The "Suite Life," Pearl Dec. 5-12

[gottacruisemore]

Here are some of my observations from our recent cruise.

 

Saturday-Embarkation

 

Due to a hotel with an early check out, we arrived at the pier around 10 a.m. We briefly considered going to Bayside to hang out for awhile, but since there were a few people in line already decided to stay and wait. Amazingly after 5 min. they passed around the health questionnaire and before I could fill it out the line started to move. Next thing ya know we were in the VIP check in area getting our keys, it took all of 15–20 mins. After about 20 minutes Karan came in and introduced himself to everyone individually, soon after he announced we would be boarding. We were escorted onto the ship, given a glass of champagne, and there stood a line of people waiting to escort us to our various rooms. Let me take a minute to say this trip was a long overdue vacation for my mom and I and it was our first NCL cruise and my first suite, so of course i had scoured CC for any and all info on what to expect. I heard of about the infamous upsell fairy and wondered what I would do if I got a call. Well of course the upsell fairy called and at first I turned her down. We had an AD and I was looking forward to my first stern balcony and I didn't want to give it up. But after talking to my mom we decided the A3, with an extra bed and courtyard access was hard to pass up. As we walked into the Jasmine Courtyard Suite I was glad I was able to call back and get the upsell. However, I wondered if I had just ruined any chance of cruising non-suite ever again. While we took in the suite Gary (butler) and Hassan (room steward) introduced themselves and suggested we leave our things and head to Cagney's for some lunch. At Cagney's I had the sliders (good) and mom had the grouper, which she loved. We then went and got our spa passes. As we passed the pool area we noticed many tables were set up with info about various things you could sign up for. We purchased a "Ticket to Dine" package (Cagney's, Le Bistro, and La Cucina), the Jazz Brunch (Le Bistro), and I signed up for the Blackjack Tournament. I wanted to do the Murder Mystery Dinner but there was a timing conflict with the tournament. Back in our room Hassan noticed our bags had not arrived. After we explained about the upsell, he went down to our original room and retrieved our bags. After some quick unpacking we went down to the spa. They had some embarkation specials so we opted for the massage (50 min) and facial (50 min) combo. Some general spa notes, in planning this trip (before upsell) we budgeted in the spa pass and never really thought about it again. In retrospect with the courtyard access we didn't need the spa pass. Also on one of the port days they had a special that I wanted to get, but didn't have time for. They booked for the next sea day for the same price. So always ask, the worst they can do is say no. I am sort of a spa junkie, i love everything about going to a spa. I found the massages to be

wonderful, however, the facials were a bit lacking, IMO. Nothing to complain about just not to my liking, I would definitely go back and try other treatments. Especially the Rasul, it sounded fantastic. That night we had dinner in Indigo, it was delicious. I can't remember what my mom had, I think Salmon, I do know she cleaned her plate. I had the jerk chicken with a side of tortellini and a souffle for dessert. After dinner I wandered around the ship for a bit and then headed back to the room. I decided to sleep on the sofa bed so that I could have a view and my mom could have the bed. Speaking of the bed, it looked so inviting that I had to try it out. WARNING, if you have any evening plans DO NOT go near the bed. I just wanted to see if it was as comfortable as it looked when all of a sudden it was 2 hrs. later! Finding inspiration from Coka, I decided to sleep out on the balcony. The A3 balcony has 1 chaise, 1 chair, and a table. I was able to angle the chaise to lie it flat and use it as a bed along with one of the ginormous bath towels as a blanket. I even had Van Morrison's Moondance on my iPod, oddly I never noticed the moon throughout the trip. I would love to regale you with stories of the stars, but in truth, I was comatose in under 5 mins.

 

Sunday-At Sea

 

After waking up completely disoriented we headed down to breakfast at Cagney's. After hearing hat this was one of the best perks I was glad we booked a suite. For breakfast, I am happy as long as I have cereal and juice. A croissant is a huge bonus. This was for my mom, she loves ordering breakfast and by the end of the trip she had eaten everything on the menu. Today was a lazy day of just hanging around the spa and

courtyard. Also today started my serious obsession with Blue Lagoon's buffalo wings. They are not exactly what I am familiar with, but dang they were tasty. Today was also the first day of the blackjack tournament. As I waited for my seating I quickly realized I was the only female, it made me a little nervous, like I was a kid at the adult table. For those interested here is how it works. You pay $15 to enter, when you check-in you pick your seat number (seat 5 for me) and you get a color coded group assignment. You receive $2,000 in chips and then get to play 7 hands and whoever has the most money at the end moves on to the finals. The winner gets $500. Well, it turned out I lost in my grouping (by $100), but hey, now I am free the evening of the MM dinner. It was a lot of fun though, where else can you play 7 hands of blackjack for $15? This was one of the lobster nights and we decided to order dinner in. My mom liked it, they forgot to deliver the drawn butter so I thought it was ok. I am not afraid to admit I like butter with some lobster in it.

