What I Loved About Norwegian Getaway!
In. This video I'll share the highlights, from, our recent Western, Caribbean cruise. On the Norwegian getaway. Sit. Back and get comfortable this is going to be a long, video, because. There is a lot, to love about this. Ship. This. Vacation, certainly got off to a great start with. A flight, aboard my favorite, type of airplane a, Boeing. 787. Dreamliner, we. Fly a lot, these days for, all these vacations. We go on and flying, in a Dreamliner, is hugely. Better than, flying in any other kind of airplane they've. Got a great, seat, back entertainment, system and a, nice in-flight, map system, too, no. Shades, to pull down over the windows you just push a button to. Darken, the glass, and. The. Most impressive, part is the. Gigantic, seats, in first class, and, the, way you can just push a button and, recline. Them if you, want to stretch out for, a little nap. We. Had an amazing, view of the Sierra Nevada mountains, as we, flew out of California. And eventually, we, ended up in Miami. Florida. This. Was a couple of weeks before Christmas, so, they had a gigantic. Tree set up, now. When we cruise out of Miami, we like to stay at the Holiday Inn because, it's very close, to the Port of Miami and I, love looking out at the cruise ships right, from our hotel window, the. Other big thing the Holiday Inn has going for it is that it's right across the street from, the Bayside, mall which. Is full of great, bars, and restaurants. Check, out this gigantic. Plate, of fajitas that. Kellen. And I shared, for dinner. It, was delicious, but there, was no way that we could finish all that we, needed a third person. With us, the. Top-tier, restaurants are, mostly located, on the ground floor of, Bayside, if you're, on a budget, and, you need to eat on the cheap, head. Up to the second, floor. Where there's something like a foodcourt up there with, your bargained, price dining, options, they'll. Even offer you free, samples, to entice you to dine, there. So. The Holiday Inn at, the Port of Miami is the hotel I recommend, if you're sailing from Miami not. Only do you have the Bayside, Mall right across the street for shopping, and dining but there's also a CVS. Pharmacy just. A block away. Super. Convenient if you realize you forgot to pack something for the cruise I buy. Mouthwash. Here, rather, than risk, leaving it inside my suitcase, during, a flight. The. Next day we took a lift over to the Port of Miami to, board the Norwegian, getaway and, of course it's always, a bit of a zoo outside, the cruise terminal and, inside. - but. We were completely, unaffected. By it because, for this cruise we. Are staying in the Haven, which. Meant we got to bypass, all the lines, and have, a VIP. Boarding. Experience. The. Boarding process is, one of many things I love, about the Haven on NCL they. Lead you through the terminal bypassing, all the lines and walk. You directly, onto the, ship. Sail. Away from the port of Miami was quite, spectacular. We. Were right behind Allure. Of the Seas as, both, our ship and theirs headed. Out to sea together, I got. A pretty spectacular, time-lapse. Video of it from, our vantage point on the Haven Sun deck at the front of the ship I'm, putting a link in the corner of the screen now if you want to watch the sail away time-lapse, video in its, entirety. This. Was a 7-day, Western, Caribbean itinerary. We, had very grey skies, as, the ship headed south our.
First, Stop was the island of Roatan, part. Of the country, of Honduras, the, big, surprise for, me as we looked out at Roatan from our balcony was, to see something hilarious that. I've never seen before. People, trying to walk on water, inside. Giant. Hamster. Balls I laughed. So hard watching, these girls fall down time after time after time I've. Seen people inside giant, hamster, balls before but never, on water, it, was so funny to watch, there's. A link up in the corner of the screen if you want to watch an extended, video, of the, girls in the, giant, hamster, balls. We. Had planned to go to the beach in Roatan but, the weather didn't, cooperate so. We cancelled, that and had a spa, day instead. One. Of the best things about the Norwegian, getaway is the, fantastic, thermal. Suite within, the spa and because. We are staying in a spa, suite we had full access at no, additional charge, I. Love. That NCL keeps the, big indoor, pool in the thermal suite the same temperature as a jacuzzi. Not, all cruise ships do that in. Scandinavian. Culture they like to go from hot to cold so. They keep the jacuzzis, hot and the big pool quite a bit cooler on cruise, ships that adhere, to the Scandinavian, style. With. A name like Norwegian, it's, kind of ironic that this cruise line follows, American. Preferences. And keeps, the water in the big indoor pool in the thermal suite quite warm, but I love, it and it's, one of many things that keeps, me coming back to ncl. Our, second, port of call was one I had been looking forward to for, a long time. And Ciel's, private, island, in Belize known. As harvest, key this. Was my first visit to harvest key and I was very, impressed. Unfortunately. The weather didn't, really cooperate so, it wasn't a great day to, hang out at the beach but let, me give you a look around, there's. A long pier, that leads from the deep water channel where the cruise ship docks and takes, you ashore to the island if you. Have mobility issues you're, welcome to hitch a ride ashore. Otherwise. Walk, and, enjoy the views of the ship and of, the mangroves, I got, a kick out of watching these pelicans, fishing. There, must have been a lot of fish in the water because these, pelicans, were having no trouble finding. Lunch, here, on, the. Island itself there is a spectacular. Beach I would, have loved to hang out there all day long and do, some swimming in the water but it just wasn't the right weather for that I'll. Be back on another cruise in the spring, and I'm, hoping for better weather the. Thing that really impressed me was how, many loungers, there are on the island they. Could bring their biggest, ship here every passenger, could come ashore and, want a lounger, and I'm, sure there would still be enough, there, were loungers.
