NCL Getaway: 6 kids, 7 nights, 10 people to Western Caribbean fun

[momof2n2]

There are three ports there, and the one we were at was very nice. We saw some street performers, and peeked in a store or two. But mostly we headed back to the ship. Of all the places we stopped it was the most built up port. Hotels and such immediately outside the port complex. You have to go up and over the road to get back to the port side. It made for nice photos, if not a little jumbled for strollers and wheelchairs.

We did the ropes course again (most of us – Katriel wasn’t keen to repeat it) and did some pool time.



It really was so fun.
The plank was closed today. I’m guessing it was because it was so windy????
We had our last group dinner tonight at Le Bistro, the French restaurant. It was beautiful, and strikingly small.


The service was attentive and sophisticated. They were exceedingly nice.
The menu – I think it was really good. But I think after two weeks of eating out it was hard for us to be moved by food. For appetizer Marie had escargot, and Nigel may have as well.


This was an app, as well, but none of us know exactly what it was. Something fishy?

The soup course was fun. They brought us out this. At first I wondered if maybe this was it and I was going to have to explain to my kids that what makes this fancy is the exquisitely small servings?

Then the waiter returned to soupify my soup.

And yet another server (the creme-bearer???) came by to add the white swirls.

It was delicious.
I had to take some girls to the bathroom between courses. A lovely older couple signaled for me to stop and they proceeded to tell me how fantastic my family was, asked if that was Grandma at the end of the table, and shared how much we made them miss their extended family. We chatted a few minutes and she later grabbed Nan on her way by, as well. It’s always an encouraging thing to hear, especially when your kids are the only ones in a finer dining room.
Dinner came under silver domes.

Well, Marie got a pot?

Tab ordered pizza, but they gave her Daddy’s plate somehow…

Can you see the reflection? Katriel was on my lap. She was tired.

I had a lamb dish. I thought I would try something new. When the boys heard what I had ordered, they made sport of me until I couldn’t eat it.
“Yer eating a widdle lammy?”
”Was he baaaaaad?”

I was careful to to waste any of my beans.
Five beans.
And that smear was some other bean concoction. I am clearly too bourgeois to be impressed.
Of course someone suggested what part of that lamb that was…


Tab gave Daddy back his plate. That is a bamboo shoot. Is bamboo native to France?


Now - there were no jokes when dessert came.
Honestly – their desserts might be a reason to eat there.

Four or six of them got these desserts for two. Siblings who would pierce one another’s cheek with a dull carrot for looking at them wrong are suddenly UN peacekeepers when there is chocolate to share.

Rivaled only by the tiramisu as best dessert on the ship.

After this gourmet brownie, Hanny still said normal brownies are more fun.

I think there were a few kids to the clubs, and a few to the golf course and Craig.
We were all tired, and I believe all in bed by 11. Or 10? Or is that 12? Island time?

 

[kittymamma]

As Oliver would beg..."more please". Just loving your witty report...great writing style.

 

[momof2n2]

As Oliver would beg..."more please". Just loving your witty report...great writing style.

LOL. Oliver.

I plan to throw another day on today. Sadly - the trip was almost over.

Thank you for encouraging words. What a great way to start my day.

 

[momof2n2]

Second Sea Day (last cruise day)

We started the day with everyone sleeping in. I would have let it go on indefinitely, but I knew that we wanted to eat in Savor with Cher and her team and that closed around 9:30 A.M. I woke up the kids a bit after 9 and everyone jumped into their clothes or swim suits.
They gave us two tables by the window today instead of the long table we’d had every other morning. I ordered Katriel the peaches and blueberries again today. When the waiter learned she only ate the blueberries (I ate the peaches) he brought her a small dish filled with blueberries.

Man it was going to be hard to go back to normal life tomorrow.

There were not a lot of photos this day. There was a lot of pool time. Waterslide time. Mini-golf time. And club time.

We left the water areas long enough to eat lunch in the buffet. We settled for this outside but not in the sun section. I didn’t want to be cold in the A/C and many did not want to eat in the blazing heat.

See Tab at the bar behind me? That was where their buddy Craig worked.

It got a bit busier in the pools this afternoon, but it was far from unbearable. Much of the crowd waxed and waned. We were some of the only ones to practically take up residence.

We did take a little time around 3 P.M. to all head back to the room and do some packing up. Thankfully, we pretty much just had to throw stuff into suitcases without much sorting.
We had dinner reservations for 6:30 P.M. at Moderno Churrascaria, their Brazilian themed dining spot. Nan and Kelly decided to eat in the MDR as their credits and dining package had gotten used up. The food here was pretty unique. There was a buffet with a variety of items – sushi, bamboo shoots, salad, asparagus, etc. They also brought a serving dish with potatoes, yucca, mushrooms, and rice. They did not bring us beans because of Stewart’s allergy.


They had, we believe, 8 roaming servers with huge skewers of meats, as well as one with grilled pineapple. It was a LOT of meat, and I confess we probably didn’t appreciate it as much as we would have liked to.


They brought Stewart a crazy amount of meat. Like, two pieces of every kind. They grilled his separately.


