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Norwegian Getaway
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We originally booked this cruise in February in a Mini Spa Suite. We became extremely frustrated with Norwegian Cruise Line after they changed many options after our final payment date. Those changes were:
· Increase in Daily Service Charge.
· Increase in Beverage prices and Beverage package.
· Decrease in beverage menu offerings.
· Mandatory gratuity in specialty restaurants.
· Charging 7.95 for each room service order.
· Food can no longer be taken from any restaurants (later this was reverted thanks to customer complaints)
Thanks to Greg's hard work he received a bonus from work and so we decided to upgrade to the Haven Penthouse Suite. The Haven is "a ship within a ship." The Haven Suites are larger, offer more amenities, have access to a private lounge, have access to a private restaurant, have access to a private pool and sundeck, and receive priority treatment.
As part of the Haven Suites category we receive a private check in area, private lounge area, and priority access onto the ship from the pier. Check in at Terminal B was very quick and efficient. We were in the initial lounge for only 5 minutes when we were escorted upstairs. Unfortunately, this is when everyone began getting frustrated (Greg and I were the least frustrated of the group as we figure we're on vacation). We were brought to a 2nd lounge where there were already suite guests as well as a wedding party. We started to notice that guests in the regular terminal were being allowed on board, then the wedding party got called on board, and finally someone explained that we should have been on board first. Off we went to the ship and the staff greeted us with a warm welcome and some dancing. We then had a private elevator ride up to the Haven Lounge. In the lounge we were offered a beverage, sliders, and french fries while the Concierge explained a little about the benefits. We were told that most of the rooms were ready however ours wasn't so we explored the ship for a while.
For lunch we chose to eat in the Haven restaurant. This is where we met Roluca! Roluca is the Maitre d of the Haven restaurant. Roluca is warm, friendly, funny and truly went out of her way to make sure my allergies weren't a problem when dining in the restaurant and even in some of other areas. I enjoyed a salad with oil and vinegar to start and the steak topped with rosemary. The steak was on the thin side and unfortunately it was a bit over cooked but very flavor. Greg enjoyed the salad to start and the swordfish.
· Increase in Daily Service Charge.
· Increase in Beverage prices and Beverage package.
· Decrease in beverage menu offerings.
· Mandatory gratuity in specialty restaurants.
· Charging 7.95 for each room service order.
· Food can no longer be taken from any restaurants (later this was reverted thanks to customer complaints)
Thanks to Greg's hard work he received a bonus from work and so we decided to upgrade to the Haven Penthouse Suite. The Haven is "a ship within a ship." The Haven Suites are larger, offer more amenities, have access to a private lounge, have access to a private restaurant, have access to a private pool and sundeck, and receive priority treatment.
As part of the Haven Suites category we receive a private check in area, private lounge area, and priority access onto the ship from the pier. Check in at Terminal B was very quick and efficient. We were in the initial lounge for only 5 minutes when we were escorted upstairs. Unfortunately, this is when everyone began getting frustrated (Greg and I were the least frustrated of the group as we figure we're on vacation). We were brought to a 2nd lounge where there were already suite guests as well as a wedding party. We started to notice that guests in the regular terminal were being allowed on board, then the wedding party got called on board, and finally someone explained that we should have been on board first. Off we went to the ship and the staff greeted us with a warm welcome and some dancing. We then had a private elevator ride up to the Haven Lounge. In the lounge we were offered a beverage, sliders, and french fries while the Concierge explained a little about the benefits. We were told that most of the rooms were ready however ours wasn't so we explored the ship for a while.
For lunch we chose to eat in the Haven restaurant. This is where we met Roluca! Roluca is the Maitre d of the Haven restaurant. Roluca is warm, friendly, funny and truly went out of her way to make sure my allergies weren't a problem when dining in the restaurant and even in some of other areas. I enjoyed a salad with oil and vinegar to start and the steak topped with rosemary. The steak was on the thin side and unfortunately it was a bit over cooked but very flavor. Greg enjoyed the salad to start and the swordfish.
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After sleeping in a bit we called our butler to order room service. Jorji was easy to reach and understood about my allergies but informed us that it would be a wait for breakfast as they were very busy this morning. We weren't in a rush so that was fine. When Jorji brought our food he said he was overwhelmed with the amount of people in the suites (families). Breakfast was fine although a tad on the cold side but not really a big deal to us.
After breakfast we headed up a floor to the Haven pool deck. We found two chairs right next to the pool. The chairs were already set up with pillows and towels and were pretty comfortable. Today was a dangerous day in the sun because of the wind. We never felt hot (actually it was kind of chilly) but the sun was definitely strong.
There are staff members who bring around fruit skewers and ask if you would like a cocktail but we ended up going inside to the Haven bar to get out of the sun for a bit. The entire Haven area is relaxing, beautiful, and offers friendly staff who go out of their way to make your vacation wonderful.
In the afternoon we headed back to O'Sheehans for drinks, french fries and a friendly game of darts! We met a fun and bubbly couple from Miami. Such a great afternoon!
For dinner we chose to try the Haven Restaurant. We both started with the salad (mine had oil and vinegar dressing on the side). Greg enjoyed the Beef Shortrib dish while I enjoyed the Filet Mignon and steamed vegetables.
We had to cancel our tickets to Burn the Floor as my Sea Sickness struck again! The ship did have some movement heading down to the Caribbean and depending on where I sat on the ship it would hit me harder. I will say that the motion was never as bad as our cruise on Celebrity Reflection!
After breakfast we headed up a floor to the Haven pool deck. We found two chairs right next to the pool. The chairs were already set up with pillows and towels and were pretty comfortable. Today was a dangerous day in the sun because of the wind. We never felt hot (actually it was kind of chilly) but the sun was definitely strong.
There are staff members who bring around fruit skewers and ask if you would like a cocktail but we ended up going inside to the Haven bar to get out of the sun for a bit. The entire Haven area is relaxing, beautiful, and offers friendly staff who go out of their way to make your vacation wonderful.
In the afternoon we headed back to O'Sheehans for drinks, french fries and a friendly game of darts! We met a fun and bubbly couple from Miami. Such a great afternoon!
For dinner we chose to try the Haven Restaurant. We both started with the salad (mine had oil and vinegar dressing on the side). Greg enjoyed the Beef Shortrib dish while I enjoyed the Filet Mignon and steamed vegetables.
We had to cancel our tickets to Burn the Floor as my Sea Sickness struck again! The ship did have some movement heading down to the Caribbean and depending on where I sat on the ship it would hit me harder. I will say that the motion was never as bad as our cruise on Celebrity Reflection!
We walked upstairs to the Haven Restaurant for breakfast this morning. I ordered poached eggs and bacon for breakfast. The thoughtful Roluca had the kitchen make my poached eggs over the gluten free bread. After breakfast we sat outside on the Haven sundeck for a while but it was extremely windy again.
We decided to try our hand at the very expensive Bingo. NCL offers a few different bingo options the pricier the package the more raffle tickets or instant win tickets you receive. We did not win and really felt we ended up spending $30 to people watch and give ourselves a good chuckle.
For lunch we decided to try the Sushi restaurant. I ordered the Octopus, Shrimp and Tuna. The seafood was fresh and appealing to look at unfortunately the rice wasn't cooked properly and the size of the rice wasn't in proportion to the seafood. Greg did enjoy the Spider Roll and something that had a name close to 50 shades of grey.
In the afternoon we ventured back to O'Sheehans for drinks and darts before heading back to our room to watch a movie. We weren't sure if it was a Suite thing, an error, or for everyone but the movies on demand were all free.
Before dinner we went to the Mixx Bar. We really liked the dark wood bar, classy feel, and friendly staff. We had a reservation for Cagney's (Steakhouse) and were seated right away. Then things took a turn for the worst. We sat there for 20 minutes before someone came and asked us about drinks. Our wine was delivered and 10 minutes later we were asked about our order. In all other restaurants the staff knew about my allergies and/or easily accommodated me. Our waiter proceeded to scold me when I mentioned my allergies by telling me I should have pre-ordered. A steakhouse should be the easiest option to avoid Gluten and Dairy! Plus I'm not the type of person to try and order Macaroni and Cheese and expect a miracle dish to be made for me that avoids my allergies. I ordered a steak plain, baked potato, and steamed broccoli. I should have just walked out at the point! As we're sitting and waiting for our food we notice that we are surrounded by empty tables that haven't been cleaned and it's been 15 minutes that our wine glasses were empty. Toward the end of the meal we must have had really displeased looks on our faces because another waiter came over to us and started joking around and told me I just had to have the lemon sorbet for dessert. We really appreciated the effort he made and the lemon sorbet was actually the best part of the meal!
We decided to try our hand at the very expensive Bingo. NCL offers a few different bingo options the pricier the package the more raffle tickets or instant win tickets you receive. We did not win and really felt we ended up spending $30 to people watch and give ourselves a good chuckle.
For lunch we decided to try the Sushi restaurant. I ordered the Octopus, Shrimp and Tuna. The seafood was fresh and appealing to look at unfortunately the rice wasn't cooked properly and the size of the rice wasn't in proportion to the seafood. Greg did enjoy the Spider Roll and something that had a name close to 50 shades of grey.
In the afternoon we ventured back to O'Sheehans for drinks and darts before heading back to our room to watch a movie. We weren't sure if it was a Suite thing, an error, or for everyone but the movies on demand were all free.
Before dinner we went to the Mixx Bar. We really liked the dark wood bar, classy feel, and friendly staff. We had a reservation for Cagney's (Steakhouse) and were seated right away. Then things took a turn for the worst. We sat there for 20 minutes before someone came and asked us about drinks. Our wine was delivered and 10 minutes later we were asked about our order. In all other restaurants the staff knew about my allergies and/or easily accommodated me. Our waiter proceeded to scold me when I mentioned my allergies by telling me I should have pre-ordered. A steakhouse should be the easiest option to avoid Gluten and Dairy! Plus I'm not the type of person to try and order Macaroni and Cheese and expect a miracle dish to be made for me that avoids my allergies. I ordered a steak plain, baked potato, and steamed broccoli. I should have just walked out at the point! As we're sitting and waiting for our food we notice that we are surrounded by empty tables that haven't been cleaned and it's been 15 minutes that our wine glasses were empty. Toward the end of the meal we must have had really displeased looks on our faces because another waiter came over to us and started joking around and told me I just had to have the lemon sorbet for dessert. We really appreciated the effort he made and the lemon sorbet was actually the best part of the meal!
We had plans to just head to a beach on our own so we slept in a little and then had a leisurely breakfast in the Haven Restaurant.
After breakfast we picked up our stuff from our room and disembarked the ship (avoiding the staff dressed up for pictures)! We walked through Havensight Mall to the taxi line. The first person we spoke to agreed to take us to Magen's Bay as requested. While we were waiting another taxi driver told us he wanted to be honest with us and that Magen's Bay was closed due to contamination over the past few days. We thanked him for the information and decided to head to Sapphire Bay.
Sapphire Bay was warm, sunny, and definitely a much less crowded beach. There are restrooms, waitresses, and a dive shop nearby for any of your needs. We stayed here for a few hours just relaxing then we headed back to the ship to change into dry clothing. Walking back to the taxi line we decided we would go back to Glady's Cafe for lunch. Greg enjoyed a Carib beer and Conch Fritters for lunch. While I enjoyed a water and the Jerk Chicken Wings.
We browsed around the shops but really didn't have too much time for shopping. We did stop by to see our friend Chad at Liberty Jewelers. We purchased a few pieces from him over the years and he remembered us the minute we walked in the door. We didn't buy anything on this trip but it was nice to stop in and say hi.
Back on board we I headed to Le Bistro. After last night's disaster in Cagney's I decided to pre-order my meal at Le Bistro for that evening. Afterwards we went back to our room to relax and ran into a big problem. Last night we received a note saying our balcony was going to be painted. Okay no problem! Problem! We could smell paint in the hallway outside our room. Greg thought it would end there but it didn't. Our room was completely contaminated with fumes. Paint for ships is extremely strong and we were immediately getting headaches. We contact our concierge who sent the floor supervisor to our room. The supervisor agreed that we couldn't stay in the room and asked us to give them a couple of hours. After a while we went downstairs to the guest services desk (as the supervisor told us to) and asked for an update. It took us 20-30 minutes to get an answer (not the fault of the staff at guest services he was wonderful). The room potentially needed some more work to clean it up so the staff member walked us up to our room to help with some luggage so we can use another room to shower and change for dinner. When we entered our room our concierge met us there and the room was a lot better. Adrian our concierge asked if we wouldn't mind stepping out for a few more hours (after showering) to bring in some more equipment to clean the air. Adrian also offered us a bottle of wine at Le Bistro that evening. The whole situation was annoying but I really felt that NCL handled it appropriately.
Le Bistro is an adorable little restaurant. We loved the atmosphere and our extremely friendly waitress Cherry! I started with the scallops which were a major disappointment. Every ounce of flavor was removed due to my allergies. I ended up with a plate of seared scallops and nothing else. Greg enjoyed his appetizer which were an assortment of filled cornets. For entree's Greg ate every last drop of his Coq Au Vin! I enjoyed the duck which was cooked beautifully and lightly seasoned. For dessert Greg ordered the chocolate layered option. Cherry offered me a dairy, gluten, and soy free chocolate fondue for dessert! I was incredibly excited! Unfortunately, the restaurant was dark and I didn't realize that there were profiteroles mixed in the with the fruit and I ate one. Cherry was so apologetic and so friendly and was so upset that the whole meal was fine for my allergies until that moment. In the end the restaurant offered us a bottle of wine the next time we dined at Le Bistro!
After dinner we ventured around the ship and popped into the extremely bad (not even funny) karaoke in Bliss Ultra Lounge.
After breakfast we picked up our stuff from our room and disembarked the ship (avoiding the staff dressed up for pictures)! We walked through Havensight Mall to the taxi line. The first person we spoke to agreed to take us to Magen's Bay as requested. While we were waiting another taxi driver told us he wanted to be honest with us and that Magen's Bay was closed due to contamination over the past few days. We thanked him for the information and decided to head to Sapphire Bay.
Sapphire Bay was warm, sunny, and definitely a much less crowded beach. There are restrooms, waitresses, and a dive shop nearby for any of your needs. We stayed here for a few hours just relaxing then we headed back to the ship to change into dry clothing. Walking back to the taxi line we decided we would go back to Glady's Cafe for lunch. Greg enjoyed a Carib beer and Conch Fritters for lunch. While I enjoyed a water and the Jerk Chicken Wings.
We browsed around the shops but really didn't have too much time for shopping. We did stop by to see our friend Chad at Liberty Jewelers. We purchased a few pieces from him over the years and he remembered us the minute we walked in the door. We didn't buy anything on this trip but it was nice to stop in and say hi.