Everywhere. Besides. That beautiful Beach there's, the gigantic. Swimming, pool and I really do mean, gigantic. I bet. On a hot day in the Caribbean it's amazing, to see it full of people, next. To the pool you'll find a great lunch venue, Jimmy, Buffett's, landshark, Bar and Grill and speaking. Of dining, and drinking on the island just be aware that even. Though NCL owns the island as far. As the passengers, are concerned, it's just like visiting, any other, port of call in so far as paying for food and drink goes the, food and drinks on the island are not covered, by your dining. And drinking packages. So, bring cash or credit cards, to pay for food and drink just like you would in any, port, of call. While. I was on the island I got a big kick out of watching people on the, zip lines, they. Have a very extensive, network, of zip lines, zigzagging. Around the island and it, was a lot of fun to, watch people fly overhead. There. Are also several, aviaries. On the island, they've, got macaws, and. Toucans, and, a, pretty impressive. Butterfly. Habitat. Our. Third, port of call was another one I had never been to before and. I, was so pleasantly surprised, here it's the port of Costa, Maya in Mexico. Thankfully. We finally, escaped the bad weather and we got some Sun. They. Have a very, cool looking water park in Costa, Maya and if, you visit here with kids it should probably be your destination. But, since this was my first, time in Costa, Maya I wanted. To just explore what, they offered right near the pier, I was. Very, impressed, there's. A big, swimming pool nowhere, near as big as harvest key but, big enough and all. We had to do to snag a lounger, right next to the pool was, buy one drink from the bar so, we enjoyed drinks, poolside and, hung, out enjoying, the warm weather for a while, when, we finally had enough of the pool we took a walk around to see what else they had right there around the pool lots. Of shopping of course bars. And restaurants, and this, was interesting, a swim. With the dolphins attraction. But. The thing at Costa Maya that delighted, kellen and I the most, was. A total, surprise we had no idea that they had this here when, we were at the pool we heard birds, up above, us and looking, up we noticed all these little suspended. Bridges linking. A series, of aviaries. Up above the pool area it. Cost $12. Per person for entry but for us it was totally. Worth it we, loved tropical. Birds especially macaws. And, they, had some very well, behaved macaws as well, as many other birds and Kellen. Had a whole bunch of fun feeding, them in one. Of the aviaries, they had a certain kind of bird I don't know what kind it was exactly but these birds totally. Loved, my, hat, the. Minute i walked in i had birds flying in to sit on my hat it, was hilarious and, now. I can say that Jim Zim is the. Bird whisperer. So. We had a lot of fun in Costa Maya and I'm, looking forward to coming back again, in the spring. Dr.. Right next to our ship in Costa Maya was, a brand new cruise ship that's getting a lot, of buzz these days it's, the celebrity, edge and, you. Can easily identify her. From quite a distance because. Of that very, unusual orange. Structure on the side of the ship it's. Called the, magic carpet, it's. Basically, a platform on, the side of the ship that can be moved up or down to, one of several decks as needed. You, don't ride it like an elevator, but, you just find it stationed, at different, decks throughout.
The Day I, chatted. Up several different people on the pier that I saw were passengers, on the celebrity edge and they had really good things to say about it our final. Port of call was Cozumel, Mexico we. Were docked next, to the MSC. Armonia. Don't. Get me started about MSC. I've, been on 45 cruises, now and they've all been good but, the least good one was. On MSC, it's. A cruise line for Europeans. I don't. Recommend it for Americans. So, I'm pretty sure I won't be sailing with MSC, again. Right. Across the street from the cruise ship here is a big shopping mall normally. I would spend a day in Cozumel, at the beach but, Killah and I just weren't up for a big adventure today, we. Were craving, american-style. Mexican. Food you know not real Mexican, food but what Americans, think Mexican. Food is so. We headed over to, Senor, frog's, restaurant. Which is always fun especially. Watching the tourist cut loose and get a little crazy. Back. On board the ship Norwegian. Getaway has several, very fun water, slides, including. To wear, you stand inside a tube and the, floor suddenly, drops out from under, you. The. Entire success, of my youtube channel started. With cruise-ship waterslide. Videos, my. Channel has had over 228, million views, and a, hundred and twelve million of those have been from, cruise ship waterslide, videos, so. Since I was on a ship with really, great water slides I set, out to create a really. Great new water slide video there's. A link up in the corner if you'd like to see what I came up with specialty. Dining is another one of my favorite, things about NCL, we, had some really great dinners, during our cruise they. Keep the restaurants, dark to create our romantic dining, mood and that makes it tough to shoot video, so, let, me show you some still photos of, some, of our dinners. Here's. The New York strip steak that I had at Cagney's, the steakhouse and Kellen. Had the grilled salmon. This. Is pork chops from the Italian, restaurant the last time I was there I had the lasagna, and it, was horrible, I laughed, when I noticed that it wasn't even on the menu this time. The. Brazilian, steakhouse, has a pretty great salad, bar but, don't fill up on it you'll want to save lots of room for all the meat that they bring around and carve, off slices, right there at your table, I've, warmed. Up to the private restaurant in the Haven as I've, cruised with NCL more often now honestly. I felt a bit uncomfortable there my first couple of Haven cruises, I'm, a casual, guy and, somehow, the Haven, restaurant seemed overly. Fancy to me at first but, I've come to realize, that you can be as casual, and comfortable in the Haven restaurant, as you want they. Just want you to be happy and they, want to spoil you so, I had a lot more meals in the Haven restaurant, this time around than, in my earlier, cruises. The. Breakfast, in the Haven restaurant, is fantastic. I ate, all seven, breakfasts there I like. To ask them to warm up the croissants, for me I like, them better that way than just at room temperature, and they are totally, happy to accommodate that, special, request. At. Lunch, the French Dip sandwich was, a nice surprise I had, it a couple of years ago during a previous cruise, on Norwegian getaway I remember. Thinking at that time they didn't know how to make a proper french dip I think, they sliced the meat too thick or something, but they must have figured it out since then this, time the French dip was, fantastic.
So, Good that I actually went back for lunch on another day and had, another one and. Here's. The prime rib from The Haven restaurant, I made, a mistake and, I ordered it well-done I shouldn't, have done that my mistake it probably, would have been great if I hadn't, done, that. At. Lunch, if you're in the mood for a burger, the, havens, burger, is definitely the, best burger, of all the restaurants on board even better than the Cheeseburger, in Paradise at, the, Margaritaville. Rest, on board Norwegian, getaway. Speaking. Of Margaritaville, you, absolutely. Must try the. Volcano, nachos. There, but, it helps, if you have three or four people at your table to, team up on it it is big. We. Did actually eat in the buffet one night we. Love Mexican, food so we were excited about Mexican. Night at the buffet but it, was a disappointment. We. Stopped by on seafood night in the buffet to just, to shoot this little video clip we, didn't actually eat any but it looked good. One. Last thing on the subject of food if you need a little snack in the middle of the afternoon before, dinner or maybe, a little dessert, after, dinner this, is a great little place that serves, gelato. On Dec, 8 for. A small, extra, charge. Our. Stateroom. On the Norwegian getaway was, pretty darned great it's, what's known as a haven, spa, suite, the. Very unusual, thing about it is that there's a whirlpool tub right. Next to the bed between. That private, tub big enough for two people to share and the, big shower in the bathroom, this, is the perfect cabin, for honeymooners. Or, any, romantic couple. Kalin. And I will be celebrating our 30th, wedding anniversary, pretty. Soon so, you don't have to be an actual, honeymooner. To enjoy this suite but if the, spark is still alive it's a great suite. There's. A link up in the corner to a more, extensive, tour, of the. Haven spa suite. The. Main reason, we chose a haven spa suite is that it comes with not only full, access to the thermal suite inside the spa but also all, the benefits, of being part of the Haven such, as access, to the Haven courtyard. The. Outdoor dining area. The. Private, restaurant. The. Private, bar and the. Private Sun Deck and, the. Full services, of both a butler and a. Concierge. This was my fourth time, cruising, in the Haven on one, of NC L ships and I totally, loved it pricey. For sure but if your, financial situation will, allow for it it's an, amazingly. Great way to cruise. We. Are platinum and NCOs loyalty, program now and there are some nice perks that come with that I'm, not going to list all the perks but one of them is a free, dinner for two at the steakhouse and another, is a free dinner for two at the Italian, restaurant, but. Here's the perk that I actually, got the biggest kick out of we, got a free tour of some, of the crew only areas, of the ship they, call it the behind-the-scenes, tour.