I had to take someone to the bathroom and I got a glimpse of the setting sun. As Marie and Tabitha wanted to hurry back to the stateroom to change and go to their club, I grabbed the camera and hurried back to the aft deck to take photos.

It was windy, warm, and wonderful.

Dessert was a zero. That’s ok. We stopped by the buffet for a few more before we retired.

Boys went to hang with Craig a while and we took the little girls back to the room for bed and packing. Marie and Tab enjoyed their club til about 10.

It was hard going to bed knowing it was the last night on the ship. It had been so much fun.

 

[Hundredacre]

Thank you for sharing your trip! Looks awesome. We're on escape in 2017, very excited.

 

[Hundredacre]

Just wondering does ncl give any onboard booking incentives?

 

[momof2n2]

Just wondering does ncl give any onboard booking incentives?

They do. Hard to explain. Basically $500 for $250, but they word it ackwardly to then get you to spend $250 more on the current trip...

Called "cruise next."


We didn't buy because it has to be within 2 years and I was afraid (without access to the college's academic calendar while at sea) that we'd miss the deadline. Turns out we would have made it by 2 days.

 

[ukintheus]

Great trip report! I've enjoyed following along with your adventures! We are on RCI going to Roatan in September and have booked Little French Key, so I really enjoyed reading your review of that. We are also going to Costa Maya, but have been there before with DCL and done the ruins route, so we may just do the same as you and head into town and find something that looks relaxing.

 

[momof2n2]

Great trip report! I've enjoyed following along with your adventures! We are on RCI going to Roatan in September and have booked Little French Key, so I really enjoyed reading your review of that. We are also going to Costa Maya, but have been there before with DCL and done the ruins route, so we may just do the same as you and head into town and find something that looks relaxing.

We LOVED LFK. We were the only ship in the port and the place was decidedly uncrowded. But there are so many beaches that I think even if the first beach you sort of pic is crowded, just keep moving to another beach. It was also nice that carnival didn't have a ship in port so their island wasn't being used.

Blue Kay was very laid back.

I wish I was there today!!

If you're on Facebook they are both on Facebook.

 

[ukintheus]

We LOVED LFK. We were the only ship in the port and the place was decidedly uncrowded. But there are so many beaches that I think even if the first beach you sort of pic is crowded, just keep moving to another beach. It was also nice that carnival didn't have a ship in port so their island wasn't being used.

Blue Kay was very laid back.

I wish I was there today!!

If you're on Facebook they are both on Facebook.

We are the only ship in port as well, which is the reason I went with LFK as one of the negatives I had heard is that they don't limit guest numbers. I'm hoping that we get good weather (hurricane season) and enjoy our day as much as you did. I'll check out Blue Kay on FB - thanks!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Really great report.

I'm a big fan of branching out and trying other lines (I cruise Carnival, Royal and Celebrity in addition to DCL). Looks like you had a great cruise. It really does soften the blow of choosing another line when you get a week at WDW plus the "other" cruise line cruise for the same cost as one week on DCL.

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

It has been so many years since we've been on NCL so it was great reading about your trip ... thanks

 

[DnA2010]

Thank you for your review! We've been seriously considering booking this cruise, due to the ports and the ship itself- our cruise experience is limited- we've done Fantasy East (DH, DD was 10) RCL Freedom East (just myself and DH), and RCL Oasis West (myself, DH and DD was 9) and we/DD equally loved our cruises on the Fantasy and Oasis and so are def considering another big ship family trip- when I first started reading I thought "well I think I will be crossing NCL off" but then as I read on, you def had some positive stuff to say about the experience- I was intrigued to see your reviews of the specialty restaurants also, as when looking at the options available when you get to pick one of the extra add ons, the dining might not have been one we would have considered, as we enjoyed the MDR on the RCL ships and on the Fantasy.
I'm currently expecting, due in Sept, so I'm thinking cruising is now going to be further away now, but you never know right, these larger ships do seem to accommodate little people well

 

[momof2n2]

CONGRATULATIONS.

I would totally take a little one on the ship. But I would take a little one just about anywhere, so maybe I am not a good one to ask. LOL. I would be pretty careful about the excursions with a baby, but I would say that for any cruise line.

Other than some bumps that first day, this cruise was fantastic.

I recently saw that they were offering some very good promos right now for booking. But I don't feel for a minute that I would need the enhanced dining to enjoy the Getaway. One of my favorite meals was in the MDR. We very much enjoyed Teppanyaki & Cagney's, and Moderno was very interesting.

I would really like them to offer the gratuities as a promo!

Congrats on the new baby. That's way better than any vacation. ;-)

 

[DnA2010]

Thank you! Given you've had a few, your words are very valued DD is actually my stepdaughter (lives with us majority of the time) and I came into her life at just turned 3, so baby world is very new! DH and I didn't know if it was going to happen for us, so decided to give the fertility road a go, luckily it happened before it go too expensive (although of course can't put a price on etc)
We are planning for/really hoping to do a late March 2017 vacation while I am still on maternity leave from work, when little one will be around 7 months old, and seriously considering WDW as it seems to be very baby friendly, and have also been tossing around a cruise.
Gratuities as a promo would indeed be great! the one right now offers extra guests as a "choice" which would be very nice indeed.