Back on board we I headed to Le Bistro. After last night's disaster in Cagney's I decided to pre-order my meal at Le Bistro for that evening. Afterwards we went back to our room to relax and ran into a big problem. Last night we received a note saying our balcony was going to be painted. Okay no problem! Problem! We could smell paint in the hallway outside our room. Greg thought it would end there but it didn't. Our room was completely contaminated with fumes. Paint for ships is extremely strong and we were immediately getting headaches. We contact our concierge who sent the floor supervisor to our room. The supervisor agreed that we couldn't stay in the room and asked us to give them a couple of hours. After a while we went downstairs to the guest services desk (as the supervisor told us to) and asked for an update. It took us 20-30 minutes to get an answer (not the fault of the staff at guest services he was wonderful). The room potentially needed some more work to clean it up so the staff member walked us up to our room to help with some luggage so we can use another room to shower and change for dinner. When we entered our room our concierge met us there and the room was a lot better. Adrian our concierge asked if we wouldn't mind stepping out for a few more hours (after showering) to bring in some more equipment to clean the air. Adrian also offered us a bottle of wine at Le Bistro that evening. The whole situation was annoying but I really felt that NCL handled it appropriately.
Le Bistro is an adorable little restaurant. We loved the atmosphere and our extremely friendly waitress Cherry! I started with the scallops which were a major disappointment. Every ounce of flavor was removed due to my allergies. I ended up with a plate of seared scallops and nothing else. Greg enjoyed his appetizer which were an assortment of filled cornets. For entree's Greg ate every last drop of his Coq Au Vin! I enjoyed the duck which was cooked beautifully and lightly seasoned. For dessert Greg ordered the chocolate layered option. Cherry offered me a dairy, gluten, and soy free chocolate fondue for dessert! I was incredibly excited! Unfortunately, the restaurant was dark and I didn't realize that there were profiteroles mixed in the with the fruit and I ate one. Cherry was so apologetic and so friendly and was so upset that the whole meal was fine for my allergies until that moment. In the end the restaurant offered us a bottle of wine the next time we dined at Le Bistro!
After dinner we ventured around the ship and popped into the extremely bad (not even funny) karaoke in Bliss Ultra Lounge.
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Forgot a small addition to yesterday's post. To finish our day in St Thomas there were fireworks off the port side of the Getaway. Here's a couple pics from that show!
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There are certain places in the world that give you a sense or relaxation and utter joy. The British Virgin Islands are one of those places to me. In the past we have visited Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Norman Island, and Virgin Gorda. For this trip we originally booked an excursion to Jost Van Dyke. We were feeling relaxed and at ease and didn't want the rush of an excursion to spoil that feeling. Adrian (our concierge) helped us out tremendously by canceling and refunding our excursion even though we were within the 48 hour cancellation policy.
The morning started with breakfast in the Haven restaurant. As usual I had bacon, poached eggs, and gluten free toast. After breakfast we picked up our belongings and headed to the Taxi line. The near pier in Tortola is nice and a much closer walk. It's still not finished but it definitely has potential.
We were hoping to avoid the crowds so we headed to Long Bay Beach. We were paired up with a couple in the taxi (who originally wanted another location but after talking to us also decided on Long Bay). This pairing really made today exceptionally fun! In the taxi we discovered we're both from Massachusetts, we both love to travel, and both love the Virgin Islands.
When we got to the beach we set up a time for the driver Dan to pick us back up. The couple we met went to get drinks and Greg and I headed to chairs on the beach. Long Bay Beach was quiet, had soft sand, and just had a serene feeling to it. There is a hotel on the beach, a few restaurants, and bathroom facilities available. After a few hours we met back up with our new friends and the driver and this is where the day got very fun!
Dan picked us up and as a group we decided to go on an adventure. We all knew we wanted Pusser's Painkillers and Pusser's mugs so Dan suggested we go to Pusser's Landing rather than Pusser's Road Town. Greg and I have been to this location before and so we were happy to go and hang out for a while. We shopped for our mugs first (a must have each year although this year the dates weren't printed on the mugs). Greg, John, Denise, Dan, and I grabbed some seats at the bar and that's where we met our new favorite bartender Pearl. The afternoon was filled with laughter, goofing off, jokes, and teasing! Added bonus! The staff were able to make me chicken wings that were dairy and gluten free! After lunch and several Painkillers Dan showed us a few more sights and places to visit the next time we're on the island. Once aboard the Getaway we changed into drier clothing and headed to O'Sheehans for the usual drinks and darts.
In the evening we had pre-dinner cocktails in the Haven lounge which was a great place to unwind and chat with fellow cruisers. We walked around the corner and had dinner in the Haven Restaurant. Roluca (Maitre'd) was kind enough to ask the chef to make me sauteed spinach and a baked potato for my sides instead of the usual steamed veggies. I was so thankful since most of my meals consisted of the same sides throughout the week!
After dinner we had tickets to the comedy show in Headliners. The show was hosted by James Ervin Berry and the show was by Dean Edwards. This was a really fun experience. The bar was overworked so there was a good wait to get drinks and the room was pretty crowded. We actually found James Ervin Berry to be funnier than Dean Edwards. Overall the show was good though!
The morning started with breakfast in the Haven restaurant. As usual I had bacon, poached eggs, and gluten free toast. After breakfast we picked up our belongings and headed to the Taxi line. The near pier in Tortola is nice and a much closer walk. It's still not finished but it definitely has potential.
We were hoping to avoid the crowds so we headed to Long Bay Beach. We were paired up with a couple in the taxi (who originally wanted another location but after talking to us also decided on Long Bay). This pairing really made today exceptionally fun! In the taxi we discovered we're both from Massachusetts, we both love to travel, and both love the Virgin Islands.
When we got to the beach we set up a time for the driver Dan to pick us back up. The couple we met went to get drinks and Greg and I headed to chairs on the beach. Long Bay Beach was quiet, had soft sand, and just had a serene feeling to it. There is a hotel on the beach, a few restaurants, and bathroom facilities available. After a few hours we met back up with our new friends and the driver and this is where the day got very fun!
Dan picked us up and as a group we decided to go on an adventure. We all knew we wanted Pusser's Painkillers and Pusser's mugs so Dan suggested we go to Pusser's Landing rather than Pusser's Road Town. Greg and I have been to this location before and so we were happy to go and hang out for a while. We shopped for our mugs first (a must have each year although this year the dates weren't printed on the mugs). Greg, John, Denise, Dan, and I grabbed some seats at the bar and that's where we met our new favorite bartender Pearl. The afternoon was filled with laughter, goofing off, jokes, and teasing! Added bonus! The staff were able to make me chicken wings that were dairy and gluten free! After lunch and several Painkillers Dan showed us a few more sights and places to visit the next time we're on the island. Once aboard the Getaway we changed into drier clothing and headed to O'Sheehans for the usual drinks and darts.
In the evening we had pre-dinner cocktails in the Haven lounge which was a great place to unwind and chat with fellow cruisers. We walked around the corner and had dinner in the Haven Restaurant. Roluca (Maitre'd) was kind enough to ask the chef to make me sauteed spinach and a baked potato for my sides instead of the usual steamed veggies. I was so thankful since most of my meals consisted of the same sides throughout the week!
After dinner we had tickets to the comedy show in Headliners. The show was hosted by James Ervin Berry and the show was by Dean Edwards. This was a really fun experience. The bar was overworked so there was a good wait to get drinks and the room was pretty crowded. We actually found James Ervin Berry to be funnier than Dean Edwards. Overall the show was good though!
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I didn't sleep at all last night because.....I caught a head cold! This morning we tried to sleep in a bit since i'm suffering from a sore throat, stuffy nose, and a small cough. Definitely not fun! We ordered room service from our butler and unfortunately he forgot our pot of tea. I used the Lavazza machine for tea but they are very small cups.
We changed into our swim suits, grabbed a couple of books and headed up to the Haven sundeck. Today was a terrific day to sit outside. The air was warm, there was only a light breeze, and the sun was shining! The staff came around to all the chairs offering cool towels, fruit skewers, and took drink orders. In the afternoon we did venture out to O'Sheehans for some darts as usual.
I then headed back to the room for more tea, cough drops, and a nap. It was nice to be able to watch McFarland USA before falling asleep!
We enjoyed pre-dinner drinks in the Haven lounge. Delicious Mint Julep's and Tom Collins (with a splash of St Germaine). Tonight was our 2nd time at Ocean Blue. The staff welcomed us back and my allergies weren't a concern at all!
Greg started with the Fried Calamari while I had to have the Beef Tartar again! We ordered a couple glasses of Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc (which the staff told us also happened to be popular on this cruise). For entrees Greg enjoyed the Red Snapper. I ordered the Scallops and Pork Belly. Both entrees were delicious. To finish the meal Greg had the chocolate flourless cake and I had the Sorbet Trio. Most times I find Sorbet at restaurants to be boring. Definitely not the case here! The Creme de Casis is tart, the strawberry is sweet, and the coconut is creamy. Put them together and it's perfect! With the exception of the staff in the Haven area, the Ocean Blue staff are the best. The staff are friendly, efficient, perfectly timed, and are welcoming.
After dinner we tried to venture into the Karaoke again but it was empty. We then lost a small amount of money in the Casino slots lol. Finally we ended up at Mixx Bar for a couple of drinks. Unfortunately, the drinks weren't as good as last time.
Earlier in the day Roluca told me she was going to be sending me a special treat. She spoke with the dessert chef and together they came up with a plan for a dairy free, gluten free, and soy free dessert for me. When we got back to the room I found a platter with chocolate cupcakes (sans frosting) and berries. All things considered they were good. I do wish I could work with cruise lines to introduce them to the products I love and the recipes I created. There are so many new options out there and people with food allergies don't need to me as limited.
We changed into our swim suits, grabbed a couple of books and headed up to the Haven sundeck. Today was a terrific day to sit outside. The air was warm, there was only a light breeze, and the sun was shining! The staff came around to all the chairs offering cool towels, fruit skewers, and took drink orders. In the afternoon we did venture out to O'Sheehans for some darts as usual.
I then headed back to the room for more tea, cough drops, and a nap. It was nice to be able to watch McFarland USA before falling asleep!
We enjoyed pre-dinner drinks in the Haven lounge. Delicious Mint Julep's and Tom Collins (with a splash of St Germaine). Tonight was our 2nd time at Ocean Blue. The staff welcomed us back and my allergies weren't a concern at all!
Greg started with the Fried Calamari while I had to have the Beef Tartar again! We ordered a couple glasses of Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc (which the staff told us also happened to be popular on this cruise). For entrees Greg enjoyed the Red Snapper. I ordered the Scallops and Pork Belly. Both entrees were delicious. To finish the meal Greg had the chocolate flourless cake and I had the Sorbet Trio. Most times I find Sorbet at restaurants to be boring. Definitely not the case here! The Creme de Casis is tart, the strawberry is sweet, and the coconut is creamy. Put them together and it's perfect! With the exception of the staff in the Haven area, the Ocean Blue staff are the best. The staff are friendly, efficient, perfectly timed, and are welcoming.
After dinner we tried to venture into the Karaoke again but it was empty. We then lost a small amount of money in the Casino slots lol. Finally we ended up at Mixx Bar for a couple of drinks. Unfortunately, the drinks weren't as good as last time.
Earlier in the day Roluca told me she was going to be sending me a special treat. She spoke with the dessert chef and together they came up with a plan for a dairy free, gluten free, and soy free dessert for me. When we got back to the room I found a platter with chocolate cupcakes (sans frosting) and berries. All things considered they were good. I do wish I could work with cruise lines to introduce them to the products I love and the recipes I created. There are so many new options out there and people with food allergies don't need to me as limited.
I woke up with a full blown cold this morning! Luckily I always have my "Mary Poppins" bag with me. I have everything from tissues to cough drops with me wherever I go. We ordered breakfast from our butler and now that I'm thinking and writing everything down I really wish we hadn't tipped him as much. I received turkey sausage (that I couldn't eat instead of oven potatoes this morning. I understand he's busy and the Haven was full but take a minute, write stuff down, and make sure things are accurate. For the price we paid it really shouldn't be this difficult to order eggs, bacon, and potatoes.
We got changed and headed back up to the Haven sundeck for some sunshine and reading. We watched us pull into Nassau and enjoyed the view. We decided not to venture in to town since we were just there the month before. Anything besides the Only and Only Ocean Club again would be a let down.
We basically had the ship to ourselves so we walked around and took some pictures. My memory is a little fuzzy but I think we went to O'Sheehans for lunch. I'm never very hungry when I'm sick so I ended up with french fries. After lunch we went back to the room so I could nap. Our last evening onboard was incredibly boring unfortunately. I was so sick that we decided to call our butler and order dinner from Le Bistro.
The dinner was good but definitely not as wonderful if we received it from the kitchen to the table. The staff did remember that we were supposed to have a bottle of wine comped to us and so they sent it along with our dinner. I thought that was a very nice touch.
After dinner we quickly packed and I proceeded to fall directly asleep!
We got changed and headed back up to the Haven sundeck for some sunshine and reading. We watched us pull into Nassau and enjoyed the view. We decided not to venture in to town since we were just there the month before. Anything besides the Only and Only Ocean Club again would be a let down.
We basically had the ship to ourselves so we walked around and took some pictures. My memory is a little fuzzy but I think we went to O'Sheehans for lunch. I'm never very hungry when I'm sick so I ended up with french fries. After lunch we went back to the room so I could nap. Our last evening onboard was incredibly boring unfortunately. I was so sick that we decided to call our butler and order dinner from Le Bistro.
The dinner was good but definitely not as wonderful if we received it from the kitchen to the table. The staff did remember that we were supposed to have a bottle of wine comped to us and so they sent it along with our dinner. I thought that was a very nice touch.
After dinner we quickly packed and I proceeded to fall directly asleep!
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One of the best perks about staying in the Haven on Norwegian Cruise Line is the Disembarking! We chose to walk off with our luggage since we had a long drive ahead of us. We headed up to the Haven lounge and the concierge asked us if we were ready or wanted breakfast first. We decided we were ready to leave. We were walked over to the service elevator and given priority access (over staff). We went down to the proper floor and Adrian our concierge met us and walked us along the red carpet directly to the pier (by passing an extremely long line of patrons also doing self-disembarking. Awesome!
The positives from our cruise:
1. Haven - incredible staff, restaurant, pool area, lounge, benefits, and feeling of relaxation and serenity.
2. Gym - well laid out and with plenty of machines
3. O'Sheehans - always fun in the afternoon
4. The food - with the exception of Cagney's the food on board was terrific!
5. The ports - with the exception of Nassau were a happy sight to see
The negatives from our cruise:
1. Always having to press buttons to open doors instead of having motion sensors
2. Balcony's - are incredibly small including Haven Penthouse Suites
3. Drink menus - are basically the same at every bar and they never had lavender for a particular drink
4. Smoking - is allowed in the casino which is open to other areas. (It wasn't as bad though as others experienced)
5. Photographers - There are too many photographers per floor and they block walkways and staircases
We drove from Miami to Hampton Inn Stafford/Quantico & Conference Center in Stafford VA. Along the way we stopped at Peach World for peaches and peach bread for our family. We also made a stop at our favorite farmers market! We have visited Pee Dee State Farmers Market numerous times and a must have are Sweet Potatoes! The next day we drove back to Boston, hugged Fred, and collapsed in our bed! Home sweet home!
