APDMOM

Our Taino Bay Disappointment We visited Taino Bay in March 2023 on MSC Seascape. We were most excited about returning to this port to enjoy the lazy river, beautiful pools, tropical atmosphere, loungers, swings, hammocks, etc. It was one of our highlights in 2023. Unfortunately, the lazy river was not open, as they were still busy cleaning. We wonder if the hurricanes that hit the area since our previous visit damaged some of our favorites. There were a few additions, but we were mainly getting off the ship for that lazy river. It was not going to happen… Lazy River March 2023: Crystal Clear and Clean (It had just opened prior to that cruise, so it was brand new): Lazy River July 2024: Green with floating bird poop and algae We did not think they would open it, but we saw people floating on tubes as we were leaving.

A Sunrise Arrival:

My View: Day 3 - Taino Bay, Puerto Plata DR

Hi @phabric We ate a mix of appetizers and main course items at O’Sheehan’s early in the afternoon, then went to the Garden Cafe to enjoy a small meal and dessert. We mainly went there for the crêpes, but we always end up seeing a soup or dish that looks too enticing 😄

Freestyle Daily - Day 2

My View: End of Day 2 - At Sea That is the moon behind clouds!

Evening Entertainment: Howl at the Moon: Our very first Dueling Pianos experience was on Norwegian Escape in 2016. That was the BEST EVER show of the kind we had seen, and it set the bar very high. Our expectations were crushed by this experience on Breakaway. The lady was too hand-heavy on the keys, slamming out the tunes while yelling the song. The guy was good, but there was not much dueling going on during the 20 minutes we attended. It was not for us. So, we made our 3 chairs available for some ‘standing room only’ fans so that we could enjoy more music by Matthew. TIP: Ice Bar: We considered going to the Ice Bar, but the cost was $15 per person. You can choose up to 2 drinks from this menu, and can stay inside for up to 25 minutes. We postponed our decision to go until day 6, and ended up not being able to get a reservation… SO, Make reservations with the hostess by the bar early in the cruise so that you can go! Since DH does not drink any sugary drinks, and only takes an occasional sip of my drinks, it was a toss up whether it would be worth going. I did not want to do this on my own, so we decided to wait on our decision. The decision was taken out of our hands, when the bookings filled up. Matthew performed in the atrium several days during the cruise. Other nights, he was at Shakers. Here is a short clip of a video when he ‘embarrassed’ himself (or pretended to be). It got the crowd laughing every time. 😄 IMG_4470.mov

TIP: If you want to search for cruise prices, you can use the computers in the atrium close to Starbucks. The free internet speed was much better on the computers than on our devices, so we used these to look at pricing for Norwegian Aqua, summer 2025… Not our price range… At $257 per person, per day, when we are used to paying between $120 and $170 per person per day (3 in a balcony), we just did not want to book this one…. This is without the drinks and dinner package offer. Dinner - day 2 Nothing in the MDR called out to us, so we did a combination of O’Sheehan’s and the buffet. TIP: They have a crêpe station in the buffet every night - so good! That became our nightly dessert. If they don’t have the Nutella out, ask for it. Sometimes they did not have a bag out for everyone to see that it was available. I am only posting new selections from O’Sheehan’s, as we repeated many of our options, like the pretzel bites, burger, Rueben… BBQ Chicken wings - Excellent Nachos Supreme - Very good - the chips are a bit thick, and we love the thin chips from Chili’s. MDR Menu:

Afternoon Entertainment? Nature! We enjoyed most of the afternoon on the balcony, watching flying fish, the birds, the waves, and the flying fish becoming meals for the birds. LOVED my view from my lounger: IMG_4458.mov

Lunch (Taste or Savor): Since we enjoyed the quiet breakfast experience so much, we opted for lunch at Taste or Savor (cannot remember which one - they are so similar). TIP: Taste and Savor have the same menu. Both had excellent hosts. Sea Day Lunch Menu: Caesar Salad (DH) - Excellent Bistro Salad (DS) - Very Good Monte Cristo Sandwich - Very Good Cheeseburger (DH) - Good Milk Chocolate Cheesecake - Very Good

Note about the Officers, Staff, and Crew: The attitudes and service of the officers, staff, and crew are what made this cruise stand out as exceptional. Since we had just left Enchanted Princess the day before boarding Breakaway, we could make a very close comparison. There was a vast difference in how happy the crew looked on Breakaway. The Q&A with captain Ash later in the week showed why… He makes sure his staff and crew are taken care of. He seems to really love to oversee them as a ‘new family each’ week, as there is a lot of turnover with the different contract lengths. The officers were visible everywhere - as you enter the theater for a show, as you exit the ship in port, as you wait in line for dinner - they would make a point of stopping by and making sure you enjoyed your cruise. On the way down the stairs the day after I received the lounger, I stopped to thank Mihaela for her help. Clyde, the Executive Housekeeper, happened to stand next to her and overheard - he said, “Oh, from 9136”? What a memory! He was so kind and personable.