It, Was really interesting to go below the waterline and tour, the laundry, facility, and to, look at how they deal with the, huge, volume of towels, and, sheets and. Tablecloths. That, they have to wash dry. And fold. The. Machinery, was quite interesting, to see in action, without. It there's no way they could deal with this amount of laundry but. Even though they do have some pretty nice machines, that, do a lot of the work it. Seems like a bit of a nightmare, job, in very, warm humid, conditions. Imagine. How, bad the situation in, your home country, would have to be for, this to seem like your, best life, option. I, am. Certainly fortunate to be a passenger, not. Doing, one of these jobs, but I can, also see how there's a camaraderie, among. The crew below decks and. I certainly understand, that you've, got to do what you've got to do to support your family I was, a used car salesman for. A while 25. Years ago that. Wasn't great but it was, certainly easier than working in the laundry would be. The, next stop on our behind-the-scenes, tour was, the walk-in, freezer. These. Visuals, don't really give you much of a clue about how cold this was the. Fact that our tour guide was wearing a skirt, doesn't. Help to convey a sense of the cold in here trust, me it's, a freezer. It was, cold. The. Logistics, of acquiring. And, storing, all the, food for a mega cruise ship just, amazed, me. Then, we visited, one of the kitchens, another, amazing, site that's kind, of hard to wrap your head around, of, course we visited, between, breakfast, and lunch so, it was quite, a bit more calm in the kitchen than it would be at peak, dining. Times. But. It was really interesting to, look around and get, a bit, of a glimpse into the logistics, involved, by. The way the kitchen is one, floor, below the. Main restaurant, do. You know how the waiters get up one, level to bring the trays of food from, the kitchen to, your table, well. It turns out that the waiters have access to something that the passengers. Don't, a. Crew. Only escalator. How about that I had read about it but it was fun to see it in person on, the, behind-the-scenes. Tour. One. Last thing before I wrap this up I'm, going to do something that I rarely, do, I'm going, to say something nice about, MSC. Seaside, I, mentioned. Earlier that MSC. Seaside, was our least favorite, out of all 45, cruises we've been on but let me show you something they got right, on the MSC sea side that, isn't quite right on, Norwegian. Getaway. This. Is what's known as the waterfront. On Norwegian getaway it's. An outdoor deck that runs around the exterior of deck 8 the. Promenade, deck on carnival, or princess ships but. It's better than a promenade, deck because, in addition, to just having lots of comfortable, places, to sit and enjoy the views there, are also a number of outdoor bars, where, you can sit and have a drink as well as outdoor seating for many of the specialty, restaurants. So. On a warm night in the Caribbean it's a great place to have a meal, but. Where they got it wrong on the Norwegian getaway is, they. Failed to extend the deck out far, enough to cover the lifeboats, and keep, them out of sight so. When you're sitting on the waterfront. The views are marred a bit by the sight of the bright orange lifeboats. Now, take, a look at MSC seaside, and see, how they should have done it on Norwegian, getaway. This. Is MSC's, version, they call it the waterfront. Boardwalk. The deck, extends, out much further than it does on Norwegian, getaway and it, totally blocks any view, of the lifeboats, if we. Look up at it from down below from, this angle you can see the lifeboats, on MSC, seaside and if you look carefully you can see the deck extended. Out right above them but, as. You walk down the waterfront, boardwalk on MSC, seaside the deck is very wide and the lifeboats, are hidden out of view, and. I find it interesting that Norwegian, did get it right on their newest, generation, of, ships here's, the waterfront, on the Norwegian bliss. Notice. That it's quite a bit wider than the waterfront, on Norwegian getaway and the, lifeboats, are tucked completely.
Out Of view just, below the, deck. Before. I go I want to just mention that there are a lot, of advantages, to using a travel, agent to book cruise rather, than booking it yourself, directly, with the cruise line especially, if you're new to cruising, and you don't understand, all the options and, how it all works and you want to make sure that, you don't make any of the rookie mistakes, that can ruin, a cruise it's. Hard to know who the good travel, agents are the, ones that really know what they're doing let, me make it easy for you and make, my travel. Agent available, to you she's. Really easy to work with she knows, what she's doing her name is Caitlin, Gallagher. And you, see her contact information on the screen there pause, the video if you need to to jot it down and let, Caitlin, help you book your next cruise, and absolutely. No additional, charge to you she's. Paid a commission by the cruise lines but, she works for, you, it's. The smart, way to book a cruise. I'm. Jim, Zim thanks. For sticking with me through a very long video about all the great things about the Norwegian, getaway and. One thing that they improved with their next generation of ships if. You stuck with the video, this long I guess you must have liked it so please, hit, the thumbs up, button and let YouTube know that this is a good video that, they should recommend to other people, interested, in cruising, and if, you're in the mood for another video here, are links to a few I think you'd like.
2018-12-26 18:22
I write from Italy. I was a cruises musician and i hope to turn back on a cruise ship like musician. I like your videos without music and good voice quality for learn english language better. Please make always videos without music .
If you liked the birds in Costa Maya, next time you are in Roatan try Daniel Johnson’s monkey and sloth sanctuary. You get to hold a sloth, go in a cage with monkeys that climb all over you, and go in with birds that sit on you. Much fun
I love your cruise videos Jim! keep em coming... what cruise are you going on in the spring?
Our next cruise, just a few weeks from now, will be on the Viking Sea. The cruise I mentioned for this spring, which will bring me back to Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, and Cozumel, will be in The Haven on Norwegian Breakaway out of New Orleans. And towards the end of spring, we'll be in a Havana cabin on the Carnival Horizon. So, that's three really great cruises to look forward to between now and this summer!
hey jim, love the old hairdo with moustache. classic hahah!
Those old photos make me cringe, except for the fact that I hadn't put on much weight yet at that point!
