Norwegian Getaway -- Amazing 3 Generation Spring Break Vacation

[kathiewe]

Got back Sunday from the March 12-19 sailing on the Norwegian Getaway and wanted to share our trip report of a FANTASTIC vacation! We loved her so much that we decided to change from the Dawn to the Getaway for Spring Break '18. Trying to catch up on work projects, home duties, and grad school assignments, so please be patient as I work on this in my (nonexistent) spare time.

About us – We were a 3 generation group with a 9 year old, aunt and uncle in their 30s, mom and dad in their 40s, and grandmas in their 60s. Half of us are from Venice, FL and the other half hailed from Chicago, IL. We all had the beverage package and 3 upgraded dining package. (Note: DH and I added a 4 upgraded dining package so we ate at specialty restaurants for dinner all week.) We had allcruised before, with most of them being experienced cruisers on many different lines and us having only been on the Sky. We spent much of our days together and then did different activities inthe evenings. In the end, we all had a great vacation and had nothing but praise for the Getaway and her crew!

 

Here are my guys...

 

Here is most of our crew...

Our cabin – We booked a B1, aft balcony,9320 and absolutely loved this cabin. The cabin size is plenty big for 3 people with ample space in the bathroom, main cabin area, and storage as well as a well sized queen bed—though my tall hubby’s feet hung off the bed. The star of this room though is the balcony, which is so spacious that we could really relax out there while watching the seas and the sky in complete quiet. We did not experience problems with soot or noise from above or below. Yes, you could feel the engines but it wasn’t a bother—in fact DH liked it because it rocked him to bed. We had family next to us in 9318 and that room was equally great with a similar sized balcony. Both of these two cabins place the bed by the balcony, which was nice because it gave use more room when you first open the door. We liked both of these rooms so much that we booked the exact cabins for us and my in-laws next year.

 

Here are some room pics of our room 9320:

 

 

Edited March 22, 2017 by kathiewe

[kathiewe]

Traveling In—The 4 of us from Venice drove over to Ft Lauderdale on Saturday and picked up our family from Chicago at FLL. We used the cell phone lot, which was easy. After picking them up we head to downtown FLL and ate at Trata Greek Traverna, which was very good. After lunch, we made our way to the Sheraton Cypress Creek, which was reasonably priced, all suites, well located off I-95, and included a great buffet breakfast. While I would rather be downtown or on the beach, there is no question we will look to stay here again in the future on the night before a cruise. That we night we ate one of our favorite South Florida restaurants, Mai Kai. Its great fun and a perfect way to start a vacation. The show is very entertaining, the food is flavorful, and ambiance uniquely Old Florida. Really is a perfect way to kick off a cruise vacation.

 

Some pics from the Sheraton Cypress Creek and Mai Kai…

 

 

 

Embarkation—We had a leisurely start to Sunday, ate a mid-morning breakfast, and got to the port around 11:30. By the time we got there,the rush had gone through so we only had a short wait in the terminal before being called to board the Getaway within a half hour of our arrival. Great start.

 

My guys embarking…

 

[kathiewe]

First Impression on the Getaway, Great Service— After embarking, we head to Deck 15 where we were happily greeted by I Made, a server from the Wave. Being welcomed by I Made as soon as we arrived on the ship gave us the feeling this would be a great vacation and we would have great service. First impressions are important and are usually right. This first impression was perfect. I Made was one of our Vacation Hero’s. After that first meeting, he quickly learned everyone’s drink of choice (Long Islands for DH, Shirley Temples for DS, and Moscatos for me) and made sure to have the ready for us as soon as we came to the pool deck. Not only was he a great server, he was quite honest as he refused a tip because DH had given one before me, which he thought I didn't know about. While I didn't know about my DH's tip, I have never had anyone refuse a tip before—made sure to thank him for his service and honesty later. He kept asking when we would come back to visit him on a future cruise, at the beginning of the trip we said we had no plans but by the end we said next March. Loved Him!