The positives from our cruise:
1. Haven - incredible staff, restaurant, pool area, lounge, benefits, and feeling of relaxation and serenity.
2. Gym - well laid out and with plenty of machines
3. O'Sheehans - always fun in the afternoon
4. The food - with the exception of Cagney's the food on board was terrific!
5. The ports - with the exception of Nassau were a happy sight to see
The negatives from our cruise:
1. Always having to press buttons to open doors instead of having motion sensors
2. Balcony's - are incredibly small including Haven Penthouse Suites
3. Drink menus - are basically the same at every bar and they never had lavender for a particular drink
4. Smoking - is allowed in the casino which is open to other areas. (It wasn't as bad though as others experienced)
5. Photographers - There are too many photographers per floor and they block walkways and staircases
We drove from Miami to Hampton Inn Stafford/Quantico & Conference Center in Stafford VA. Along the way we stopped at Peach World for peaches and peach bread for our family. We also made a stop at our favorite farmers market! We have visited Pee Dee State Farmers Market numerous times and a must have are Sweet Potatoes! The next day we drove back to Boston, hugged Fred, and collapsed in our bed! Home sweet home!
Celebrity Reflection
November 2013
Miami
The night before our flight we went online to check in for our American Airlines flight. We were beyond excited to be offered the chance to upgrade to First Class for hardly anything! I called our friends traveling with us and sure enough they received the same offer.
We booked car service with Valley Coach of North Andover for the 4 of us to be picked up at our house at 6:45. The car service was a little late and when it showed up it wasn't the right car. Apparently something happened to the original car and we were left with an SUV that seated 3 plus luggage. Our friend Tom took a leisurely ride while resting on the floor. I wrote an email explaining the situation and asked that the return pick up would be better suited. I'll write more about our return pick up later but I did want to state that Valley Coach of North Andover got back to us appropriately and on the return trip informed us that there wouldn't be a charge for the mix up. Excellent customer service!
After checking in for our flight and headed to the nearest Starbucks for some beverages. We were the first to board our flight and the seats were roomy and the service was friendly. However, on the 757 from Boston to Miami it's an older plane, no individual tv's, and you are unable to tell them if you have a food allergy. Needless to say with my dairy allergy the only thing they were able to offer me was fruit (I'll be offered a lot of fruit all through Miami and the cruise as well...grrrr). We landed in Miami and hopped in a cab to the South Beach Marriott. It was still pretty early so we correctly assumed that our room wouldn't be ready. The hotel held our bags for us and we headed out for some lunch. Sadly it was a cloudy, windy, and cold day in Miami so that meant the beach was out.
The four of us decided on Joe's Stone Crab. The restaurant was extremely busy and by the time we got done the lunch service was over and so I think the service suffered a bit. We enjoyed the shrimp cocktail, stone crabs, nicoise salad, ribs, and lobster blt. The shrimp were a bit over cooked for my taste but everything else was delicious and seasoned beautifully.
After lunch we headed back to the South Beach Marriott and our room was ready. Before heading up the room the staff offered us a complimentary Mojito. That is the way to start a vacation!! We decided to share a room since it was just one night and the room was perfectly appointed. The room was bright, airy, and modern with two full size beds, a view of the ocean (no balcony but did have a sliding window), counter top, chair, coffee maker, refrigerator, shower, and large bathroom. My friend Robyn and I decided to go walk up Collins Ave and do some shopping while the guys hung out and got some beers. After noticing the time we hurried up and ran back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Zuma.
Boarding Celebrity Reflection
Neither Robyn nor I slept very much so we decided to get up and take a walk through South Beach for some exercise. After stopping at Starbucks we all got ready to head to the Pier to board Celebrity cruise lines newest ship Reflection.
I need to preface my entire cruise review with how poorly trained the staff on this cruise was. I will note this a lot through the review. We had heard about how Celebrity was a step ahead of other lines, how they were willing to go the extra mile, how they could accommodate food allergies, etc etc etc. Come to find almost every staff member was new and this was their training session. Sadly we definitely suffered and all voted this our worst cruise ever. In face Celebrity devotees stated to us that there was a noticeable difference between this cruise and all of their other cruises they have enjoyed with Celebrity. In addition to this their was a large group booking on this cruise. We have no complaints about the Pied Piper group at all. We met so many nice people and enjoyed watching some of their parties. However it appeared Celebrity was ill prepared for the number of people on this ship. I don't understand how you run out of ingredients when you know before hand how many people will be on the cruise, how many people are partaking in the drink package, and where activities will be taking place. The traffic heading to the pier was pretty bad. Miami is the most congested pier we have yet to visit. We went through security, headed towards the Aqua Class line, signed our documents and headed to the gangway.
Upon boarding the ship we were offered Mimosa's or a glass of Champagne. Naturally we accepted a glass each. We wandered around the ship looking at all of the sitting areas, restaurants, bars, etc. With our food allergies (mine dairy and Robyn's gluten) we were very limited to choices for lunch. Bistro on 5 makes crepes which aren't dairy free (apparently they do have a gluten free version but we never saw this). The Porch has sandwiches (bread and cheese) so that was out too. We decided to go to the buffet even though it's our least favorite place on a ship. Eating at the buffet was acceptable but tricky. Nothing is labeled for food allergies and when you ask the staff about the ingredients they have no idea what you are talking about. Supposedly others have talked to the Maitre d off the buffet but none were apparent to us.
Side note: This is the first cruise that I didn't gain any weight from food. Thanks to my dairy allergy and Celebrity's lack of food allergy knowledge I hardly ate on this cruise.
Life on board Celebrity Reflection
Our rooms were delayed a bit and around 2:00 pm the announcement was made that they were ready. We headed down to our rooms 1521 and 1519. The room was well laid out, our bed in 1519 was closest to the bathroom. The bathroom was large and the shower was adequate but does have an amazing shower head! The couch and vanity area were nice and the balcony was of good size. The downfall to the Aqua Class Room is definitely the storage space. I've read how others brought collapsible cubes for the top shelves (above bed) but even so who wants to live out of cubes for a week. More drawers please!!! Our stateroom attendant Paz knocked on our door to introduce herself. She told us about the canapes that would be coming, the Champagne on Ice, Complimentary 2 waters per day, and the fresh brewed tea daily. Paz is very nice and very efficient (but a lack of training was discovered in a few days - more later).
We ventured back out for some drinks thanks to our Premium Beverage Package. Finally it was time for Sailaway. Then things turned downhill for me. With a storm over Cuba, a storm over the Caribbean, and rough currents all along the Florida coast our ship was rocking and rolling! This was the first cruise I have ever been sick on! I was pale, green, cold, shaking, and dizzy. I had to cancel drinks and dinner plans with our friends. I headed back up to bed. I took two Bonine's (thank god I brought this as a precaution), drank ginger ale, and ate a few french fries. Our friends dined in the Qsine specialty restaurant and stated that some of the items were good but nothing was memorable. After a good nights sleep I finally felt better in the morning. The next day Paz also had a tip that a Green Apple will help with the seasickness.
Side note: the ship definitely rolled a lot all throughout the entire cruise! I took a Bonine at least once a day sometimes twice and Robyn also had to start taking them half way through the cruise. We heard from a staff member that the Captain only put the Stabilizers out on the first day as to not use too much fuel.
Room:
I wrote earlier in about our room and our very nice attendant Paz. However, Celebrity has a severe lack of training when it comes down to allergies. Robyn is allergic to feathers (yes she has a million allergies). At first she didn't notice that the bedding was all feathers (probably in part do to the lovely drinks at the Molecular Bar). Robyn asked Paz to remove all feather bedding and replace it. Paz was happy to do so however Robyn's allergies continued. Robyn then asked for the flowers, air diffuser, etc. to be removed. On the last day of the cruise Robyn discovered the feather bedding was rolled up in a bag underneath their bed! The simple fact the bedding was still in her room was ridiculous in addition to this atrocity when you roll up feather bedding the dander flies everywhere! I don't understand how it's not common knowledge on a cruise ship that feather allergies need to be taken seriously and all bedding removed and the room should be cleaned properly. Needless to say Robyn came home with sinus problems which turned into a lung infection and nasal infection.
Dining:
Our first full day at sea had us enjoying breakfast in Blu. With a gluten allergy and a dairy allergy breakfast is one of the hardest meals to enjoy. Luckily for Robyn they were able to make gluten free french toast and reserve gluten free pancakes for the next day. I was able to enjoy eggs and meats or muesli with soy milk. For some reason they are unable to make any sweet breakfast items with soy milk.
For dinner we again dined in Blu. Throughout the whole week Savio and Latemia were warm, friendly, and efficient. For some reason it seemed as though they went above and beyond for Robyn's Gluten Allergy but couldn't doing anything for my Dairy Allergy. I didn't receive any dessert from any restaurant for the entire week.We did thoroughly enjoy the Lawn Club Grill twice during our cruise. Once for lunch and once for dinner. We didn't try the flat-breads due to our allergies but we definitely didn't leave hungry. The salad bar is plentiful, the steaks cooked to perfection, the scallops and shrimp were flavorful, and the sides were great. We tried the buffet at lunch time occasionally and it's really a nightmare for those with food allergies. None of the items were labeled, staff couldn't understand our allergies due to language barriers, and we could never find a manager or maitre d.
Alcoves
We booked an alcove for days Sea Days prior to boarding the cruise. For $149 (sea day) you are supposed to be able to receive:
"It's the perfect escape - within your vacation escape. Some of the pleasures include:
· Stunning side-by-side views of lawn and sea, as you settle in underneath the shade of a chic, white awning.
· All-day use of an iPad loaded with a variety of movies, music, games, magazines and more. Wi-Fi access is also available*.
· Complimentary amenities - four bottles of water, a fresh fruit plate, hand-held fans, and chilled towels.
· Ambient mood lighting for romantically cozy evenings.
Once you're comfortably settled in, a simple phone call to your Alcove Attendant helps make your time even more special.
He or she can help arrange a series of relaxing and refreshing enhancements:
· Fresh, themed picnic baskets* from our specialty restaurants onboard - antipasti, Mediterranean seafood pasta, and salads from Tuscan Grille; jumbo shrimp cocktail, assorted berries, organic breads and healthy salads from Murano; fruit brochettes and country-inspired sandwiches from Bistro on Five. Plus, innovative specialty restaurant desserts and a special beverage menu*.
· A wide variety of Alcoves Spa Services can be arranged for you to enjoy right in your Alcove. Inquire onboard."
The first Alcove day we got two bottles of water, a waiter telling us we had to get our own drinks, get our own lunches, no ipad, no fans, and no chilled towels. Later in the day we did get a fruit and cheese plate. The alcove attendants did not check in on us at all and when we asked for help it was a bother. We inquired about buying another alcove and the attendant nor manager never got back to us. We did have a ton of fun playing bocce on the grass. Greg and I were the series champions oddly enough! Yay us!
The second Alcove day the manager came over and told us that we can order from The Porch, The Bars, or the Mast Grill and the attendants can get it. We received two bottles of water again and a fruit and cheese platter. When we called the attendant over to order lunch he handed us the menu from The Porch. We explained we wanted to order from the Mast Grill. He stated we can only order from The Porch. We told him how we couldn't eat there because of food allergies (it's sandwiches and panini's). The attendants response was well give me back the menu then. We informed him that the manager told us it was find to order from the Mast Grill and so he finally gave in. Later in the day we ordered drinks from the bar and that seemed like we were hassling the attendant as well. Greg eventually asked for some of the plates to be removed from our table and the attendant took two and never came back. Needless to say we cleared our own table! Finally we had enough and just abandoned our alcove. We wrote a comment card at the guest relations explaining the situation. The manager called us back and offered us an alcove for the last sea day (amazing considering we couldn't pay to book one for some reason earlier). After thinking things over we told the manager thank you but we don't want it. Even if it was free we would still be dealing with the same incompetent attendants who would now also know that we complained.
Bars
This was really a major high or a major low! The interior bars were wonderful however the outdoor bars were horrible! On multiple occasions that outdoor bars were understaffed, under-trained, ran out of ingredients, or were just rude. Celebrity knew that this cruise had a large group in addition to ordinary guests. In addition to this Celebrity can now track drinks better thanks to knowing how many people signed up for the drink packages.
The Sunset Bar was the worst of them all. The drinks were inconsistent, they were constantly out of ingredients, and none of the bartenders were professional. One time we asked for a drink out of their menu book. The bartender made it incorrectly and when we pointed out that the basil was missing he stated they didn't have any. He then proceeded to take the menus away from all passengers. I guess you were only allowed a beer or a mix drink from a carton!The Mast Bar wasn't horrible but it was definitely inconsistent. The main bartender was the only one to make a proper drink.
The Molecular Bar was outstanding! Marius was friendly, had a great memory, and made outstanding drinks! The drinks do take a little time to make so there is always a small wait. However the drinks are totally worth it. We tried the Coming up roses, Black Mamba, Cazarita, Violet Hummingbird, Hawaiian lava, Tanned Russian, Ginger Mojito, Mr. B, and my personal favorite Scorpion Kiss.
Ensemble Lounge was good although definitely was an older crowd. Michael's Club was our favorite evening hang out spot! We were fortunate to meet Andrei and Ramona here! Both Andrei and Ramona are friendly, funny, hardworking, and wonderful to be around. The guys enjoyed a beer tour at Michael's and received a certificate for finishing all of them. In addition to the terrific beer selection the guys also enjoyed a variety of Bourbons and Scotches.
Islands
Our first stop was Puerto Rico. We have visited Puerto Rico multiple times on other cruises and for resort vacations. Since we were only in town for a few hours the four of us thought it would be best to just wander around Old San Juan.
Our friends have never been to Barrachina and yes it's touristy and normally somewhere we wouldn't venture to but as the birthplace of the Pina Colada I think it's worth the stop. I settled on a Mojito while the others enjoyed their Pina Colada's. Next we wandered through some stores and galleries. A few favorites of mine are Puerto Rican Arts & Crafts (everything from local gourmet food to artwork), Spicy Caribee (sauces, spices, local baked goods), and the Coach Outlet (best styles and prices of any Coach outlet I have been to).
The 2nd stop of our cruise was St Thomas. Together we decided to do the shore excursion St John on your own. The ferry ride over was small but pleasant. Once we got to Cruz Bay we hopped in an open cab to the beach. We knew everyone would head to Trunk Bay so we opted for Cinnamon Bay. Cinnamon Bay is a beautiful beach and definitely wasn't crowded. Before our ferry back to St Thomas we decided to grab some lunch. We chose Joe's Rum Hut in Cruz Bay. The Painkillers (drink) were delicious and perfectly combined. We also enjoyed conch fritters, burgers, and a shrimp salad.
Back on St Thomas we wandered through the shops at Havensight Mall and Yacht Haven Grande. We picked up a couple Mango Beers from St John Brewers and wandered through Louis Vuitton and finally settled on some towels and a necklace from an artist co-op booth.
Our final stop of the cruise was St Maarten. We had planned on going kayaking but the day was extremely hot, muggy, and full sun so we decided to visit Philipsburg and the beach area. We wandered through some stores, walked the beach, and checked out what liquor we would have to buy! For lunch we decided on Barefoot Restaurant (mainly because it was close to the ferry and we were getting exhausted from the heat and sun). We were so glad we stopped here!
