Travelin' Fullers Blog: July 4th and Sail Away on the Getaway!

Well, on last Wednesday we began our 4th annual Fuller Family vacation! It started at the beautiful Ritz Carlton on Miami Beach! Everyone (Grant, Mary, Annette, Trey, Gaby, Bill) and I checked in to an amazing suite overlooking the pool and the ocean! It was our only rainy day so far.

The next day, we were joined by family friends, the Kohl's (Jacqueline, Doug and daughter, Samie)! We spent a relaxing day at the pool before getting ready for a surprise 40th birthday dinner for Dr. Doug Kohl at this amazing restaurant called Barton G's. None of us had been there before so we all enjoyed the amazing food presentation they do! It was delicious and so much fun!

July 4th was a designated beach day. Annette went down early and had us set up with lots of lounge chairs and 4 umbrellas! We stayed there until we heard the "siren " song of the mermaids which arrived at the Ritz Carlton pool! The mermaids were enjoyed by all ages! After a fun afternoon at the pool, we changed for dinner and our walk down south beach to the Betsy Hotel for a wonderful dinner! After dinner, we had reserved seats on their roof top for dessert and fireworks viewing! We had fantastic S'mores! Compliments of our terrific travel agent and friend, Arlene Feen! YUM!

The fireworks were great and we were SO lucky because everything north of us got rained out!

Saturday arrives and we are ready to board the Getaway! It was a painless process! Because we are staying on the concierge level (The Haven), we are allowed early boarding. We have an exclusive check in area which greatly speeds up the process. After check in, we waited in a small, very nice lounge area. Someone arrived to whisk us through the rest of the boarding process and take us to our deck. Once in the Haven area, we were greeted by our concierge, Ruth, who printed out all our key cards and showed us to our rooms! We have an amazing suite! It is, by far, the nicest suite we've ever had aboard any ship we've sailed. It is also the newest ship we've been on, making its maiden voyage in January of this year! It is very well designed with all the latest bells and whistles!

The Haven area has its own intimate restaurant for dining as well as it's own pool and private spa access. So far , the food everywhere we've eaten has been excellent! Last night, we went to the dinner show, Illusionarium, and it was excellent. The show is worthy of a Las Vegas venue. It is an excellent magic/mentalist show with several magicians performing! Highly recommended ! All ages ( from four to eighty seven) were mesmerized!

Today was our second day for the Aquatic Park! There is an amazing water slide park! The water slides in order of difficulty (from easiest to most daring ) are the following: purple ( fun, not difficult), orange and red( little tougher, but Gaby could do them), and last, but not least, the blue and green slides! I have affectionately nick named them the Blue Monster and the Green Serpent. There is a height restriction for the Blue and Green slides. Also, those going down the blue and green slide can wear NO jewelry ( earrings , wedding bands, glasses, water shoes, etc). The deck is very slippery EVERYWHERE and I have seen several people fall. There is an NCL man constantly using a squeegee to clean the deck, but it is still very slippery and I highly recommend water shoes! There are back boards that are strapped on by staff ( if you want ) to go down the blue and green slides. If you wear a shirt, it slows you down. There is also a children's splash area with Sponge Bob Square Pants. If you want chairs in the shade, I recommend you be there with something to put down on the chairs by 8:45 am. They only allow you to hold chairs for 1 hour. If no one is there , they remove the towels so you need to post someone there to hold the chairs. There is an amazing obstacle course (with zip lines) and a rock climbing wall. (Socks required). Gaby is able to do the rock climbing wall, but not the obstacle course.. Grant and Trey did a competition down the Blue Monster and the Green Serpent. I have a video that proves Trey beat him by a hair!

Duffy came out to sit by the splash pool area and enjoyed watching all the "littles" have a good time! There is truly something for everyone on this ship. There must be 100 activities a day to choose from. If you can't find some thing to do, there is something g wrong with you!

Tonight we had dinner at Cagney's Steak House. Excellent food and service! We were finished in time to make our next show, Burn The Floor! It is a WONDERFUL dance show ---Latin dancing -- tango and salsa! Think : really great Dancing With The Stars! I highly recommend it to everyone ! Gaby loved it!

Trey and Annette are headed to the Ice Bar! Yes, everything inside is created of ice and they outfit you with gloves and a heavy cape! I'm waiting for the report!

The Haven area where we are is wonderful. It is quiet amidst the chaos of the masses below deck! You can always retreat to the "quietness" of the Haven, or join the frivolity of the happenings on the decks below, as you please!

Tomorrow we dock in St. Martin where we all have different excursions. I will report back tomorrow on the day's adventures! So far, I give NCL an A on fun for all ages and even food! ( an unexpected surprise!). The staff has been wonderful!