Getaway Review Dec 27 - Jan 3rd. Our 1st cruise!

[3CanadianBears]

A bit about us - parents with one 18 year old. We have traveled many times to all-inclusive resorts, and to Europe; this was our first cruise. I read a lot on CC before we took our cruise; hopefully some of this review helps another traveler.

 

Boarding & First Day Dec 27

As with a few things on this cruise, some things happened as much by luck as good planning :). We had flown in to FLL on the 26th, so basically just had a quick breakfast and took Uber to the port. We arrived close to 10:00am - no lines; no waiting - just walked up, had our photos taken, got our room cards and moved on to the waiting area. Oh, and we were given a Boarding Group 1 card. Hmm.... as we sat waiting, and people started arriving we decided - hey; if we can get Vibe passes, lets try.

 

Boarding started about 12:30. Having read on CC where Guest Services was, we took the elevator down one level (OK, newbie mistake maybe) then fast-walked to Guest Services. There was a line, but it was being managed by a crew member, separating those who wanted Vibe passes and "others". At one point, they said how many passes were left, and started asking people how many they wanted to avoid people waiting in line. We lucked out - got 3 of the last 5 passes. Must say, a person in front of us bought 16 passes. This may not happen often, so likely a few less in line than usual got passes for the week.

 

Passes in hand, we walked around deck 6, looked into all the dining rooms, what a lovely first impression.

 

Lunch at O'Sheehans - had the place almost to ourselves - where was everyone??? Good food and service. Then up to VIBE to check it out - met Courtenay, the main bartender who served us all week. Had a few drinks, looked in at Spice, then enjoyed sail away on deck 15.

 

Rooms were ready about 3:00pm, we dropped off our carry ons and met our steward. OK - he was amazing all week - more on him later. Amazed at the space in the room. Lots of hangers, tons of storage in the bathroom, shelves in the closet, and drawers under the sofa bed. Enough room for the three of us, though we do pack light. btw - were were on deck 10, forward, with a balcony.

 

First night we ate again at O'Sheehans as they had prime rib and it appealed to us. We found the beef to be very tender, and the meal overall yummy. Service was prompt and friendly. Walked around the ship and sampled drinks at a few bars. Off to bed relatively early.

[3CanadianBears]

Monday, Day 2:

 

Woke to hear the anchor dropping at about 6:30am. We had arrived at the Bahamas - private island. Breakfast in the Garden Cafe. Yes, it was very busy, but tons of options and we easily found a table. Nice to have cloth napkins and cutlery at the table. Between us we had a bagel with smoked salmon, french toast, bacon, eggs. All tasted good. Back to the room to change to beach wear, headed for the tenders at 10am. What did we know? We were just ready and decided to go. LOL Turned out to be a good time, we got right on a tender for a short, but quite rocky ride to the island. Turns out there were not a lot of people on the island yet, and we snagged 3 beach chairs in the shade. (again more luck than good planning).

 

We enjoyed the beach and the warm water for swimming. Lunch was a BBQ with burgers, hot dogs and chicken, along with some salads, and burger condiments. Basic and good. The lines for the bars where quite long - certainly more bars are needed.

We had the UBP. But.... we were waiting in line with our feet in the sand, and our bathing suits on. How bad can that be???

 

Swim with the Stingrays excursion @ 2pm was fun. Low-key, but an experience for sure. By the time we were back, there was a huge line for the tenders, but it was organized, and moved quickly. Again, we were in our bathing suits, in the sand and sun. We were on holidays, not in a rush at all. The tender back was again quite rocky.

 

Back to our room for showers, then a few drinks and then dinner at Savor. Starters were salmon, fried brie and french onion soup. Mains 2strip loin steak and 1 pasta. Great service, friendly and attentive. We each enjoyed the food.

 

Reservations for comedy @ 9pm; a good, entertaining show. Drinks after the show topped off the day.

[3CanadianBears]

Day 3 - 7 and general observations:

 

I stopped writing a diary - we were so relaxed it was wonderful. Here are some general thoughts:

 

ViBE: Worth it for us. We are laid back people, and enjoyed the quiet in VIBE. never crowded, 2 hot tubs, good views and an awesome bartender. Perfect for us. Umbrellas, tables by the loungers, a bar. We spend a fair amount of time at VIBE.

 

FOOD: We only ate in the included restaurants. We found the food to be good overall. Some things we liked better than others, of course. Service was good. Take the time to talk to the servers. They are amazing people working hard, and if they have time, are happy to talk about their home, their family and their work. Wine service as slow at times, but hey, we always had wine so how can you complain? With the UBP, we found plenty of selections by the glass in the MDR. We ate in all of the MDR's - only once in Tropicana as we found it louder and less personal.

 

We had breakfast a few times in the MDR or at O'Sheehans. Had a few snacks at O'Sheehans at various times of day and evening. Yes, sometimes in the bar area you had to find someone to bring take your food order, but that was not often.

 

Tried one time to get in to the noodle house, but there was a 60 min wait, and that evening we were hungry so we just went to another MDR.

 

BARS/UBP: You can't beat the service in VIBE. Courtenay is a lovely bartender to talk to, and mixes and pours whatever you would like. No waiting ever! We also enjoyed the mojito bar. I think we tried almost each bar on the ship. Good service everywhere. Take time to talk to the server/bartender. They work very hard. The range of mixed drinks, special coffees available and the top shelf liquor surprised us. (in a good way).

