Semi-Live Getaway: Feb 26 - Mar 10, 2023 NY - So. Caribbean ... 12 nights

[GSfromCT]

23 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Fun technical question to answer later on, just made notes - don't "waste" those precious satellite WiFi minutes - going assume that EMC is still the ISP and not Starlink with the reports lately of "poor" speed.  How fast is the GA cruising and sailing during this segment ... en route to the first port, 19 knots, 20 knots, etc. and how's the wind / direction ?  From the bow (headwind) across/diagonal and tail (stern) that often help boost the ship's "true" speed ?  

 

If you show up for the CC Meet & Greet and someone there asked, senior officer will say how many guests are onboard (also do it at the CruiseNext/Latitudes welcome back "presentation" & sales pitch) or just find Olivia, the CD and ask, actually - the servers know too b/c those are key numbers written below deck for a given cruise ... and we seen the posterboard "status" while doing the free BTS tours.  

Thank you.  I'm on the next sailing and did not know how to find total number of guests.  March 10 - 8 day sailing is I think, going to have a lot of college people on board.  I'm guessing that because both of my boys are in different schools and both are off for spring break.  I'm not sure what to expect. I am loving this review as well as Dorhead1230's review last sailing.  I have Morderno reserved and I am looking forward to photos.

[PistolPete13]

Good morning from Day 3 (or is that 3.5 if counting Sunday?)

 

It’s 8AM and I have the entire sundeck (deck 16) to myself for a bit.  It’s just me and the chair hog blankets as the rest of the ship wakes up.  I’m always up early to see if the sunrise is worth photographing.  With sunrise at 6:53AM today and the buffet opening at 7AM, it’s the perfect segue into a quiet sit-down breakfast before the buffet insanity begins.

 

<Sir Richard Attenborough voice>

I was out on the sundeck around 6:30AM and managed to see and photograph that elusive cruise species called the chair-hog in action.  They would run up to the chairs next to the pool, hot tub, or bar area holding at least four towels clutched to their chests and spread them out as quickly as possible.  The more evolved of the species would also have chair clips, fake purses, crocs, and books to dump on the seat to make it seem they would be returning to nest imminently.

<end Attenborough voice>

 

The winds have died down and it’s clear skies with a few puffy clouds on the horizon.  I’ve put on my contact lenses and sunglasses for the first time.  I’d figure today there will be something new to see so I’ve put away my scratched up eyeglasses.

 

Dinner last night was at Moderno.  I thought I had prepared my body for overeating by having lunch at noon (dinner was at 9PM) but no, it was still too much food for me.  My mistake was attacking the Moderno buffet and loading up on the sushi and shrimp salad they had.  Each dinner is accompanied by a tray of 5 sides for the table.  Let’s see if I remember it all.  Fried plantain, sautéed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, and white rice.  The various meats came out quickly and even with small portions I ended up feeling full very quickly.  Pro tip, get the grilled pineapple when they offer it.  It will break up the greasy lard feeling you get in your mouth after all the meat.  The best tasting offering of the night to me was the grilled lamb or mutton.  Not something I normally have and it was very tender.  The rest of the pieces ranged from overly salty to very tough to chew.  I didn’t touch any chicken because that is easy enough to prep at home in my opinion.

 

I barely had room for any dessert but I persevered because it’s “free”.  Afterwards I ended up walking the Waterfront on deck 8 for a bit and completely want past a cruise critic couple that had said hello to me earlier in the day.  I’m sorry, between the food coma and my NYC subway instincts, I “see” people only as obstacles to be avoided and never make any eye contact to stay out of trouble.  Shout out to Earnie and his wife from Maine as well!  It was nice chatting with the both of you.  See, I warm up well once you get me talking.  It’s the initial first contact that is problematic.

 

My room remote was replaced and I’m eyeballing my onboard credit closely due to my excursion cancellations and changes (with the $50 discount promotions and Silver tier discount).  I’m no accountant but it makes zero sense how NCL shows the numbers.  Fingers crossed it’s correct right now but I’m told the numbers will change as the day of the scheduled excursion rolls past.