 

I Made and me …

 

Leaving Miami—Once our rooms were called and we completed the mandatory muster drill, we went to our room to watch our departure from our favorite spot, the aft balcony. This view is the reason we spend the money for this balcony. It is our favorite place on ship! We love it when we get to turn around in the heart of Miami and this trip we got to do it both leaving and coming. Getaway was first to leave a packed port, in leaving we passed other ships doing their muster drills and Miami Beach filled with lots of college kids. Then it was nothing but NCL Getaway and the blue waters of the Caribbean.

 

Good bye Miami….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2017 by kathiewe

[agrimm01]

Love your review but I do have a question. Do you always tip the bartenders even though your are already paying 18% gratuity for your beverage package?

Andy

[brookie848]

Love your review but I do have a question. Do you always tip the bartenders even though your are already paying 18% gratuity for your beverage package?

Andy

 

I'm not the original poster, but I always tip the bartenders/server at least $1/drink. They appreciate it and it is worth it to me. If you end up going to the same bar over the course of your trip, the people will often really will take care of you and remember you and your drinks.

[agrimm01]

I'm not the original poster, but I always tip the bartenders/server at least $1/drink. They appreciate it and it is worth it to me. If you end up going to the same bar over the course of your trip, the people will often really will take care of you and remember you and your drinks.

 

Thanks,

That's what I thought. It seems like $1.80 on a $10 drink should be enough of a tip. I probably won't pay a 28% gratuity. I would feel differently about it if I hadn't already paid for the gratuities on the beverage package.

[kathiewe]

agrimm01 Love your review but I do have a question. Do you always tip the bartenders even though your are already paying 18% gratuity for your beverage package? Andy

I'm not the original poster, but I always tip the bartenders/server at least $1/drink. They appreciate it and it is worth it to me. If you end up going to the same bar over the course of your trip, the people will often really will take care of you and remember you and your drinks.

 

Did we always tip the server? Generally, yes. While I haven't yet discussed our specialty meals, we tipped a minimum of $10 for each server in the specialty restaurants--more for especially good service. We also tipped I Made and other bar servers/tenders who went above and beyond serving/making a simple drink.

 

While you are right that is a lot for a $10-$12 dink, we do it for 3 reasons: 1) DH is in food service management and he knows that servers work hard for their money and believes they deserve to be appreciated; 2) like Brookie, we have found a little bit extra goes a long way in helping them feel appreciated and making them want to work even harder for us; and 3) we don't trust that all 18% is going to them and we want to make sure they are compensated for giving us the service that makes our vacation amazing.

 

We brought about $150 in ones, fives, and tens and used it as we saw fit for servers, taxi drivers, room stewards, tour hosts, and others. A little bit of extra tip money is not going to kill our vacation budget but it certainly helps the staff know that we understand they are the reason we have had a great experience.

Edited March 23, 2017 by kathiewe

[Dart17]

First impression of your review? Awesome!! We will be on the Getaway in December!

[kathiewe]

First impression of your review? Awesome!! We will be on the Getaway in December!

 

Thanks for your feedback! Took a quick moment during lunch to check in. Will be working on more this evening. Hope to do reviews of the day time meals, ship activities, and specialty restaurants tonight.

[ilovetotravel1977]

Love your review but I do have a question. Do you always tip the bartenders even though your are already paying 18% gratuity for your beverage package?

Andy

 

If they are bringing the drinks to us, we tip $1.00 for two drinks. If we are going to the bar to get them, we don't tip extra.

[kathiewe]

Dining – DH and I are foodies who think the perfect evening is a nice dinner, great conversation, and not having to fight with our supper picky 9-year-old to eat his chicken nuggets and fries. As mentioned earlier, for dinner we had the 7-night Specialty Dining Package. On most days, we started our day with breakfast at the Garden Café—with the exception of one day when we brought the buffet to our balcony and another when we had breakfast at Savor. We ate lunch inport on three days; the lunches on board were eaten from O’Sheenan’s, Savor,and the Garden Café. We also enjoyed sushi from Wasabi and my boys enjoyed late night snacks from the Garden Café.

