucina, Cagney's, LeBistro, Raw Bar and Tropicana for dinners. Enjoyed all but service in Tropicana was awful, painfully slow.

Saw Burn the Floor (awesome), Legally Blonde (talented cast but really bad show-I had a nice nap though) and both comedians (pretty funny but not great).

As for ports, in St Thomas we did a wave runner tour with 340 Watersports which we loved. In Tortola we took a cat charter to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke and had painkillers at the Soggy Dollar Bar. Best day ever on a cruise. Best beach I've ever been on, can't wait to go back. In Nassau we just ate lunch at the Fish Fry (Twin Brothers) and walked around town.

Any questions ask away.

Just got back from the Getaway and we went to JVD on a Wednesday. White Bay is gorgeous and we loved the Soggy Dollar. We did the Kuralu charter which we enjoyed very much. My only complaint would be that we wished we had more time on JVD.

Been on Oasis, Allure (twice) and Breakaway. Leaving this Sat. on Getaway. We liked Breakaway and would not hesitate to sail her again. There is nothing, however, like Oasis/Allure. The ships are magnificent and despite NCL's claim of freestyle dining, we found O/A to have more dining options. We also liked the entertainment, in general, better on O/A but Breakaway had Rock of Ages, which was the best show I've ever seen at sea.

One thing Breakaway/Getaway does do better than Royal is the Waterfront, which is an outside eating/drinking area. You just tend to spend more time outside at night on these ships, which is nice. Overall, I would say Royal is a better, more polished product but you can't really go wrong with either.