We started with a couple of Carib's (beer) and an order of Conch Fritters (not dairy free) and an order of Jerk Chicken Wings. Greg enjoyed the Conch Fritters. The Chicken Wings were amazing. Insanely hot but jam packed with flavor. As I was dying from the heat of the wings our waitress kept checking on me but they were so delicious that it was worth the pain. Our waitress also offered me a tip for the spicy wings. When you are done eating take a sugar packet and sprinkle it on your tongue. This actually did work better than bread and I can't drink milk so there you go lol. For entrees we chose Chicken Roti (chicken curry with vegetables in a thin bread (similar to a pita wrap but much better).
We were so happy with these days on the islands it really made up for the less than stellar cruise.
The night before our flight we went online to check in for our American Airlines flight. We were beyond excited to be offered the chance to upgrade to First Class for hardly anything! I called our friends traveling with us and sure enough they received the same offer.
We booked car service with Valley Coach of North Andover for the 4 of us to be picked up at our house at 6:45. The car service was a little late and when it showed up it wasn't the right car. Apparently something happened to the original car and we were left with an SUV that seated 3 plus luggage. Our friend Tom took a leisurely ride while resting on the floor. I wrote an email explaining the situation and asked that the return pick up would be better suited. I'll write more about our return pick up later but I did want to state that Valley Coach of North Andover got back to us appropriately and on the return trip informed us that there wouldn't be a charge for the mix up. Excellent customer service!
After checking in for our flight and headed to the nearest Starbucks for some beverages. We were the first to board our flight and the seats were roomy and the service was friendly. However, on the 757 from Boston to Miami it's an older plane, no individual tv's, and you are unable to tell them if you have a food allergy. Needless to say with my dairy allergy the only thing they were able to offer me was fruit (I'll be offered a lot of fruit all through Miami and the cruise as well...grrrr). We landed in Miami and hopped in a cab to the South Beach Marriott. It was still pretty early so we correctly assumed that our room wouldn't be ready. The hotel held our bags for us and we headed out for some lunch. Sadly it was a cloudy, windy, and cold day in Miami so that meant the beach was out.
The four of us decided on Joe's Stone Crab. The restaurant was extremely busy and by the time we got done the lunch service was over and so I think the service suffered a bit. We enjoyed the shrimp cocktail, stone crabs, nicoise salad, ribs, and lobster blt. The shrimp were a bit over cooked for my taste but everything else was delicious and seasoned beautifully.
After lunch we headed back to the South Beach Marriott and our room was ready. Before heading up the room the staff offered us a complimentary Mojito. That is the way to start a vacation!! We decided to share a room since it was just one night and the room was perfectly appointed. The room was bright, airy, and modern with two full size beds, a view of the ocean (no balcony but did have a sliding window), counter top, chair, coffee maker, refrigerator, shower, and large bathroom. My friend Robyn and I decided to go walk up Collins Ave and do some shopping while the guys hung out and got some beers. After noticing the time we hurried up and ran back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Zuma.
Boarding Celebrity Reflection
Neither Robyn nor I slept very much so we decided to get up and take a walk through South Beach for some exercise. After stopping at Starbucks we all got ready to head to the Pier to board Celebrity cruise lines newest ship Reflection.
I need to preface my entire cruise review with how poorly trained the staff on this cruise was. I will note this a lot through the review. We had heard about how Celebrity was a step ahead of other lines, how they were willing to go the extra mile, how they could accommodate food allergies, etc etc etc. Come to find almost every staff member was new and this was their training session. Sadly we definitely suffered and all voted this our worst cruise ever. In face Celebrity devotees stated to us that there was a noticeable difference between this cruise and all of their other cruises they have enjoyed with Celebrity. In addition to this their was a large group booking on this cruise. We have no complaints about the Pied Piper group at all. We met so many nice people and enjoyed watching some of their parties. However it appeared Celebrity was ill prepared for the number of people on this ship. I don't understand how you run out of ingredients when you know before hand how many people will be on the cruise, how many people are partaking in the drink package, and where activities will be taking place. The traffic heading to the pier was pretty bad. Miami is the most congested pier we have yet to visit. We went through security, headed towards the Aqua Class line, signed our documents and headed to the gangway.
Upon boarding the ship we were offered Mimosa's or a glass of Champagne. Naturally we accepted a glass each. We wandered around the ship looking at all of the sitting areas, restaurants, bars, etc. With our food allergies (mine dairy and Robyn's gluten) we were very limited to choices for lunch. Bistro on 5 makes crepes which aren't dairy free (apparently they do have a gluten free version but we never saw this). The Porch has sandwiches (bread and cheese) so that was out too. We decided to go to the buffet even though it's our least favorite place on a ship. Eating at the buffet was acceptable but tricky. Nothing is labeled for food allergies and when you ask the staff about the ingredients they have no idea what you are talking about. Supposedly others have talked to the Maitre d off the buffet but none were apparent to us.
Side note: This is the first cruise that I didn't gain any weight from food. Thanks to my dairy allergy and Celebrity's lack of food allergy knowledge I hardly ate on this cruise.
Life on board Celebrity Reflection
Our rooms were delayed a bit and around 2:00 pm the announcement was made that they were ready. We headed down to our rooms 1521 and 1519. The room was well laid out, our bed in 1519 was closest to the bathroom. The bathroom was large and the shower was adequate but does have an amazing shower head! The couch and vanity area were nice and the balcony was of good size. The downfall to the Aqua Class Room is definitely the storage space. I've read how others brought collapsible cubes for the top shelves (above bed) but even so who wants to live out of cubes for a week. More drawers please!!! Our stateroom attendant Paz knocked on our door to introduce herself. She told us about the canapes that would be coming, the Champagne on Ice, Complimentary 2 waters per day, and the fresh brewed tea daily. Paz is very nice and very efficient (but a lack of training was discovered in a few days - more later).
We ventured back out for some drinks thanks to our Premium Beverage Package. Finally it was time for Sailaway. Then things turned downhill for me. With a storm over Cuba, a storm over the Caribbean, and rough currents all along the Florida coast our ship was rocking and rolling! This was the first cruise I have ever been sick on! I was pale, green, cold, shaking, and dizzy. I had to cancel drinks and dinner plans with our friends. I headed back up to bed. I took two Bonine's (thank god I brought this as a precaution), drank ginger ale, and ate a few french fries. Our friends dined in the Qsine specialty restaurant and stated that some of the items were good but nothing was memorable. After a good nights sleep I finally felt better in the morning. The next day Paz also had a tip that a Green Apple will help with the seasickness.
Side note: the ship definitely rolled a lot all throughout the entire cruise! I took a Bonine at least once a day sometimes twice and Robyn also had to start taking them half way through the cruise. We heard from a staff member that the Captain only put the Stabilizers out on the first day as to not use too much fuel.
Room:
I wrote earlier in about our room and our very nice attendant Paz. However, Celebrity has a severe lack of training when it comes down to allergies. Robyn is allergic to feathers (yes she has a million allergies). At first she didn't notice that the bedding was all feathers (probably in part do to the lovely drinks at the Molecular Bar). Robyn asked Paz to remove all feather bedding and replace it. Paz was happy to do so however Robyn's allergies continued. Robyn then asked for the flowers, air diffuser, etc. to be removed. On the last day of the cruise Robyn discovered the feather bedding was rolled up in a bag underneath their bed! The simple fact the bedding was still in her room was ridiculous in addition to this atrocity when you roll up feather bedding the dander flies everywhere! I don't understand how it's not common knowledge on a cruise ship that feather allergies need to be taken seriously and all bedding removed and the room should be cleaned properly. Needless to say Robyn came home with sinus problems which turned into a lung infection and nasal infection.
Dining:
Our first full day at sea had us enjoying breakfast in Blu. With a gluten allergy and a dairy allergy breakfast is one of the hardest meals to enjoy. Luckily for Robyn they were able to make gluten free french toast and reserve gluten free pancakes for the next day. I was able to enjoy eggs and meats or muesli with soy milk. For some reason they are unable to make any sweet breakfast items with soy milk.
For dinner we again dined in Blu. Throughout the whole week Savio and Latemia were warm, friendly, and efficient. For some reason it seemed as though they went above and beyond for Robyn's Gluten Allergy but couldn't doing anything for my Dairy Allergy. I didn't receive any dessert from any restaurant for the entire week.We did thoroughly enjoy the Lawn Club Grill twice during our cruise. Once for lunch and once for dinner. We didn't try the flat-breads due to our allergies but we definitely didn't leave hungry. The salad bar is plentiful, the steaks cooked to perfection, the scallops and shrimp were flavorful, and the sides were great. We tried the buffet at lunch time occasionally and it's really a nightmare for those with food allergies. None of the items were labeled, staff couldn't understand our allergies due to language barriers, and we could never find a manager or maitre d.
Alcoves
We booked an alcove for days Sea Days prior to boarding the cruise. For $149 (sea day) you are supposed to be able to receive:
"It's the perfect escape - within your vacation escape. Some of the pleasures include:
· Stunning side-by-side views of lawn and sea, as you settle in underneath the shade of a chic, white awning.
· All-day use of an iPad loaded with a variety of movies, music, games, magazines and more. Wi-Fi access is also available*.
· Complimentary amenities - four bottles of water, a fresh fruit plate, hand-held fans, and chilled towels.
· Ambient mood lighting for romantically cozy evenings.
Once you're comfortably settled in, a simple phone call to your Alcove Attendant helps make your time even more special.
He or she can help arrange a series of relaxing and refreshing enhancements:
· Fresh, themed picnic baskets* from our specialty restaurants onboard - antipasti, Mediterranean seafood pasta, and salads from Tuscan Grille; jumbo shrimp cocktail, assorted berries, organic breads and healthy salads from Murano; fruit brochettes and country-inspired sandwiches from Bistro on Five. Plus, innovative specialty restaurant desserts and a special beverage menu*.
· A wide variety of Alcoves Spa Services can be arranged for you to enjoy right in your Alcove. Inquire onboard."
The first Alcove day we got two bottles of water, a waiter telling us we had to get our own drinks, get our own lunches, no ipad, no fans, and no chilled towels. Later in the day we did get a fruit and cheese plate. The alcove attendants did not check in on us at all and when we asked for help it was a bother. We inquired about buying another alcove and the attendant nor manager never got back to us. We did have a ton of fun playing bocce on the grass. Greg and I were the series champions oddly enough! Yay us!
The second Alcove day the manager came over and told us that we can order from The Porch, The Bars, or the Mast Grill and the attendants can get it. We received two bottles of water again and a fruit and cheese platter. When we called the attendant over to order lunch he handed us the menu from The Porch. We explained we wanted to order from the Mast Grill. He stated we can only order from The Porch. We told him how we couldn't eat there because of food allergies (it's sandwiches and panini's). The attendants response was well give me back the menu then. We informed him that the manager told us it was find to order from the Mast Grill and so he finally gave in. Later in the day we ordered drinks from the bar and that seemed like we were hassling the attendant as well. Greg eventually asked for some of the plates to be removed from our table and the attendant took two and never came back. Needless to say we cleared our own table! Finally we had enough and just abandoned our alcove. We wrote a comment card at the guest relations explaining the situation. The manager called us back and offered us an alcove for the last sea day (amazing considering we couldn't pay to book one for some reason earlier). After thinking things over we told the manager thank you but we don't want it. Even if it was free we would still be dealing with the same incompetent attendants who would now also know that we complained.
Bars
This was really a major high or a major low! The interior bars were wonderful however the outdoor bars were horrible! On multiple occasions that outdoor bars were understaffed, under-trained, ran out of ingredients, or were just rude. Celebrity knew that this cruise had a large group in addition to ordinary guests. In addition to this Celebrity can now track drinks better thanks to knowing how many people signed up for the drink packages.
The Sunset Bar was the worst of them all. The drinks were inconsistent, they were constantly out of ingredients, and none of the bartenders were professional. One time we asked for a drink out of their menu book. The bartender made it incorrectly and when we pointed out that the basil was missing he stated they didn't have any. He then proceeded to take the menus away from all passengers. I guess you were only allowed a beer or a mix drink from a carton!The Mast Bar wasn't horrible but it was definitely inconsistent. The main bartender was the only one to make a proper drink.
The Molecular Bar was outstanding! Marius was friendly, had a great memory, and made outstanding drinks! The drinks do take a little time to make so there is always a small wait. However the drinks are totally worth it. We tried the Coming up roses, Black Mamba, Cazarita, Violet Hummingbird, Hawaiian lava, Tanned Russian, Ginger Mojito, Mr. B, and my personal favorite Scorpion Kiss.
Ensemble Lounge was good although definitely was an older crowd. Michael's Club was our favorite evening hang out spot! We were fortunate to meet Andrei and Ramona here! Both Andrei and Ramona are friendly, funny, hardworking, and wonderful to be around. The guys enjoyed a beer tour at Michael's and received a certificate for finishing all of them. In addition to the terrific beer selection the guys also enjoyed a variety of Bourbons and Scotches.
Islands
Our first stop was Puerto Rico. We have visited Puerto Rico multiple times on other cruises and for resort vacations. Since we were only in town for a few hours the four of us thought it would be best to just wander around Old San Juan.
Our friends have never been to Barrachina and yes it's touristy and normally somewhere we wouldn't venture to but as the birthplace of the Pina Colada I think it's worth the stop. I settled on a Mojito while the others enjoyed their Pina Colada's. Next we wandered through some stores and galleries. A few favorites of mine are Puerto Rican Arts & Crafts (everything from local gourmet food to artwork), Spicy Caribee (sauces, spices, local baked goods), and the Coach Outlet (best styles and prices of any Coach outlet I have been to).
The 2nd stop of our cruise was St Thomas. Together we decided to do the shore excursion St John on your own. The ferry ride over was small but pleasant. Once we got to Cruz Bay we hopped in an open cab to the beach. We knew everyone would head to Trunk Bay so we opted for Cinnamon Bay. Cinnamon Bay is a beautiful beach and definitely wasn't crowded. Before our ferry back to St Thomas we decided to grab some lunch. We chose Joe's Rum Hut in Cruz Bay. The Painkillers (drink) were delicious and perfectly combined. We also enjoyed conch fritters, burgers, and a shrimp salad.
Back on St Thomas we wandered through the shops at Havensight Mall and Yacht Haven Grande. We picked up a couple Mango Beers from St John Brewers and wandered through Louis Vuitton and finally settled on some towels and a necklace from an artist co-op booth.
Our final stop of the cruise was St Maarten. We had planned on going kayaking but the day was extremely hot, muggy, and full sun so we decided to visit Philipsburg and the beach area. We wandered through some stores, walked the beach, and checked out what liquor we would have to buy! For lunch we decided on Barefoot Restaurant (mainly because it was close to the ferry and we were getting exhausted from the heat and sun). We were so glad we stopped here!
We started with a couple of Carib's (beer) and an order of Conch Fritters (not dairy free) and an order of Jerk Chicken Wings. Greg enjoyed the Conch Fritters. The Chicken Wings were amazing. Insanely hot but jam packed with flavor. As I was dying from the heat of the wings our waitress kept checking on me but they were so delicious that it was worth the pain. Our waitress also offered me a tip for the spicy wings. When you are done eating take a sugar packet and sprinkle it on your tongue. This actually did work better than bread and I can't drink milk so there you go lol. For entrees we chose Chicken Roti (chicken curry with vegetables in a thin bread (similar to a pita wrap but much better).
