Coffee and other random musings from Breakaway B2B | 11/02 - 11/28

[smillerholmes]

Hi!

There were no plans to do a Live From, a Semi-live or even a report after the fact, but I had some free time after oversleeping and missing my excursion for the day so here we are...

 

Embarkation in Civitavecchia - Previous two cruises I always took the train/shuttle combo and it is a PITA! This time I ran into a lovely couple from NJ and they had already rented a private car and offered to let me join them.  A whole different experience - worth the money!  Never doing the train/shuttle again.  Actually checking in was only complicated because so many people arrived early (including my party) and therefore the disembarkees mixed with the embarkees and oh my.  Once the shuttle came for the disembarkees it was like night and day.  Check in was smooth and easy.   I am here as a guest of the Casino and they actually had a specific line AND they were using it!  Nice seating area even for us peasant folk with no Haven access. I was boarding group 3 and on the ship by 11:05.

 

Other than the fact that I ran into multiple crew from previous cruises nothing really stood out until breakfast.

 

Holy Cow Batman! The coffee was actually good.  I had breakfast in Taste and I thought surely this is a fluke.  Nope!  Went up to the buffet for lunch - the coffee was even better.  I was all prepared to have to raid their tea box and I am glad to say there was no need for drastic measures.  I plan to inquire towards the end of the cruise, but wondering if my fellow coffee drinkers out there have detected a change on any of the other ships in the fleet??

 

I did attend the M&G - I'd put the attendance at 25-30.  While chatting with the host/ess she mentioned that there were approximately 140 that signed up.  No mention of the breakdown of FB:CC, but c'mon people they put alot of work into setting that up!  This cruise is sold out and so is the Transatlantic that follows it to NY.  No word on the leg from NY to New Orleans, but they think it's going to be pretty full.

 

Athens was missed, per the Captain due to potential safety issues.  He stated that the water was too choppy for the pilot boat to come out to guide us in and therefore we are moving on.  No word on port fees as of this writing.  I've been to Athens before and of the 3 stops (Mykonos and Santorini) that's the one I was actually going to do a few things I missed when I was on my land tour.  Go figure!  

 

I missed Wines around the World and Behind the Scenes was full by the time I got to the CruiseNext desk.  Dinner with the Officers is tonight.

 

Day 6 - went very well in the Casino - 🙂

 

Valleta, Malta is absolutely lovely.  If you haven't yet visited this country - put it on your list.  I would describe it as very laid back, with the official language(s) being both Maltese and English.  For those of us from the US they do that driving on the "other" side of the road thing, but other than that I give them a big thumbs up.

 

I realize food is subjective, but here goes...

 

LeBistro - I very much wanted to give them another chance.  I used to love the Coq Au Vin, but they have changed the recipe and if I want a steak there are other places I can obtain without the hefty dining supplement.  Let the record show the Steak Tartare is still absolutely delicious and the duck is ok. 

 

LaCucina - just like last time the steak is actually quite good.  This time I selected the lasagna as an appetizer - oh my that was yummy.  Will have to have that for a meal when my new dining package kicks in.

 

Ocean Blue - This was my first time going.  Huge thumbs up.  Do not hesitate to give that Blazing Shrimp a try- absolutely yum!  Clam chowder was good as expected.  I will say my lobster was a little overdone/tough, but the Roasted Brick Chicken was derlicious!  

 

Cagneys - I go back and forth between the pork chop and the ribeye neither ever disappoints unlike the potatoes au gratin.  Just a runny mess with too much garlic.  I have given up on those, but I'll live.  

 

Shanghai - I know it's a complimentary restaurant, but it has been packed every night.  This is the first ship I've ever had to wait for a spot or <gasp> actually hold that buzzer thingy.  I usually just head over at 5ish and get the dumplings as an appetizer and then have my dinner much later.  That restaurant needs more space. 

 

 Service Levels - Even with a full ship I notice no discernible drop off in service.  In several restaurants I notice quite a few who are not dressed like the others so it looks like they move staffing around to accommodate demand.

 

My experience with the once a day cleaning has me wondering if shore excursions is providing some sort of report to help the stewards know exactly which rooms are likely ready for cleaning? Just a random thought..

