NCL Escape - Port Of Miami - Post Cruise Trip Back To Tampa

NCL Escape - Post Cruise Trip Back To Tampa

(Port of Miami, Florida)

Docked in the Port of Miami at 5AM, we decided to sleep a little longer and get up at 7AM since we had priority disembarkation and did not have to get off the ship until 9:30AM.  We headed to the Photo Gallery to get our last minute photos before they closed at 9AM and then headed to the Garden Café to get our breakfast.  As we sat looking out at the port, we, as probably many of the passengers on the ship were doing, reminisced about the great time we had on our cruise and what we experienced.  Of course, everyone else was Tweeting, Facebooking, and calling loved ones to share their experience and make arrangements for when they disembarked the ship. 

TIP:  If you do have a late disembarkation from the ship, I suggest that you keep your luggage in your stateroom until you come back (before 9AM) to pick it up.  This way you don’t have to lug it around with you on the ship and at breakfast.

After breakfast, we got our luggage and headed to the Tobacco Road bar where our priority disembarkation was to meet.  The Hotel Director’s Assistant met with us and brought us to a private elevator to take to Deck 6.  Getting off at Deck 6, you in the front of the line to leave the ship and got the opportunity to say goodbye to Sean and the rest of the staff waiting for us.  It was a sad moment but I know that J.C. and I will visit again, whether on this ship or another one.

As we walked off the ship, it was time to get the rest of our luggage (remember we left them outside our cabin the night before) and go thru customs.  Now since we did not eat the Anniversary cake we received the night before from Sean, you are able to carry it off the ship and take it home with you!.  So with luggage in hand and the cake, we made our way thru customs and headed towards where the shuttle for the Miccosukee Hotel was supposed to meet us.

Here comes the stress!!  Besides the whipping winds at the terminal in Miami, and in calling the hotel several times, getting hang ups, and finally reaching a human, they told us that they were not picking us up until 11AM!  So we were stuck outside the cruise terminal for an hour and a half waiting for them.  In addition, the driver told us the wrong location to meet him.  So, we had to lug the luggage, the cake (without dropping it), in the high winds to the shuttle.  No, I didn’t drop the cake.

Finally back at the Hotel, we get in the car and start heading home.  Thank goodness the winds died down and the weather was sunny, with the roads clear.  Sayonara Miccosukee!  I will not be visiting anytime soon and neither will my clients!

The drive back was sunny and clear.  No pictures to take, just sleeping on the way back most of the

time.  We got back at 4:30PM, brought the luggage into the house and crashed!  We were so tired and exhausted getting up so early and catching up on needed sleep!

I hope you all enjoyed our journey on NCL Escape and stay tuned for more adventures with Maraloha Travel in 2016!

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NCL Escape - Day 7 (Nassau, Bahamas)

NCL Escape - Day 7

(Nassau, Bahamas)

Here is the jam packed, last chance, one day activity that you really have to know what you are doing, where you are going, and how much time you have to do it in.  Even though we were arriving in Nassau, Bahamas at 12:15PM, again, there were lots of sales going on at Central Retail on the ship.  They had the Bell & Rose Box Jewelry on sale and another presentation about Nassau going on, plus this was a good opportunity to do your last minute shopping on your photos before heading ashore.  I can guarantee that later on, when you return from being ashore, you will want to rest and just enjoy yourself before hitting the Port of Miami the next day.

Off the ship we go to do some last minute shopping and hopefully get some good bargains on jewelry and gifts.  We spent about 2 ½ hours in different stores, especially Diamonds International where they had the last Parazul bags. 

If you know anything about Parazul, they are more popular than Coach and Michael Kors. Unfortunately, they are very rare now as the company went out of business. I was fortunate to get several of the Parazul bags a few years back and they have gone up in value significantly since that time.  No, I don’t plan on selling them as they are my favorite bags and like to give them as gifts to family.  But if you have the chance to get one, this is the place you want to go as there is nowhere else in the Caribbean to get them anymore.  The sale they had going was buy one, get one free!  They run about $395, but you get two for the price of one!  Great deal!