I’ve stayed in the haven. And will never cruise any other way. Loved it!!!
Carnival will not allow cameras on the behind the scenes tour. do you have enough footage to make a video only about the behind the scenes tour?
Great information and another great video! Thank you so much!
I did the exact same cruise
Love your videos
Jim, Right now I am booked on the Encore. My first cruise on ncl
That's going to be excellent! I love sailing on the newest ships because they always improve with each generation. That whole rant I went on about hiding the lifeboats under the deck... the real point I was making is that it's interesting to see how, with new generations of ships, they come up with little ways to improve on the previous generation. It's also been interesting to see how, with the latest generation, they add electrical outlets by the bed and USB charging points.
Jim! Nice video, but you keep saying "there's a link up in the corner..." and there's nothing there (at least when I play the video!) I'm capable of finding them without the links, probably, but know that they aren't showing up for everyone. And omg, that suite you had - I'm afraid that I'd never leave the room!!!
What kind of device were you watching the video on? The link in the corner should show up correctly when watching on the YouTube app on a mobile phone or a tablet, and also when you watch using a web browser on a PC or Mac. If you watch on a smart TV, I don't think the links will show up... and if you watch on some other kind of device, they might not. In any case, you can find all of those extended-length videos I mentioned simply by looking at the videos I've recently posted to my YouTube channel. The stats tell me that about two thirds of the people that watch the video watch it on a phone, tablet, or PC... so I think most people will see the links, but perhaps about a third won't.
This was probably one of your best videos! Now i want to go on the Norwegian getaway! Hope to someday
They copy that from Carnival.
You must have a large amount of money or alot of travel point for first class flights and these amazing cruise exclusive packages
As usual , you provided us with another enjoyable video. My only suggestion would be to stop mentioning MSC. I understand that you did not enjoy your experience on the Seaside (your MSC video detailed that clearly) however, in a couple of videos since that time you continue to make reference to your less than enjoyable time on the Seaside. While I can appreciate you sharing your honest opinion of MSC in the Seaside video, your repeated references to it in other cruise videos not only seems out of place, it appears petty.
Jim Zimmerlin I guess were going to have to agree to disagree. I feel that you have fulfilled your “public service” obligation when you made your Seaside video. The constant mentioning of MSC in videos that have absolutely nothing to do with them, looks suspect. As far as MSC not being able to charge the prices that the “American lines charge”, is a result of it being relatively new to the American market , and not being a public company.
I think of it as a public service to make sure that Americans get the word that Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival, and Viking are perfectly suited for American tastes. MSC is designed to appeal to the tastes of Europeans. There's a reason MSC can't fill the MSC Seaside at the prices Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and all the others can get for their cruises.
A great video. You mentioned MSC Seaside in this video. We were sailing on its first cruise from Miami last December (2017) and it was a disappointment. Fist of all i think it is to crowded. At least 1000 passengers to many. There was´nt room for everyone on the sundecks. You could search for a free space for hours. The bufé-restaurants food was not hot enough and the drink service was bad. The rooms were good. This was our 4th cruise with MSC and the first in the Caribbean. The other was in Mediterranean with Fantasia, Armonia and Divina. So far we think the first with Fantasia was the best. Next time I thing we will try the NCL.
Been on this ship twice, and we love it too! Great video!!
Another great video Jim. Next time in Miami Bayside check out the restaurant Los Ranchos. Its a steak/chicken/seafood restaurant that is top notch table cloth service that is excellent. Its probably the only Bayside restaurant that Miami locals eat at since most of Bayside is really a tourist trap. Its second floor on the far end. The Getaway is a great ship but IMHO, the Breakaway class ships was an over correction from Epic. All the venues including the Haven got smaller and confined. I hope someday you cruise the Epic. The spa will blow you away. The ship is 10 years old and I believe its still the largest spa at sea including outdoor areas. The Haven is so much larger and better with Posh, etc. Also the Breakaway class ships really put the tables inches apart in the specialty restaurants. Glad you had a great time. Happy sailing!
Taking this cruise jan20 good info
+Jim Zimmerlin The Epic does not have the Waterfront which is a fantastic feature on the Getaway. IMHO, everything else is bigger and better on Epic. Cant wait to get your opinion on Epic someday. She is the step child of the NCL fleet but she is by far better than the Breakaway class ships. NCL over-reacted and went too sterile and conservative on the Breakaway Class ships. Happy Sailings
I will definitely sail the Epic at some point!
I was on Harmony of the Sea on the Norwegian Getaway andb while I like both ships, the Getaway was better in terms of food and shows. My major complain about the Getaway going through the casino filled with cigarette smoke in the air and there was no way to bypass this because it's right in the middle of the ship.
Yeah, the way they designed the casino on the Getaway and Breakaway really was a mistake, in my opinion. They did a much better job on the newer ships. Carnival has also designed a smart way to confine the smoke in the casino on their Vista-class ships so that it doesn't permeate to the rest of the public areas.
Jim, I love your vlogs. I am going on my first cruise in 10 days on Carnival Glory. Never been to the ocean even though I lived in Jacksonville for a year. I now live in Utah. I have a feeling I am going to become a cruiser. I just wanted to let you know that you have a great voice and the way you explain and compare things is fantastic. I really like how you tell the truth about what you like and don't like. A lot of other vlogs just say everything is wonderful. Again, thank you for sharing your vacations with us and give your beautiful wife a hug from me. Thanks Robin
Beautiful video, thanks for sharing.
I have cruised on Getaway's sister ship, Norwegian Breakaway, and I loved it, minus the first 2 days, as the first 2 days were cold sailing out of New York. How was the Getaway?
finally, a new cruise video! appreciate the longer video, thanks jim!
Thx for this video, I'm going on Getaway in March
Frist here jim pin me
Love your videos Jim! Always gets my wanderlust going wanting to try new ships. You should get sponsorships from the cruise lines if you don't already because you are an excellent salesman! :D
+Jim Zimmerlin Oh congrats! Hopefully it will be a nice adventure. Can't wait to see to see more. Maybe MSC can win you over with some perks in the future, perhaps? I am just starting my cruise adventures so I have just been on Carnival and Royal Caribbean - but hope to add more in the future. Bon Voyage!
It's funny you should mention that! My next cruise will be a freebie. Viking Ocean Cruises saw the videos I did when I sailed on Viking Star a couple of years ago. They have invited me to cruise on the Viking Sea next month, at their expense, to make it possible for me to make more videos about them. It will be the first time I've ever sailed for free. It will be interesting to see if any other cruise lines follow suit. MSC perhaps? I'd love to try the Yacht Club, their version of Norwegian's Haven. But after what happened a year ago on MSC Seaside, there's no way I'm sailing with them at MY expense! Another that would be smart to encourage me to sail with them is Celebrity. I'd love to do some videos about them... but I don't see myself doing it at my expense.