 

Here are our thoughts about the free dining options we experienced during our cruise –

 

Garden Cafe – It’s a buffet,not 5-star dining. The ambiance is bright and airy with great view. The staff at breakfast is cheerful and friendly. The food selection has lots of options that are designed to meet lots of different tastes in a quick service dining line. Breakfast at the Garden Café has mix of your standard waffles and pancakes, sausages, breakfast potatoes, omelets and eggs benedict, cereal, and fruits. In addition to the standard items, there is a nice mix of cheese and meats. Since we were eating with 7 of us, the buffet really seemed to satisfy all of us. My personal favorites were NCL’s waffles,it has a really good flavor and crisps up nicely. I like to eat a healthy diet, so serve my waffle with fresh fruit—not syrup or butter—so the flavor of the waffle really shines. I also liked the eggs benedict, particularly the version with guacamole and topped with siracha, which DH didn’t like at all. DS is one of the pickiest eaters, however he loves breakfast and was spoiled by the Garden Café. Lunch and dinner have a variety of pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, Indian foods, soups, desserts, and at dinner there were different carving meals. It also had an endless supply of hard and soft ice cream. It was fine for lunch by the pool and it was also fine for DS’s dinner before Splash Academy but it wasn’t anything special. As I said, it’s a buffet and for a buffet it was more than satisfactory. One note: Breakfast can be packed first think in the morning. It was oneof the few places you felt that there were 4000 other people enjoying their vacation too. We found that if we arrived just a bit late, say 9ish, we had less of a crowd and much better breakfast dining experience.

 

 

 

 

 

Savor – We enjoyed Savor once for breakfast and once for lunch. The ambiance is quiet and subdued, even peaceful. Breakfast and lunch were good with plenty of food and friendly service. We preferred the Garden Cafe for breakfast because of its varied food selections and beautiful views. However, this is a matter of taste. If you like a more relaxed, less crowded breakfast experience then Savor will absolutely be a better choice for you. In fact, next year we will be traveling with DH’s parents who crowd adverse so we will likely eat breakfast at Savor more because it will likely better fit their tastes. We preferred Savor for lunch because it had really good food selections and was more quiet and laid back. Again, this is a matter of taste.

 

 

O’Sheehan’s – We ate lunch while at Harvest Caye at O’Sheehan’s and got the last table around noon. DH had wings, I had a Rachel (Rueben made with turkey instead of the standard corned beef), and DS had a bit from our plates. DH and DS also shared the large sundae. Service was solid, nothing special but we weren’t looking to be doted on and hovered over. He did get my Rachel made and was efficient with orders, drink refills, and food. We wouldn’t hesitate to eat lunch here again if we were in the mood for sandwiches and pub food.

Edited March 24, 2017 by kathiewe

[pixidustmom]

Following along.

[kathiewe]

Specialty Restaurants – Like mentioned before, DH and I are foodies so we upgraded to the 7 Specialty Dining Package in order that we could spend our evenings unwinding with a great dinner. We found all of the restaurants to be different and very good in their own ways. It would be hard to pick a favorite because it wasn’t like one was better than the others, just different and fit different moods and tastes. We booked all of our dinners around the 75-day mark and ate about 7:30 each evening after taking our DS to dinner at the Garden Café and Splash Academy. We didn’t bring the camera with us to dinner so I don’t have many pictures, but here is our reviews done be the order we went to them in.

 

La Cucina, Sunday,Waterfront. After a hectic couple of days of packing and traveling, we chose La Cucina for Sunday night as way to relax. We ate on the Waterfront by the light of a full moon. Our server was very attentive, our meals were cooked perfectly, and the ambiance was quiet and calm. After salad appetizers, I had the Ossobucco and DH had the Sea Bass. Both meals for nicely presented and seasoned. Dessert was Tiramisu and Lemon Curd Riccotta Cheesecake – very nice. Sitting outside on the Waterfront with the moon perfectly placed was exactly the right way to ease us into vacation mode. We are already planning for next year’s vacation with the in-laws and pretty sure we will bookLa Cucina for our first night. Its lightmenu of simply prepared entrees in a quiet location is a real nice way to take your soul from the mainland to sea.