Next, we wanted to go to Atlantis and I have a connection there to set us up with a tour.  So we head to get the water taxi and we are waiting around for about 45 minutes!  I was so mad and was ready to jump out to take a taxi, but by that time, the captain came and we set off to Atlantis.  With about a 10 minute boat ride we unfortunately, only had about 45 minutes on our own to get a glimpse of Atlantis. 

Atlantis is so big that you need an entire day just to see it. It can be quite expensive but well worth it to stay. Remember that Florida is not that far from Nassau and you can do a weekend trip there. So after seeing a little part of Atlantis and with only about 45 minutes to get back to the ship, we were cutting it pretty close! We jumped into taxi and now stuck in traffic! OMG! I am panicking thinking we were not going to make it. However, we just made it about 10 minutes before 6:30pm! Thank goodness! I was dancing as we approached the dock! 

TIP: If you ever do get stuck where the ship leaves without you, the ship does have a list of who is not onboard, goes to the passenger’s cabin, gets their documentation and gives it to the harbor master.  So when you do finally arrive, you will get your documents to figure out how you are going to get to the next port, yes, on your own!  So a word of advice: DON’T MISS THE SHIP!  

Onboard now safely and a big sigh of relief, we head to the cabin and receive a great surprise from Sean!  A bottle of champagne to destress and relax after the ordeal we just went through!  So after a few glasses of bubbly, we get ready to go see the International Crew Talent Show. This is a definite must and a lot of fun to see.  Don’t miss it on your next cruise!  However, for those of you that either have no interest in seeing a show or didn’t get a chance to see it, you still have time here to finalize your onboard account, get some last minute deals on gifts, and take care of your photos.  Remember that you won’t have time to do this the next morning as it is quite busy and the elevators are packed with people disembarking the ship.

After the show and finalizing our gifts, photos, and onboard account, we head back to the cabin to pack.  The cruise line, based on the time you are disembarking, ask you to pack your bags and leave them outside your cabin before midnight.  This is only if you are planning not to take them off yourself.  You do have that option, but for myself and J.C., we really didn’t want to lug it everywhere.  

After packing we decided to visit the District Brew House for a last minute beer.  There were not many people there but we were at least able to enjoy a frosty beverage!  One thing to remember about the Brew House is that they have over 50 beers, but most you can enjoy in your state.  Not much different or exotic as I thought but it does beat your average Coors Light or Bud Platinum!

Well, off to the cabin to get some sleep as you have to be up at 6AM to get some breakfast and grab your stuff before disembarking the ship.

Please feel free to comment as I would love to hear from you.  Tune in for our post-cruise trip back home to Tampa!

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NCL Escape - Day 6 (Sea Day)

NCL Escape - Day 6

(Sea Day)

The Day It Is Not Busy!

Here we go! Another day at sea and lots of activities on board! This is the day for all the specials on photos, gifts, and bargains to get for family, friends, colleagues back home. We decided to head out to the Marketplace on poolside to see what the T-shirt sale was all about. The t-shirts were your standard NCL garb and reasonably priced. 2 for $20 and come in all sizes, however, you have to get their early as the place was mobbed! Everyone wants a good bargain so you have to search the piles of t-shirts and hold onto the shirts you want. This is also good for the business entrepreneurs as you can get gifts for clients too!

Next up, Central Retail (the gift shop) for the bargains on watches, scarves, and jewelry.  Mind you, this is not your upscale jewelry and if you know your pricing you can get these items at any store in the US.  However, the Bell & Rose Box Jewelry which comes with a watch and some extra items is definitely worth the money.  It would cost you about $20 per box on the cruise and it’s a definite steel!  Great gifts again for anyone and you can’t find this at any store.  Since Central Retail is near the photo gallery and the fine jewelry, this is a good time to see if they have any sales going on.  I know that I was interested in the Marahlago and Lauren G Adams jewelry, but with Marahlago, there was only a 20% discount.  You can get it directly from Marahlago for less so this is really not a bargain. 

However, Lauren G Adams jewelry I was able to get a one of a kind, not being sold anywhere, Montana collection necklace.  This was a worthwhile piece and very beautiful.  Remember, when you shop for jewelry you want to make sure that over the years it goes up in value, and it will if you invest in the right piece.  I know that most of my pieces will do so, especially Tanzanite.  If you are ever in the islands, this is a must!

