TR Breakaway Med 8/4-14, 2023--I'm a fan again!

[KKB]

DD25 & I took this cruise together. 

It was originally booked in 2021 (great price during COVID) for the family...but with the boys both job hunting when final payment was due, DH didn't want to interrupt his golf season if the whole family didn't go...well, you see how it ended up just the girls going!

 

Just as well...I had originally booked the 3 kids (28-25-22) in an interior...having stayed in one on the Getaway, I should have known that would have been a BAD idea for 3!

 

DH & I sailed NCL for the 1st time in 2019 (after about a cruise a year for 15 years). Getaway. Fell in love with Waterfront & Syds. Poker cruise

Getaway was just as great last summer...THEN we sailed the Encore for our 2nd poker cruise in Dec...I was VERY concerned that NCL was cutting costs & service was seriously suffering. Long lines at all bars. We thought that might have broken NCL for us.

 

Luckily, it was a one off--Waterfront (while WAY more crowded) & Syds still fantastic & service was never a problem even on a full ship.

 

I will break this down...by category in separate posts.

 

(PS We flew to Dallas Monday, then I flew home to Lincoln Tuesday...took a COVID test as I always do as I have an elderly father...YEP COVID

Last summer I also got it at the end of a cruise🤢 Weds I was pretty wiped, but every day better after that, headache & fatigue my worse symptoms.

Tested negative Weds)

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

We did BOGO NCL Air.

Hell of a deal when we booked at $1K (for 2 essentially).

Unfortunately I had to shuffle people when the guys cancelled & it was upped to $1500.

Still--$750 each RT from Dallas to Rome? Still a solid price.

 

I flew down to Dallas the 1st & our flights were the 2nd.

Noon on Delta to JFK.

5 hour layover in JFK.

Luckily Air France Lounge is VERY good there...good food, French wine (serve yourself). 

DD was digging the lounge. We both had several glasses of yummy wine over that time!

Then Air Italia overnight, arriving at noon.

 

I had HORRID jet lag in May when I went to Europe. Basically NO sleep going over.

This time we followed the plan of Jet Rooster to adjust sleep a few days ahead of time, took melatonin, Jet Lag relief homeopathic pills. They say no wine, but we did drink lot of water as well.

THANK GOD, there was some sleep on the plane. Not great sleep, but a few hours we dozed. 

GAME CHANGER. NO JET LAG!

 

Flight home was direct on AA--11 hours.

We upgraded to bulkhead--we will forever pay the extra $ to upgrade to these, or at least seats with extra legroom. We could put our feet on the wall, stand up & stretch in our seats. WORTH IT.

The middle seat was a bit narrower than the aisle seat & originally DD was in a window seat further back. Luckily that aisle seat came open the day b4--that middle seat woulda been cozy for me!

[KKB]

We spend 2 nights in Rome prior to the cruise.

We stayed at Hotel Lancelot, 2 1/2 blocks from the Colosseum! 

I was able to book a suite (Double bed & a sofa) with a balcony with Colosseum views for about $270/nt!

 

We arranged airport pickup & port transfer with the hotel--Michael was our driver & he was OUTSTANDING. 55E from the airport & 140E to the port, cash. 
I had used trains to transport myself in May but with a checked bag, carry on & backpack each, this was a splurge worth every penny.

 

We were starving when we landed & grabbed a pizza at a cafe directly across from the Colosseum. We learned that the cafes in that area were not as good as elsewhere & a little pricier (tho $12 for a pizza to share is still very reasonable)

 

We had a food tour in the Trastevere area. It was about 100E each--I think I booked it thru the Roman Guy. DD had cell service in Europe via T-Mobile & we were able to book cabs via Uber app--no worried of getting ripped off. Every cabbie was great! 