 

Not much else to say so here are a few random observations.

 

- The library is located in the card room and I found it packed with people playing games on the table.  I’m happy I went to a Kindle for this trip.  Welcome to 2010 right?

 

- I don’t know what they use to shampoo the carpet in the buffet seating area with but it is super slippery when you step off the carpet onto the hard surface of the walkway.  I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone take a tumble.  I’m wearing fairly new sneakers with good grip and my initial few steps feel like I’m trying to walk on ice until whatever substance on my soles wear off.

 

- Thank you mking8288 for mentioning the iPhone “widgets”.  My graphical clock screen is actually a widget and it has it’s own manual setting for the TimeZone!  It’s not linked to the setting for the main clock when the screen is locked.  Go figure.  Now all the clocks on my phone are in sync and the world is right again.

 

Scheduled arrival in San Juan is 4PM local time today and I’m looking forward to seeing a new place for the first time.  That is one of the reasons we travel isn’t it?  Or is it to grab a deck chair before anyone else…

[Sugar Magnolia]

13 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

Good morning from Day 3 (or is that 3.5 if counting Sunday?)

 

It’s 8AM and I have the entire sundeck (deck 16) to myself for a bit.  It’s just me and the chair hog blankets as the rest of the ship wakes up.  I’m always up early to see if the sunrise is worth photographing.  With sunrise at 6:53AM today and the buffet opening at 7AM, it’s the perfect segue into a quiet sit-down breakfast before the buffet insanity begins.

 

<Sir Richard Attenborough voice>

I was out on the sundeck around 6:30AM and managed to see and photograph that elusive cruise species called the chair-hog in action.  They would run up to the chairs next to the pool, hot tub, or bar area holding at least four towels clutched to their chests and spread them out as quickly as possible.  The more evolved of the species would also have chair clips, fake purses, crocs, and books to dump on the seat to make it seem they would be returning to nest imminently.

<end Attenborough voice>

 

The winds have died down and it’s clear skies with a few puffy clouds on the horizon.  I’ve put on my contact lenses and sunglasses for the first time.  I’d figure today there will be something new to see so I’ve put away my scratched up eyeglasses.

 

Dinner last night was at Moderno.  I thought I had prepared my body for overeating by having lunch at noon (dinner was at 9PM) but no, it was still too much food for me.  My mistake was attacking the Moderno buffet and loading up on the sushi and shrimp salad they had.  Each dinner is accompanied by a tray of 5 sides for the table.  Let’s see if I remember it all.  Fried plantain, sautéed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, and white rice.  The various meats came out quickly and even with small portions I ended up feeling full very quickly.  Pro tip, get the grilled pineapple when they offer it.  It will break up the greasy lard feeling you get in your mouth after all the meat.  The best tasting offering of the night to me was the grilled lamb or mutton.  Not something I normally have and it was very tender.  The rest of the pieces ranged from overly salty to very tough to chew.  I didn’t touch any chicken because that is easy enough to prep at home in my opinion.

 

I barely had room for any dessert but I persevered because it’s “free”.  Afterwards I ended up walking the Waterfront on deck 8 for a bit and completely want past a cruise critic couple that had said hello to me earlier in the day.  I’m sorry, between the food coma and my NYC subway instincts, I “see” people only as obstacles to be avoided and never make any eye contact to stay out of trouble.  Shout out to Earnie and his wife from Maine as well!  It was nice chatting with the both of you.  See, I warm up well once you get me talking.  It’s the initial first contact that is problematic.

 

My room remote was replaced and I’m eyeballing my onboard credit closely due to my excursion cancellations and changes (with the $50 discount promotions and Silver tier discount).  I’m no accountant but it makes zero sense how NCL shows the numbers.  Fingers crossed it’s correct right now but I’m told the numbers will change as the day of the scheduled excursion rolls past.

 

Not much else to say so here are a few random observations.