 

[momof2n2]

Thank you! Given you've had a few, your words are very valued DD is actually my stepdaughter (lives with us majority of the time) and I came into her life at just turned 3, so baby world is very new! DH and I didn't know if it was going to happen for us, so decided to give the fertility road a go, luckily it happened before it go too expensive (although of course can't put a price on etc)
We are planning for/really hoping to do a late March 2017 vacation while I am still on maternity leave from work, when little one will be around 7 months old, and seriously considering WDW as it seems to be very baby friendly, and have also been tossing around a cruise.
Gratuities as a promo would indeed be great! the one right now offers extra guests as a "choice" which would be very nice indeed.

To be sure - babies are a TON of work... but it's the most gratifying work. Oh - those smiles! That's so fantastic fertility tx worked! ♥

I saw your link to your report. Your DD is beautiful and looks older than her age. That is my 11 year old, too. She passes for 13/14 easily. Maybe more.

I think 7 mos is a very good age for WDW and/or cruise. Very portable. Let me know what incentives you end up picking. The 3/4th pax free is excellent. I'm seeing that we could book on the Edge right now for next May for pretty close to the same price we booked 2016 trip in 2015. That's encouraging for me. I don't see us going until 2018, but that booking should open next Feb or March. That's closer than I think!

 

[Hundredacre]

They do have some great deals right now. We were booked on the getaway for western Caribbean december 2017 and we just switched it to the escape eastern caribbean for the same week. With the kids free (or is it 3rd &4th guest free?) promo we switched from two insides to two balconies for $400 more. Also getting dining promo (forgot what they call that) on both rooms and $50 for each port toward shore excursions on one room.

 

[momof2n2]

They do have some great deals right now. We were booked on the getaway for western Caribbean december 2017 and we just switched it to the escape eastern caribbean for the same week. With the kids free (or is it 3rd &4th guest free?) promo we switched from two insides to two balconies for $400 more. Also getting dining promo (forgot what they call that) on both rooms and $50 for each port toward shore excursions on one room.

wow - so three promos? That's excellent!!
Why did you switch west to east? Or was it you wanted the other ship?
That's just so great you could go up. I mean, we barely used the balcony, but the verandah rooms are bigger. WTG.

 

[Hundredacre]

wow - so three promos? That's excellent!!
Why did you switch west to east? Or was it you wanted the other ship?
That's just so great you could go up. I mean, we barely used the balcony, but the verandah rooms are bigger. WTG.

Sorry to be confusing. We actually got two promos with each room. One room with 4 people we picked the dining promo and 3&4 guest free. The other room with 2 people we picked the dining promo and shore excursion credit promo. We thought about the drink promo but we drink water 80% of the time, so we just did not think it was worth it for us. They also tack on a large extra gratuity (I think it was about $200 but cannot remember) if you do the drink promo and since we did not know how much we would even use it... we will just pay as we go for drinks. We have never been on ncl, so not sure about how that will go. We do not drink alcohol so it will just be lattes and a few soft drinks.
We actually prefer the western on the getaway but it gets back on Christmas eve and after we booked it we were thinking that would be chaotic. The western has 4 stops and stops at their new beach (which looks amazing) so it was kind of a bummer to let it go. But the eastern onthe escape gets in a day earlier which will be much better for our schedule. It has 3 stops. The ships look very similar, so that was not a factor. I am with you on the room. I do not really care about a balcony but my husband seemed really excited about it for some reason. One of my kids is very excited about the Guy Harvey artwork on the side on the escape. I had to Google Guy Harvey. How do kids find out about these things?
Anyway, thanks again for your review. You have a beautiful family and looks like you had a great time!

 

[momof2n2]

Sorry to be confusing. We actually got two promos with each room. One room with 4 people we picked the dining promo and 3&4 guest free. The other room with 2 people we picked the dining promo and shore excursion credit promo. We thought about the drink promo but we drink water 80% of the time, so we just did not think it was worth it for us. They also tack on a large extra gratuity (I think it was about $200 but cannot remember) if you do the drink promo and since we did not know how much we would even use it... we will just pay as we go for drinks. We have never been on ncl, so not sure about how that will go. We do not drink alcohol so it will just be lattes and a few soft drinks.
We actually prefer the western on the getaway but it gets back on Christmas eve and after we booked it we were thinking that would be chaotic. The western has 4 stops and stops at their new beach (which looks amazing) so it was kind of a bummer to let it go. But the eastern onthe escape gets in a day earlier which will be much better for our schedule. It has 3 stops. The ships look very similar, so that was not a factor. I am with you on the room. I do not really care about a balcony but my husband seemed really excited about it for some reason. One of my kids is very excited about the Guy Harvey artwork on the side on the escape. I had to Google Guy Harvey. How do kids find out about these things?
Anyway, thanks again for your review. You have a beautiful family and looks like you had a great time!

How many in your party?