Cocktail Party: Captain Ash was absolutely fantastic - you can tell he cares about his staff and crew! Prelude Duo performed at the event: They are very talented too! The cocktail party was the usual welcoming event, where you have opportunity to talk to officers, enjoy a free drink or two, and a bit of information about the leadership. There is also a presentation about the CruiseNext certificates, which we ALMOST purchased… more about that later. The Lounger Request: Up to this point, we had not met our stateroom attendant yet, as we had been out of the room a lot. While waiting for the event to start, I thought I would just go ask one of the officers about the lounger. I am not usually that brave - I like to keep a low profile most of the time. Mihaela, the assistant general manager, was available for that moment, so I asked her about the extended angled balcony, and if it would be possible to have a lounger. She asked how many people we were in the cabin (3), then took our cabin number and made a note on her phone. I made clear that I would not be upset if it was not possible, but I would love a lounger, if it is allowed. While walking on deck 8, I saw what I thought was our balcony, but something looked different… I rushed back to find…. It made my week!!!

Morning Entertainment: We attended the “How to run a floating hotel” presentation, which we always find interesting. The PowerPoint was presented by our cruise director, Merlina. She jokingly admitted that she does not know the details, just reading off the PowerPoint. After her presentation, ship officers showed up for a Q & A session. To me, it is always entertaining to see what questions the passengers ask. 😄

DH had Raisin Bran and fruit. Egg and Avocado Wrap: Good, but too dry.

For breakfast, we decided to browse the sit-down options to avoid the crowds in the buffet. O’Sheehan’s Breakfast Menu: Taste & Savor Menu: The breakfast wrap looked the most intriguing, so we settled on an MDR breakfast. TIP: They only serve coffee with “CoffeeMate” as creamer option. If you want ‘cream’, order some milk with your coffee. The coffee on the cruise was very inconsistent, but we found the best free coffee in O’Sheehan’s and the MDR. We did not order room service this time, so I don’t know if that is still good. TIP: If you want coffee during the day and don’t want to trek all the way up to the Garden Cafe, you can let the hostess at O’Sheehan’s know. She will direct you to the bar inside the restaurant to pick up coffee.

My View: Day 2 - At Sea

Welcome to all my regular CC friends and new friends! Thanks for all the likes, comments, and for following along 🙂

That's it for day 1. I will continue on day 2 tomorrow. 🙂

Freestyle Daily: Day 1 - Miami

My View: End of day 1 - Miami

After dinner entertainment: We spent the evening walking around to find our favorite public entertainment. We settled on listening to Matthew at Shakers bar. He is an excellent musician - I was fascinated by how he used technology to harmonize and manipulate his own accompaniment. Tequila Tasting Fun:

Sailaway Views at dinner:

Our Selections: Shrimp Cake - Beyond Excellent! This is one of the best appetizers I ever had - at sea or on land. Cheese Ravioli: Very good (DS) Greek Salad: Excellent (DH) Shrimp Scampi: Excellent (DS) Rotisserie Chicken: Good (DH) Chicken Piccata - Very good Warm Chocolate Lava Cake (Note the FREE gelato scoop!) - Excellent Fresh Fruit (DH tries to stay away from "added" sugar. We joke that he is always in trouble and not allowed to have dessert.)

Dinner and sailaway: Unfortunately, sail away was delayed, so we were at dinner when we left port. We enjoyed dinner in Savor this first night. (Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures. I did not always remember to retake pictures in the MDR with the menu not hidden behind glass):

TIP: If your suitcases are not at the room when you arrive, walk down the hallway on your deck. They line up all the suitcases in one area before delivery, and you can pick yours up to roll to your room. This is what we did, so we were unpacked and settled within 30 minutes after rooms were ready. Bathroom of 9136: I love that NCL has liquid soap by the sink. So much better than the messy bar soap