 

- The library is located in the card room and I found it packed with people playing games on the table.  I’m happy I went to a Kindle for this trip.  Welcome to 2010 right?

 

- I don’t know what they use to shampoo the carpet in the buffet seating area with but it is super slippery when you step off the carpet onto the hard surface of the walkway.  I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone take a tumble.  I’m wearing fairly new sneakers with good grip and my initial few steps feel like I’m trying to walk on ice until whatever substance on my soles wear off.

 

- Thank you mking8288 for mentioning the iPhone “widgets”.  My graphical clock screen is actually a widget and it has it’s own manual setting for the TimeZone!  It’s not linked to the setting for the main clock when the screen is locked.  Go figure.  Now all the clocks on my phone are in sync and the world is right again.

 

Scheduled arrival in San Juan is 4PM local time today and I’m looking forward to seeing a new place for the first time.  That is one of the reasons we travel isn’t it?  Or is it to grab a deck chair before anyone else…

 

Attenborough...cruise species...

One of your finest works

 

[mking8288]

Hola 😄  Good afternoon, checking on ships' reported GPS location - 2:15 pm ship/San Juan time currently and seems like she's still about 50 to 60 nm from port ... oh mine, running behind schedule, again ??  

 

Do you have land & mountains in sight yet, the pilot boat isn't coming out this far to escort her into port ... but, get your tele-photo lens ready later as you get closer & see the high rise condos in the distance, port side (that's the "new" San Juan over the bridge, not too far)  

 

Have a fun & wonderful day ashore - get your walking shoes on unless you stay on the waterfront, or joining one of the ship tour since being solo, prices aren't too bad with the $50 credit per port.  

[PistolPete13]

On 2/26/2023 at 5:33 PM, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

 

[PistolPete13]

LTE signal restored. 
 

Pilot boat just came around.  I’m on port side for the best light and the fort.  
 

this is fun!

[SeaMarlin]

I am on this cruise.. There are 4072 passengers according to two separate crew that I asked. There are 1400 crew according to the senior officer at the welcome presentation. 

[Mlake09]

2 hours ago, SeaMarlin said:

I am on this cruise.. There are 4072 passengers according to two separate crew that I asked. There are 1400 crew according to the senior officer at the welcome presentation. 

Thanks! We just got off Getaway on Sunday and we had over 4,800 (many kids!) due to school holiday.

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

Is the buffet on the Getaway still doing late night snacks until 11:30?

[PistolPete13]

33 minutes ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

Is the buffet on the Getaway still doing late night snacks until 11:30?

They pretty much shutdown at 9:30pk now with the exception of the drink and coffee stations until they run out. 

[PistolPete13]

Just watched the Carnival something pull out while I was having dinner.  The ship is huge and I believe it’s their newest ship. 
 

I’ll need to look at my photos later for the name. 
 

Did a ton of walking around San Juan. I should’ve skipped the gym this morning. 
 

Many of the passengers off the ship seemed to have made a beeline to Senor Frogs for more eating and drinking.  Makes no sense to me. 
 

Getting off the ship today was a bit of a challenge with no announcements whatsoever.  I’ll post more once I’ve had an evening to digest things. 

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

40 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

They pretty much shutdown at 9:30pk now with the exception of the drink and coffee stations until they run out. 

That really, really sucks. 

[Dorhead1230]

50 minutes ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

That really, really sucks. 

We were in there twice last week on the later side and at the stroke of 9:30 all the ropes go up and they pull everything. We had to walk through the seating areas just to make it to the exit with everything roped off lol. So, after that, the only options are O’Sheehan’s or room service. (And all they put out at the rear of the casino late-night now is some plates of cookies…not sure why they bother lol.)

[PistolPete13]

10:48PM and buffet doors are shut.  Coffee machines still have some bottom of pot stuff.  No complaints here except loud drunk people in metallic shimmering shirts are super annoying when I’m trying to get the last cup of Joe. 