So now with being exhausted and starting to get a migraine from all the crowds, chaos, and bargain shopping, it was off to poolside to get a drink and see the ice carving demonstration! It’s great to watch how they can carve away at a block of ice to create a masterpiece.  Since it was the Christmas season, they decided to do a reindeer.

Since it was now about 4pm, and we spend much of our time relaxing at poolside, it was back to the cabin to get ready to take some professional photos.  Remember that the do offer this during the cruise, at least 4 times so you have the opportunity to get some really good pictures.  You don’t pay for them yet, as you need to go up to the photo gallery, pick the ones you want, and then pay for them.  They can get pricy as the 5x7 costs $20.00 and the 8x10 costs $30.  However, they do have specials, for instance buy 10 for $149 or buy 10 with everything on a USB for $149.  Not a bad deal either as we decided to do the $149. 

Heading to the Atrium at around 7:30pm, there was a line and a wait for most of the picture taking.  We scheduled ourselves to be at “The Brat Pack” show at 8:45pm and was hoping it wasn’t going to take too long, so I was a little stressed.  Finally at around 8:15pm, we started to take some pictures and to my surprise, J.C. proposed (as most of you knew from the Facebook posting)!  I was very surprised and excited, especially with everyone screaming at the photo shoot, Sean and the rest of the NCL staff practically announcing it to everyone, and the Brat Pack actors waiting for us to escort us into the show!  What a surprise that was!   

After the show, we headed back to our cabin to get ready for the “Glow” party at H2O Spice.  Now this was a party you didn’t want to miss!  This party really hit it off with many of the passengers onboard and the turnout was much better than the 80’s party.  Dancing, laughter, and excitement became the vibe of the party.  The music was pumping, the people were jumping and singing along.  We loved this party and even J.C. broke out a dance move, here and there! 

Here is a video of our experience with this party:

Even though this is almost the end of our cruise, we were ready for more!

Please feel free to comment as I would love to hear from you.  Tune in for our last day of our cruise on Norwegian's newest ship the Escape!

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NCL Escape - Day 5 (Tortola, GB Virgin Islands)

NCL Escape - Day 5

(Tortola, GB Virgin Islands)

As we pulled into Tortola, the weather was absolutely gorgeous!  I don’t care what people say as there is no way to get a view like this from staying on the island. It can only be seen from a cruise ship.  Since there is not much to do in Tortola besides taking a tour and having to be back on the ship by 2:30PM, we decided to do our own exploring.  

Again, since I have been here before, there is a little market about a 10 minute walk away from the ship on the outskirts of town.  So, we decided to check it out and do a little video for Maraloha Travel.  Don’t worry… that is coming soon as well!

 

After doing a little shopping at the market, we decided to head back to the ship.  We decided to go to the Garden Café to get some food and then plan our evening.  As we entered our cabin, another gift was left for us.  What a treat! 

Next, we got ready to go see Mark Klein, the comedian in the Escape Theater. Mark Klein began his career as a stand-up comedian in comedy clubs from Alaska to Florida, headlining across the country, and has been on National & Regional Media from CBS, A&E, Showtime, Comedy Central, Comcast, The Bob & Tom Show, and Forbes magazine. He has expanded his schedule to include cruise ship entertainment and just happened to be on the NCL Escape.  The show was great and he was really funny.  We were able to talk to him after the show and realized that he has also been at Sidesplitters Comedy Club in Tampa, only a 10 minute ride from our house and knew the owner!  What a small world!  So hopefully the next time he is in town, we will be able to see him.

After the show, we decided to go to the casino to try our luck and ran into Isabelle and Brent!  What a great couple!  They were still boasting about their cabin and how much fun they were having. 

We also decided to explore the ship a little more and found a great Christmas display near Le Bistro.  All handmade by the chef with lights and music. 

A very brief day with not much excitement but well work the needed rest.

Please feel free to comment as I would love to hear from you.  Tune in for day six of our cruise on Norwegian's newest ship the Escape!

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NCL Escape - Day 4 (St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands)

NCL Escape - Day 4

(St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands)

With our arrival at 8AM, we were ready to get off the ship and hit the town.  Only a short ride on a taxi ($4 a person) to the downtown area, there is plenty of walking and shopping to do.  We had already mapped out some ideas of what stores we wanted to go to and no plans to go on a tour.  However, as we were walking to the downtown area where the taxi dropped us off, there were some local vendors selling their services to do a 2 hour tour of the island for $20.  Not a bad deal.  We signed up to meet them later at 12:30PM and headed to the stores. 

