SUNNY WARM DAYS AHEAD!

At Sea / NCL Getaway

Monday, February 1, 2016

77 F, sunny

I awakened this morning to what sounded like chairs being dragged on the deck above. I was relieved that it was 7:30 a.m. and no noise was heard all night—no children running up and down halls! When TK came back to the room after getting coffee, he told me that all that was above us was a hallway. Mysteries.

This morning, he guided me to Deck 16 Aft where there is a more adult-like area. There was lots of sun but I found some shade for quite some time. Besides two hot tubs, there is an area here where people can sit under a canopy of shade with their feet in the water and a water curtain flowing from above. I don’t think my books would do well there. On the pool deck we noticed chairs actually in the pool so folks could dangle their feet in the water. That is a cool idea.

People are more scattered today and areas are not as congested as yesterday. We had a bit to eat in the Garden Café buffet and checked out the smaller buffet, Flamingo Bar and Grill, near the rock climbing wall.  We also explored the shops, there are more shops than on the Regal and more selection—watches, LeVian, Effy, and more, of course. On this ship each cabin has a specific binder in the photo shop. Any photo taken by the ship’s photographers of people in that cabin is placed in the binder. That makes it easier to find one’s photos. That makes sense and we saw the idea first on NCL Epic, another big ship.

For dinner we went to LaCucina, the ship’s specialty Italian dining room. The Italian bread was fresh and warm and irresistible. We shared Caprese salad and a small pizza as an appetizer. I had lasagna and TK had chicken parmesan, all quite delicious. Our table was by the window so we had a great view of the sea as we dined. When we were finished, one of the servers brought the rest of our pizza, wrapped in cellophane on a plate, for us to take with us. What were we going to do with it? Take it home for a souvenir? We did not ask the room steward to remove all the beer and soda from the refrigerator (one has to pay for it just like a hotel) and there certainly was no room in it for pizza. Mysteries. I did not finish the lemon cheesecake which did not taste like lemon.

TK at LaCucina--I guess the pizza does not look so small. 

Our room steward Arnold is very sweet and accommodating. He is trying to help us through the rough patch with the room.

TK told me today that our unlimited soda package came with inside cabins. There were other packages that came with the balcony cabins, most likely free specialty (ultimate) dining or free unlimited (ultimate) alcoholic beverages.

We also noticed that there was a wine dispenser in the buffet. If a passenger has the ultimate beverage package he or she inserts the room card and wine of one’s choice is dispensed. Needless to say there is a lot of drinking on this ship. Most passengers are probably 30-40 years old. We think there may be a Canadian holiday this week.

Our perks for being “Platinum” on NCL include free laundry, 4 specialty restaurant coupons (usual cost $19.95 per person), priority seating on the tender boats, a concierge to help us make reservations at the entertainment and restaurants—we forgot that and made our own. TK made the entertainment reservations before we left Erie.

On Princess, with Platinum, we got 150 free Internet minutes each per week. TK is busy with a trivia game so I can’t ask him the rest of what we get.

TK’s Takes: It’s pretty bad when the bathroom looks large in comparison to the room. There are only two places to sit—a small stool that doubles as a side table and the toilet. The room makes our hotel rooms in France seem like palaces, except maybe Verdun. (JK Note: the bathroom in that hotel was almost as big as our whole cabin and we even had a small dinette table with two chairs)

JK Note: Earlier today TK said he would never cruise again, but I am trying to remind him of the great cruises we have had, the great times, and the great people we have met, including crew members. Our two waiters on the Epic were the best ever and we still correspond with them. I told him that maybe we should take cruises that are more than 7 days. Previously we swore off 3, 4, and 5 day cruises—they were a little radical too. Personally, I love this ship. The French Bistro looks like they transplanted it from Paris. The Getaway is slick and modern looking with some great features. I will write more about it another day.