Edited March 2, 2023 by PistolPete13

[cruiservictor]

2 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

Just watched the Carnival something pull out while I was having dinner.  The ship is huge and I believe it’s their newest ship. 
 

 

Hey @PistolPete13.  I am enjoying your reports, as usual.  The Carnival ship was the Carnival Celebration.   Her maiden voyage was this past November 6.  So, she is, as you thought, the newest ship in the fleet.  She is also the largest, at approximately 183K Gross Register Tons.  By comparison, the Getaway is around 145K GRTs.

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip.  And if you go to Maho Beach tomorrow, don't forget to duck.  

[tokidoki]

thx so much Pete!  Always love your reviews and photos!  What I would greatly appreciate is since you go to the buffet, can you take a peak and post a picture of the butter packets?  Sounds strange, but I need to take a peak of the ingredients, as NCL keeps changing their brand.  thx again and have a wonderful and safe cruise!

[GSfromCT]

4 hours ago, tokidoki said:

thx so much Pete!  Always love your reviews and photos!  What I would greatly appreciate is since you go to the buffet, can you take a peak and post a picture of the butter packets?  Sounds strange, but I need to take a peak of the ingredients, as NCL keeps changing their brand.  thx again and have a wonderful and safe cruise!

With 3 gluten free members in my family, your request does not seem strange at all.  At least, to our family, ingredients can be the difference between a nice meal and a trip to a hospital.

[Laszlo]

Following! Can't wait for your photos

[Sugar Magnolia]

@PistolPete13 have you decided to go to the nude beach in St. Martin? Enjoy.

[Red-Sol]

1 hour ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

@PistolPete13 have you decided to go to the nude beach in St. Martin? Enjoy.

 

Wandered over there once unknowingly...this was my reaction:

[Mlake09]

15 hours ago, tokidoki said:

thx so much Pete!  Always love your reviews and photos!  What I would greatly appreciate is since you go to the buffet, can you take a peak and post a picture of the butter packets?  Sounds strange, but I need to take a peak of the ingredients, as NCL keeps changing their brand.  thx again and have a wonderful and safe cruise!

When we were on last week I saw multiple different packs for butter, and on two days in the MDR, there were just slices of open butter on the table.

[PistolPete13]

Alright, here we are Thursday, Day #4 and unexpected port #2, St. Maarten (finally gotten used to the spelling of that).  I’m sitting on an empty WaterFront couch on Deck 8.  No need to be on the upper decks getting any sun this morning because I’ll have enough sun during my planned excursion.

 

It’s 8AM ship time and we expect to arrive around 10AM.  We crossed paths with the Celebrity Equinox this morning in the open ocean.  You know, Celebrity is one of the lines I’d definitely consider trying but the fact that they don’t sail out of NYC squashes that thought.

 

I’ve discovered another new cruise species this morning.

 

The PowerWalker

 

Don’t you dare get in their way!  I was on the waterfront early this morning trying to get a few photos of the Equinox as she passed and a few times I felt some flying elbows very close to my back.  My mind you I’m NOT a large person (147 lbs pre-cruise) and I was standing very close to the handrail but apparently it was not enough for the walkers and their flappy elbows.  

 

Just heard another lady ranting to her partner about how people need to stay to the RIGHT when power walked and that she is tired of dodging foreigners that probably drive on the left.  Wow, if she has enough lung capacity to talk and power walk at the same time I don’t think she is working hard enough.

 

EDIT

 

It’s now 7:20PM after a full (and fun day) in St. Maarten.  I had to cut short my morning post suddenly.

 

Remember when I saw arrival was at 10AM?  Here I am on the starboard side of the ship on Deck 8 looking at two hazy islands on the horizon thinking that was St. Maarten.  That’s how Puerto Rico looked yesterday a few hours before arrival.  A mountain range in the distant haze.  I pull up Google maps (without Wifi) and see that I’m next to a huge island on the port side.  That can’t be right, we’re still two hours away?  I go into the corridor off the Waterfront and the entire island is filling the view of the sliding door on that side.  Ugh, I missed the arrival completely.  Ran back to my room to get my camera to salvage a few arrival shots.