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

I'm glad your excursion was missed so we could hear your update....I'm not really glad, but it is nice to hear from you!! You know, I'll always remember you from our Getaway cruise! 

 

It sounds like you're having a really nice time. Hopefully work isn't causing you too much distraction from having a good time. I'm glad to hear about the coffee. It's so important!  And a casino win. YAY!!!

[Sand and Seas]

@smillerholmes, love your 'random musings' and can't wait to hear more.  We are looking forward to our upcoming Breakaway from NOLA.    

 

Hope the casino continues to treat you well😊

[Von & John]

Wow  --  Good Coffee...
Much different than our NCL Sun - MIA to SEA cruise through the Panama Canal it seems...

We were so disappointed in the coffee on that cruise & I believe you noted you had switched to Tea b/c it was so bad.

If you didn't mention - then it was someone else 🙂 

Enjoy your B2B & we'll happily follow along on anything you want to share.
Have Fun in the Casino - May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor

Cheers from Talkeetna  --  Von

[smillerholmes]

Dinner with the Officers was quite pleasant.  We had an engine room Engineer and an assistant customer service manager + a couple that spoke 100% Italian/25% English + a couple from Portland, OR.  It was quite entertaining using our powers of deduction for the couple from Italy and when all else failed our Engineer was fluent in Italian.

 

Tonight the Casino was a harsh mistress 😞 She treated me poorly!

 

Tomorrow is Naples!

[smillerholmes]

6 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm glad your excursion was missed so we could hear your update....I'm not really glad, but it is nice to hear from you!! You know, I'll always remember you from our Getaway cruise! 

 

It sounds like you're having a really nice time. Hopefully work isn't causing you too much distraction from having a good time. I'm glad to hear about the coffee. It's so important!  And a casino win. YAY!!!

This cruise is 100% - NO Work! - thanks for checking in...

[smillerholmes]

2 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

@smillerholmes, love your 'random musings' and can't wait to hear more.  We are looking forward to our upcoming Breakaway from NOLA.    

 

Hope the casino continues to treat you well😊

I'll post if I can get any info on the NOLA leg.  

[smillerholmes]

31 minutes ago, Von &amp; John said:

Wow  --  Good Coffee...
Much different than our NCL Sun - MIA to SEA cruise through the Panama Canal it seems...

We were so disappointed in the coffee on that cruise & I believe you noted you had switched to Tea b/c it was so bad.

If you didn't mention - then it was someone else 🙂 

Enjoy your B2B & we'll happily follow along on anything you want to share.
Have Fun in the Casino - May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor

Cheers from Talkeetna  --  Von

Yep - most definitely switched to tea on the Sun.  Good coffee is such a treat, I'm just going to enjoy it and cross my fingers for my April 2024 cruise on the Spirit.  Thanks for following along...

[smillerholmes]

Just to catch everyone up -

 

• Naples was lovely - a little rainy off and on, but looking forward to better weather on the 2nd leg.
• The Captain just announced we are skipping Livorno/Florence/Pisa for safety reasons- we are again unable to dock as seas are very choppy and have been since we left Naples.
• On that note - last night I slept like a baby! I love it when the ship rocks me gently.
• And I'd like to report I am still tasting consistently good coffee.  Not great, but a definite improvement and drinkable without additives.
• Just received a voicemail from the CruiseNext Team inviting all the B2B peeps to come on down to sign up for their benefits on the next cruise.  If the line isn't awful I will try to get some clarity on the Haven Cruise Next vs. Regular Cruise Next.  I am prepared for spin, but I'll report back what I find out.

[smillerholmes]

More odds and ends....

 

• An attempt at restitution has been made:  Due to canceling both Athens, Greece and Livorno, Italy a $100 OBC will be issued per stateroom.  May be reflected as $50 OBC for Guest 1 and Guest 2.
• I checked with the Cruise Next desk regarding Haven Cruise Next.  If you were to buy 3 at $500 - there is no discount - however you would be provided $375 OBC.  And yes, all 3 would be able to be applied per the current promotion of "balcony and above and at least 4 months in advance". 
• I also asked about the "no expiration date" rumblings.  It was stated that at this time they had not heard that to be the case.  
• There are at least 200 people in line for both OBC and Guest Services - that is not an exaggeration.  If anything, I am probably underestimating since the line extends past the forward elevators.