 

Food tour was really great! Guide said Trastevere is where locals eat--it is jam packed with restaurants & bars & a few shops. We had cheese & ham, suppli (arancini--but don't call it that in Rome!), pizza, pasta & wine at a sit down restaurant & gelato. The restaurant was just OK, but the rest was very good & the guide was great! She made a point to visit with each couple or person as we walked between spots. 

 

The next day we had a cooking class at Rimessa Riscioli (also in Trastevere). 12-3

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! This was one of the highlights of the trip. 125E each. There were 12 of us. 

We prepared 3 pasta sauces (carbonara, cacio e pepe, tomato sauce), meatball, tiramisu.

We made homemade cavatelli & spaghetti pastas.

We were served unlimited prosecco plus cheese & meat while working.

We had 5 wines with our meal.

EVERYTHING was fantastic! Staff, food, wine--6 bottles will be heading our way soon!

 

That evening we walked over to the far side of the Colosseum to a cafe. 

Skate park to one side, Colosseum views down the block. 

 

We LOVED Rome--the people were lovely.

So much green; the juxtaposition of new buildings & iconic history.

The culture envelopes you. 

 

(BTW I am gluten sensitive & avoid it. 

I had heard I might be able to eat it in Europe w/ no issues.

I COULD!! 

It was a DREAM to eat pasta, bread & pizza both on shore & ship with NO ISSUES! I mean NONE the whole trip. 

I may need to move to Europe)

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Embarkation

Got there about 9:30 which is the time our checkin said. Never seen that early!

We were given group 12 even tho we were one of the 1st 25-50 in the door.

Plenty of seating.

We got on about 10:30--groups were not called in order. We seemed to be the 1st group after Haven.

Easy to navigate ship as nearly identical to Getaway. 

DD & I toured then sat at O'Sheehans for lunch--MUCH better than Getaway last summer & Local at Encore in Dec. We ate there numerous times.

Called about 2:30? that rooms were ready.              

Edited August 25, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Room

As previously stated, originally had those tiny 130 sq ft interiors booked.

Bid on OV & balcony & were pleased to get 160 sq. ft. OV.

That 30 ft made all the difference in not feeling tight.

But my delusion that 3 adults could share an interior on NCL was burst.

The only time it felt tight was day 1 when the bed was still pushed together & we were unpacking.

We quickly determined that one at a time working on it was easier. Packing the same later.

Plenty of room for everything.

BEST part--we were on deck 5. 

SUPER convenient to everything on Decks 6-8.

 

Didn't see our steward until Day 3--when DD had too much to drink the night of Day 2 which didn't sit well with her...

Luckily caught him on Day 3, handed him the sheets & asked if he could make up the bed with new ones please. She was in there resting on my bed & had Do Not Disturb button on. I told him that was OK, he could still go in.

I don't know if they aren't allowed to or he didn't understand, but he didn't even bring new sheets that day. 

We managed & all was fine the next day.

 

Our steward went home mid-cruise, and I never knew who our other steward was but all was taken care of well.

Edited August 25, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Food/Drinks

We only at at buffet once for a snack, mostly as it was always so crowded.

We could easily get into O'Sheehans so we did that instead.

We ate there numerous times, and was quite pleased with the quality of everything.

And they are FAST.

 

DD is addicted to Starbucks so I used my OBC for that daily treat. 

 

Specialty dining was at Cagney's--quite good. Nothing to rave about, no complaints.

 

Ate at Shanghais twice--nice complimentary option but you better be in line by 4:45.

 

Otherwise we ate between 5:30-6 most nights in Manhatten Room. 

We had Ronnell the 1st night & really hit it off. So we requested him nightly.

The only night we didn't get his section was the night the Burn the Floor dancers were performing & we wanted a seat where we could see the show. Do go early if you want to see it--longest line we encountered was that night. 6PM show & I think we were there about 5:40.