 

Moderno, Monday, Inside. Having spent a relaxing and yet fun filled day at soaking up the sights and sounds of the sea poolside, we planned a more energized meal at Moderno. DH says that Moderno is the place to get a “meat coma” and leave wanting more but knowing you couldn’t take another bite. As we had heard, the salad bar is amazing, with enough options to satisfy for dinner. I particularly loved the meats,cheeses, pickled vegetables, and olives. So good. But alas if you eat too much at the salad bar you will miss the star of this show – the meats! They asked if there were any meats we didn’t want and we explained steak – DH has gout and I don’t care for it. However, the other meats were good/very good(chicken and pork) to exceptional (sausage and lamb). The service was even better. When I asked for rare (as in almost alive)lamb our servers came back 3 times until we had lamb that was a rare and tender as we liked it even though the chef wasn’t sure she should serve it that way. No worries chef, she made this guest very pleased and satisfied. I still think that one more lamb chop would have been perfect, even if my stomach said no. What do they say about leaving wanting more. Well I did and I do. Oh and while we were stuffed, we did have two light desserts to share – Flan and Papaya Cream, which came recommended by our server. She was right they were light and fruity and the perfect complement to our meat coma. Yum! If we had decided to do any restaurant twice, Moderno would have been a strong contender for a repeat visit. Definitely planning to return next year.

 

Le Bistro, Tuesday,Inside. On the Sky Le Bistro is our absolute favorite. Love the ambiance, staff, food, everything about it is just about perfect. In fact on the Sky, Le Bistro is not only our favorite restaurant on ship, it is one our favorite restaurants anywhere. So we are eagerly looking forward to Le Bistro on the Getaway, but in hind sight it’s a hard to compete since the atmosphere is completely different and not nearly as special. So from the minute we walk in,it just doesn’t live up to the comparison. The server, DH’s steak (he couldn’t hold out the whole trip), and our appetizers were all very good. DH said his was perfectly to his taste. However, I went out of my comfort zone with duck and didn’t care for it – but wasn’t hungry enough to try something else even though the server offered. But the real issue for us was it wasn’t the Sky’s ambiance. Le Bistro on the Getaway has a café style seating, which was loud and annoying, not elegant and peaceful. We heard many other discussions around us—particularly the very loud gentlemen eating a couple tables away. While I would recommend that others try Le Bistro on the Getaway for their service and food, we will not return because the ambiance just didn’t make the kind of romantic evening we had been looking forward to.

 

Teppanyaki, Wednesday, Window view. Half way into our vacation, this was the one night we chose to eat with our entire family to celebrate that we are a family. See the family we were traveling with was what we call our “third” family. Grandma is our son’s grandma by birth, the aunt is his aunt by birth, and then it was her fiancé and his mom. We are blessed to all be a part of each other’s lives. We call them our MIL, SIL, and BIL from our son’s side of the family. So this night was to celebrate and enjoy the bond of our family and it was the perfect place to do just that. We had a great time and our chef Jayson was the perfect host! We have been to other Teppanyaki style restaurants but this one is special as the entertainment, food, and people are just better than any we have been to at home. DS is still talking about that night and looking forward to taking his other grandparents next year.

 

Cagney’s, Thursday, Inside overlooking the kitchen. After a few night of other foods, we were ready for another meat coma so we went to Cagney's. We have been to Cagney’s on the Sky and while we have always liked it, never been wowed us there. In fact, until right before the trip we were debating whether to go to the Flamingo that evening instead. In the end we decided we had the credit, so we should give it a try. Oh my are we glad we did. The service we received was impeccable and attentive without being overwhelming. The ambiance here is very much steakhouse refined masculine elegance. Our view of the kitchen was amazing--well my view of the kitchen since DH is in the restaurant/food service business he had no interest of watching the chef’s show. Butthe star here is the food and the care they clearly place in making greatmeal. After appetizers of beet/goat cheese salad and crab cakes, we both had lamb chops with sides of shared truffle mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts. Everything was perfection. The rub on the lamb was different than Moderno’s but equally yummy. We ended with the pear torte and crème brule, which were way more than we needed but hard to say no to. Cagney's is another we could have easily done a second time, see you need more nights....