We were so happy with these days on the islands it really made up for the less than stellar cruise.
Caribbean Princess - San Juan, PR and Southern Caribbean Cruise December 2010
After a rather long and difficult year we decided to be a bit indulgent and go on a Caribbean vacation. We decided to stay in Puerto Rico pre and post Southern Caribbean Cruise on Princess Cruise Line. Away we flew on Jetblue from Boston to San Juan. Jetblue made me happy while they still made an extra profit. We upgraded to the "even more legroom" seats for the extra room but also for the newer priority boarding! On a very full flight to San Juan right after Thanksgiving this was a blessing!
Arriving in San Juan we picked up our luggage and grabbed a cab to the InterContinental San Juan Resort & Casino. We booked this hotel for one night pre-cruise. The hotel looked modern, clean, and interesting. The reception staff seemed helpful, our room wasn't ready but we would receive a call when it was. We decided to have lunch at the pool bar which was good. However, the bar was definitely understaffed. The pool and beach area seemed nice but the noise from the airport was just too much. We definitely wouldn't want to spend a week listening to it.
Two hours later (around 3:30) we decided to go and check on our room. Another person was working the reception desk, didn't say hello to us and when we asked about our room responded with one word - no. As we walked away stating that the couple next to us got a room the staff followed after us saying your room is now ready. We headed up to the fourth floor and entered our room - that's right - - the house cleaning staff was still in it. The rooms appear nice but the floors were never cleaned and we didn't see anyone using or hear a vacuum the entire time. That evening we decided to have drinks in the lobby bar. As I began to nibble on the pretzels / nuts provided I looked over and saw the waitress eating the pretzels out of the bowls that she would we then bring over to the guests - yuck! Overall the hotel looks nice and could be 4 stars however it appears there is no management watching over those that interact with the guests.
The next day we hopped in a cab and headed to the Pier. Hmmmm that looks like traffic up ahead - yes it does! A half an hour in the cab with the ship in sight - luckily Puerto Rico has set rates from the different taxi zones. Check in at Princess was pretty easy maybe a half hour wait total. As we walked through the Caribbean Princess it reminded us of the Crown Princess however this ship doesn't seem to flow as nicely. Walking to our room I noticed balloons and streamers for different celebrations - I was expecting this on our door as well for Greg's B-day. However, we never received them. We met our stateroom attendant has a complimentary glass of champagne and headed out to explore the ship.
Unfortunately the ship experience wasn't up to our past trips. Our stateroom was always clean but no special touches, the food for most of the ship was bland, the staff was mostly friendly, and the activities were lacking. Here are a couple highlights and/or complete misses:
1. The Spa staff - always friendly, helpful, and the Thermal Suite was perfect! I ended up catching the flu during this vacation and the Thermal Suite truly helped my breathing and sinus pressure. If it wasn't for the Thermal Suite I think my vacation would have been ruined.
2. Sabatini's - terrific staff, delicious food, huge portions, no rush, and all around fantastic.
3. The Ultimate Cooler and Passionfruit Mojito - always yummy
4. The buffet - rude staff, pushy staff, no seating, not enough vegetarian options
5. The International Cafe - friendly staff but the cafe itself is very small and limited options unlike the Crown Princess.
The best part of a cruise is visiting our favorite islands and the new and/or familiar experiences.
On St Thomas we decided to start our vacation with a bit of relaxation. We decided to go to Magens Bay Beach. The drive to the beach is beautiful - scenic view, rising hills but the stop at the junky wares could be left out. Magens Bay Beach is a very nice long but narrow beach. The water while we were there was colder that we have experienced before though. Next we headed into town to do some shopping and have a bite for lunch.
Whenever we travel my friends and family make fun of me. The first reason is because I am a list maker. I have to stay organized and have everything written down. The second reason is a bring a little bit of everything in my medicine cabinet. Fortunately, I brought some cold meds with us this trip however they quickly ran out. So there we are walking around the town looking for somewhere to purchase some cold meds. Hmmm a sign for a drugstore in the back of a linen store. Sure enough you walk through the linen store, through the touristy wares and there is a decent variety of over the counter medications - - Yay I'll be able to breathe again shortly! For lunch we decided to try out a restaurant I researched online. Glady's Cafe. The service was warm and inviting, the food was delicious, and the hot sauces were the perfect accompaniment. Greg even bought one to bring home.
Our next island is our favorite - Tortola. In the British Virgin Islands we have been fortunate to visit Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Norman Island, Marina Cay, and a few snorkeling spots. We have always wanted to visit Jost Van Dyke but never found the time. We boarded our "ferry" to the island and we ready for an adventure. Sure enough half way there the seas were a bit rough and the waves were after us. Unlike most people we enjoy this. If you are on a boat in the Caribbean waters, heading to a beach, and the sun is shining why not get soaked by a few waves. As we maneuvered into the amazingly clear turquoise waters we were greeted by a sea turtle. We hopped from the boat onto powder soft white sand and were instantly laid back. In between swimming and sunning we visited a few of the local bars and enjoyed a few Painkillers. Unfortunately, it was time to go so we boarded another boat and headed back to Road Town. One of our requirements if we are on Tortola for a short time is a stop into Pussers Road Town. We enjoy a Painkiller or a Nelsons Blood and gush over the best Conch Fritters in the Caribbean.
The next stop was Antigua. This was a bit of a disappointment as we booked a beach excursion but were taken to Halcyon Cove by Rex Resorts. I was less than impressed with the facilities, the transportation drivers, and the staff. After getting back into St. John's we decided to grab lunch at Hemingways Caribbean Cafe. "Honey wasn't that the same man who asked you if you wanted some green a few years ago" response "yup that must be his corner." LOL, laid back style in the Caribbean. We have been to Hemingways before but this time the food wasn't as good seemed to be a bit on the dry side.
I'm sure we're the weird ones but we aren't big fans of St Lucia so at this stop we decided to relax on the ship and do a little shopping at the pier. Unfortunately, our pier was the one not near the shopping. We paid a few dollars for the ferry and then realized we waited a half hour instead of the every 10 minutes. We ended up doing a little shopping, mostly for art and rum. When we were ready to head back to the ship we went to the ferry pick up area and saw the long line of people waiting and the ferry no where in sight. Ready for adventure we decided we would walk all the way back to the ship. So there we go walking through the tour providers, past the cab drivers, saying no thank you to the "green" providers, half way there still don't see the ferry picking up the other guests, 25 minutes later made it back to the ship before everyone else.
Barbados our last Caribbean island. We headed over to the Cockspur Beach Club - yes we were a bit immature and chuckled over this. A few years ago Greg purchased a Cockspur T shirt for his brother and it became a running joke and then here we are at their Beach Club. The staff was very friendly, the beach is beautiful, the drinks were good and it was a very enjoyable time. We were considering going into town after the excursion but when we entered the pier the traffic was atrocious and we could imagine fighting to get back out and into the pier again.
After a relaxing sea day we arrived back in San Juan. We changed our deboarding time to 8:15, we were off the ship and at the Marriott San Juan Resort & Stellaris Casino by 9:30 am. We booked this hotel for post-cruise. We arrived very early to the hotel so naturally our room wasn't ready. The hotel looks very nice, modern, and clean. We decided to go across the street to Starbucks for breakfast - don't go at 9 a.m. we waited in line for 25 minutes (we decided we were nuts to do so). Next we hopped into a cab to head into Old San Juan - just as we arrived the hotel called to let us know that our room was ready.
We visited a few of our favorite places in Old San Juan. El Convento Hotel, Puerto Rican Arts and Crafts, and tried a new restaurant - El Jibarito. The food, service, and atmosphere were perfect. The restaurant is in Old San Juan but it's in more of the residential area which also makes a nice walk and atmosphere.
When we got back to the hotel we picked up our room cards and headed to the 12th floor. Our room was large, high ceilings, clean, large bathroom, bath and body works products, and a city view. The hotel is also in a nice area we walked around a bit and found the walgreens, restaurants, other hotels, luxury shopping, and even found a nice farmers market. The staff from the reception, to the casino, to the housekeeping were friendly and always smiling. We also found that the coffee bar in the hotel offered nice beverages and breakfast treats. The pool and beach area are nice but small when we compare it to the large resorts in Rio Grande.
The next day we flew back to Boston on Jetblue thankful yet again for our priority boarding!
Arriving in San Juan we picked up our luggage and grabbed a cab to the InterContinental San Juan Resort & Casino. We booked this hotel for one night pre-cruise. The hotel looked modern, clean, and interesting. The reception staff seemed helpful, our room wasn't ready but we would receive a call when it was. We decided to have lunch at the pool bar which was good. However, the bar was definitely understaffed. The pool and beach area seemed nice but the noise from the airport was just too much. We definitely wouldn't want to spend a week listening to it.
Two hours later (around 3:30) we decided to go and check on our room. Another person was working the reception desk, didn't say hello to us and when we asked about our room responded with one word - no. As we walked away stating that the couple next to us got a room the staff followed after us saying your room is now ready. We headed up to the fourth floor and entered our room - that's right - - the house cleaning staff was still in it. The rooms appear nice but the floors were never cleaned and we didn't see anyone using or hear a vacuum the entire time. That evening we decided to have drinks in the lobby bar. As I began to nibble on the pretzels / nuts provided I looked over and saw the waitress eating the pretzels out of the bowls that she would we then bring over to the guests - yuck! Overall the hotel looks nice and could be 4 stars however it appears there is no management watching over those that interact with the guests.
The next day we hopped in a cab and headed to the Pier. Hmmmm that looks like traffic up ahead - yes it does! A half an hour in the cab with the ship in sight - luckily Puerto Rico has set rates from the different taxi zones. Check in at Princess was pretty easy maybe a half hour wait total. As we walked through the Caribbean Princess it reminded us of the Crown Princess however this ship doesn't seem to flow as nicely. Walking to our room I noticed balloons and streamers for different celebrations - I was expecting this on our door as well for Greg's B-day. However, we never received them. We met our stateroom attendant has a complimentary glass of champagne and headed out to explore the ship.
Unfortunately the ship experience wasn't up to our past trips. Our stateroom was always clean but no special touches, the food for most of the ship was bland, the staff was mostly friendly, and the activities were lacking. Here are a couple highlights and/or complete misses:
1. The Spa staff - always friendly, helpful, and the Thermal Suite was perfect! I ended up catching the flu during this vacation and the Thermal Suite truly helped my breathing and sinus pressure. If it wasn't for the Thermal Suite I think my vacation would have been ruined.
2. Sabatini's - terrific staff, delicious food, huge portions, no rush, and all around fantastic.
3. The Ultimate Cooler and Passionfruit Mojito - always yummy
4. The buffet - rude staff, pushy staff, no seating, not enough vegetarian options
5. The International Cafe - friendly staff but the cafe itself is very small and limited options unlike the Crown Princess.
The best part of a cruise is visiting our favorite islands and the new and/or familiar experiences.
On St Thomas we decided to start our vacation with a bit of relaxation. We decided to go to Magens Bay Beach. The drive to the beach is beautiful - scenic view, rising hills but the stop at the junky wares could be left out. Magens Bay Beach is a very nice long but narrow beach. The water while we were there was colder that we have experienced before though. Next we headed into town to do some shopping and have a bite for lunch.
Whenever we travel my friends and family make fun of me. The first reason is because I am a list maker. I have to stay organized and have everything written down. The second reason is a bring a little bit of everything in my medicine cabinet. Fortunately, I brought some cold meds with us this trip however they quickly ran out. So there we are walking around the town looking for somewhere to purchase some cold meds. Hmmm a sign for a drugstore in the back of a linen store. Sure enough you walk through the linen store, through the touristy wares and there is a decent variety of over the counter medications - - Yay I'll be able to breathe again shortly! For lunch we decided to try out a restaurant I researched online. Glady's Cafe. The service was warm and inviting, the food was delicious, and the hot sauces were the perfect accompaniment. Greg even bought one to bring home.
Our next island is our favorite - Tortola. In the British Virgin Islands we have been fortunate to visit Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Norman Island, Marina Cay, and a few snorkeling spots. We have always wanted to visit Jost Van Dyke but never found the time. We boarded our "ferry" to the island and we ready for an adventure. Sure enough half way there the seas were a bit rough and the waves were after us. Unlike most people we enjoy this. If you are on a boat in the Caribbean waters, heading to a beach, and the sun is shining why not get soaked by a few waves. As we maneuvered into the amazingly clear turquoise waters we were greeted by a sea turtle. We hopped from the boat onto powder soft white sand and were instantly laid back. In between swimming and sunning we visited a few of the local bars and enjoyed a few Painkillers. Unfortunately, it was time to go so we boarded another boat and headed back to Road Town. One of our requirements if we are on Tortola for a short time is a stop into Pussers Road Town. We enjoy a Painkiller or a Nelsons Blood and gush over the best Conch Fritters in the Caribbean.
The next stop was Antigua. This was a bit of a disappointment as we booked a beach excursion but were taken to Halcyon Cove by Rex Resorts. I was less than impressed with the facilities, the transportation drivers, and the staff. After getting back into St. John's we decided to grab lunch at Hemingways Caribbean Cafe. "Honey wasn't that the same man who asked you if you wanted some green a few years ago" response "yup that must be his corner." LOL, laid back style in the Caribbean. We have been to Hemingways before but this time the food wasn't as good seemed to be a bit on the dry side.
I'm sure we're the weird ones but we aren't big fans of St Lucia so at this stop we decided to relax on the ship and do a little shopping at the pier. Unfortunately, our pier was the one not near the shopping. We paid a few dollars for the ferry and then realized we waited a half hour instead of the every 10 minutes. We ended up doing a little shopping, mostly for art and rum. When we were ready to head back to the ship we went to the ferry pick up area and saw the long line of people waiting and the ferry no where in sight. Ready for adventure we decided we would walk all the way back to the ship. So there we go walking through the tour providers, past the cab drivers, saying no thank you to the "green" providers, half way there still don't see the ferry picking up the other guests, 25 minutes later made it back to the ship before everyone else.
Barbados our last Caribbean island. We headed over to the Cockspur Beach Club - yes we were a bit immature and chuckled over this. A few years ago Greg purchased a Cockspur T shirt for his brother and it became a running joke and then here we are at their Beach Club. The staff was very friendly, the beach is beautiful, the drinks were good and it was a very enjoyable time. We were considering going into town after the excursion but when we entered the pier the traffic was atrocious and we could imagine fighting to get back out and into the pier again.
After a relaxing sea day we arrived back in San Juan. We changed our deboarding time to 8:15, we were off the ship and at the Marriott San Juan Resort & Stellaris Casino by 9:30 am. We booked this hotel for post-cruise. We arrived very early to the hotel so naturally our room wasn't ready. The hotel looks very nice, modern, and clean. We decided to go across the street to Starbucks for breakfast - don't go at 9 a.m. we waited in line for 25 minutes (we decided we were nuts to do so). Next we hopped into a cab to head into Old San Juan - just as we arrived the hotel called to let us know that our room was ready.