That looks like a nice trip...and 38 years...congrats...lasted allot more than my 9 months
Good video
I was on it from Dec 16 to 23. Everything seems so familiar! It's nice to see the working space!
I thought this was about the ship not the plane..ridiculous
JIM HAVE TOU EVER BEEN ON CELEBRITY CURISE? My wife and I went on the Constellation* and loved it better than the Carnival Curise. The Food is GREAT! I would live to see your videos from Celebrity.
I do think that to work on a cruise ship could be a great experience for many people. I have talked to some of them and they tell me that they make very good money to send back home to their family.
Haha, i went on that same ship, and that same route, but i realized that it wasn't the same week i went, i went the 2-8th.
Very good video
My wife and I head out January 19th on the Vista! It's for our honeymoon. We cant wait! 24 days. We were accepted for the Chef's Table as well. Will we see you there Jim?
Looks like I was on the same ship , the same week. I had an awesome time... I totally missed the bird aviaries in costa maya. but I did manage to get a massage, and a few cigars for the Getaway cigar bar.. i enjoyed the thermal spa. and Le Bistsro. i live on Long Island and left for the airport in 19 degree weather and in a few hours i was swimming in the hotel's outdoor pool where it was a cool 80. Also marveled at the dancers and the $1,000,000 quartet.
You should try the A350, it’s so much better than the 787
Really! OK, I will look in to that.
Great video. Brings back memories from last year. How did they manage to screw up lasagna? It is so rich and tasty even if you just do it "by the book".
The meat-to-everything-else ratio was about five times what it should have been.
Loved it. Fun, good stops, good bars.
I love your voice it is hypnotic.
Are you comped by NCL?
Not in any way. I paid full price for every one of the 45 cruises I've been on.
We also were on this ship December 2-9!
I loved this video. I started washing the dishes and finished right as it ended. Great job. All I ask is you make a trains on a cruise ship video :) my son would love it !
And totally agree with your opinion of msc. We hated it
The water in harvest caye was soooo disappointing. But the island itself is nice
I don’t find the cost to be that high. I guess it all depends on ones own finances. But whenever I travel. I try to get best accommodations as possible. Makes the experience better
brokebastage How do you justify the high cost?
+Jim Zimmerlin I was using a desktop PC , Firefox browser.
Jim Zimmerlin Ahh ok, great that makes your videos/reviews much more genuine
I've paid full price for every one of my 45 cruises, and the first class flights... except those flights where I redeemed frequent flyer miles. I have never been under any obligation to provide a positive review, because I've paid my own way every time. However, cruise #46, next month, will be the first exception to that. I'm going on a media cruise, where all the journalists will be cruising for free. But that's the next cruise, and up until then every one of the cruises was paid for in full by me, not any cruise line.
or get it for 'free' in return for a glowing video review..... here are free first class flights, free cruise all expenses paid, in return for a glowing review ;)
I was on the ship on December. Walking through The Waterfront at night is also a cloud of cigarette smoke.
+Jim Zimmerlin Oh congrats! Hopefully it will be a nice adventure. Can't wait to see more. Maybe MSC can win you over with some perks in the future, perhaps? I am just starting my cruise adventures so I have just been on Carnival and Royal Caribbean - but hope to add more in the future. Bon Voyage!
Very good video indeed.I love your voice and the detail description. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Have you ever been on any of the RCL Oasis class ships me and my wife are booking one in October on the Harmony. This will be our second cruise. We went on the the Norwegian Epic last December. I’m hoping my wife has a better experience on the harmony since she wasn’t very pleased with Epic and also the group we went with wasn’t either. Me on the other hand I could of lived on the ship. Love watching your videos been watching them since we booked our first cruise.
I've been on Allure Of The Seas and Harmony Of The Seas, and I've done videos about Symphony Of The Seas using clips provided by Royal Caribbean. I always say that if you are in to cruising, you really should do at least one cruise on an Oasis-class ship... they have a lot of interesting unique features, such as Central Park, and the Aqua Theater. They do tend to attract a very international mix of passengers, though... so the buffet has to cater to a wide variety of tastes. It's not really one of the best buffets for American passengers. On a cruise like Norwegian Getaway of Norwegian Bliss, they're mostly trying to please the American passengers with the food choices. So, as an American passenger, I really like that better!
I love these vids! So professionally done all around the footage, narration, etc. I also enjoy that Jim includes excursions he hasn't gone to (ie the water park) so we can see all the options. Thanks for including your travel agent as well!
More flight reviews please JIm, could give Sam Chui a run for his money IMHO.
Thanks! I've always really enjoyed Casey Neistat's vlog when he goes on a flight. He's done some amazing long-haul flights, like to South Africa, or Dubai... and he makes some great videos about them. As for me, I find it really tricky to make videos about the experience in an airplane. Sometimes the flight attendants really bristle at having a camera pointed at them. Also, I don't think it's really fair to the other passengers to point a camera at them when they are captive in their seats and probably don't really want to be on video. So, I'm still experimenting with exactly how to convey the joy of flying given all those constraints. Plus, in the rush of boarding, it's such a hassle to try to operate a camera at the same time! I'm lugging around so much stuff on to a flight... trying to shoot video at the same time makes it very tricky! But I love flying, especially in first class, and I want to convey that in videos, without it coming off as a brag. Tricky to do!
Great video! Thanks for pointing out the advantages of using a knowledgable travel agent.
Jim - what’s the name of the fajitas place?
http://mambocafemiami.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/MamboCafeMenu.pdf Page four of the menu. Ultimate fajitas for two.
+Jim Zimmerlin cant find that at all that would have a Fajitas. https://www.yelp.com/biz/mambo-cafe-miami
The Mambo Cafe
Enjoy your videos very much but you really need to consider picking up a better camera or learning how to grade your videos a little bit better. Your blacks are completely lost in your whites are completely blown out. You should really look into a Panasonic GH5 or GH9. They have amazing image stabilization as well and do fantastic video. Or if you just want small and compact even the M100 from Canon could do
Most of that video was shot with the Hero 7. I could easily be the video editing software.
+Jim Zimmerlin true. The new GoPro has a quite good image stabilizer and might be a little higher quality video. Hero 7 I believe. Again it could just come down to your video editing software.
There's a trade-off between convenience and picture quality. This video was shot mostly with a GoPro... super convenient. Some of shots were with a Canon EOS 80D.
What restaurant did you get those fajitas at Bayside?
