211: NYC to Bahamas Cruise

Vacation Mavens

We are still catching up about our spring break trips and this time Kim shares the ups and downs from a Norwegian Cruise Lines voyage from New York City to the Bahamas with stops in "Orlando" and Norwegian's private island. Listen in and see if you are ready to set sail.

• In NYC, Kim stayed in the Hyatt Centric in Times Square for 2 nights before her cruise. The hotel was part of the American Express Fine Hotels Collection and she was able to get a $200 statement credits on her Amex Platinum Card. The hotel has a good location, but slow elevators and the rooftop bar is not open to minors.
• They flew into Newark and took the Airtrain to NJ Transit to Penn Station
• Kim was able to visit the Museum of Natural History, rent bikes and ride through Central Park, see a Broadway show, and explore NYC before the cruise.
• The cruise port terminal in NYC is very busy and it is hard to find the right spot to check in with very long lines. It took over three hours to complete check in for the cruise so if you are cruising out of NYC soon, be sure to pick an early check in time and expect to wait.
• Passengers has to show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test, as well as a passport, in order to board.
• The ship seemed to be understaffed because there was a lot of waiting in line to disembark and wait for tenders for excursions.
• The ship didn't seem to be at capacity but that may be because there wasn't enough staff to fully open.
• Kim and her family cruised on the Getaway from Norwegian Cruise Lines. Her girls like the ropes course but they have recently changed the ropes course and moved things around.
• If you book a package that includes specialty dining, it is usually just for the first 2 people in a cabin and if you want to add the kids you need to pay extra.
• In the bathrooms they provide a pump of shampoo and body wash but not lotion or conditioner.
• The kids club was not open during her cruise and they instead offered a voucher towards the arcade.
• When docked at Port Canaveral, Kim and her family went to the Kennedy Space Center but they didn't have a lot of time to explore because the boat didn't dock until 1pm and they didn't get off the boat until 2:30 and the KSC closes at 6pm.
• At the Norwegian private island in the Caribbean you need to take a tender boat over to the island so getting on and off takes a long time.