 

I loved that they had an Italian Sauvignon Blanc that fell in the drink plan...UNTIL the next to the last night. When they poured it the bottle seemed different & it was a very golden color. I asked if they had poured Chardonnay (blech) accidentally. They said, no, they ran out of the Italian one (AREN'T WE IN ITALY??) & were subbing a California one (blech). Luckily I'm not as picky about Pinot Grigio & they had a decent one I had the last few nights.

 

We love the sustain bar (outside the martini bar) & tried the daily drink there. We only disliked one & apparently we weren't the only one as the bartender suggested a small taste before making a whole drink. Yep, he was right. Not great.

 

DD had a goal of trying every mixed drink on the main menu. She tried most but I"m not sure got through them all. 

 

Margs were her demise Day 2 tho...🤮

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Activities

 

Pool--who the hell thought that pool is big enough for that size of ship? Princess has 7 pools on a ship...this has 3 & one of those is kid filled & one in Haven? VERY poor planning on this class.

 

8:15 on sea day (Day 2) DD said basically every chair in pool/deck area had a towel or other stuff on it!! She went up to Spice & got us 2 great seats in shade that eventually got sun. By 9 it loungers were all claimed!

 

We had a great time at trivia & game shows. DD even won a speed trivia game. I talked her into it--she's a bit of an introvert (we sat on Waterfront & read A LOT), as she has a lightning fast mind. It was fun.

 

We saw Six--TERRIFIC. What a fun contemporary take on history. Most of the vocalists also did a "Queens of Broadway" show in Seigals, doing Broadway greats. Really talented ladies.

 

I went to 3/4 of Syds regular show plus the Rumours show.

(missed 2nd show as DD wanted to go to the Marriage show & by the time I ran up no seats left--we say out on Waterfront & listened)

Any of you who have read other posts by me know that I am OBSESSED with Syds.

I went to EVERY show last summer when I was on the Getaway for 2 weeks.

This crew did not disappoint either.

 

When they started it was 1 guy & 2 gals--I wondered if they cut a guy due to cost cutting. 

They were still fantastic.

But come Rumours night, a 2nd guy showed up (tho he only did the Rumours show)

When I visited with the cast, they said they originally had a 2nd guy but he backed out. 

They had not done a Rumours show until OUR sailing--that guy learned it in 3 days!

 

If you aren't familiar, Syds does mostly 70s-80s hits. Considering I graduated in '84, my wheelhouse.

DD was a good sport, but when she hear about the Rumours show, she was ECSTATIC.

Apparently she considers it one of the top 5 albums of all times. 

They do the entire album from top to bottom, telling the stories behind each song. 

(long story short...the 6 couples involved were all in the midst of breakups & the angst shows).

After the 1st show we went out to Waterfront & listened again.

 

The last show (last night on 7 day sailings; it was next to last night on this one), is Prom & they crown a Queen & King. 

Well what do you know, they made me QUEEN! 

When they said Kris, I turned and looked at one of the vocalists (who was standing near me) in disbelief & she beckoned me to the front. (she later said they chose me as I was in my same spot at every show singing my heart out!)

Certainly fun--especially since I never got anything like that in my HS years!

A bit awkward when they said dance...(KIng is always Captain..on video)...uh, DH ain't here...

Male vocalist was a good sport & danced with me even when he had to sing while dancing! 

 

(NO freaking idea why a photo that is upright on my desktop is now turned....)

 

[KKB]

Ports

 

SANTORINI

HOT MESS (both in temp & logistics)

We had booked an excursion knowing that nearly 10K passengers there was gonna be a mess.

Docked at 1. But DD was feeling rough & I knew tender & heat weren't going to bode well for her.

So we were going to eat the excursion.

Well, they stopped tenders at 1:45 due to port congestion, for TWO HOURS.

Cancelled all excursions so we got a refund! 

Good day for a hangover, honey😉

 

ATHENS

We grabbed a HOHO bus at the port for 20E each.

Got to Acropolis & planned to stay on the bus to see more of Athens.

Nope, that bus was going back to port.

Long lines, massive confusion...we ordered a cab & went to Plaka (prolly coulda walked...didn't realize it was that close).