Definitely! But one thing to watch for... I think they sneak a mandatory gratuity on to the bill, and then give you a chance to add a gratuity when you go to pay. So, if you didn't happen to notice that a gratuity is already in there, you could easily double tip... which is, I'm sure, exactly what they are trying to get you to do. So, be careful with the bill and make sure you only tip once.
+Jim Zimmerlin looks good, recommend it?
The Mambo Cafe, on the first floor.
I went on this same itinerary! When I went to harvest caye, all of the excursions were so expensive, so we went to placencia in Belize. Next time you visit Cozumel you should try a cenote. They are amazing. If you ever go on a cruise in Europe, you should try MSC. They have amazing itineraries and food etc.. Again. Amazing video as usual.
My wife and I are booked on the Getaway in July for the Baltic Sea. It'll be our 20th Anniversary so needless to say, we're very excited about it!
Some of the more high pressure and unpleasant service areas, such as the laundry, seem to have the best camaraderie. Walk through the laundry on my last ship and you’d hear Indian music playing and people laughing and joking, same in the provision rooms, you’d have Jamaican music blasting out and the guys having a good time whilst they worked.
I went on this dec 16th to the 23rd
NCL is the best cruise Line out there!
Love the long videos Jim could watch you for days!
I was on the royal princess and I saw that ship at Roatan
Wow! First class on a Dreamliner then The Haven. Way to go Jim Zim!
Thank you to all the folks that watch my videos! It's the advertising revenue from the videos that make it possible for me to afford some very nice vacations now. It's only been this way for the last couple of years. Up until then, we had to be pretty frugal in the Zim family. But YouTube changed everything for me.
1:34 Hey look! The Disney Magic!
Your voice
I can't tell if that's a compliment or a complaint...
Nice video! Love the plane too, and I always wanted to cruise on Norwegian. About dress code now, you don't need to dress so fancy anymore, for women I would suggest some blouse with glitter, it really looks so nice at night and people think you spent a lot money and it just look very classy for men a nice light pants, a nautical moccasin and a nice shirt that's it.
Your videography is superb Jim. Can you share what equipment you use? Looks like you use a gimbal?
Thanks Jim! You have really helped me make my next vid cam decison!!
Actually, for the all the shots in this video where the camera was in motion (not just panning) I was using a GoPro Hero 7 Black, on it's own, no gimbal. It has very good image stabilization built right in to it... which makes it super convenient to use because it is so small. I just mount it on a short selfie stick. For the shots where the camera is panning, most of those were done using a Canon EOS 80D on a tripod. The one quirk of the built-in image stabilization on the new GoPro is that it tries to correct for the movement when you are doing a pan. So, when I know I want to do a shot involving panning, I use the big Canon.
Another great video, Jim. We've been on the Getaway two times and love this ship as well as our favorite server, Alma Monteron!
Hey Jim, I love your videos they’re very great and useful, do which port do you recommend to leave from, Port of Miami or Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale)?
I’m actually 23, so I don’t have kids yet. I cruise a lot with my family. However, after seeing your cruise reviews of those ships, I have been dying to go on them.
You're doing a good job at it, Lucas! OK, looking at your cruise history I think you really need to experience Carnival Horizon, Symphony Of The Seas, and Norwegian Escape. Do you travel with kids, and if so... what ages?
3 Disney (Wonder and Magic) 1 Costa (worst cruise ever) 4 Carnival (Victory, Spirit) 2 NCL (Sun and Sky) 7 RCL (Jewel, 4 Voyager class ships, Freedom) I guess you could say I am trying to catch up to you, haha.
Oh, I see! Lucky you. You have access to all the best cruise ships in the world. Those are the two ports where the cruise lines always place their best ships. I'm jealous! So, in that case, I'd pick the ship first... and let the port be determined by where the ship is based. What ships have you cruised on, so far?
Thank you Jim for the quick reply. I actual live the South Florida area and access to both ports are pretty easy, when their is no traffic.
Either way... they're both great ports. I'd look at which you can get a better flight to. If you're going to be staying in Ft Lauderdale for a day or two, think about a stay at the Margaritaville resort in Hollywood, Florida. It's a lot of fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdn9MUDe8YE
NCL is super nice
+Jim Zimmerlin Ok good to know!!! Yea thats common here in Miami unfortunately
yes they are great!+Clarence Royandoyan
Maria Garcia my first cruise was on the Norwegian Dream. After that, it was just DCL, which was full of kids in my opinion. NCL for the win!
Wow! Why ridiculous...I guess you didn't watch the whole video! He spent jyst a few minutes showing the plane, he is showing a whole experience, darling, such a shame you didn't see as a valid suggestion, I would love to fly by this nice and modern plane
i really enjoyed ur naration
NEW here: Can NEVER afford a Boeing Dreamliner. :-(
There are seats in coach, too...
Jim, it would be better in my opinion if you would regularly mention to your large audience the fact that you pay for most cruises and for most first of business class flights. Perhaps you think it’s none o f’our’ business but I suspect most people know that ‘YouTubers’ get paid for ads which have rates to some extent based on viewership numbers. So are we, your viewers, functionally paying for you to go on vacation after vacation? Saying that you do pay for these cruises may be disingenuous. Are your revenues from the videos paying for the cruises and flights which allow you to pay for more cruises and flights?
Yeah, that's exactly how it works. The ad revenue from the YouTube videos is what allows me to go on all these cruises. Before YouTube, I went on a few cruises... but a lot of them had to be out of California, to avoid the cost of airline travel. Now, thanks to the ad revenue, I can not only fly to Miami to be on the best cruise ships in the world, but quite often I can fly first class. Without the ad revenue, I wouldn't be able to cruise anywhere near as often... so it's kind of a cycle that feeds itself... the more cruises I take, the more videos I make... the more people watch them... the greater the ad revenue... which allows me to cruise more often. As long as people keep watching my videos, and as long as YouTube continues to be generous with the ad revenue... I'll keep cruising and making more videos.
Great video!! Great narrator! Thanks Jim!
You're welcome! Thanks for leaving a comment.
Thank you...Thank you Jim for your great pointers on the Norwegian Getaway and Miami Holiday Inn stay.. Our group will definitely be staying there for the next cruise vacation.
You're welcome! It's such a perfect location that I just had to include a plug for that hotel in the video. I have no financial ties with them... I just want cruisers to know about a great hotel with a view of the ships!
Hi Jim, I have to say that my wife and I love your videos and insight int the cruise industry and ships. One thing I would like to say after seeing your video for Getaway, is that MSC is not for europeans as you suggest. We have cruised for the last 9 years all over the World with Cunard, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess, P&O and regrettably fr us MSC. We are british and found all of the other cruis lines to be good to excellent in most cases, some issues, but ones that yo can live with. Unfortunately MSC Preziosa was the worst holiday or cruise that we have ever encountered in over 45 years as a married couple. That say a lot when you consider how little money we had as youngsters and had to have some pretty cheap holidays. So please refrain from saying MSC is for europeans. In our view it is for anybody who can accept MSC's way of doing things, which falls way short of what we expect as a minimum when on holiday. Also whilst we loved the video of Getaway, the prices for these cruises is now at such a level that we are unlikely to cruise with them. That said we have three cruises booked over the next 18 months. All the best for 2019. John
Thanks for the story, John! I bet you understand why I keep mentioning the MSC situation in my videos, almost a year after my cruise on MSC Seaside. I really want to warn off folks that thinking a cruise on MSC is going to be just as good as what they may be used to on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival, etc.
It looks like they replaced the complimentary Cuban restaurant on the Getaway with Margaritaville. That's too bad because the Cuban place was delicious (and free)!
We loved the Cuban place on the getaway too. That's unfortunate.
Oh, yes... that happened quite a while ago. You must have sailed on Getaway when she was fairly new.
Was Mandy your cruise director?
No. It was Paquito Fuchs.
I was on this sailing Jim, we had a wonderful time despite the weather for the first few days. The Getaway is a wonderful ship very family friendly. Though in the 3yr span between Getaway sailings I did notice a lot of changes some not for the better. Our next sailing is on the Bliss Thanksgiving 2019. Your video from earlier this year on the the Bliss made me jump to book that ship. Thank you very much Jim Zimmerlin keep the videos coming.
You're welcome! You are going to enjoy your cruise on the Bliss... I'm sure!
Jim, really enjoy your videos. What do you recommend as a first cruise out of the NYC area? I know there are a couple of large ships leaving Port Liberty NJ, do you recommend any of them? Would be traveling solo and just want a one week away. Thanks!
Royal Caribbean's "Anthem Of The Seas" is one of the best cruise ships in the world, and sails out of Cape Liberty, NJ. There are quite a few different itineraries to choose from, depending on what you're interested in... everything from Fall Foliage cruises in New England to 7-day Bahamas cruises and all the way up to the ultimate cruise from the New York area, a 12-night Southern Caribbean cruise. I did it a few years ago, and it was fantastic. Check out my web page about it at http://www.jimzim.net/AnthemOfTheSeas.html
+Jim Zimmerlin THX 4 pointing that out .the food looked ravishing!
steph, me too ! except we went to harvest caye first stop, you remember ? Where Jim didn't ? Anyway Im sure we saw each other some ! THX Im still doing my laundry !
I did watch the video in its entirety..I just thought talking about the plane was unnecessary
Traci, Jim only spent about five minutes showing the interior of the plane; the rest of the video was island by island, including all the shopping, THEN he switched over to showing us his stateroom, PLUS the MDR, the spa section, the guided tour "below" for the crew, ziplines, swimming aboard and in the ocean, fun stuff for adults and children alike on the ship, and so on. Please--give him some credit here--watch the video in its entirety before commenting. :-)
I agree! But I’m still amazed for the B787 Dreamliner
+Rafael Miranda Yeah, Tell me about it Brah!
You don't recommend European cruise ships eh, why, is it because they expect you to use a knife with your fork?????
I guess if spending you're time with 10,000 strangers packed like a sardine!! Is you're idea of a vacation!!
Your videos should broadcast on network tv.
great video. We (family of 4) just got off Breakaway in New Orleans today. Very similar to Getaway. Overall excellent, but we've cruised with NCL twice and both times the first incompetent boob that took the passports botched the photos/names/key card so that I had to get it rectified shortly after entering the ship, and this time the steward didn't keep track of the minibar and we were charged 12 bucks for a vodka taken by previous occupants (stupid of us to not clear out the minibar...). But guest services was quick and efficient, overall great experience. It looks like you didn't do O'Sheehan's this time(?). It's not the same as a Guys burger, but the O'Sheehan burger was a really good (and huge) pub-type burger. I actually wouldn't mind if it was a bit less beefy. I think Carnival forced competitors to improve their burgers. Agree that Mex night in buffet was one of the weaker nights. There was always good, authentic Asian and Indian food, but I'm not sure there are any Mexican workers to make good Mexican food (although Carnival has figured out how to make good taqueria type food). Breakaway wasn't really that hard to navigate since Haven takes up a good portion of the front of the ship. It's effectively like navigating a typicall 100K tonnage displacement ship. It's the largest ship to sail from NO. We wish more bigger and more varied ships would go to NO, Mobile, Jacksonville.
Great video Jim. We have sailed on the Getaway not long after it was put into service and just a cruise on the Bliss in October and got off the Escape this week after a NYC embarked Christmas cruise. NCL knows how to look after their customers.
Jim got a calm voice O.O
Croysants LOL
That is the correct pronunciation of the word in California, which is where I live. If I lived in France, I would pronounce it differently. I'm not from France.
Very well done video. I cruise often(55) and publish videos but your's is most excellent. Good info
We love our NCL. Personally i'm not being on the getaway. I love the breakaway. This will be my 3rd cruise with Norwegian breakaway. Also i trying the bliss anx epic
I agree with you, I absolutely love the Getaway. My son and I sailed December of 2017, a week before Christmas. We had a spa mini suite and I absolutely loved the convenience of being able to use the spa anytime I wanted too. I will be sailing on this ship again. Thanks for mentioning to use a travel agent, as one I take pride in making sure my clients are happy.
Jim yellow and green birds @ Costa Maya are Citrine Lorikeets. Fruit and nectar feeders as they have a brush type tongue.
Thanks for this! We just took the same cruise over Christmas and you did a nice job of highlighting many things, and added a few we didn't know about.
Getaway was nice and we loved our Haven suite. I'd never go back to Norwegian unless I'm in the Haven. Itinerary is the problem. Not impressed with Roatan, and couldn't get off the "fake Belezian" atmosphere in Harvest Caye. We ferried over to Placencia for the real Belieze and it was fab. Costa Maya port was also a typical tourist disappointment. We taxied S past Mahahaul for a great day at private beach.
great video. We (family of 4) just got off Breakaway in New Orleans today. Very similar to Getaway. Overall excellent, but we've cruised with NCL twice and both times the first incompetent boob that took the passports botched the photos/names/key card so that I had to get it rectified shortly after entering the ship, and this time the steward didn't keep track of the minibar and we were charged 12 bucks for a vodka taken by previous occupants (stupid of us to not clear out the minibar...). But guest services was quick and efficient, overall great experience. It looks like you didn't do O'Sheehan's this time(?). It's not the same as a Guys burger, but the O'Sheehan burger was a really good (and huge) pub-type burger. I actually wouldn't mind if it was a bit less beefy. I think Carnival forced competitors to improve their burgers. Agree that Mex night in buffet was one of the weaker nights. There was always good, authentic Asian and Indian food, but I'm not sure there are any Mexican workers to make good Mexican food (although Carnival has figured out how to make good taqueria type food). Breakaway wasn't really that hard to navigate since Haven takes up a good portion of the front of the ship. It's effectively like navigating a typical 100K tonnage displacement ship. It's the largest ship to sail from NO. We wish more bigger and more varied ships would go to NO, Mobile, Jacksonville.
+Jim Zimmerlin should be extremely similar, but at least there are different shows (Burn the floor and Rock of Ages were both broadway quality). Rock of Ages is a bit raunchy, which I think does shock some viewers. 'Ashlie Amber Harris' did a Whitney Houston tribute that was really good. I'm sure your Haven shower will be better than the standard balcony room shower (was weak and shaped in some asymmetrical roundish shape---but at least it did keep the water in the shower).
Thanks for the notes! I'll be on Breakaway, out of New Orleans, a few months from now! You beat me to it.
+Keith Andrsn LOL you are funny. You never lock the door to your cabin? On any cruise ship in the world a crew member could walk in on you if you are not dressed. That has nothing to do with Epic
Only a voyueristic idiot from NCL could have approved the glass bathroom and shower walls/doors on the Epic? I cannot imagine a family occupying the cabin suites. Insult to injury, they placed the only curtain between the bathroom/shower and the living space. How many bare assed gaffs from the hallway have occurred when someone entered the cabin? Some things cannot be unseen! Save your cruisemates from the embarrassment.
Cruising can be relative inexpensive as long as you book early and don’t mind staying in an inside cabin. We are platinum plus’s on NCL and diamond plus on RCL. We LOVE the Haven on NCL. It’s pricey but you can get cheaper rate by booking early. We have a cruise planner on NCL and he is awesome. He will call and let us know if there are specials on Haven suits. NCL and RCCL are my ships of choice.
What camera did you use on this video? Excellent quality!
Most of it was shot on a GoPro Hero 7 Black. A few of the clips were shot with a Canon EOS 80D.
Where's the credit for the stock footage of the slides? You should review this: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/154235?hl=en
No stock footage was involved in this video. Every single video clip was a Jim Zim original. But I guess it's a compliment that the quality of my waterslide video was so good, you thought I ripped it off from a pro!
+Thomas Poke Well as youtube basically is his job i wouldn't be surprised for him to go on cruises which are very relaxing and fun and additionaly make a review of it, the youtube videos he posts on that cruise doesnt make up for the money spentfor that singular cruise for that singular video. In fact his monthly earning are less than most of the cruises expenses. Overall with the amount of money youtube is providing him he cant pay for cruises with it all so yeah it still genuine because he has to use money other than the youtube based money income
Deliberation Well does it? You and the other subscribers —> You Tube paying Jim lots and lots of money so that he can pay for the cruises and first class airfares —> alluding Jim to make more videos and get more subscriptions and rinse and repeat. And yes the airlines and cruise companies notice the viewership and do comp now and then since Jim is perceived to be s member of the press. So is he paying for all of this? Yes technically but when he says he pays for everything that’s a bit disingenuous.
Thank you sir for getting back with me so soon. Yes this was one of the videos I pressed like on. I will definitely study this again now that you have pointed out to me. Her and I like to have a few cocktails and have fun especially on a cruise. This will be her first and my forth cruise. I absolutely love to cruise.
I was in Cozumel,Mexico 20 of December
I was there on the 18th of December in Costa Maya
Your wonderful wife looks younger and more beautiful with each amazing video, keep up the great work Sir! I've only had the pleasure of one cruse in my life so far and it was onboard the Norweigan Getaway. A truly amazing experience thanks to your recommendations on the benefits of cruising in general. The industry should be paying you to be onboard! Thanks again!
How do you guys feel about Holland America Line. Thanks.
I've never sailed on Holland America... so I can't offer any input on that. My impression is that it's one of the more formal lines. I like to remain dressed really casually on a vacation, and getting dressed up is just not my thing at vacation time. So that's why I've never sailed with Holland America. Freestyle cruising on NCL is perfect for me.
Thomas Poke I do know, social blade give estimates based on their finding as to as run time, maximum is what he would make should everyone get an ad, however many people have Ad-Blocker and sometimes people don’t get the add so the maximum is true. This is validated by many youtubers coming forth stating their profit. Also it is none of our business of how much they make. How much did you make last year? And so far how are you doing money wise?
Deliberation So you don’t know. You are taking data from someone else. All of this could be avoided if YouTubers were more forthright.
Thomas Poke Social Blade give estimated Min-Max and he himself said he’s never been paid by any company. Social blade also lists his estimated earning per vid and monthly and year check
Deliberation Can you explain how you know all this?
+Thomas Poke He isnt paid for it at all, us subscribing cost nothing and per video he makes around 100$ plus which isnt even close to enough to pay off the cost of any singular cruise in fact his monthly youtube ad revenue wouldnt even be equivalent to the cost. And since he has no extra advertisers which other youtubers do such as gfuel, razer, logitech, zowie etc
Deliberation I think Jim’s videos are well done. He seems like a decent chap. I wouldn’t go on these mega ships even if I was paid to go (as he is) but that’s his gig and he has several hundred thousand subscribers who support his lavish lifestyle. My point is that when he says he is not paid to go on these trips that’s not entirely true. Most YouTubers want you to hit the subscribe button for a good monetary reason. So Jim and his wife travel the world on cruises and a subscription base pays for most of it. Good gig if you can get it.
Hi Jim!! I think we were on the same exact cruise together!
These are the best cruise videos on the planet!!!
Thank you! That's very nice of you to say.
Next time you’re in Costa Maya check out Maya Chan. It’s an all inclusive day resort created by some former cruisers. They are known for incredibly good service.
The allure was my cruise that I was on the 16december and 23december I have been to Cozumel then Roatan and then Costa maya and been to saint marten San Juan and labadee in Costa maya e did the 7 color lagoon try it
Norwegian Breakaway has the same bad design. The view is marred a lot by the sight of the orange lifeboats.
Awesome video dude!!! Going to be on the exact same cruise and itinerary March 3rd.
+Jim Zimmerlin tbh, other than a couple of formal nights in the dining room (not in the buffet of course), it wasn't really more formal than other cruises. