A Live Trip Report~ Cruising the Getaway out of New Orleans 10/20/2024

[justhappy]

6 hours ago, stellarose33 said:

we are in cabin 10-184.  not sure how close this is to things on the ship (pool, MDR, theater)

Here’s a photo showing how close you are to the elevators/stairs!

[philosopherdb]

20 hours ago, AULIZ34 said:

Were you able to make reservations at Shanghai Noodle Bar...I read a trick that we need to login to the ship while waiting to board since you can't book that restaurant in advance and it is hard to get reservations once onboard.  I am sailing this ship in 30 days!  Trying to absorb as much as I can since we are traveling with 15 family members.  I am really enjoying following you story since I have not been on a cruise in 18 years!

Currently on the Getaway and I was able to get a reservation for Thursday by going up to the desk in front of the restaurant on Tuesday afternoon. Might be trickier for a party of 15 but worth a shot!

Edited Thursday at 02:05 PM by philosopherdb

[AULIZ34]

This is so neat to be able to see the actual ship and hear from real live passengers!  Thank you all for taking the time to chat during your vacation.  

One other option I can't find much info on:  "Is Priority Access Really Worth It"??

The main perk with this would be if the ship has to tender in Roatan.  And if in fact priority guests get tendered off quicker than non-priority guest?  Getting off the ship quickly to get to Infinity Bay Resort to use our day passes is something I want to be sure we can take advantage of. 

Let me know how disembarkation goes in Roatan and would love to hear of any Priority Access experiences, both getting on the ship and during port tender days. Thanks!

[stellarose33]

16 hours ago, justhappy said:

I call them Miami Vices

love the Miami vice.  good drink! never saw I blue before.  usually orange and red 

 

love the pics. keep them coming. have fun.

[justhappy]

23 minutes ago, AULIZ34 said:

This is so neat to be able to see the actual ship and hear from real live passengers!  Thank you all for taking the time to chat during your vacation.  

One other option I can't find much info on:  "Is Priority Access Really Worth It"??

The main perk with this would be if the ship has to tender in Roatan.  And if in fact priority guests get tendered off quicker than non-priority guest?  Getting off the ship quickly to get to Infinity Bay Resort to use our day passes is something I want to be sure we can take advantage of. 

Let me know how disembarkation goes in Roatan and would love to hear of any Priority Access experiences, both getting on the ship and during port tender days. Thanks!

We are currently docked at Roatan  this morning so I’m not sure how tendering will work if you have to tender here.

[JamesIowa]

26 minutes ago, AULIZ34 said:

"Is Priority Access Really Worth It"??

Fwiw, I don’t believe I have ever read a post on cc, Reddit, etc that answered this question with an affirmative.

I love upgrades, options and pre-paying for everything; fas+, vibe, max refundable obc allowed. I’ve looked over PA and for the life of me cannot find where the value is. Doesn’t have to be 1:1, just a little to justify the price vs. what’s included/value, and imo this one’s a stinker. It’s an OSI model of 7 layers of fail.

[justhappy]

Monday morning we got up early to have a quick breakfast in the buffet before our 8:25 am meet up for the Latitudes Behind the scenes tour.

I had a banana and two eggs over easy. I’m having a banana every day to see if the potassium and magnesium help with ankle and foot swelling. 
 There is a thread on this forum debating if the ships water or food causes it.

(Probably heat and alcohol IMO)

 

 

These photos are of the pool area early morning on Monday on the way aft to the buffet

 

 

Chair hogs marking their spots early

 

 

   We had a great tour, it was a large group divided into two smaller groups and we had Shannon lead ours. She is small but loud, as she described herself.

And extremely sweet and funny.

 

 We were allowed photos everywhere but I-95 and the theater dressing rooms but I didn’t take any.

The tour lasted almost an hour and a half, and our friends loved it. The kitchen staff was actively serving breakfast and it gives you a better appreciation for how busy it is. 
 We felt a little bad for being so impatient the night before at dinner.

That one kitchen serves Manhattan as well as Taste and Savor.

 

 We saw the laundry facilities in operation as well, 24 crew members working 12 hour shifts and the laundry runs 24 hours a day. 
 Shannon gave us advice that your free laundry cleaning be sure you specify what you need, like cold or hot only wash.

 We also had a theater tour and of course the crew main highway where various facilities are located.

 After the tour we changed into swimsuits and gathered our books and headed up to the Vibe.

[justhappy]

46 minutes ago, stellarose33 said:

love the Miami vice.  good drink! never saw I blue before.  usually orange and red 

 

love the pics. keep them coming. have fun.

The blue is just a small drizzle of blue curaçao.

[justhappy]

Lunch was at O’Sheehans, also called Oceans, O’Shanahans, and many more names I’ve heard. 
 We also had problems here with service to the point that the MD actually came by to apologize. 
Our server took our order, then brought out our apps after quite a wait, then after a long wait and a server change we finally asked nicely where our entrees were.

 I think that maybe the server never put the order in.

The apps were my lunch so I didn’t eat waiting on everyone else’s orders to come out so they brought out fresh ones for me.

 

Nachos

Naked wings extra crispy 

Reuben

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

OH!!! Those wings look like some I'd enjoy. I've gotta try extra crispy naked next time. Thanks!! How were they?

[justhappy]

49 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

OH!!! Those wings look like some I'd enjoy. I've gotta try extra crispy naked next time. Thanks!! How were they?