 

Monday-Samana

 

We decided to do the Bahia Prinicpe excursion on Cayo Levantado. I heard this is no longer available so I am hesitant to go into details. We met in the theater and you were sent down to the tender according to excursions, the ride over was quick. It was a hot and wonderful day. The property was beautiful and the people nice. Here is something that always amazes me. I am a light skinned black woman born and raised in Chicago, but whenever I travel people seem to think I am hispanic and speak to me in Spanish. It happened here, I was asking for two beach towels (in English) and the girl looked at me and said, "You don't speak Spanish?" When I said no, she just shook her head and sorta rolled her eyes. She didn't have a problem with the people in front of me not speaking Spanish. These things would be funny if I did not get the disgusted looks, like I had betrayed my heritage. That night we ate at Cagney's and my mom decided to try the prime rib. Now my mom doesn't usually eat steak, but she decided to try it. She then proceeded to order it well done. Both I and our waiter convinced her to try it medium, well when it came she couldn't get over the pink. The fuss they made to make sure she was happy was almost embarassing. She had eaten an appetizer and lots of sides, so she was fine, but they really wanted to make sure she was satisfied with the meal. I would have eaten it just so they knew it wasn't their fault, but I was having a hard enough time with my own meal. I had the filet, which was good, but IMO beef needs fire to be excellent. The problem I had was I ordered the Alaskan Crab Legs ($10 extra) thinking it would be a small side. It was alot, they did split them in half, which I appreciated since it was easier to get to the meat and it had a garlic parmesan type crust, kinda like what comes with escargot. It was delicious and filling. A couple thoughts on extra fees: I have scoured these boards for info on everything I thought I may want on this cruise, so I had a very clear understanding of what to expect. The only unknown for me was if I would get spa treatments and how many. So I actually budgeted as if I would go to 4 specialty restaurants with an additional charge in 2. The ticket to dine package was actually a great suprise for us. I never personally felt nickled and dimed, I knew what I would and would not purchase so it was never an issue for me.

 

 

Tuesday-St. Thomas

 

I got up a little early to watch us pull in and was rewarded with a view of Oasis of the Seas pulling into it's harbor. After a leisurely breakfast we walked off the ship to meet for our excursion. Because of the Oasis of the Seas being in port the same day we chose to do the St. John Beach Escape. I thought of doing the trip on my own, but in the end I decided to go with NCL. We met on the pier and boarded a ferry to ST. John, it was a wet and kinda lengthy trip. Once at Cruz Bay we boarded safari buses to the beach. OK, so this was my first time on those buses and it was terrifying. I was the last one on so my foot was sorta dangling over the stairs and it felt like I was going to slide off the seat and drop off the side of the cliff. The distance from sand to surf is kinda short, however, the sand was very soft and the water was absolutely beautiful. You can snorkel an underwater trail or just enjoy the beach. There is a small snack stand, chair rentals, and showers. You only get about 90 min. at the beach, which was perfect for me, but may not be ideal for everyone. You get a 20 min. warning, which gives you time for a quick shower before getting back on the bus. We got back in time to do some shopping before heading back onto the boat. We ate at Le Bistro for dinner, it was decent. NOTE: They sold snacks on the ferry and they were cheaper than on the beach, however, they don't stay cold, but its something to consider for those on a budget. Do any jewelry or souvenir shopping you need here. Tortola didn't seem to have much to offer (nothing really as far as jewelry) and Great Stirrup Cay just has a small market with shirts, hats, and cover ups. There seemed to be a ban on bringing straw products onto the ship, so definitely check on your sailing before purchasing. Lastly, this was the place to make phone calls. I have T-Mobile and regular charges applied because we were in a US territory.

