I believe the cruise, ports, ship and staff are all what you make it. If you are grateful to be taking a fabulous vacation and have worked hard to earn time off; you will have the time of your life. If you look for things to find wrong and complain about...stay home!
Take time to talk to staff. They work 16 hour days, seven days a week for eight months straight. When we leave there are literally people lined up to walk onboard. They work very hard, are away from family and friends for months at a time.
The porta are also what you make them. If you go into ports unprepared, you will likely not have a good time. It costs nothing to walk around. We did not find people pushy at all when staying in main shopping districts. We branched out in Cozumel to a tent city for merchants; these folks were eager for your business.
Plan like crazy before your trip and you will be well rewarded with beautiful memories!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
After flight delays, got to Port of Miami at 1PM. No wait, walked on!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The fine dining food and service was superb. I felt some of the food was recycled from one buffet to another. Many times the food was tepid. Overall food was very good, nice variety, ever night at buffet is different cuisine i.e. French, Italian, Asian...Drinks on the other hand were frustrating. Alcohol was tough to get, as were soft drinks. Bartenders were slow and usually three deep. Tip often and find a friend!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There was always plenty to do, inside or outside. Bingo, The Newlywed game, Deal or no Deal. Rock climbing, Dueling pianos, comedy club, off Broadway shows; you name it. If you are board, that is on you.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Rock of Ages was hilarious! Had a great time at Howl at the moon as well as the comedy club.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward was fantastic, thank you Joseph and Sharon! Most everyone was friendly. Front desk and shore excursions were polite, but if there was an issue with your bill pack your patience. Bartenders, well from what I understand they work for tips.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I never saw anything dirty. Bathrooms were clean. Buffet areas were well kept. You had to keep hands on your plate or they would clean the table even before you were finished.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I literally cried when I walked in. Never had a balcony and it was phenomenal. There were two of us with four suitcases. The two side tables and foot stool can be removed upon request.
Ship tip
Get on the website and book excursions, dining and shows early. Dining and shows are free to book with meal package.
Went to Little French Key and Daniel Johnson's Wildlife Rescue. Very nice facilities. Booked both on my own. Tip. Daniel Johnson's is 10 dollars entry, right next door to ferry for Little French Key.
We did the cabana for four. Loved it. It was so nice to have a place to retreat from sun. Pool was beautiful. Lifeguard on duty for beach area. Plenty of chairs on our day, only ship in port. shops were neat and clean. Landsharks was a little pricey, but food was great; as was service.
We booked Chaccoben Ruins through ship since it was a longer tour. If you do this, bring BUG spray; mosquitoes were horrible! Food at swimming lagoon was homemade and delicious. Tour guide was very informative. Tour bus was professional and comfortable. Shopping area in port was neat and clean.
We had a great time shopping before heading out to Mr. Sanchos. I booked well in advance, there were five ships in port and they were turning people away that did not book. Only $5 to book, per person. $50 for full day of beach chairs, all the food and drink you can stomach. Walk up dining and bar. Though we had what seemed like our personal waiter. Make sure to arrange price of taxi back before getting in.
We had a leisurely breakfast at the buffet on 16. carried off all luggage. And again, walked right off ship. I felt bad for the people the put their luggage out the night before. Seemed very unorganized, other than they were grouped by color. But there was no guide to where colored tags were and they were in several different locations. That would have been a nightmare. We booked QLS transport back to Fort Lauderdale and stayed at the Holiday INN on 84. Fabulous Holiday in. Their transport took us to airport.
Great review portocall everything is true about what you make out of a vacation, we did the Getaway last April and had a ball with no issues. Going on Breakaway next March can't wait.
I was on the same cruise, down the hall from you! I loved it! Agree with your review. We enjoy engaging with staff, they are awesome! We did the color luggage tags and after a couple porters directing us to the wrong bay, we found them, not a big deal, they unload thousands of luggage and I feel they do a pretty good job, much better than airlines! We love cruising with NCL! Glad you had a good cruise!
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