Wandered all over Plaka shopping, stopped for lunch (Greek salad & gyros)--had a LOVELY time! 

Like Athens almost as much as Rome--lots of trees & green here. 

 

Myknonos

We originally had Tender 32...DD noticed Tender 4 had 4 seats open a night before (maybe 2 nights).Snagged those...then later see I got 4 & she got 32! WTH? Luckily they didn't say anything (do they even know what tender you have? does it pop up when you scan out? since we were obviously together they were ok? who knows...)

LOVED wandering around Mykonos with no crowds.

Shopped, petted LOTS of kitties, had breakfast (uh, pancake sandwich stack--similar in taste to a McGriddle), had overpriced (but very good!) drinks at Negritas on Little Venice--paying for the view there.

When we left about 1 or 2, it was much more crowded.

Lovely port.

 

Valetta, Malta

This is what I envisioned Rome & Athens to be like--little green, all buildings in old yellow brown stones.

Again...wandered, shopped & ate (see a pattern? We love to experience local fare)

Ate at a place that called itself a cafeteria. Reminded us of a NY deli. We ordered Maltese specialties--mostly pastries with filling. Pastini w/ ricotta (YUM), Qassata w/ spinach & anchovies (ened up our fav, surprisingly), Sausage Crescesnt & canollinni.

Some fabulous views once you get up to the city (1E elevator)

 

Sicily

I ended up pulling a muscle (hamstring?) coming up the stairs that AM.

Once we walked out to the exit from the port area, I knew I had to rest it.

DD went on alone & wandered--she said it was the best one to miss.

Sounds as if an excursion to Taormina was the way to go.

 

Naples

We did a ship excursion.

Sorrento--loved it, but we only had 45 min. Power shopping it is!

Dairy farm--shown how to make mozzarella & ricotta. Served lunch--ricotta was AMAZING,

We all just wanted a bowl of it. Ricotta was tasteless everywhere else compared to this!

Pompeii--it is very touristy around it with lots of vendors. It was also HOT & frankly we were sick of dealing with 50 people on a bus. So we opted out of the tour, sat for a while in the shade & had a drink & people watched. Shopped a bit (vendors were pushier here than anywhere--but in a very chatty sweet way. BTW there are phallic statues EVERYWHERE, lol) Then had another drink.

 

Florence

Ship excursion to Tuscany. Only 12 of us on a full size bus--it was great!

First a winery/B&B (Fattoria San Donato) in Tuscany. (ride was picturesque but wound a lot; little boy got car sick)

They had lunch for us--FANTASTIC. Meats, cheeses, salads, veggies, wine.

This winery was Instagram perfect around every corner. 

Ordered a dozen bottles of wine here!

Would love to return--their room prices are quite good)

We then went to the Tuscany town of San Gimiginano. 

A bit of a steep walk up to the town from where the bus drops you but it is so lovely!

Wandered, shopped & stopped for gelato. (BEST gelato in world here they say...line was too long!)

 

[KKB]

Disembarkation & final thoughts

 

EASIEST DISEMBARKATION EVER. 

No passport shown, no facial recognition. Swipe your key, grab luggage & THAT'S IT.

Booked Cab Roma to FCO (169E cash). Worked well.

 

Used virtually no cash EXCEPT the transfers--had about 200E left from May & DD got 300E at the bank in Dallas. Probably not the best rate, but since we needed about 400E cash, it was nice to be sure we had it & not fret once we were there. Everything else went on credit cards w/o issue.

 

We had a lovely time & were a good match for each other. 

We understand each others differences & each of us is usually good to defer to the other.

When my mother passed last year, I sensed a change in our daughter--she is kinder & gentler with me than in the past. I'm very thankful for that as it seemed we could butt heads at times from middle school thru college. I wasn't sure she & I would ever be as close as my mother & I were--I believe now it will be similar. 