 

Wednesday-Tortola

 

We had nothing planned for this port so we got off the ship around noon. We headed over to the taxi stand where they were loading up the dreaded safari buses for island tours. For $20 per person we were given atour of the ENTIRE island. It was around 3 hours total and we literally drove around the whole island. We stopped at some small restaurant for a bathroom break and you paid a buck to use the restroom, if you made a purchase the fee was waived. Some people complained, but I mean it has to be something in it for the owner or why bother. We also stopped at Pussers Landing, where you could get a painkiller and a beach. It was an excellent tour, but at that price is was a steal. Today was the murder mystery dinner at Indigo. I guess it use to be free, but now costs $20 for an improved menu. First let me say IMO the food was way to frou frou for me. I got the roasted veggie napolean, it came in some kind of aspic (gelatinous goo). I basically ate bread, the dessert was excellent. The murder mystery was not what I thought, you are divided into tables of six and given a script. You have to figure out which person at your table is the killer. Afterwards I had some Blue Lagoon wings, mozarella sticks, and some Molten cake from Cagney's sent to my room.

 

Thursday-At Sea

 

A lovely lazy day at sea. We did the Jazz Brunch at Le Bistro and it was very good, I had the best omelet ever. Hung out in the spa and courtyard, ate a bunch of buffalo wings, and finally opened the book I brought with me. Did La Cucina for dinner, my mom had the lobster ravioli and I had the steak. The food was great. We had a letter in our room to meet for a sneak peek of the Chocolate Buffet. We went in early to get some photos and I have to say, I am a chocoholic, but for some reason I wasn't really interested. I've noticed that the chocolate at those types of things aren't really that tasty. Some of the people were really making total pigs and a$$es of themselves which just made me want to get out of there.

 

Friday-Great Stirrup Cay

 

We went to Cagney's for breakfast and to meet Karan for an escort off the ship. We were on the first tender over. I have to admit this was the only time I noticed people being truly rude. People actually ran and pushed to get to those chairs. We just went over to grab some t-shirts for my nephews and caught the first tender back. We came back took care of our on board account, filled out and turned in our STYLE cards, and just hung out in the courtyard. It was a great day. We had dinner in Summer Palace, I thought it was OK. To me the best dinner was Indigo the first night. I spent the rest of the night packing and handing out tips.

 

Saturday-Miami

 

I love their debarkation procedure. No sitting in a crowd waiting for your number to be called. We had breakfast delivered and then went to Bliss to meet Karan for the escort off the ship. SIMPLE.

 

 

In general we truly enjoyed our cruise. The ship was beautiful and supremely clean. The atrium was not like Carnival, it was more understated but nice. The food was good, some things better than others. Blue Lagoon's comfort food was my favorite. Bliss Ultra Lounge and Spinnaker's were absolutely well designed, I loved those two spaces. The courtyard was great and I am completely guilty of neglecting the rest of the ship to spend my free time there. I really liked the freestyle concept, even though it seemed like I never had time to see and do everything. That was because it was so much to see and do, if you are bored on that ship you aren't trying to enjoy yourself.

 

Well this turned out longer than I thought, I didn't think I had that much to say. Sorry about the randomness, I hope someone finds it useful. :)

[gottacruisemore]

A couple more photos

[sjnyc323]

Great review. We had the same suite due to an upsell on the Gem for the 13 night TA barcelona to NYC 11/29/09 to 12/12/09.

[islandgirlejfan]

Wonderful review! Are you spoiled for good now:p? It was really nice to meet you finally after all of the posts on the roll call. Your review made me think twice about trying some of the other restaurants on board the next time we cruise...I know we were really pleased with the Garden Cafe....turned out to be a big surprise to us, in a good way! We are trying to get our kids and my brother to come on a cruise with us and probably won't be doing a suite on that one so we will see if we can go back! We will miss going to Cagney's for breakie and lunch....otherwise, it will just be a savings of money.

 

I almost wish my hubby would have let me stay outside the night I fell asleep under the stars because I was dead to the world. He scared the crap out of me when he finally woke me up! I have to admit that the bed was soooo comfortable though. Best sleep I have had in a long time!

 

I do feel better that someone in a suite got a invite to the Chocoholic Buffet. I actually thought I was going nuts that I dreamed I had read that suite cruisers got an invite to the buffet. We certainly were invited to almost everything when it came to the art auction!:eek: I am curious if anyone that might have booked in the suites not in the category of the Courtyard got an invite. It's not so much it's a big deal, but I was just a little shocked given the wonderful service we had on the Sky that it seemed so different on the Pearl where certain things (invitations) were concerned. I wasn't aware that I needed to ask about the going's on, but I have learned from this onethat I shouldn't just assume I guess.