They were great! I just asked for them to cook them extra crispy and put the buffalo sauce on the side. I liked them so much I didn’t even use the buffalo sauce, and I like buffalo wings.

[AULIZ34]

2 hours ago, justhappy said:

We are currently docked at Roatan  this morning so I’m not sure how tendering will work if you have to tender here.

Thanks for the information.  It looks like Getaway is there with Wonder of the Seas today so you got lucky with only having 2 ships.  Are BOTH ships docked? I thought only 1 ship could dock and the others have to tender?

Unfortunately when we go we will have 3 ships with us at Coxen and Carnival will dock at Mahogany Bay...NCL does not have priority docking there nor are we arriving first.  Maybe the Captain will get us in sooner than 3rd 😉

View docking schedule at https://www.cruisetimetables.com/roatan-honduras-cruise-ship-schedule.html#google_vignette

Edited Thursday at 05:23 PM by AULIZ34

[justhappy]

On 10/23/2024 at 8:08 AM, CruiseeCrazee said:

I was on the transatlantic just before your sailing. It was my first experience with the Vibe and I lovvvved it (even though it had to close for half the cruise due to weather - they eventually refunded about half of what I'd paid). Such amazing service and such a nice space. Tell Victor and Jonathan that Karen says "hi" if you see them working in there!

Victor is waiting on us this morning and between him and Mosh we are being spoiled. I told Victor you said hi and told him about your message and he said it makes the crew feel so good when guests have fond memories of them❤️

[justhappy]

2 minutes ago, AULIZ34 said:

Thanks for the information.  It looks like Getaway is there with Wonder of the Seas today so you got lucky with only having 2 ships.  Are BOTH ships docked? I thought only 1 ship could dock and the others have to tender?

Unfortunately when we go we will have 4 ships with us and NCL does not have priority docking there nor are we arriving first.

View docking schedule at https://www.cruisetimetables.com/roatan-honduras-cruise-ship-schedule.html#google_vignette

Both ships are docked.  I think they added a new pier since the last time we were here.

I looks Roatan had a bit of damage from the system that went through a week ago, we can see some cleanup going on and a few fresh mudslides on the hillsides.

[AULIZ34]

1 hour ago, JamesIowa said:

Fwiw, I don’t believe I have ever read a post on cc, Reddit, etc that answered this question with an affirmative.

I love upgrades, options and pre-paying for everything; fas+, vibe, max refundable obc allowed. I’ve looked over PA and for the life of me cannot find where the value is. Doesn’t have to be 1:1, just a little to justify the price vs. what’s included/value, and imo this one’s a stinker. It’s an OSI model of 7 layers of fail.

Wow very well put....I couldn't agree more, it is very vague all across the board.  I would much rather lose $400 (2 cabins worth of PA) in the casino than waste it on a meaningless Priority Access perk. 

[stellarose33]

as a vegetarian (who eats fish)- which two speciality restaurants should we do?

[justhappy]

1 hour ago, stellarose33 said:

as a vegetarian (who eats fish)- which two speciality restaurants should we do?

That’s a tough choice, for me it would be Ocean Blue and Le Bistro.

[bkrickles1]

2 hours ago, justhappy said:

Victor is waiting on us this morning and between him and Mosh we are being spoiled. I told Victor you said hi and told him about your message and he said it makes the crew feel so good when guests have fond memories of them❤️

Victor was the best bartender and he took tremendous care of my wife, daughter and I for 10 days. He'd remember us too, I bet, from April.

Jodi was our guy who came around constantly with drinks and everything else they provide up there, but I'm guessing he's gone by now. He was very young, 24, and newly married. My wife and daughter thought he was the cutest! Lol!

I hope you're enjoying Vibe as much as we did. It was our first time in Vibe and made it, perhaps, our favorite sailing!!

[D_And_K_gocruising]

I have a friend that is on board with you on this cruise!   Looks like good weather!!

[justhappy]

36 minutes ago, D_And_K_gocruising said:

I have a friend that is on board with you on this cruise!   Looks like good weather!!

Yes, except for a heavy rain Tuesday morning it’s been great.

[justhappy]

After lunch we headed to the Vibe to read and relax. Several drinks and naps later, we headed in to have our first specialty dinner~ Ocean Blue. 
We were greeted by Harold, who was also the Maitre D at O Sheehans.

 He apologized again for the lunch snafu and took great care of us.

The food and service were top notch, although we were not big fans of the Apple tart, but at that point we were stuffed!

 

Shrimp appetizer 

 

Clam chowder

 

Salmon

 

Apple tart

 

Side is asparagus 

side of gratin potatoes

 

Edited Thursday at 08:57 PM by justhappy

[stellarose33]

1 hour ago, justhappy said:

After lunch we headed to the Vibe to read and relax. Several drinks and naps later, we headed in to have our first specialty dinner~ Ocean Blue. 
We were greeted by Harold, who was also the Maitre D at O Sheehans.

 He apologized again for the lunch snafu and took great care of us.

The food and service were top notch, although we were not big fans of the Apple tart, but at that point we were stuffed!

 

Shrimp appetizer 

 

Clam chowder

 

Salmon

 

Apple tart

 

Side is asparagus 

side of gratin potatoes

 

I see salmon! good for this vegetarian. ocean blue right?

[justhappy]

40 minutes ago, stellarose33 said:

I see salmon! good for this vegetarian. ocean blue right?

Yes!

[justhappy]

Day 5 Thursday Dailies

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

Oh! I'm so happy to see Broadway Unplugged still featured in the Freestyle Daily. Thank you for posting!