 

Ocean Blue, Friday,Waterfront. The last day in port deserved a great meal to cap off the day so we selected Ocean Blue. There is no way to quite explain how special this meal was; truly wonderful. The ambiance of the Waterfront was once again spectacular. The food was as you expect any top restaurant to be. The service, led by Hazel another one of our Vacation Hero’s, was done with attention, care, and effort. Not sure how to explain it except to say it was exceptional. Starting with two exceptional appetizers of stone crabs and conch chowder, to our meals of lobster and seafood, and ending with the most perfect lemon meringue tart, this meal was just perfect. However, even though the food was worthy of praise, the star of this night was Hazel. Hazelis the kind of server you feel honored to have been served by as she made our dinner here truly memorable. She told us she expects to be on the Getaway next March and we hope to have the pleasure of have a meal presented by Hazel, she is worth asking for.

 

Imaginarium, Saturday. We chose this dinner show as way to end our vacation with our family—DH, DS, and I. While we had heard and expected the meal to be only so-so, we did this because we knew our little engineer would love trying to figure out the science behind the magic. We were right, the meal was forgettable but the show captivated our son who tried to study the tricks so as to explain his theory of how they happened. While I would never recommend this dinner show for the food and am looking forward to seeing the Cirque show, I would recommend this experience for those going in the next few weeks because the show is cooland fun.

 

Wasabi, Various Nights for late night snacks (and adult dinner after Illusionarium). We love sushi, so after hitting the bars, casino, and shops, we would end our evening with a couple sushi rolls--if we had room from dinner. There aren’t a lot of offerings, but what they have is pretty good. Not worth a whole meal, but as an appetizer or late night snack it is just right. Quite enjoyable!

 

So there you have it, our review of the specialty restaurants. We clearly have our favorites, but all of them are worth the extra money and we will do all of them (except Le Bistro which we will save for the Sky) next year. Enjoy!

Edited March 25, 2017 by kathiewe

[kathiewe]

So its been a while since I was able to work on this trip report... work, school, and family have kept me busy. But wanted to finish this so thought I'd take a bit of time today to work on a review of the ports….

 

Roatan, Honduras.

 

Our first port was Roatan. This was one of the 2 ports for the week that we had booked excursions, Costa Maya being the other. We booked a sailing excursion on Radical Adventures and it was AMAZING!

 

The hosts Cpt Matt, his Jaime, and crew will give you a day to remember. The sail is relaxing, the snorkeling is very good, and the food is so so good! This was an awesome adventure! After a 45 min or so van ride to the dock to meet the boat we were impressed by both ship and crew. We were welcomed aboard by the crew and offered something cold (the selection appeased both young and old). The Galley Chef greeted us with oven fresh pineapple cinnamon muffins. We were made comfortable as we departed for the snorkeling grounds and the sights and sounds were just what we were looking for, wind and waves. As the crew gave us the history and local stories once again we were offered fresh island fruit-Ka-bobs, then followed by oven fresh peanut butter cookies. As we approached the reefs for snorkeling the crew broke out the blender and more adult libations flowed as well as house made salsa and chips. The snorkeling was amazing and even when my son's snorkel failed (the one we brought from home.... I only says this because they do supply gear but we insist on bringing our own) they we very quick to jump in and gave him one to use out of there stock. The actually snorkeling was about 45 min or so and just as we were getting back we could smell awesome BBQ coming from the back of the boat. Lunch was amazing we have Chicken skewers, shrimp skewers Honduran rice & beans, plantains & garlic caesar salad. Sooo good! You could not want for anything. Kudos to the on-board chef and her team! All that was followed by a nice sail back with more libations and and two styles of cake—fresh carrot cake and white cake with chocolate frosting. We left happy, full, and very satisfied.

 

If are looking for something to do in Roatan, check out Radical Adventures, this excursion is sure to be a highlight of your cruise! Oh and if you are sailing Getaway’s March 4 sailing for next year, let us know. There are 5 of us who would love to go back on Radical Adventures but you need 7 to book the cruise excursion. Even though we said we wanted to do new excursions next year, DS is begging to go back on this one, so we promised we’d look into it. And from these pics, you can understand why it was such a great day....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kathiewe]

Harvest Caye, Belize…

 

Having heard different thoughts about Harvest Caye,including from my parents who were there just after it first opened, we went going in thinking… beach day. Since DH isn't a beach guy our plan was to let him to get some well-deserved time for himself, while the rest of us went to the beach and we stuck to our plan. DH hung back, went to the Jacuzzi and cigar lounge while DS and I joined the rest of our family and went to the beach. We found a good spot, walked the beach, and then after a bit walked the shops where DS bought a grass turtle and I did the tourist thing and got a fresh frozen coconut. Around lunch we were hungry and,rather than pay for a lunch on shore, headed to the ship meet up with DH.