 

Anyway, great review and it was good to finally meet you!:)

[boaterette]

Thank you for the review. I enjoyed reading it.

[DMH15]

Thanks for the review with lots of good and detailed descriptions. Yep, it's easy to get hooked on the suite life.

[Partyatsea]

Toni no shout out to your fellow rollcallers or mention of our M&G? Was great to meet you and your mom (does she remember not remembering me at the atrium desk?), would love to cruise together again anytime (Epic same week next year?), Liz & Pat

[k4btzs]

Thanks for the review. I have over a year still to wait, and unfortunately no suite for me but I do have a coveted aft balcony! I love reading what others liked on board and what they chose to do in ports.

[gottacruisemore]

Wonderful review! Are you spoiled for good now:p? Your review made me think twice about trying some of the other restaurants on board the next time we cruise...I know we were really pleased with the Garden Cafe....turned out to be a big surprise to us, in a good way!

 

We took the upsell because you just never know if you will get the opportunity to experience that again. It was worth it, for us. I did feel kinda like we were "new money." Concierge and butlers, we were a little hesitant to ask for things. We were not use to the attention, but everyone was extremely nice. Hassan (room steward), Gary (butler), and Rizaldi (courtyard butler) really made our cruise the best.

 

 

Toni no shout out to your fellow rollcallers or mention of our M&G? Was great to meet you and your mom (does she remember not remembering me at the atrium desk?), would love to cruise together again anytime (Epic same week next year?), Liz & Pat

 

Like I said it was sort of random thoughts. I forgot to mention a lot. But it was great having the M&G. That's what I like about CC, you get this wealth of info from all different kinds of people. Then you actually get to meet some of them. It was nice meeting everyone and I find myself looking closely at threads to see if people "I listen to" have posted replies.

 

The Epic is too big for me. I would love to see it and roam around, the interior design looks amazing. But not travel on it, ya never know though, I may change my mind

[ddakrt]

Great review and I too really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us!

 

What did you think of the concierge and butler? We are extremely low maintenance and I don't think we would need their service much, if at all. It seems you were kind of the same.

Did you feel like a big part of the "suite life" was wasted because you didn't use the concierge or butler much?

[gottacruisemore]

\Did you feel like a big part of the "suite life" was wasted because you didn't use the concierge or butler much?

 

No, I didn't feel it was wasted. There were things that were provided that I didn't even think to ask for, like pool towels, they were in our room ready for the next excursion. One morning I was on the way to the pool to grab some and the room steward and butler were in the hall, when they found out where I was going they quickly rectified the situation. They were very attentive to your needs, even without asking.

[pmcue]

You said the balcony only has one chair and a lounger. Can you let me know (or do you have a pic) how big the balcony is. We are cruising in March A3 with 6 in the room and that concerns me. Thx.

[gottacruisemore]

You said the balcony only has one chair and a lounger. Can you let me know (or do you have a pic) how big the balcony is. We are cruising in March A3 with 6 in the room and that concerns me. Thx.

 

The photos are at work so I can't send any, but 6 people at the same time will only work if you take the chair and chaise in the room and all STAND on the balcony. The chaise is setup on an angle with the chair next to it and the table in the middle, nothing else will fit out there. That being said you have the courtyard to hang out and the upstairs sundeck, which has two hammocks, two daybeds, and a bunch of chairs and chaises.

[Queen_Of_Natick]

Great review and it sounds like you and mom had a blast!

 

 

-Q

[sunshine nana]

Were you glad you bought the specialty dining card?

[cruiseat50]

Thank you for the review it just makes me want time to fly faster as we will be in a CV in less than 3 weeks! The other side of me is thinking are you crazy you have so much to do and you're never gonna get it all done before you go! I still have to figure out excursions and post cruise hotel.

 

We then went and got our spa passes. As we passed the pool area we noticed many tables were set up with info about various things you could sign up for. We purchased a "Ticket to Dine" package I'm so glad they started this as these are 3 that we are going to try - do you remember the price? Did they also have one that included Teppanyaki's? I would forgo LeBistro for Teppanyaki myself. Truthfully I could do without LeBistro but sis wants to go. there. (Cagney's, Le Bistro, and La Cucina), the Jazz Brunch (Le Bistro), and I signed up for the Blackjack Tournament. I am going to try to get DH to do this with me but may do it myself if he doesn't. we budgeted in the spa pass and never really thought about it again. In retrospect with the courtyard access we didn't need the spa pass. Also on one of the port days they had a special that I wanted to get, but didn't have time for. They booked for the next sea day for the same price. I keep going back and forth if I think it would be worth it for the spa pass. I really do LOVE those heated stone beds though.