 

It actually did take until 10AM to dock and begin passenger disembark.  My excursion wasn’t until 12:15PM so I got off the ship around 10:30AM thinking I would walk around the port.  Unfortunately there wasn’t much to see after I spent some time getting photos of the other 3 ships in port.  It seems like all the port areas now just have identical franchise shops and random bars, nothing unique.

 

My excursion was the Golden Eagle Spillway and Swim.  The line was HUGE but it turns out they were sailing two catamarans.  First stop was the snorkel area and there was nothing to see except for the floaters in my eyes.  I was so disappointed I climbed back in the boat to put away my GoPro and was going to go back in just to swim around when time was called.

 

The next stop was at that famous beach (the name escapes me now) where planes come in to land basically on top of your head.  The captain had perfect timing and got the boat right under a landing jet.  I’m a frequent air show enthusiast and they never fly planes directly over the crowds so this was a first for me.

 

The last stop was at a beach where they stopped the boat close to shore and you jump in the  water and go the rest of the way.  To prepare for the funny thing that happened let me give you some background.

 

I finally learned how to swim a few years ago after I went on my first snorkel and diving excursions, yes, I had no idea how to swim but had no sense or fear of jumping in the water with some buoyancy assistance.  The one thing I could never master even after many lessons was how to tread water.  I would just sink like a rock unless I whipped my arms and legs around fast enough to wear me out in a minute.  I normally run 5 miles two to three times a week so stamina isn’t an issue I think.

 

So my method of treading is to basically sink, and come up for a breath of air when I need to, then relax and sink again.  So I look at many of my fellow cruise passengers in envy when they can roll on their backs, balance a drink on their stomachs, and be able to hold a conversation while floating on the water.  If anyone has any suggestions to help me, I’m all ears.

 

So back to the boat.  I grab a pool noodle and jump in because otherwise I’d probably drown given the distance to the beach and how the waves were.  Everyone else jumped in as well.  Within a few minutes those that didn’t make it to shore were all heading back to the boat for some reason.  Apparently the current and waves made it very hard to move around or even stay in place.   With a pool noodle and without having to tread, I had a great time fighting the waves and avoiding the boat from hitting me for 45 mins along with a few other die hards.

 

OK, I’ve rambled on long enough.  I don’t have as much inspiring material at the end of the day vs. the morning hours for some reason.  Dinner at 8:30PM at Taste.

 

And to the person that requested a photo of the butter packets, mission accomplished!  I’ll post when I get back along with way too many other photos.

Edited March 3, 2023 by PistolPete13

[tokidoki]

1 hour ago, PistolPete13 said:

Alright, here we are Thursday, Day #4 and unexpected port #2, St. Maarten (finally gotten used to the spelling of that).  I’m sitting on an empty WaterFront couch on Deck 8.  No need to be on the upper decks getting any sun this morning because I’ll have enough sun during my planned excursion.

 

It’s 8AM ship time and we expect to arrive around 10AM.  We crossed paths with the Celebrity Equinox this morning in the open ocean.  You know, Celebrity is one of the lines I’d definitely consider trying but the fact that they don’t sail out of NYC squashes that thought.

 

I’ve discovered another new cruise species this morning.

 

The PowerWalker

 

Don’t you dare get in their way!  I was on the waterfront early this morning trying to get a few photos of the Equinox as she passed and a few times I felt some flying elbows very close to my back.  My mind you I’m NOT a large person (147 lbs pre-cruise) and I was standing very close to the handrail but apparently it was not enough for the walkers and their flappy elbows.  

 

Just heard another lady ranting to her partner about how people need to stay to the RIGHT when power walked and that she is tired of dodging foreigners that probably drive on the left.  Wow, if she has enough lung capacity to talk and power walk at the same time I don’t think she is working hard enough.

 

EDIT

 

It’s now 7:20PM after a full (and fun day) in St. Maarten.  I had to cut short my morning post suddenly.