 

So, what did we think of Harvest Caye? It is perfect for a beach day and many of our fellow shipmates seemed perfectly happy enjoying all the beach had to offer, which considering many if not most of them were from cold weather climates where beaches are frozen over in March, makes perfect sense. The development was well done, is very pretty to walk around, and has a good to offer for a beach day. However, since we live less than 8 miles from Florida' Suncoast, swimming in murky, cold Gulf water on vacation doesn’t really appeal to us because well we could (and purposely don’t) go swimming in those conditions any weekend we want to. Beach season for us is a good two months away. However, our family from Chicago where it was snowing on the day we were lying on the beach thought it was great day. I did like that it was scheduled half way through our cruise, so having a relaxing, chill day was just perfect. Will we go ashore next year? Maybe just to walk around the shops and just stretch our legs (and get another coconut—though next year I will ask if I can get one fresh cut, not frozen)while walking around or maybe we will take advantage of a ship that is nearly empty and chill out in the Jacuzzi.

 

Some pics of Harvest Caye….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[4Dreamers]

Thank You so much for your post. Awesome Reviews

[poona1]

following closely...awesome reviews...glad you had a great time...

 

one thing though...I made...is that his real name or something he conjured up whenever he makes up a drink...lol

[kathiewe]

Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate that the story of our great vacation is being enjoyed. Also, sorry this is taking so long to write; unfortunately life is getting in the way..... Anyways back to the port reviews....

 

Cozumel, Mexico

I had been to Cozumel as a child (80s) and was looking forward to a return trip, particularly because I wanted to find a Mexican silver choker. DS had been earning money from chores and school work and was excited to finally be able to spend some. DH had never been but had heard that the salespeople were pushy and so he was not excited but wanted to spend time with us. So, while other members of our family decided to chill on the ship and others chose an excursion to an adventure park, we chose to do the shopper’s thing and went out to walk around town.

 

We walked Cozumel’s downtown and enjoyed looking at the places with the more unique selections – we skipped the many stores that hawk the same beachy items that can be found in our beach villages here in FL. While I didn’t find a silver choker, mostly because we didn’t know whether they were being offered at fair prices, I did get a large bottle of vanilla at a great price and nice ornament for my collection. However DS found the most unique treasure of our trip from a guy selling handmade wirecraft from his cart. This gentlemen had all sorts of cools items from marionettes to wire figures to jewelry. DS chose a pretty cool shark’s tooth necklace with a wire scorpion. Honestly, DH did find the sales people begging to come in the stores a bit too much and overbearing. However, he admitted they were far more aggressive at the beginning of the day than after lunch; so maybe we should have chilled on board and let the eagerness of the salespeople die down. Lesson learned.

 

We capped off our visit around town at Thirsty Cougar, which was one of the best Mexican meals of our lives--and living in FL we have lots of great Mexican places. This lunch was a highlight of a week of highlights—the food, the service, the view of the seaport, and even the price were all exceptional! If you are looking for a great Authentic Mexican meal made with the freshest ingredients in the most perfect waterfront location, check this place out! Promise you will not be disappointed!

 

After our great meal at Thirst Cougar we headed back to the Getaway and enjoyed a leisure afternoon of hot tubs, naps, and slides while the ship was pretty empty. Well that was after I tripped on a pothole in the middle of a street just after eating. Didn't hurt anything but my ego and my yummy Margarita. Guess I will have to take my MIL who loves to shop back to Cozumel next year so I can get another ginger-coconut margarita.

 

Here are some pics of our visit to Cozumel....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kathiewe]

Since DH is a dining service director at a senior resort living community and a major foodie, great food and impeccable service are really important to him. So when he likes (or hates) a restaurant he really means it. Here is the review he wrote about the Thirsty Cougar...