 

After dinner I wandered around the ship for a bit and then headed back to the room. I decided to sleep on the sofa bed so that I could have a view and my mom could have the bed. Did you sleep on the sofa bed at all? My mom and sis are going with us and we have the master bed, sis is taking the bed in the other room and mom wants the sofa bed as she felt a little claustrophobic in the spare room. How was the bed - did you ask the steward for the egg crate bed toppers? Just want to make sure it will be comfortable for her. Speaking of the bed, it looked so inviting that I had to try it out. WARNING, if you have any evening plans DO NOT go near the bed. I just wanted to see if it was as comfortable as it looked when all of a sudden it was 2 hrs. later!

Sunday-At Sea

 

After waking up completely disoriented we headed down to breakfast at Cagney's. After hearing hat this was one of the best perks I was glad we booked a suite. This is the only thing I would hate to give up if we couldn't get a suite. It's nice to have conc/butler but wouldn't be a major disappointment for me.

 

Here is something that always amazes me. I am a light skinned black woman born and raised in Chicago, but whenever I travel people seem to think I am hispanic and speak to me in Spanish. It happened here, I was asking for two beach towels (in English) and the girl looked at me and said, "You don't speak Spanish?" When I said no, she just shook her head and sorta rolled her eyes. She didn't have a problem with the people in front of me not speaking Spanish. These things would be funny if I did not get the disgusted looks, like I had betrayed my heritage. I'm sorry you had this experience it must be uncomfortable. Funny thing is I have seen your posts and always thought that you were Japanese because of your avatar.

 

We had a letter in our room to meet for a sneak peek of the Chocolate Buffet. We went in early to get some photos and I have to say, I am a chocoholic, but for some reason I wasn't really interested. I've noticed that the chocolate at those types of things aren't really that tasty. Some of the people were really making total pigs and a$$es of themselves which just made me want to get out of there. From one chocoholic to another I was also disappointed. I tried a couple of bites of things but didn't really find any that was that great. I did like the mousse. This time I may not even go unless mom and sis really insist.

 

Glad you had a great time and thanks for the review.

[coka]

Hi Gottacruisemore, I am glad you and your mom had a great time! I enjoyed reading your review as it gave me ideas for my next trip. Hmmm, crab legs...never had the crab legs yet on the Pearl. I LOL regarding sleeping on the balcony. After reading other reviews I suppose I should clarify it only works well in cabin #9500. That balcony was huge.

 

I do have a question regarding the sun deck above the courtyard villa. I think that is the only spot I have never seen. Can you go up there at night to watch the stars? Or, is too bright from the ship's lighting? Is it protected from the wind? Do they leave the hammocks and chaise loungers up there or do they take it all down in the evening?

 

Regarding the chocolate, I am with you. I did not attend the chocoholic buffet after trying some of the other chocolate desserts. When I went on the behind the scenes tour I was standing in a storage room right next to boxes and boxes of chocolate. I checked out the ingredients and the first one was cocoa paste. I would have preferred to see just cocoa and I am not sure if cocoa paste is what has made a difference. Even so, I wrote in email review suggestion (If you were president, what would you do...) that I would rethink my chocolate distributor. Even so, I have read reviews where others like the chocolate. I suppose it is just like the food...all subjective!

 

coka

[gottacruisemore]

Were you glad you bought the specialty dining card?

 

it was a great bargain, although it felt like we were constantly going to dinner. That's not a complaint. We didn't get to try the buffet or the asian fusion, which always smelled wonderful when we walked by. If you plan on going to specialty restaurants you might want to consider it.

[gottacruisemore]

Teppanyaki is not included in any of the ticket to dine packages. I think the price was 3 for $40 and there were packages that offer more venues.

 

I slept on the sofa bed almost every night. It's a single and it was a little high off the floor. I didn't get the egg crate and it was OK, that might make it more comfortable. There is also a pull down bunk in the other room.

 

I laughed out loud when I read the japanese comment. That is freaking hilarious. My avatar is the character for destiny, it's a tatoo I have and a concept that I like.

