Part Two of our December cruise on NCL Getaway shares days 6 – 10 of this memorable journey from New York City to the Caribbean and back again! Be sure to read Part One for details on this amazing vessel.

DAY 6 – ST. THOMAS

St. Thomas is home to Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is one of the most beautiful harbors in the world and the most visited port in the Caribbean for cruise ships and private yachts. The Island is mountainous, covered in greenery, overlooking spectacular sparkling bays and white sandy beaches.

We have visited St Thomas many times before. So, upon docking in port this time, we decided to take a short cab ride to a special place called Tillett Gardens where we spent a couple hours enjoying the boho themed gardens, sculptures and murals. A cute little café is onsite serving delicious cocktails and light bites.

Next, we made our way back in to town for lunch and shopping in a cute little area called Palm Passage before heading back to the ship. (For further information on Tillett Gardens and my shopping discoveries, read “15 Local Crafts, Fashion, Foods and Artistic Things to Bring Home from an NCL Eastern Caribbean Cruise” in my Shopping blog.)

Back on the ship, we showered and started the evening enjoying espresso martinis and listening to the music of El Sol Duo in the Atrium. As I mentioned before, this area is the main gathering spot for guests throughout the day because there is always something happening there from early morning until late night. We found ourselves there quite often.

After dinner at Savor, we headed to watch another Levity Comedy Show with Frank Townsend in the Theatre. Once we recovered from a half hour of laughing, we headed back to the Casino where they were doing a Hot Seat Promotion. If you are playing a slot machine, they randomly pick a machine and announce your name as a winner of $25 in free slot play which is automatically added to your account. We weren’t in a Hot Seat.

So far, the Casino hadn’t been very lucky for us. It was this evening that I noticed a couple signs in the Casino saying, “Play Your Way to a Free Future Cruise” and “Play Your Way to a Shopping Spree”. I was beginning to think we had played enough so that we could have bought another cruise on our own! But we were having fun!

DAY 7 – SAINT MARTIN

Let me begin by explaining the variety of spellings for this unique, European Island. This tiny Island has a dual identity. The French side of the Island, which is where we docked at Philipsburg, is part of the French Republic and spelled Saint Martin. The Dutch side of the Island, which is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Netherlands, is spelled St. Maarten, or also Sint Maarten. It can get confusing, but I’ll use Saint Martin since we docked on the French side.

Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, Saint Martin is comprised of only 37 square miles, the smallest body of land to be divided into two governments. The Southern Dutch side offers casinos, shopping and festive island vibes, while the Northern French side is more subdued and cultural. Dutch French and Spanish are all spoken on the Island.

We began our day in St. Martin by taking a 30 minute cab ride to the small town of Grand Case, located on the French side of the Island. It is home to Tijon Perfumery, St. Martin’s first and only working parfumerie and boutique. Here, you’ll find a scientific laboratory where guests can choose from over 300 oils to create their own custom fragrance for both men and women. They have a variety of classes from 1-3 hours that I highly recommend you experience.

Tijon guests learn about

· Our sense of smell

· Plants that make fragrances

· How oils are derived from plants

· How to compose a perfume with top, middle and base notes

· How fragrances are classified such as floral, citrus, leather, amber, woody and more

Book in advance of your cruise to be sure you have a spot and the times work with your port times.

After our visit to Tijon, we walked into the center of Grand Case, where we discovered a fun little waterfront bar then a restaurant named Ocean 82 by the sea. They had local live lobsters in a tank that I got to choose from for lunch. (Apologies to those who think it’s inhumane to eat fresh lobster, but I love it!) After I chose my fresh lobster, which was almost two feet long, it was grilled in garlic butter and served at our waterside table. Delicious!

We had dinner tonight at one of the specialty restaurants on the Getaway, La Cucina, which features a variety of authentic Italian dishes. One of the things I liked about dining aboard the Getaway, is that you can order a bottle of wine, and if you don’t finish it, the wine steward will put your name on it so that when you are dining in another restaurant, all you need to do is give your name and room card, and the bottle will be brought to you in whatever restaurant you are dining in that evening.

After dinner, we made our way to the Illusionarium for a great show called Broadway Unplugged. The show features the actor-musicians from Million Dollar Quartet. The range of re-imagined Broadway tunes both old and new, that they played and sang without background enhancement, was spectacular. All the performers are so talented! Reservations are not needed for this show, it is open seating on availability. Get there early.

Following the show it was on to Motown Madness with Cutterz Band in Atrium followed by Michael Jackson Hour. So much singing and dancing!

DAY 8 – AT SEA

The weather was a bit better today, so many guests tried hanging out at the pool, but as it was still windy and chilly, most were covered in pool towels as blankets. We started our morning in the warm and restful Thermal Spa, grateful again that we had booked this experience for the week.