 

“Ifyou can beat your way through the thousands of cologne drenched black pantwhite shirt men that want you to shop their store and make it to the ThirstyCougar than you will find one of the best dam lunches Cozumel has to offer.Manuel our server got us a prime table on the sidewalk and was quick to pointhis favorites and walk us threw the margarita bar offers. We settled on onecoconut and one coconut and ginger margarita and an order of Ceviche and housemade guacamole and pica de gallo. Wow the appetizers were incredible full offlavor and very tasty and the margaritas were a perfect accompaniment. The mainentrees, fish tacos for my wife and pork tacos for me, arrived and once againeverything had taste and bursting with flavor. We were too stuffed to eatdessert but will definitely go back and see Manuel who was awesome and theThirsty Cougar. Thanks Manuel for a great meal!”

 

Here are some pics of the Thirsty Cougar....

 

 

 

[kathiewe]

Costa Maya, Mexico

 

Last February my parents, who are avid cruisers who go on 2 NCL cruises a year, went on the Getaway. Since my Mom is wheelchair bound, they don’t often go on excursions. However, another cruiser offered my Dad the opportunity to go on Native Choice’s Mayan Experience excursion, which was great because he usually stays with Mom. After the trip he told stories about this visit to Mayan ruins and the most amazing meal prepared homemade for you in a Mayan Village. I kept thinking how cool that would be do to. So, when we booked the Getaway I knew exactly what I wanted to do in Costa Maya. When our traveling family heard about this trip they all got excited about it and agreed this would be an event for all of 7 of us. We all agreed it was amazing!

 

The Chacchoben ruins were very cool as was the story about their history. There is some walking but nothing too hard and even the two 60 something grandmas were able to get around most of it. There was one area that involved steps that they sat out. We had a great tour guide who really cared about the story of the Chaccoben community and clearly wanted to share the importance and reverence of this place with us, his guests. In the end, we were glad to have had the opportunity to experience this historical place.

 

As interesting as the ruins were, the most memorable part of this excursion was the visit to the village for a homemade Mayan meal. I am a city planner, so community building is my life. In fact, one of the reasons I love to travel is to see the places that people call home and to learn of their traditions, culture, and way of life. So,learning about how the Mayans lived and live was an amazing experience. I am also a foodie who thinks Mexican,Caribbean, and other tropical foods is among the most flavorful meals one can eat. So, eating a meal in a home handmade for a small gathering was just special.

 

First, they take through the garden and have you taste fresh herbs. Next, they show you where the people live. Then, they take to a traditional Mayan kitchen and teach you howto prepare homemade tortillas (I have since tried to make them at home and while they weren’t perfect they were much better than store bought). Finally, the treat you to a meal that is so perfect you are left wanting more. Ok, I like a little more spice in my food but they said that was my American pallet. All in all the meal was just amazing and such a memorable event that I really cannot say enough about it.

 

If you have the opportunity to go to Costa Maya, this is the excursion to go on. We are visiting my inlaws in Baltimore this weekend for Easter and know that MIL wants to discuss next year’s trip. We have been doing some research on other things to do in Costa Maya because we want a new experience. Unfortunately, so far nothing seems to compare to this special meal.Since we want my inlaws to have this experience, we are thinking we might go again, not for the ruins but for this meal.

 

Here are some pictures of our tour of the Mayan Experience with Native Choice…

 

First the Chaccoben ruins...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kathiewe]

Now, here are some pictures of the village.....

 

 

 

 

[kathiewe]

And finally, the meal...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kathiewe]

following closely...awesome reviews...glad you had a great time...

 

one thing though...I made...is that his real name or something he conjured up whenever he makes up a drink...lol

 

I made is his real name, or at least that was on his name tag. It is pronounced i-mahed-ee.

[4Dreamers]

Hi,

 

Interested in the Mayan Ruin tour in Costa Maya, Mexico. Did you go private or through NCL? Thank You in advance.

[kathiewe]

Hi,

 

Interested in the Mayan Ruin tour in Costa Maya, Mexico. Did you go private or through NCL? Thank You in advance.

 

It is the Mayan Experience Tour from Native Choice Tours. https://thenativechoice.com The price was $75 for adults and $65 for kids 6-12.

 

One note about this tour, since it is an independent tour operator, you have to walk outside the shopping district to find their bus area. Its not far...about 5 blocks but it isn't right at the docks.