 

Remember when I saw arrival was at 10AM?  Here I am on the starboard side of the ship on Deck 8 looking at two hazy islands on the horizon thinking that was St. Maarten.  That’s how Puerto Rico looked yesterday a few hours before arrival.  A mountain range in the distant haze.  I pull up Google maps (without Wifi) and see that I’m next to a huge island on the port side.  That can’t be right, we’re still two hours away?  I go into the corridor off the Waterfront and the entire island is filling the view of the sliding door on that side.  Ugh, I missed the arrival completely.  Ran back to my room to get my camera to salvage a few arrival shots.

 

It actually did take until 10AM to dock and begin passenger disembark.  My excursion wasn’t until 12:15PM so I got off the ship around 10:30AM thinking I would walk around the port.  Unfortunately there wasn’t much to see after I spent some time getting photos of the other 3 ships in port.  It seems like all the port areas now just have identical franchise shops and random bars, nothing unique.

 

My excursion was the Golden Eagle Spillway and Swim.  The line was HUGE but it turns out they were sailing two catamarans.  First stop was the snorkel area and there was nothing to see except for the floaters in my eyes.  I was so disappointed I climbed back in the boat to put away my GoPro and was going to go back in just to swim around when time was called.

 

The next stop was at that famous beach (the name escapes me now) where planes come in to land basically on top of your head.  The captain had perfect timing and got the boat right under a landing jet.  I’m a frequent air show enthusiast and they never fly planes directly over the crowds so this was a first for me.

 

The last stop was at a beach where they stopped the boat close to shore and you jump in the  water and go the rest of the way.  To prepare for the funny thing that happened let me give you some background.

 

I finally learned how to swim a few years ago after I went on my first snorkel and diving excursions, yes, I had no idea how to swim but had no sense or fear of jumping in the water with some buoyancy assistance.  The one thing I could never master even after many lessons was how to tread water.  I would just sink like a rock unless I whipped my arms and legs around fast enough to wear me out in a minute.  I normally run 5 miles two to three times a week so stamina isn’t an issue I think.

 

So my method of treading is to basically sink, and come up for a breath of air when I need to, then relax and sink again.  So I look at many of my fellow cruise passengers in envy when they can roll on their backs, balance a drink on their stomachs, and be able to hold a conversation while floating on the water.  If anyone has any suggestions to help me, I’m all ears.

 

So back to the boat.  I grab a pool noodle and jump in because otherwise I’d probably drown given the distance to the beach and how the waves were.  Everyone else jumped in as well.  Within a few minutes those that didn’t make it to shore were all heading back to the boat for some reason.  Apparently the current and waves made it very hard to move around or even stay in place.   With a pool noodle and without having to tread, I had a great time fighting the waves and avoiding the boat from hitting me for 45 mins along with a few other die hards.

 

OK, I’ve rambled on long enough.  I don’t have as much inspiring material at the end of the day vs. the morning hours for some reason.  Dinner at 8:30PM at Taste.

 

And to the person that requested a photo of the butter packets, mission accomplished!  I’ll post when I get back along with way too many other photos.

I am that butter person! Thx again for thinking of me and my butter situations! 

[fastpitchdad]

1 hour ago, PistolPete13 said:

The PowerWalker

 

Don’t you dare get in their way!  I was on the waterfront early this morning trying to get a few photos of the Equinox as she passed and a few times I felt some flying elbows very close to my back.  My mind you I’m NOT a large person (147 lbs pre-cruise) and I was standing very close to the handrail but apparently it was not enough for the walkers and their flappy elbo

 

Yep, the NCL equivalent of Amsterdam Cyclists. 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, PistolPete13 said:

You know, Celebrity is one of the lines I’d definitely consider trying but the fact that they don’t sail out of NYC squashes that thought.

Celebrity does Bermuda cruises from Cape Liberty in Bayonne on the Summit..one of their older ships, similar in size to NCL's Jewel class ships.