Next we got into line for lunch at Shanghai’s Noodle Bar. This small café is only open for lunch and doesn’t take reservations, so lining up early is your only option and the line does get long. From the tables, you can see into the chef’s kitchen where he prepares a variety of Asian dishes in woks. The food is so fresh and delicious!

After lunch, I went to a Wine Pairing class. Again, this is a $25 additional charge, but I received 6 tastings of white and red wines, along with cheese, bacon and dates to compare complimentary flavor notes. The sommelier was very informative, and I learned some new things about wine pairings.

After dinner in Savor, we had reservations to see Million Dollar Quartet in the theatre. Having just seen the performers the night before in Broadway Unplugged, it was a real treat to see them once again in this beautifully produced musical show. This Broadway hit reflects on an evening spent together by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for an impromptu jam session. It’s amazing how much each musician’s music inspired the others.

We ended our evening watching The Perfect Couple Game Show in the Atrium and laughing at couples young and old as they tried to match answers to some outrageous relationship questions!

DAY 9 – BERMUDA – CANCELED!

While visiting Bermuda for the first time was one of the primary reasons we booked this cruise, it just was not meant to be. The Captain informed us yesterday that there was a “Nor’easter” storm passing through with 20-foot swells and high wind. So alas, we would spend another day at sea on our journey back to New York City instead of walking the pink sand beaches of Bermuda on this voyage.

We started the day with lunch at O’Sheehans Bar & Grill. No reservations taken, but the wait was short, and we were given a pager, so we didn’t have to stand in line. This is the dining area that is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night meals. It can get busy, and service is slow when it is. The food is ok, especially if you like bar foods such as wings, chili, pretzels, etc.

Now, it was time for our last tasting of this cruise – martinis. For the $25 charge, we were served a variety of gin and vodka martinis. While I enjoyed the margarita tasting more, martini aficionados will really like the variety of spirits and cocktail recipes demonstrated.

Speaking of cocktails, I was impressed to learn about NCL’s Sail & Sustain Cocktails. These drinks incorporate surplus food as drink ingredients and mixers in cocktails, such as banana peels, cucumber pulp, spent coffee grounds, watermelon rinds and fruits for house-made syrups. Each day features a different Sail & Sustain Drink and I was impressed by the delicious flavors crafted by the ship’s chefs and bartenders.

Back in our stateroom, we received a special surprise! The Casino Hosts had sent a bottle of champagne and chocolates congratulating us on reaching “Pearl Tier” status in the Casinos at Sea club. LOL! One of the perks is, if you haven’t purchased the drink package and achieve status with Casinos at Sea, you are entitled to complimentary drinks in the Casino Bar 21. While we recognize this honor was bestowed due to our “investment” this week in the Casino, I will say that it seemed to change our luck and we were more fortunate in our winnings this evening and the next!

DAY 10 – AT SEA

We visited the Thermal Spa again this morning, followed by lunch at Savor. The ship was rocking a bit due to the storm, so we just spent the day perusing the ship’s jewelry and gift shops, Park West art gallery, and a special area that featured a diorama of the Getaway, surrounded by dozens of awards it has achieved since its launch. Impressive.

Luggage tags were ready for pick up early in the day. This is the first time we were offered the option of selecting our own disembarkation time based on tag color. Only a set number are available in each color, so be sure to pick yours up early by Guest Services.

We spent the afternoon actually winning a bit in the Casino, followed by dinner at another Getaway specialty restaurant, Moderno Churrascaria. This is a Brazilian themed restaurant, that first offers you an impressive salad bar, followed by a vast selection of meats which are slow roasted and carved table-side by waiters they call “Passadores”.

You are given a coaster that has a red side and a green side. When you want them to stop by to carve more meat, you place the green side up. When you are eating or full up, the red side shows that you are done. I’ve eaten in churrascarias in Brazil many times, and this was almost as good. In addition, they crafted my favorite Brazilian drink – a caipirinha!

DAY 11 – DISEMBARKATION

While I commend NCL on the ease of embarkation and debarkation in ports of call, I can’t say disembarkation in NYC was as smooth. Once you have reached the port warehouse and located your luggage, it’s more like controlled chaos. Transportation can be especially challenging if you are not utilizing the airport bus service provided by NCL.

If you plan to take a taxi or ride share, be aware that you must first cross a busy NYC street with all your luggage (not on carts) and then try to find a taxi or uber/lift meeting point on your own. It is crowded and congested. There wasn’t a taxi que, so oftentimes, people around you get the ride. It was frustrating and tiring.

A tip – if you stay on the port side of the road and walk a short distance to the Intrepid ship and museum, you can easily meet an uber at its entrance!

The next cruise I’ll be taking is on NCL’s Prima. Follow along as we cruise for a week to the Western Caribbean from Galveston, Texas to Honduras, Belize and Mexico, while experiencing some of the best activities, dining and nightlife that the magnificent Prima has to offer.

Till then, keep cruisin’ through life, discovering your own special Things!

CHEERS!

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