 

Hope your trip is wonderful.

[gottacruisemore]

Hi Gottacruisemore, I am glad you and your mom had a great time! I enjoyed reading your review as it gave me ideas for my next trip. Hmmm, crab legs...never had the crab legs yet on the Pearl. I LOL regarding sleeping on the balcony. After reading other reviews I suppose I should clarify it only works well in cabin #9500. That balcony was huge.

 

I do have a question regarding the sun deck above the courtyard villa. I think that is the only spot I have never seen. Can you go up there at night to watch the stars? Or, is too bright from the ship's lighting? Is it protected from the wind? Do they leave the hammocks and chaise loungers up there or do they take it all down in the evening?

 

the A3 balcony is fine for 1 person to sleep on and the stars were amazing. I did go up on the sun deck to try chilling on a hammock in the middle of the night and the nets were gone. They had put up all the furniture. I can't remember about the light I think it was OK. It is not protected from the wind though.

[Texrails]

gottacruisemore,

 

Are any beverages included with the A3(water, soda, alcohol)?

 

Thanks,

 

Texrails

[gottacruisemore]

gottacruisemore,

 

Are any beverages included with the A3(water, soda, alcohol)?

 

Thanks,

 

Texrails

 

yes, we received one bottle of water and a bottle of champagne

[drenn]

Just read your review and appreciate the details. I'll be cruising the Pearl in Feb.2010 and was looking for some info from a previous passenger. I really enjoyed yours !

Thanks,

Donna

 

Here are some of my observations from our recent cruise.

 

Saturday-Embarkation

 

Due to a hotel with an early check out, we arrived at the pier around 10 a.m. We briefly considered going to Bayside to hang out for awhile, but since there were a few people in line already decided to stay and wait. Amazingly after 5 min. they passed around the health questionnaire and before I could fill it out the line started to move. Next thing ya know we were in the VIP check in area getting our keys, it took all of 15–20 mins. After about 20 minutes Karan came in and introduced himself to everyone individually, soon after he announced we would be boarding. We were escorted onto the ship, given a glass of champagne, and there stood a line of people waiting to escort us to our various rooms. Let me take a minute to say this trip was a long overdue vacation for my mom and I and it was our first NCL cruise and my first suite, so of course i had scoured CC for any and all info on what to expect. I heard of about the infamous upsell fairy and wondered what I would do if I got a call. Well of course the upsell fairy called and at first I turned her down. We had an AD and I was looking forward to my first stern balcony and I didn't want to give it up. But after talking to my mom we decided the A3, with an extra bed and courtyard access was hard to pass up. As we walked into the Jasmine Courtyard Suite I was glad I was able to call back and get the upsell. However, I wondered if I had just ruined any chance of cruising non-suite ever again. While we took in the suite Gary (butler) and Hassan (room steward) introduced themselves and suggested we leave our things and head to Cagney's for some lunch. At Cagney's I had the sliders (good) and mom had the grouper, which she loved. We then went and got our spa passes. As we passed the pool area we noticed many tables were set up with info about various things you could sign up for. We purchased a "Ticket to Dine" package (Cagney's, Le Bistro, and La Cucina), the Jazz Brunch (Le Bistro), and I signed up for the Blackjack Tournament. I wanted to do the Murder Mystery Dinner but there was a timing conflict with the tournament. Back in our room Hassan noticed our bags had not arrived. After we explained about the upsell, he went down to our original room and retrieved our bags. After some quick unpacking we went down to the spa. They had some embarkation specials so we opted for the massage (50 min) and facial (50 min) combo. Some general spa notes, in planning this trip (before upsell) we budgeted in the spa pass and never really thought about it again. In retrospect with the courtyard access we didn't need the spa pass. Also on one of the port days they had a special that I wanted to get, but didn't have time for. They booked for the next sea day for the same price. So always ask, the worst they can do is say no. I am sort of a spa junkie, i love everything about going to a spa. I found the massages to be

wonderful, however, the facials were a bit lacking, IMO. Nothing to complain about just not to my liking, I would definitely go back and try other treatments. Especially the Rasul, it sounded fantastic. That night we had dinner in Indigo, it was delicious. I can't remember what my mom had, I think Salmon, I do know she cleaned her plate. I had the jerk chicken with a side of tortellini and a souffle for dessert. After dinner I wandered around the ship for a bit and then headed back to the room. I decided to sleep on the sofa bed so that I could have a view and my mom could have the bed. Speaking of the bed, it looked so inviting that I had to try it out. WARNING, if you have any evening plans DO NOT go near the bed. I just wanted to see if it was as comfortable as it looked when all of a sudden it was 2 hrs. later! Finding inspiration from Coka, I decided to sleep out on the balcony. The A3 balcony has 1 chaise, 1 chair, and a table. I was able to angle the chaise to lie it flat and use it as a bed along with one of the ginormous bath towels as a blanket. I even had Van Morrison's Moondance on my iPod, oddly I never noticed the moon throughout the trip. I would love to regale you with stories of the stars, but in truth, I was comatose in under 5 mins.