We visited a few of our favorite places in Old San Juan. El Convento Hotel, Puerto Rican Arts and Crafts, and tried a new restaurant - El Jibarito. The food, service, and atmosphere were perfect. The restaurant is in Old San Juan but it's in more of the residential area which also makes a nice walk and atmosphere.
When we got back to the hotel we picked up our room cards and headed to the 12th floor. Our room was large, high ceilings, clean, large bathroom, bath and body works products, and a city view. The hotel is also in a nice area we walked around a bit and found the walgreens, restaurants, other hotels, luxury shopping, and even found a nice farmers market. The staff from the reception, to the casino, to the housekeeping were friendly and always smiling. We also found that the coffee bar in the hotel offered nice beverages and breakfast treats. The pool and beach area are nice but small when we compare it to the large resorts in Rio Grande.
The next day we flew back to Boston on Jetblue thankful yet again for our priority boarding!
Norwegian's Gem, Mediterranean Cruise - July 2008
July 12, 2008 We left Boston flying on Aer Lingus. After a little trouble with figuring out which gate was ours (they kept flipping between gates 4 and 5). We settled into our flight and ended up arriving in Dublin a full half hour early. The Dublin Airport is a bit crazy! You first have to go through customs (whether or not you are staying), then through security, then to get to your gate you have to go through basically it’s a mall with tons and tons of people. We found our gate and then decided that since we were in Ireland let’s have a pint of Guinness - at 6:00 a.m. Boarded our next flight and again arrived in Barcelona a full half hour early.
July 13, 2008 Barcelona We went through customs, got in a cab and I had read on the boards to write down the pier and ship name for the cab drivers. What I did was learned how to pronounce and also wrote down the pier name but in Spanish. The pier in Spanish is called Muelle (pronounced Moya) Adosado. Our cab driver recognized it immediately.
We arrived at the ship and checked into the VIP line (both of us booked Romance Suites). After check-in we were escorted to the VIP Area where we met Claudio and Ivana. After reviewing our keys and our shore excursions we noticed a problem. Our excursion in France was completely wrong. We had to provide Ivana with our printed confirmations (always a good idea to print everything from their website) and she said she would remedy it and have our corrected excursion tickets delivered to us later that day. Around 11:30 we were escorted onto the ship and brought to the Bliss lounge until the restaurants were open at noon. For some reason not one person mentioned that we could go to Cagney’s until I asked about it. We did have lunch at Cagney’s and it was very good. The menu offered a lot of options as well as lighter meals considering it was a steak house. After lunch we went to check on our rooms. Both rooms were "ready." Problem number two of the day - our bathroom was dirty, the chairs and the dresser with lined with dust. There isn’t a number for the room stewards so we contacted the butler who in turn contacted the stewards to come and re-clean our room. Apparently on embarkation day the actual room stewards do not clean the rooms.
Romance Suite 10664
Good - the room is of good size (small than other lines though), a great balcony, great storage space, with restaurant reservations you get window tables, daily treats are nice little snacks.
Bad - Occasionally there is a strange smell in the hallway upon entering the room. Our butler, Orlando was very inconsistent. We didn’t actually meet him until the 2nd day. The entire trip we only received one card to write down what daily snacks we wanted. The fruit bowl was not always replenished. My in-laws had the same problems with Orlando regarding their room. My husband did tip him and tells him it was going to be my birthday during the cruise so he did decorate the room and after that the service did seem a bit more consistent.
Our Concierge, Claudio was nice when we met him. The only contact we had with the concierge was the first day to make dinner reservations for the week. Problem number 3 - we made all of our reservations for 9:00 p.m. one night the system listed it as 8:00 p.m. and so the hostess gave us an attitude and assumed we just were running late and didn’t show up until we felt like it. After dinner I contact Claudio regarding this problem and nothing was done and we were given a not so heart felt apology.After exploring the ship a little jet lag finally caught up. We attended the life boat drill which was done efficiently. That evening we had dinner in Tequila’s. The food and service were terrific. After dinner we headed to the Casino and played some automated Roulette (very addictive).
July 14 2008 Sea Day We ordered breakfast to our room (great tip on the boards to write in other requests). The activities planned on the ship sound great the one downfall is so many of them are at the exact same time and are only hosted for one time during the whole week. Therefore you really don’t get to do everything you would like to do. Having the AFT balcony is great not only do you get to relax in the sun without the wind but you have full view of everything around you. The only downside to the balcony is that you do tend to get ash from people’s cigars and cigarette from the Great Outdoors.For dinner we dined in Cagney’s the food and service was again great. I still need to email NCL and get a few of their recipes!
July 15 2008 Malta We woke to the message that Malta was having a transportation strike. Luckily for us we didn’t have an excursion planned. The view from our balcony was great, we arrived as all the fishermen were heading out for the day. We walked up to Valletta, and this is not an easy hike for some people especially when it’s 80% humidity out! The town of Valletta is nice within the main touristy areas. The architecture is beautiful, stores are both upscale and small craft shops, churches and museums are close. Once you get out of the touristy areas though that city is rather dirty and rundown. After walking back to the ship for some much needed air conditioning, we headed across the pier to a restaurant for a couple of Cisk beers (local beer) and snack food.
We met up with my in-laws and decided to order lunch from Cagney’s to our room. This is another area where Orlando (butler was inconsistent) we ordered 4 different lunch entree’s and he only brought us two sets of silverware.That evening we went to the Spinnaker lounge for a pre-dinner drink. Another good tip from the boards was that you can see Mt Etna around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. on the port side of the ship. We headed to the Grand Pacific dining room for dinner. The service and the food were horrible! It took 15 minutes to get water and menu’s. The food was bland, dry, small and the service was nonexistent. It seemed that the main dining room is an after thought when compared to the pay restaurants.
July 16, 2008 Naples Our excursion was "Capri, Sorrento, and Pompei". All of us loved this excursion and at the end of it we were energized rather than exhausted like others have mentioned. The only downside is that there are many tours that head to Capri first thing in the morning. Therefore, lots of people loading on the boat and funicular.
Capri is very pretty, and the gardens and cliff views are spectacular! Capri is small and with so many people it can seem very crowded. We just wandered around, ordered some gelato, and people watched. We then drove over to Sorrento where we had lunch at ristorante parrocchiano. We were seated in the garden area of the restaurant. Which had lots of flowers, lemon trees, and was picturesque. Lunch included water and wine. A first course of cannelloni, second course of chicken with roasted potatoes, and a third coarse of a lemon cake. After lunch we were given some time on our own for shopping.We boarded the bus and headed over to Pompei. Pompei is amazing! Enzo (our guide) was terrific when talking about life in Pompei. This is one location you do not want to miss when visiting this area.
That evening we went to the Orchid Garden for dinner. Service was really slow at first, the restaurant appeared to only have two people for wait staff. After 10 - 15 minutes more help arrived and from then on the food and service was very good.
July 17, 2008 Civitavecchia Our excursion was "Rome on Your Own". I had previously been to Rome but only saw the Pantheon and the Vatican so I was hoping to see a lot of the other sights. The bus drops you off right around the corner from the Colosseum. Another great tip from the boards - go to the Roman Forum to buy tickets to the Colosseum (no line)! We ventured into the Colosseum - truly amazing and different from what we pictured based on movies. Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain. Here I found a little pizza shop (go to the shops where it isn’t listed in English) that had terrific eggplant pizza! Our next site was the Pantheon - this is one of my favorite places and has been since I was in H.S. A few blocks from the Pantheon are Gelateria Della Palma. It is a little touristy but very good gelato!From here we walked to the Piazza Navona. We stopped at a restaurant for some wine, antipasti and people watching. We definitely got all three - as we were leaving a couple of men were selling purses in the piazza when all of the sudden two plain clothes officers chased them, tackled and arrested one of them. This was done literally 5 feet in front of us. After that little excitement we walked to the Campo di Fiori (an open air market). Before we had to head back to the bus we went into the Roman Forum and in addition to seeing the ruins we were able to watch a team excavate new ruins.
In the evening we went for our pre-dinner drinks. We chose the martini bar tonight. The chocolate and key lime pie martini’s are really good. For dinner we ate at Le Bistro. We all agreed this was our favorite restaurant on the ship.
July 18, 2008 Livorno Our excursion was "Siena and the View of Tuscany". The two-hour drive to Siena can be good and bad. You do get beautiful pictures thanks to the amazing scenery. The bad is that you are pretty tired from the previous days and therefore you tend to fall asleep on the bus.I must admit I was a little disappointed with this tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about Siena but that also meant she was very long-winded. We spent about 2 and ½ hours seeing two churches and a courtyard. For lunch we went to La finestra where the food was terrific but lunch was definitely on Italian time! Lunch consisted of wine and water, a first course of asparagus risotto plus pasta with mushrooms, a second course of veal in tomato sauce (but they were kind enough to make me chicken), and a third course of a berry panna cotta.Unfortunately, this left us with about 45 minutes of free time to shop. We ran over to a small store to buy wine, and olive oil. Next onto Nannini’s a bakery known for its panforte and riciarelli cookies. Finally, a quick stop for gelato at Brivido.
Tonight we had pre-dinner drinks at Maltings. My husband now loves Mythos Beer. We dined at the Teppanyaki restaurant. Where the food and service were also great but be warned this is not a health conscious meal! Lots of butter, oil, and salt!
July 19, 2008 Villefranche Our excursion was "Nice and the view from Eze". Nice is a beautiful, friendly, and welcoming city! We were first driven through nice to see a few sites. The bus parked so that we could have some free time to wonder around the flower market. The produce here is amazing! My husband and I are both foodies so this was fabulous to us! We were able to pick up some truffle oils, jams, mustards, candies, herbs etc.! A definite must try are French macaroons!We then drove over to Eze, the drive over has wonderful panoramic views of the coast and city. Eze is a bit of a climb but definitely easier than Malta. Our guide showed us a few sites along the climb and then gave us another hour of free time. The shops are so cute, some of them built right into the rock so they are like little caves. Eze is great for finding local crafts to bring home.After the excursion we had lunch had a restaurant adjacent to the pier. Delicious French lemonade and seafood! Problem number 4 - tendering back to the boat! NCL really needs to rethink their tender process! They are far behind other lines. After lunch the line was along the pier, through the building, and around the corner. We waited in line for at least 45 minutes.Back on the ship we tried another of the daily special’s drinks and some more automated roulette.
We were able to go and retrieve our liquor purchases - unlike I had previously read they seemed very organized about this.Since it was our last day, we decided to try out the Bingo. Honestly, kind of a rip off - tickets are a minimum of $30 and up to $50. You can also spend more money on instant win tickets. Each game has very specific symbols you have to make. Also, the game has lots of rules to help the house have the advantage. We have played on other lines and NCL really seemed out to just make more money rather than entertain.
For tonight’s pre-dinner drinks we headed up to the Great Outdoors where my father in-law made friends with a bartender throughout the week. The two of them together are good for some laughs! We dined at La Trattoria which the food was good but the service could definitely use some improvement.
July 20, 2008 Disembark THE VIP’S get to either take their luggage off or have it picked up and held in a designated area. We chose to have ours picked up. Claudio was there waiting with the luggage and of course my husband’s wasn’t where it should have been. No help was provided. Once we had everything together, we asked for help from a porter who loaded us into a taxi. The Barcelona airport was outrageously busy! I had read on the boards about confusion regarding where to check in for Aer Lingus. The problem is that Aer Lingus does not have a permanent check in area. They switch between Terminal A and Terminal B. Most airport staff doesn’t know where Aer Lingus should be. We did find one information desk in the airport that did know the location. It’s best to check all the screens (they are updated based on the flight departure times). We finally found our check in desk but it was still being used by another airline. We decided to just stay there and wait - it was a good thing we did because here came 50 students all traveling to Ireland together! We boarded our flight and then Problem number 5 - delayed! The Dublin airport had been having radar problems for a week so we were grounded for 50 minutes. This left us with only 10 minutes connection time in Dublin! We asked the flight attended for some help regarding this and she was able to have the pilot contact the airport for help.
When we arrived in Dublin there was an agent to meet us. Aer Lingus was going to hold the plane for us and have this agent escort us to it. In 15 minutes we got another couple their boarding passes, went through Irish customs, security, filled out U.S. customs forms, went through Immigration, to another terminal and onto our plane. I really was overwhelmed with how helpful Aer Lingus was, most airlines wouldn’t have gone through this for us.
Problem number 6 - - I caught the flu! I was sick and in bed for the week after our cruise! Oddly enough the last time I went to Europe I came home and ended up with mono! See a pattern?
July 13, 2008 Barcelona We went through customs, got in a cab and I had read on the boards to write down the pier and ship name for the cab drivers. What I did was learned how to pronounce and also wrote down the pier name but in Spanish. The pier in Spanish is called Muelle (pronounced Moya) Adosado. Our cab driver recognized it immediately.
We arrived at the ship and checked into the VIP line (both of us booked Romance Suites). After check-in we were escorted to the VIP Area where we met Claudio and Ivana. After reviewing our keys and our shore excursions we noticed a problem. Our excursion in France was completely wrong. We had to provide Ivana with our printed confirmations (always a good idea to print everything from their website) and she said she would remedy it and have our corrected excursion tickets delivered to us later that day. Around 11:30 we were escorted onto the ship and brought to the Bliss lounge until the restaurants were open at noon. For some reason not one person mentioned that we could go to Cagney’s until I asked about it. We did have lunch at Cagney’s and it was very good. The menu offered a lot of options as well as lighter meals considering it was a steak house. After lunch we went to check on our rooms. Both rooms were "ready." Problem number two of the day - our bathroom was dirty, the chairs and the dresser with lined with dust. There isn’t a number for the room stewards so we contacted the butler who in turn contacted the stewards to come and re-clean our room. Apparently on embarkation day the actual room stewards do not clean the rooms.
Romance Suite 10664
Good - the room is of good size (small than other lines though), a great balcony, great storage space, with restaurant reservations you get window tables, daily treats are nice little snacks.
Bad - Occasionally there is a strange smell in the hallway upon entering the room. Our butler, Orlando was very inconsistent. We didn’t actually meet him until the 2nd day. The entire trip we only received one card to write down what daily snacks we wanted. The fruit bowl was not always replenished. My in-laws had the same problems with Orlando regarding their room. My husband did tip him and tells him it was going to be my birthday during the cruise so he did decorate the room and after that the service did seem a bit more consistent.
Our Concierge, Claudio was nice when we met him. The only contact we had with the concierge was the first day to make dinner reservations for the week. Problem number 3 - we made all of our reservations for 9:00 p.m. one night the system listed it as 8:00 p.m. and so the hostess gave us an attitude and assumed we just were running late and didn’t show up until we felt like it. After dinner I contact Claudio regarding this problem and nothing was done and we were given a not so heart felt apology.After exploring the ship a little jet lag finally caught up. We attended the life boat drill which was done efficiently. That evening we had dinner in Tequila’s. The food and service were terrific. After dinner we headed to the Casino and played some automated Roulette (very addictive).