Our first stop was, of course, Diamonds International and Del Sol.  As you probably already figured that as soon as you walk into the store, they are going to try and sell you something.  Well, as soon as you pull out your card to get the free bracelet that they push on you from the cruise, they try to keep you there to continue to get you interested in something.  Since I have been through this many times, on many cruises, or I am sure that some of you have experienced it as well, J.C. got suckered into it.  That’s ok though.  Gave me some good ideas on what he likes and it was something to experience together.  Lesson learned.  Del Sol is where everything they have turns colors in the sunlight.  A little overrated and pricy but some things might be worth it, but it depends on your taste and what you like.

Next, it was time to visit Cariloha.  This is one of my favorite places in the market.  All of their products are made from Bamboo and extremely soft.  I have one shirt I bought from them two years ago on my last cruise and it is so comfortable, keeps me cool/hot when needed, and as you continue to wear it, it forms to your body.  Oh the comfort!!

Time to head back now to get ourselves on the tour of St. Thomas.  Several people were on this tour and of course, those tour operators have people on the island that they contract with to bring them to their store so that tourists can buy from them.  Ok, not a big deal and prices are a lot more reasonable.  You just have to be a smart shopper and really know your pricing.  Anyway, we hit Beacon Point first for a flavorful and famous drink of Banana Rum Runner!  You were able to pour as much Rum as you wanted into your frozen Banana runner, so trust me, it can get pretty strong!  

Next, off driving up the mountain to get a good view of St. Thomas and enjoy a Carib beer, the official beer of St. Thomas, and tasty too!

Beautiful view of St. Thomas!

Now the last stop of the tour was at the Cruzan Beach Club at Sunset Grille at Secret Harbor Beach where you can enjoy the beach for ½ hour and a Mango Sunrise drink!  Those are delicious and a must stop on any tour!  Even if you wanted to just go there and spend the day, you must do this or you can go to Coco beach.  I have been to both and they are not crowded, clean, and pleasant people.

Back on the tour bus, we headed back to the downtown area to hit the straw market.  Now here is where the locals sell all the tourist items and some are seemingly overpriced.  You really need to bargain with them and check the items to make sure they are what they say they are.  You can get taken but sometimes you can leave with a good bargain.  Remember, most of these vendors sell the same, exact item!  So check the vendors that sell the same item and get the lowest price for it!

As time is passing by, it’s time to head back to the ship.  Everyone has to be onboard by 5:30PM, but as I have stated to many of my clients, make sure you get back at least ½ hour PRIOR to what the cruise line is telling you when to get back on board.  If you miss the boat, you are responsible to get yourself to the next destination to catch the ship!

Back at our cabin, we rested a little, got dressed and headed to the 80’s party at H2O.  Pretty interesting to see all the videos of the 80’s, but not many people from the ship at this party.  Pretty surprising as usually NCL pulls off some great parties. 

Overall, the visit to St. Thomas is usually the best one out of the whole cruise.  Good pricing when shopping, great tours and beaches, and people are friendly.

Please feel free to comment as I would love to hear from you.  Tune in for day four of our cruise on Norwegian's newest ship the Escape!

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Must-Try Cocktails On Your Norwegian Escape Cruise

Must-Try Cocktails On 

Norwegian Escape Cruise

MR WORLDWIDE : 

As Armando Christian Pérez, "Pitbull" is named Godfather of Norwegian Escape, it’s only right that you “get it started” with a Mr. Worldwide.

Ingredients:

• Voli vodka
• Pimms
• Strawberry puree
• Basil
• Fresh lemon juice
• Top with Champagne

CANNONBALL:

There’s more than one way to cannonball on this vacation. Grab this delightful and unique cocktail from The District Brew House.

Ingredients:

• Bulleit bourbon
• Peach Tea
• Pineapple
• Lemon
• Orange bitters
• Samuel Adams Boston Lager

TORO TORO:

With its fresh flavors, a Toro Toro is the perfect compliment to the bold creations at Food Republic.