 

Sunday-At Sea

 

After waking up completely disoriented we headed down to breakfast at Cagney's. After hearing hat this was one of the best perks I was glad we booked a suite. For breakfast, I am happy as long as I have cereal and juice. A croissant is a huge bonus. This was for my mom, she loves ordering breakfast and by the end of the trip she had eaten everything on the menu. Today was a lazy day of just hanging around the spa and

courtyard. Also today started my serious obsession with Blue Lagoon's buffalo wings. They are not exactly what I am familiar with, but dang they were tasty. Today was also the first day of the blackjack tournament. As I waited for my seating I quickly realized I was the only female, it made me a little nervous, like I was a kid at the adult table. For those interested here is how it works. You pay $15 to enter, when you check-in you pick your seat number (seat 5 for me) and you get a color coded group assignment. You receive $2,000 in chips and then get to play 7 hands and whoever has the most money at the end moves on to the finals. The winner gets $500. Well, it turned out I lost in my grouping (by $100), but hey, now I am free the evening of the MM dinner. It was a lot of fun though, where else can you play 7 hands of blackjack for $15? This was one of the lobster nights and we decided to order dinner in. My mom liked it, they forgot to deliver the drawn butter so I thought it was ok. I am not afraid to admit I like butter with some lobster in it.

 

Monday-Samana

 

We decided to do the Bahia Prinicpe excursion on Cayo Levantado. I heard this is no longer available so I am hesitant to go into details. We met in the theater and you were sent down to the tender according to excursions, the ride over was quick. It was a hot and wonderful day. The property was beautiful and the people nice. Here is something that always amazes me. I am a light skinned black woman born and raised in Chicago, but whenever I travel people seem to think I am hispanic and speak to me in Spanish. It happened here, I was asking for two beach towels (in English) and the girl looked at me and said, "You don't speak Spanish?" When I said no, she just shook her head and sorta rolled her eyes. She didn't have a problem with the people in front of me not speaking Spanish. These things would be funny if I did not get the disgusted looks, like I had betrayed my heritage. That night we ate at Cagney's and my mom decided to try the prime rib. Now my mom doesn't usually eat steak, but she decided to try it. She then proceeded to order it well done. Both I and our waiter convinced her to try it medium, well when it came she couldn't get over the pink. The fuss they made to make sure she was happy was almost embarassing. She had eaten an appetizer and lots of sides, so she was fine, but they really wanted to make sure she was satisfied with the meal. I would have eaten it just so they knew it wasn't their fault, but I was having a hard enough time with my own meal. I had the filet, which was good, but IMO beef needs fire to be excellent. The problem I had was I ordered the Alaskan Crab Legs ($10 extra) thinking it would be a small side. It was alot, they did split them in half, which I appreciated since it was easier to get to the meat and it had a garlic parmesan type crust, kinda like what comes with escargot. It was delicious and filling. A couple thoughts on extra fees: I have scoured these boards for info on everything I thought I may want on this cruise, so I had a very clear understanding of what to expect. The only unknown for me was if I would get spa treatments and how many. So I actually budgeted as if I would go to 4 specialty restaurants with an additional charge in 2. The ticket to dine package was actually a great suprise for us. I never personally felt nickled and dimed, I knew what I would and would not purchase so it was never an issue for me.