July 14 2008 Sea Day We ordered breakfast to our room (great tip on the boards to write in other requests). The activities planned on the ship sound great the one downfall is so many of them are at the exact same time and are only hosted for one time during the whole week. Therefore you really don’t get to do everything you would like to do. Having the AFT balcony is great not only do you get to relax in the sun without the wind but you have full view of everything around you. The only downside to the balcony is that you do tend to get ash from people’s cigars and cigarette from the Great Outdoors.For dinner we dined in Cagney’s the food and service was again great. I still need to email NCL and get a few of their recipes!
July 15 2008 Malta We woke to the message that Malta was having a transportation strike. Luckily for us we didn’t have an excursion planned. The view from our balcony was great, we arrived as all the fishermen were heading out for the day. We walked up to Valletta, and this is not an easy hike for some people especially when it’s 80% humidity out! The town of Valletta is nice within the main touristy areas. The architecture is beautiful, stores are both upscale and small craft shops, churches and museums are close. Once you get out of the touristy areas though that city is rather dirty and rundown. After walking back to the ship for some much needed air conditioning, we headed across the pier to a restaurant for a couple of Cisk beers (local beer) and snack food.
We met up with my in-laws and decided to order lunch from Cagney’s to our room. This is another area where Orlando (butler was inconsistent) we ordered 4 different lunch entree’s and he only brought us two sets of silverware.That evening we went to the Spinnaker lounge for a pre-dinner drink. Another good tip from the boards was that you can see Mt Etna around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. on the port side of the ship. We headed to the Grand Pacific dining room for dinner. The service and the food were horrible! It took 15 minutes to get water and menu’s. The food was bland, dry, small and the service was nonexistent. It seemed that the main dining room is an after thought when compared to the pay restaurants.
July 16, 2008 Naples Our excursion was "Capri, Sorrento, and Pompei". All of us loved this excursion and at the end of it we were energized rather than exhausted like others have mentioned. The only downside is that there are many tours that head to Capri first thing in the morning. Therefore, lots of people loading on the boat and funicular.
Capri is very pretty, and the gardens and cliff views are spectacular! Capri is small and with so many people it can seem very crowded. We just wandered around, ordered some gelato, and people watched. We then drove over to Sorrento where we had lunch at ristorante parrocchiano. We were seated in the garden area of the restaurant. Which had lots of flowers, lemon trees, and was picturesque. Lunch included water and wine. A first course of cannelloni, second course of chicken with roasted potatoes, and a third coarse of a lemon cake. After lunch we were given some time on our own for shopping.We boarded the bus and headed over to Pompei. Pompei is amazing! Enzo (our guide) was terrific when talking about life in Pompei. This is one location you do not want to miss when visiting this area.
That evening we went to the Orchid Garden for dinner. Service was really slow at first, the restaurant appeared to only have two people for wait staff. After 10 - 15 minutes more help arrived and from then on the food and service was very good.
July 17, 2008 Civitavecchia Our excursion was "Rome on Your Own". I had previously been to Rome but only saw the Pantheon and the Vatican so I was hoping to see a lot of the other sights. The bus drops you off right around the corner from the Colosseum. Another great tip from the boards - go to the Roman Forum to buy tickets to the Colosseum (no line)! We ventured into the Colosseum - truly amazing and different from what we pictured based on movies. Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain. Here I found a little pizza shop (go to the shops where it isn’t listed in English) that had terrific eggplant pizza! Our next site was the Pantheon - this is one of my favorite places and has been since I was in H.S. A few blocks from the Pantheon are Gelateria Della Palma. It is a little touristy but very good gelato!From here we walked to the Piazza Navona. We stopped at a restaurant for some wine, antipasti and people watching. We definitely got all three - as we were leaving a couple of men were selling purses in the piazza when all of the sudden two plain clothes officers chased them, tackled and arrested one of them. This was done literally 5 feet in front of us. After that little excitement we walked to the Campo di Fiori (an open air market). Before we had to head back to the bus we went into the Roman Forum and in addition to seeing the ruins we were able to watch a team excavate new ruins.
In the evening we went for our pre-dinner drinks. We chose the martini bar tonight. The chocolate and key lime pie martini’s are really good. For dinner we ate at Le Bistro. We all agreed this was our favorite restaurant on the ship.
July 18, 2008 Livorno Our excursion was "Siena and the View of Tuscany". The two-hour drive to Siena can be good and bad. You do get beautiful pictures thanks to the amazing scenery. The bad is that you are pretty tired from the previous days and therefore you tend to fall asleep on the bus.I must admit I was a little disappointed with this tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about Siena but that also meant she was very long-winded. We spent about 2 and ½ hours seeing two churches and a courtyard. For lunch we went to La finestra where the food was terrific but lunch was definitely on Italian time! Lunch consisted of wine and water, a first course of asparagus risotto plus pasta with mushrooms, a second course of veal in tomato sauce (but they were kind enough to make me chicken), and a third course of a berry panna cotta.Unfortunately, this left us with about 45 minutes of free time to shop. We ran over to a small store to buy wine, and olive oil. Next onto Nannini’s a bakery known for its panforte and riciarelli cookies. Finally, a quick stop for gelato at Brivido.
Tonight we had pre-dinner drinks at Maltings. My husband now loves Mythos Beer. We dined at the Teppanyaki restaurant. Where the food and service were also great but be warned this is not a health conscious meal! Lots of butter, oil, and salt!
July 19, 2008 Villefranche Our excursion was "Nice and the view from Eze". Nice is a beautiful, friendly, and welcoming city! We were first driven through nice to see a few sites. The bus parked so that we could have some free time to wonder around the flower market. The produce here is amazing! My husband and I are both foodies so this was fabulous to us! We were able to pick up some truffle oils, jams, mustards, candies, herbs etc.! A definite must try are French macaroons!We then drove over to Eze, the drive over has wonderful panoramic views of the coast and city. Eze is a bit of a climb but definitely easier than Malta. Our guide showed us a few sites along the climb and then gave us another hour of free time. The shops are so cute, some of them built right into the rock so they are like little caves. Eze is great for finding local crafts to bring home.After the excursion we had lunch had a restaurant adjacent to the pier. Delicious French lemonade and seafood! Problem number 4 - tendering back to the boat! NCL really needs to rethink their tender process! They are far behind other lines. After lunch the line was along the pier, through the building, and around the corner. We waited in line for at least 45 minutes.Back on the ship we tried another of the daily special’s drinks and some more automated roulette.
We were able to go and retrieve our liquor purchases - unlike I had previously read they seemed very organized about this.Since it was our last day, we decided to try out the Bingo. Honestly, kind of a rip off - tickets are a minimum of $30 and up to $50. You can also spend more money on instant win tickets. Each game has very specific symbols you have to make. Also, the game has lots of rules to help the house have the advantage. We have played on other lines and NCL really seemed out to just make more money rather than entertain.
For tonight’s pre-dinner drinks we headed up to the Great Outdoors where my father in-law made friends with a bartender throughout the week. The two of them together are good for some laughs! We dined at La Trattoria which the food was good but the service could definitely use some improvement.
July 20, 2008 Disembark THE VIP’S get to either take their luggage off or have it picked up and held in a designated area. We chose to have ours picked up. Claudio was there waiting with the luggage and of course my husband’s wasn’t where it should have been. No help was provided. Once we had everything together, we asked for help from a porter who loaded us into a taxi. The Barcelona airport was outrageously busy! I had read on the boards about confusion regarding where to check in for Aer Lingus. The problem is that Aer Lingus does not have a permanent check in area. They switch between Terminal A and Terminal B. Most airport staff doesn’t know where Aer Lingus should be. We did find one information desk in the airport that did know the location. It’s best to check all the screens (they are updated based on the flight departure times). We finally found our check in desk but it was still being used by another airline. We decided to just stay there and wait - it was a good thing we did because here came 50 students all traveling to Ireland together! We boarded our flight and then Problem number 5 - delayed! The Dublin airport had been having radar problems for a week so we were grounded for 50 minutes. This left us with only 10 minutes connection time in Dublin! We asked the flight attended for some help regarding this and she was able to have the pilot contact the airport for help.
When we arrived in Dublin there was an agent to meet us. Aer Lingus was going to hold the plane for us and have this agent escort us to it. In 15 minutes we got another couple their boarding passes, went through Irish customs, security, filled out U.S. customs forms, went through Immigration, to another terminal and onto our plane. I really was overwhelmed with how helpful Aer Lingus was, most airlines wouldn’t have gone through this for us.
Problem number 6 - - I caught the flu! I was sick and in bed for the week after our cruise! Oddly enough the last time I went to Europe I came home and ended up with mono! See a pattern?
Princess's Crown Princess, Southern Caribbean Cruise December 2007
Day 1 San Juan: Departed Boston on Jetblue non-stop to San Juan. With the help of a porter and a taxi we headed over to Hotel Convento. We arrived at the hotel around 1:30 so our room was not ready yet. For lunch we headed over to Barrachina. Both of us had the Mofonogo (one shrimp, one seafood) plus Pina Colada’s - Delicious all around! When we went back to the hotel there seemed to be a bit of a problem with room availability. After a few errors we were upgraded to a Junior Suite. Shannon at customer service is very friendly and efficient even in all the chaos of answering phones, people waiting, people yelling and the heat! Our room had a long entrance, living room, separate bedroom, good size bathroom and plenty of storage space with views of the stores and restaurants.In the evening the hotel hosts a wine and cheese hour on their terrace. Wonderful place to sit for sunsets with views of a lovely church (a wedding was taking place while we were out there).
Day 2 San Juan: Got a late start and decided to do a little more shopping around Old San Juan - lots of fun stores! We decided to head back to the hotel for lunch in their courtyard. After lunch we checked out of the hotel and headed over to the ship.We were able to use the priority check in thanks to our Suite. Between check in, the liquor store, security, and pictures we were on the ship in 15 minutes. Once on the ship we headed to our room R405 The Dominica Suite. The Suite is very spacious and well laid out. We met our room steward - Jose Rene.....very nice and took great care of us all week long. In regards to the noise aspect of the PH suites we heard noise the night of the sail away party, the Caribbean party(were notified with a letter that their could be noise) and only once in the morning when the staff was cleaning. Otherwise hardly any noise at all (sometimes there was more noise coming from our hallway then above us). Initially we did not receive any cards about our on board credit or bottle of wine. However both were in Princess’s system and we did receive them. The very next thing I did was read today’s Patter and what did I see.......THE CHEF’S TABLE! I called dining services and made a reservation right away!We then headed to wander around the ship - had a few drinks, did the spa tour, and just poked around. The international café food looked terrific. We did eventually try the panini’s, tapas, and gelato - yummy! The only problem we experienced was our 4th piece of luggage (my dresses of course) didn’t arrive until we left for the muster drill. Leaving me not too many options for dinner that night.Headed to dinner at 8:30 and met the Head Waiter Antonio. We were seated at a table for 2 next to the window (Table 292) and were fortunate enough to have Diana and Ronald as our waitstaff. We had such an amazing time with them that we decided to make a standing reservation for that table every night. A special Thank you to Antonio, Ronald, and especially Diana for all of your help. After dinner we stopped by our room and had the bed turned down, chocolates, and the breakfast menu along with the fruit menu, and hors d’oeuvre menu (favorite two were the proscuitto/melon breadsticks and the grand marnier profiteroles).
Day 3 at Sea: Headed over to deck 7 and walked 3 laps around the ship. Great way to start the day! We had a bit of trouble with our breakfast through room service this morning. For whatever reason we didn’t get breafast until 10:30 asked for it to arrive at 9:00. For lunch we tried the Buffet - first and last time for that! Too many people, too little space plus the choices were just so random. Nothing seemed to flow. Tonight was a formal night for dinner. We did receive our flowers but opted not to wear them. After dinner we had our photos taken by John - terrific photos both times. We stopped by our room and were welcomed by a towel elephant and a towel puppy. Headed over the bars and popped in to see Princess pop star......some good, some bad, very interesting.
Day 4 Barbados: We did the 5 star Tiami Catamaran sail with turtles. I can not say enough about this excursion, the crew, or the island. After our first stop (the turtles) we had a medical emergency a woman was stung by a jellyfish. The crew remained calm, quickly assessed the situation, gave her oxygen, asked around for help with an epi pen, and called for another boat to take her to the hospital. Later in the day the crew even followed up to see how she was doing and let all of us know that she was okay.The rest of the excursion was great, saw more colorful fish at a second snorkeling site and then headed over to Sandy Lane beach. After dinner went to Explorers to watch Wavelength - good band!
Day 5 St. Lucia: Chose the Jungle Reef excursion. Our transfer was a small ferry like boat for about a ½ hour ride down the coast. The excursion stated that you can go biking, snorkeling, or relaxing on a beach....all technically true however the beach is very small and very rocky. It was nice to see a black sand beach though. Lunch was provided and it was very good however I was hoping for some more local dishes. Boarded the boat again and basically just around the corner were the Pitons. Stopped for a minute or two for pictures and then headed back to the pier. Overall we had a good time but wouldn’t choose this excursion again.
Day 6 Antigua: Chose the Antigua Beach Break, boarded a bus for a short ride. Received a lounge chair, rum drink and got to relax on a powder soft sand beach. The waves were a bit strong I must admit to being one of the people knocked down and dragged back to the beach by a wave (probably looked goofy but was able to laugh at myself). We received a letter about the Chef’s Table and it stated we needed to have closed toe shoes. So while in Antigua I asked around and was sent to the IT store. I was able to find a pair of closed toe shoes as well as a new dress. Headed over to Hemingway’s for lunch - delicious especially the dipping sauce for conch fritters!Tonight was the Chef’s table. We were to meet the Maitre’D at the international café. We were then brought into the galley to meet the Executive Chef for Champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Next we sat down at a special table in the Michelangelo dining room. The menu does change depending on the what the Chef wants to make and there are lots of surprises along the way. The Chef’s table is something that you shouldn’t miss!!! After dinner we went to the Explorers lounge for the hypnotist show - hilarious!
Day 7 Tortola: Chose the Tortola Beach Break - had a bit of trouble with passengers not showing up and therefore causing the rest of us to have to wait around. If you book an excursion and decide not to attend please let someone on the ship know. Boarded an open air bus for the lovely and scary ride up ridge road (I have been on this road several times and I never truly get used to it). Headed over to Cane Garden Bay - lovely beach. Had breakfast down at Rhymers - so yummy! Eventually this beach became way too crowded. So we opted to get another taxi and head into town. We visited our favorite stores for some spices, and jewelry, and shirts, etc. Of course we had to stop in at Pussers and get our yearly Painkillers in mugs (little upset the mugs didn’t have the year printed on them this time). Enjoyed some more conch fritters and chicken roti. Tonight was our 2nd formal night with the Champagne waterfall. Came back to our room to a towel monkey hanging from the ceilling and two swans on the bed.
Day 8 St Thomas: The Customs line was very long. Thankfully when they opened the doors and accepted people the line moved quickly. Went shopping for different items and had to visit our friends (Especially Chad) at Liberty Jewelers. Liberty Jewelers is family owned and operated with great people, terrific prices and lovely pieces of jewelry. We were actually in there for about 3 hours and they were so nice that when they found out we loved Indian food they offered to have us try some of their home cooking - sooooo good! Plus I got a great tip about vegetarian chicken. Used the internet café and I never had a real problem with it but there were several people in there complaining about the computers being slow. Dinner was great again and we will truly miss joining Diana and Ronald every night!