 

SHOWS: We saw two comedy shows which we really enjoyed, and Burn the Floor. Wasn't crazy about BTFloor, but it was entertaining, just not a fave for us. Caught a number of shows in the Atrium. There is always something going on....

 

ROOM & STEWARD: Room 10140 Balcony. I can't say enough about our room steward. He knew our names from day one. His name was Awayan (well, that's what his nametag said and his name on our TV) He was always around - smiling, asking about our day, saying "welcome back" or "have a good evening". We tipped him daily and generously. He deserved it. One person who has a lot of impact on your trip, in my opinion. The sofa bed was converted each day to a couch, then made up again each evening. Super clean room, our few small requests met done quickly and with a smile. We took time to write up a "holiday hero" card for him.

 

The room had lots of room for 3 adults. OK, at times we had to move around each other, but overall LOTS of storage. The bathroom has more storage, and is a reasonable size. Loved the shower area. The balcony was lovely for sitting out while others got ready, or for reading.

Edited January 21, 2016 by 3CanadianBears

[cmdchiefthom]

Great start...waiting for more please:)

[3CanadianBears]

A few more thoughts:

 

Total bonus - the weather was perfect! Sun, warm each day. If you have good weather on a Caribbean vacation in Dec/Jan - the rest is bonus.

 

Overall, we found the cruise to be good value. The food and drinks and service superior to all - inclusives we have been to. So many choices on the menus (both food and drink, LOL)

 

All the excursions we did were booked through NCL. Being newbies, we did not want to take any chances and this worked out well for us.

 

After the first day or so, we found the ship easy to navigate. We played mini-golf, sat on the waterfront and played scrabble while we had some beverages and watched the world go by. I think we visited most, if not all areas of the ship at some point during the week. The ship was full but never seemed crowded. Well, except by the pool. That was a really, really cramped area. Now, remember we had VIBE passes so never had to worry about a lounger, seat, umbrella or fresh beach towel. I do think that if you are planning on a pool vacation, this is not the ship for you.

 

We totally enjoyed our week, and would sail NCL again. Any questions, please ask. Hope this helps someone with their planning and dreaming :)

[QuattroRomeo]

If you stopped writing a diary, that means that your cruise was relaxing, warm and fun!..a perfect vacation! Does this mean you are now hooked on cruising??:p

[3CanadianBears]

Absolutely hooked . No more all - inclusives for us!!!

[NLH Arizona]

Thanks for your review. Glad you had a great time.

[niclan6]

Great review and so glad you enjoyed your first cruise. Sounds like it won't be your last.

[Cruise-mom]

Sounds like you had a great cruise, thanks for sharing.

[jamkam97]

 

ROOM & STEWARD: Room 10140 Balcony. I can't say enough about our room steward. He knew our names from day one. His name was Awayan (well, that's what his nametag said and his name on our TV)

 

Loved the review, thanks!!!

Curious if you know the rooms he covered? We are sailing in just over a week and are at the other end of the hall - wondered if we'd be so lucky to already know something about our steward. :)

[3CanadianBears]

jamkam - can't say for sure, but if you mean you are aft of where we were, I think he only had about 8 or so rooms in that direction from ours. It was hard to tell, as we saw other stewards in the hallway sometimes on our way to the stairs/elevator. Maybe you will be lucky, and they will have moved the stewards around a bit :). Enjoy your cruise!

[reno3]

We lucked out - got 3 of the last 5 passes. Must say, a person in front of us bought 16 passes. This may not happen often, so likely a few less in line than usual got passes for the week.

 

We were on the Breakaway in May and got Vibe passes. In order to get the passes each person had to be in line. Were all 16 people in line??

Edited January 22, 2016 by reno3

[3CanadianBears]

Hi Reno3. Only one(maybe 2) of the group purchased for the entire group. As soon as the staff realized this had happened, they started to count out remaining passes, and ask people in line how many passes they wanted, so people were not waiting in vain. We arrived at the counter just as this process was beginning.

 

Funny thing that almost as soon as we got to the line, they announced that no more cabanas were available. Yet, all week we saw only 2 of them used. I guess people bought them then changed their minds.

 

After going back and forth prior to the cruise about the cost of VIBE, we were glad we decided to purchase them.

Edited January 22, 2016 by 3CanadianBears

[Leaper]

What is a VIBE pass?

[Turtleswimmer]

Great to hear you had a great time. I can't seem to find out the cost of the Vibe pass. How much was it for your cruise?

[3CanadianBears]

A VIBE pass gives you access to an area where there are loungers, umbrellas, bar, washrooms, shower, two hot tubs. Only a certain number of passes are sold for each voyage; meaning you have a quiet area to enjoy throughout the cruise. Acess is by VIBE pass/card only. Cost? in our opinion, priceless. LOL In reality, I think approx USD $80.

per person, per week.

[Keith1010]

Very nice review.

Keith

[lisakoivu]

 

Must say, a person in front of us bought 16 passes. This may not happen often, so likely a few less in line than usual got passes for the week.

 

 

This happened on my cruise last Christmas. I've heard a few incidents ancedotally on CC. I'm thinking it might happen more often than we think....