 

 

Tuesday-St. Thomas

 

I got up a little early to watch us pull in and was rewarded with a view of Oasis of the Seas pulling into it's harbor. After a leisurely breakfast we walked off the ship to meet for our excursion. Because of the Oasis of the Seas being in port the same day we chose to do the St. John Beach Escape. I thought of doing the trip on my own, but in the end I decided to go with NCL. We met on the pier and boarded a ferry to ST. John, it was a wet and kinda lengthy trip. Once at Cruz Bay we boarded safari buses to the beach. OK, so this was my first time on those buses and it was terrifying. I was the last one on so my foot was sorta dangling over the stairs and it felt like I was going to slide off the seat and drop off the side of the cliff. The distance from sand to surf is kinda short, however, the sand was very soft and the water was absolutely beautiful. You can snorkel an underwater trail or just enjoy the beach. There is a small snack stand, chair rentals, and showers. You only get about 90 min. at the beach, which was perfect for me, but may not be ideal for everyone. You get a 20 min. warning, which gives you time for a quick shower before getting back on the bus. We got back in time to do some shopping before heading back onto the boat. We ate at Le Bistro for dinner, it was decent. NOTE: They sold snacks on the ferry and they were cheaper than on the beach, however, they don't stay cold, but its something to consider for those on a budget. Do any jewelry or souvenir shopping you need here. Tortola didn't seem to have much to offer (nothing really as far as jewelry) and Great Stirrup Cay just has a small market with shirts, hats, and cover ups. There seemed to be a ban on bringing straw products onto the ship, so definitely check on your sailing before purchasing. Lastly, this was the place to make phone calls. I have T-Mobile and regular charges applied because we were in a US territory.

 

Wednesday-Tortola

 

We had nothing planned for this port so we got off the ship around noon. We headed over to the taxi stand where they were loading up the dreaded safari buses for island tours. For $20 per person we were given atour of the ENTIRE island. It was around 3 hours total and we literally drove around the whole island. We stopped at some small restaurant for a bathroom break and you paid a buck to use the restroom, if you made a purchase the fee was waived. Some people complained, but I mean it has to be something in it for the owner or why bother. We also stopped at Pussers Landing, where you could get a painkiller and a beach. It was an excellent tour, but at that price is was a steal. Today was the murder mystery dinner at Indigo. I guess it use to be free, but now costs $20 for an improved menu. First let me say IMO the food was way to frou frou for me. I got the roasted veggie napolean, it came in some kind of aspic (gelatinous goo). I basically ate bread, the dessert was excellent. The murder mystery was not what I thought, you are divided into tables of six and given a script. You have to figure out which person at your table is the killer. Afterwards I had some Blue Lagoon wings, mozarella sticks, and some Molten cake from Cagney's sent to my room.

 

Thursday-At Sea

 

A lovely lazy day at sea. We did the Jazz Brunch at Le Bistro and it was very good, I had the best omelet ever. Hung out in the spa and courtyard, ate a bunch of buffalo wings, and finally opened the book I brought with me. Did La Cucina for dinner, my mom had the lobster ravioli and I had the steak. The food was great. We had a letter in our room to meet for a sneak peek of the Chocolate Buffet. We went in early to get some photos and I have to say, I am a chocoholic, but for some reason I wasn't really interested. I've noticed that the chocolate at those types of things aren't really that tasty. Some of the people were really making total pigs and a$$es of themselves which just made me want to get out of there.

 

Friday-Great Stirrup Cay

 

We went to Cagney's for breakfast and to meet Karan for an escort off the ship. We were on the first tender over. I have to admit this was the only time I noticed people being truly rude. People actually ran and pushed to get to those chairs. We just went over to grab some t-shirts for my nephews and caught the first tender back. We came back took care of our on board account, filled out and turned in our STYLE cards, and just hung out in the courtyard. It was a great day. We had dinner in Summer Palace, I thought it was OK. To me the best dinner was Indigo the first night. I spent the rest of the night packing and handing out tips.

 

Saturday-Miami

 

I love their debarkation procedure. No sitting in a crowd waiting for your number to be called. We had breakfast delivered and then went to Bliss to meet Karan for the escort off the ship. SIMPLE.

 

 

In general we truly enjoyed our cruise. The ship was beautiful and supremely clean. The atrium was not like Carnival, it was more understated but nice. The food was good, some things better than others. Blue Lagoon's comfort food was my favorite. Bliss Ultra Lounge and Spinnaker's were absolutely well designed, I loved those two spaces. The courtyard was great and I am completely guilty of neglecting the rest of the ship to spend my free time there. I really liked the freestyle concept, even though it seemed like I never had time to see and do everything. That was because it was so much to see and do, if you are bored on that ship you aren't trying to enjoy yourself.

 

Well this turned out longer than I thought, I didn't think I had that much to say. Sorry about the randomness, I hope someone finds it useful. :)