Day 9 Back to San Juan: Left our room round 8:00 am and headed over to the Crown Grill thanks to our Suite. I’ve heard people say that it’s not a big deal for Suite holders to stay in the Crown Grill because you are their with elite and platinum members. Let me tell you - it was a big deal from where we were the Club Fusion and the Explorers lounge was a mess. People and luggage everywhere!! We were so happy to be in the Crown Grill with our drinks and pastries. Plus we got to play a few rounds of Checkers before heading off the ship (I sadly only won once). Headed off the ship around 10:30 again with a help of a porter and taxi headed over to Jetblue and waited to head home to Boston. Arrived home to the cold, plus ice and snow - not too happy about that one!!!
Day 2 San Juan: Got a late start and decided to do a little more shopping around Old San Juan - lots of fun stores! We decided to head back to the hotel for lunch in their courtyard. After lunch we checked out of the hotel and headed over to the ship.We were able to use the priority check in thanks to our Suite. Between check in, the liquor store, security, and pictures we were on the ship in 15 minutes. Once on the ship we headed to our room R405 The Dominica Suite. The Suite is very spacious and well laid out. We met our room steward - Jose Rene.....very nice and took great care of us all week long. In regards to the noise aspect of the PH suites we heard noise the night of the sail away party, the Caribbean party(were notified with a letter that their could be noise) and only once in the morning when the staff was cleaning. Otherwise hardly any noise at all (sometimes there was more noise coming from our hallway then above us). Initially we did not receive any cards about our on board credit or bottle of wine. However both were in Princess’s system and we did receive them. The very next thing I did was read today’s Patter and what did I see.......THE CHEF’S TABLE! I called dining services and made a reservation right away!We then headed to wander around the ship - had a few drinks, did the spa tour, and just poked around. The international café food looked terrific. We did eventually try the panini’s, tapas, and gelato - yummy! The only problem we experienced was our 4th piece of luggage (my dresses of course) didn’t arrive until we left for the muster drill. Leaving me not too many options for dinner that night.Headed to dinner at 8:30 and met the Head Waiter Antonio. We were seated at a table for 2 next to the window (Table 292) and were fortunate enough to have Diana and Ronald as our waitstaff. We had such an amazing time with them that we decided to make a standing reservation for that table every night. A special Thank you to Antonio, Ronald, and especially Diana for all of your help. After dinner we stopped by our room and had the bed turned down, chocolates, and the breakfast menu along with the fruit menu, and hors d’oeuvre menu (favorite two were the proscuitto/melon breadsticks and the grand marnier profiteroles).
Day 3 at Sea: Headed over to deck 7 and walked 3 laps around the ship. Great way to start the day! We had a bit of trouble with our breakfast through room service this morning. For whatever reason we didn’t get breafast until 10:30 asked for it to arrive at 9:00. For lunch we tried the Buffet - first and last time for that! Too many people, too little space plus the choices were just so random. Nothing seemed to flow. Tonight was a formal night for dinner. We did receive our flowers but opted not to wear them. After dinner we had our photos taken by John - terrific photos both times. We stopped by our room and were welcomed by a towel elephant and a towel puppy. Headed over the bars and popped in to see Princess pop star......some good, some bad, very interesting.
Day 4 Barbados: We did the 5 star Tiami Catamaran sail with turtles. I can not say enough about this excursion, the crew, or the island. After our first stop (the turtles) we had a medical emergency a woman was stung by a jellyfish. The crew remained calm, quickly assessed the situation, gave her oxygen, asked around for help with an epi pen, and called for another boat to take her to the hospital. Later in the day the crew even followed up to see how she was doing and let all of us know that she was okay.The rest of the excursion was great, saw more colorful fish at a second snorkeling site and then headed over to Sandy Lane beach. After dinner went to Explorers to watch Wavelength - good band!
Day 5 St. Lucia: Chose the Jungle Reef excursion. Our transfer was a small ferry like boat for about a ½ hour ride down the coast. The excursion stated that you can go biking, snorkeling, or relaxing on a beach....all technically true however the beach is very small and very rocky. It was nice to see a black sand beach though. Lunch was provided and it was very good however I was hoping for some more local dishes. Boarded the boat again and basically just around the corner were the Pitons. Stopped for a minute or two for pictures and then headed back to the pier. Overall we had a good time but wouldn’t choose this excursion again.
Day 6 Antigua: Chose the Antigua Beach Break, boarded a bus for a short ride. Received a lounge chair, rum drink and got to relax on a powder soft sand beach. The waves were a bit strong I must admit to being one of the people knocked down and dragged back to the beach by a wave (probably looked goofy but was able to laugh at myself). We received a letter about the Chef’s Table and it stated we needed to have closed toe shoes. So while in Antigua I asked around and was sent to the IT store. I was able to find a pair of closed toe shoes as well as a new dress. Headed over to Hemingway’s for lunch - delicious especially the dipping sauce for conch fritters!Tonight was the Chef’s table. We were to meet the Maitre’D at the international café. We were then brought into the galley to meet the Executive Chef for Champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Next we sat down at a special table in the Michelangelo dining room. The menu does change depending on the what the Chef wants to make and there are lots of surprises along the way. The Chef’s table is something that you shouldn’t miss!!! After dinner we went to the Explorers lounge for the hypnotist show - hilarious!
Day 7 Tortola: Chose the Tortola Beach Break - had a bit of trouble with passengers not showing up and therefore causing the rest of us to have to wait around. If you book an excursion and decide not to attend please let someone on the ship know. Boarded an open air bus for the lovely and scary ride up ridge road (I have been on this road several times and I never truly get used to it). Headed over to Cane Garden Bay - lovely beach. Had breakfast down at Rhymers - so yummy! Eventually this beach became way too crowded. So we opted to get another taxi and head into town. We visited our favorite stores for some spices, and jewelry, and shirts, etc. Of course we had to stop in at Pussers and get our yearly Painkillers in mugs (little upset the mugs didn’t have the year printed on them this time). Enjoyed some more conch fritters and chicken roti. Tonight was our 2nd formal night with the Champagne waterfall. Came back to our room to a towel monkey hanging from the ceilling and two swans on the bed.
Day 8 St Thomas: The Customs line was very long. Thankfully when they opened the doors and accepted people the line moved quickly. Went shopping for different items and had to visit our friends (Especially Chad) at Liberty Jewelers. Liberty Jewelers is family owned and operated with great people, terrific prices and lovely pieces of jewelry. We were actually in there for about 3 hours and they were so nice that when they found out we loved Indian food they offered to have us try some of their home cooking - sooooo good! Plus I got a great tip about vegetarian chicken. Used the internet café and I never had a real problem with it but there were several people in there complaining about the computers being slow. Dinner was great again and we will truly miss joining Diana and Ronald every night!
Day 9 Back to San Juan: Left our room round 8:00 am and headed over to the Crown Grill thanks to our Suite. I’ve heard people say that it’s not a big deal for Suite holders to stay in the Crown Grill because you are their with elite and platinum members. Let me tell you - it was a big deal from where we were the Club Fusion and the Explorers lounge was a mess. People and luggage everywhere!! We were so happy to be in the Crown Grill with our drinks and pastries. Plus we got to play a few rounds of Checkers before heading off the ship (I sadly only won once). Headed off the ship around 10:30 again with a help of a porter and taxi headed over to Jetblue and waited to head home to Boston. Arrived home to the cold, plus ice and snow - not too happy about that one!!!
Holland America's Zuiderdam, Eastern Caribbean Cruise October 2005
We left Boston on the morning of the 15th and arrived at the pier around twelve thirty. Check in was a little long (the line for online check in was a much longer line - go figure). Our room wasn’t ready yet so we headed to the Lido for some lunch - right away the food was good. I will agree with many others on the board that the sushi needs some work.
The decor: The ship was for the most part nice however there were some random pieces thrown in. The ship is a little worn but nothing that you would notice if you weren't looking for it. The only exception I can think of was the elevators - they were pretty beaten up. I think we just have to remember that this ship carries 1800 people on it every single week.
Our room: We were in a VA on deck 7 - perfect for two people! Good size room, great size bathroom compared to Carnival, bathrobes were so comfy, and balcony was nice but would’ve liked a bigger table out there. Our package came with the pinnacle grill for two plus two bottles of wine - both certificates and wines were in our room. Prior to our trip I had ordered appetizers and the Bon Voyage package - the appetizers also made it to our room but the Champagne did not. After two calls to the front desk the Champagne was finally delivered (5 minutes before departure). The only complaints about the room were the bathroom door didn’t lock properly and the bathtub drain was very slow. Our room steward was very nice, and always did a wonderful job of our room - however he never did actually introduce himself.
Dining: We had the 8:30 dinner seating at a table for six and were extremely fortunate in having two great couples seated with us, the best waiter (Roni), and an excellent wine steward (Ramon). The food in the dining room was delicious - especially the blueberry soup!!! On the sea days the dining room was open for lunch but I never liked the menu - I do feel this needed some work. The Lido for lunch was always very good and the staff was always friendly.
Ports:
Half Moon Cay - we had waitlisted for a cabana but reserved a clamshell. My husband and I were actually glad we didn’t get a cabana because we spent 80% of our time there in the water. The sand was so perfectly soft and the water was beautiful and warm. The BBQ was nicely done and the food was good but not on the same level as on the ship.
Tortola - we did the Virgin Islands Sail Away excursion and had a great time. The Catamaran sail over to Norman Island had some of the best scenery ever! The crew was great, the drinks were good, and my husband snorkeled and loved every minute of it! We then headed over to Pussers Pub for some lunch and Painkillers (the best drink but be careful because after just one I definitely wasn’t feeling any pain).
St Thomas - we did the Champagne Catamaran Sail to St John we again had a great time! The sail was great, the food was good, the drinks were great, snorkeling was good but not as good as Norman Island. Honeymoon Beach was very nice! We then went shopping in town. Overall we liked Tortola better than St Thomas - St Thomas is much more city like and touristy but that’s just our opinion.
Nightlife: My husband and I never went to any of the shows - which was unfortunate but we would join our table mates in the casino, or in one of the lounges, etc. I’ve read several reviews about people saying the ship was empty after 10:00 and this was definitely not the case on our cruise - people were always out and about especially in the Northern Lights.....good music, great bartenders, fun little booths. We would sometimes be out till 3:00 am and the place would still be packed when we left.
We had a great time and would definitely sail again with HAL but we did end up having two problems. The first was because of Wilma our stop in Nassau was cancelled so that we could refuel in San Juan in case we had to stay out at sea. We understood this was the best option for our safety and we weren’t overly fond of Nassau anyways so we were fine with this. The second problem we had was that we were without a toilet for 13 + hours - someone in the vicinity of our room blocked the toilets so everything had to be shut down until the engineers could find and fix the problem. We were never notified of the problem, nor of the progress, nor when it was fixed - we had to just keep going back to our room and checking and/or calling the front desk. The way the situation was handled by the front desk and the Guest Relations Manager was very poor (Which was so strange to us because every other employee on the ship that we in any way encountered was amazingly friendly and outgoing). Also, corporate headquarters would not provide any compensation as it was due to another passenger. Later that day we received a plate of chocolate covered strawberries, pineapples, and macaroons - we assumed this was sent to us because of this situation. This was nice but I didn’t feel this was in any way an appropriate apology for being without a bathroom for 13 + hours.
The decor: The ship was for the most part nice however there were some random pieces thrown in. The ship is a little worn but nothing that you would notice if you weren't looking for it. The only exception I can think of was the elevators - they were pretty beaten up. I think we just have to remember that this ship carries 1800 people on it every single week.
Our room: We were in a VA on deck 7 - perfect for two people! Good size room, great size bathroom compared to Carnival, bathrobes were so comfy, and balcony was nice but would’ve liked a bigger table out there. Our package came with the pinnacle grill for two plus two bottles of wine - both certificates and wines were in our room. Prior to our trip I had ordered appetizers and the Bon Voyage package - the appetizers also made it to our room but the Champagne did not. After two calls to the front desk the Champagne was finally delivered (5 minutes before departure). The only complaints about the room were the bathroom door didn’t lock properly and the bathtub drain was very slow. Our room steward was very nice, and always did a wonderful job of our room - however he never did actually introduce himself.
Dining: We had the 8:30 dinner seating at a table for six and were extremely fortunate in having two great couples seated with us, the best waiter (Roni), and an excellent wine steward (Ramon). The food in the dining room was delicious - especially the blueberry soup!!! On the sea days the dining room was open for lunch but I never liked the menu - I do feel this needed some work. The Lido for lunch was always very good and the staff was always friendly.
Ports:
Half Moon Cay - we had waitlisted for a cabana but reserved a clamshell. My husband and I were actually glad we didn’t get a cabana because we spent 80% of our time there in the water. The sand was so perfectly soft and the water was beautiful and warm. The BBQ was nicely done and the food was good but not on the same level as on the ship.
Tortola - we did the Virgin Islands Sail Away excursion and had a great time. The Catamaran sail over to Norman Island had some of the best scenery ever! The crew was great, the drinks were good, and my husband snorkeled and loved every minute of it! We then headed over to Pussers Pub for some lunch and Painkillers (the best drink but be careful because after just one I definitely wasn’t feeling any pain).
St Thomas - we did the Champagne Catamaran Sail to St John we again had a great time! The sail was great, the food was good, the drinks were great, snorkeling was good but not as good as Norman Island. Honeymoon Beach was very nice! We then went shopping in town. Overall we liked Tortola better than St Thomas - St Thomas is much more city like and touristy but that’s just our opinion.
Nightlife: My husband and I never went to any of the shows - which was unfortunate but we would join our table mates in the casino, or in one of the lounges, etc. I’ve read several reviews about people saying the ship was empty after 10:00 and this was definitely not the case on our cruise - people were always out and about especially in the Northern Lights.....good music, great bartenders, fun little booths. We would sometimes be out till 3:00 am and the place would still be packed when we left.
We had a great time and would definitely sail again with HAL but we did end up having two problems. The first was because of Wilma our stop in Nassau was cancelled so that we could refuel in San Juan in case we had to stay out at sea. We understood this was the best option for our safety and we weren’t overly fond of Nassau anyways so we were fine with this. The second problem we had was that we were without a toilet for 13 + hours - someone in the vicinity of our room blocked the toilets so everything had to be shut down until the engineers could find and fix the problem. We were never notified of the problem, nor of the progress, nor when it was fixed - we had to just keep going back to our room and checking and/or calling the front desk. The way the situation was handled by the front desk and the Guest Relations Manager was very poor (Which was so strange to us because every other employee on the ship that we in any way encountered was amazingly friendly and outgoing). Also, corporate headquarters would not provide any compensation as it was due to another passenger. Later that day we received a plate of chocolate covered strawberries, pineapples, and macaroons - we assumed this was sent to us because of this situation. This was nice but I didn’t feel this was in any way an appropriate apology for being without a bathroom for 13 + hours.