Ingredients:

• Patron Silver Tequila
• Chipotle Syrup
• Fresh lime juice
• Spicy salt

SMOKE FASHION:

Keep the legend alive and pull up a stool at Miami’s oldest bar, Tobacco Road. Try the Smoke Fashion created by Cocktail Collection Mixologist Leo Holtman.

Ingredients:

• Woodford Reserve bourbon
• Maple syrup
• Bitters
• Sweet vermouth
• Smoke

WHO'S TO BLAME:

Refreshing as it is flavorful, there’s nothing like a Who's To Blame margarita on a hot Caribbean day.

Ingredients:

• Margaritaville Gold Tequila
• Triple sec
• House margarita blend
• Served frozen or on the rocks

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NCL Escape 2015 - Day 3 (Sea Day)

NCL Escape - Day 3

(Sea Day)

With now an hour ahead time change and up a little late at 11AM, we were scheduled to go to the Wine Lover’s Musical at the Supper Club.  As we got there, it was almost the same set up as the Wine & Chocolate Perfect Pairing at The Cellars the previous day, however, it comes with lunch, wine and the show.  Remember, that the wine is only 5 – ¼ glasses of wine.  

Overall impression: Not worth it.  I thought the wine pairing at The Cellars was better than this.  The food was average and the show was not spectacular. 

However, we did meet this nice couple Isabelle and Brent at the Supper Club during the show.  They were first time cruisers and they mentioned to us that they were not having a great time.  We got to talking with them and learned that not only did the travel agent not tell them anything about the ship, activities, or ask them any questions, but only called them for their credit card?  Ok, that was totally unacceptable to me.  I could not believe for first time cruisers they should have this experience.  In addition, they mentioned that this was their honeymoon!  Wow!  

They then proceeded to tell me that they were staying in an inside cabin on deck 5, with noise from the 6th floor and had not slept well at all thus far. In addition, their beds were apart and for some reason could not get the beds together in order for them to sleep together. They got no perks when booking their cruise and the travel agent did not give them anything special for their honeymoon! Who does this to honeymooners on a first time cruise??? Whatever happened during their booking process or with their travel agent was really not my concern but now I was on a mission to make it right for them. I was not looking for a hand out or a pat on the back at this point. I was determined to make them happy, first time cruisers and feel positive about their experience.

As we sat and practically closed The Supper Club down, basically kicking us out, we headed to the Guest Relations desk so that I could talk to someone to help them out.  In speaking with the staff, they were very accommodating and understood the couple’s situation after I explained what happened.  NCL was able to put then in a Balcony cabin on Deck 10!  The guest relations staff member took us to the room where they would be now switching too and Isabelle and myself began to cry.  Isabele was in tears and her husband was ecstatic.  (Her husband is also in the army on leave from active duty so that was a pleasure for him to get some extra attention).

I know that some of you might think that is pathetic, but for me to make someone happy it is well worth it and FOR NOTHING!  I was not looking for a hand out or for money.  It was a way for me to do something nice for someone who really needed it and I believe they were put in my lap for a reason.  This really made my day and proud to do what I do! 

As Isabele and Brent rushed back to their cabin to pack up and head to their new one, J.C. and I headed to 5’oclock Somewhere Bar to catch up on the latest Diamond & Gemstone Seminar.  This was just an informative get together to educate yourself on how to buy a diamond or gemstone you are looking for.  To me, the only real bargain here is the coupons you can use to buy the piece you really want and of course, tax and duty free! 

Next, back to the cabin to rest a little (with a little surprise waiting for us), get dressed, and explore the ship more!  

We headed to O’Sheehans to get a little something to eat (the salad is a must!  It is so good!).  Hit ourselves up at Tobacco Road with a good signature cocktail in a tiki glass and then off to the casino! 




J.C. and I were able to win some of our money back and a little more on our favorite game Wonder Woman!  Remember that show with Linda Carter?  I loved it growing up as a kid and J.C. and I had some fun while playing.

Tomorrow is St. Thomas and of course, we planned our day for that as there is lots to see and do on this island. 

Stay tuned for another day on NCL Escape for our next adventure in St. Thomas!

Please feel free to comment as I would love to hear from you.  Tune in for day four of our cruise on Norwegian's newest ship the Escape!

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