 

If there is something I didn't cover about the ship or ports, let me know!

[schmoopie17]

Great trip report. Love how you broke up the topics. 

 

Your Trastevere food tour sounds identical to the one we did...except we booked ours through Eating Europe. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

 

Your Tuscany excursion sounds like it would be right up our alley when we're back there in September. We normally book outside excursions but might have to consider that one.

 

And the Prom Queen crown looks good on you...

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by schmoopie17

[Sunsher28]

Great review. It sounds like it was a wonderful trip! We sail next week so I loved your breakdown of the food and excursions. We booked this trip because I have always wanted to visit Santorini.  Now I’m dreading it.  
 

We are taking the same excursion as you did in Florence. It sounds just like I imagined it. I’m excited to try their wine. How did buying a case work for you? Did you bring it back on the ship then check it with your luggage? Or are they shipping it for you? 

[tsahall01]

19 hours ago, KKB said:

We originally had Tender 32...DD noticed Tender 4 had 4 seats open a night before (maybe 2 nights).Snagged those...then later see I got 4 & she got 32! WTH? Luckily they didn't say anything (do they even know what tender you have? does it pop up when you scan out? since we were obviously together they were ok? who knows...)

We are doing the September 13th sailing.  It shows Mykonos as a port, not a tender port.  Was this a change for you or was it always a tender port listed on your reservation?

Thank you for your observations!  Looking forward to a great cruise!

[KKB]

18 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Great trip report. Love how you broke up the topics. 

 

Your Trastevere food tour sounds identical to the one we did...except we booked ours through Eating Europe. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

 

Your Tuscany excursion sounds like it would be right up our alley when we're back there in September. We normally book outside excursions but might have to consider that one.

 

And the Prom Queen crown looks good on you...

 

 

I can't remember the name of the Tuscany one, but I believe it was 220pp.

 

Thx!

[KKB]

6 hours ago, Sunsher28 said:

Great review. It sounds like it was a wonderful trip! We sail next week so I loved your breakdown of the food and excursions. We booked this trip because I have always wanted to visit Santorini.  Now I’m dreading it.  
 

We are taking the same excursion as you did in Florence. It sounds just like I imagined it. I’m excited to try their wine. How did buying a case work for you? Did you bring it back on the ship then check it with your luggage? Or are they shipping it for you? 

If you are sailing the 3rd, it looks like Rhapsody of the Seas & the Infinity are there with you--yep almost as many as we had. Those ships get in at 8 & you get in at 1& you all depart at 9 or 10. My suggestion? Get an excursion, the earlier the better, tho there may be slim pickings at this point. We booked the "Take a Selfie" tour just to get us up to Oia. (cancelled as all were). Be prepared to walk down if the cable car lines are long. (about an hour walk up, 30 min down, be prepared to avoid donkeys & donkey doo)

 

Oh, the wine was GOOOOD--loved all the whites! (I'm not into reds).

Most 10-15E.

$80 to ship 6 bottles; $100 to ship 12.

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

25 minutes ago, tsahall01 said:

We are doing the September 13th sailing.  It shows Mykonos as a port, not a tender port.  Was this a change for you or was it always a tender port listed on your reservation?

Thank you for your observations!  Looking forward to a great cruise!

Yes, ours was made a tender port while we were on the cruise, Day 1 or 2, as was Valetta.

There were concerns the day before that the winds were to come up in the afternoon & impact tendering.

Around noon we were sitting at Negrita & the waves came up & over onto the patio area. We were concerned we should head back, but it calmed down after a bit. 

The winds came up a bit but nothing was impacted luckily.

Easiest tender port we had.

[JBLTravel]

Great information!  Do you remember who the cruise director and general manager was?

[KKB]

3 hours ago, JBLTravel said:

Great information!  Do you remember who the cruise director and general manager was?

GM no idea.

CD...gosh, I can see him & hear his voice, but his name escapes me

Really enjoyed the activities staff.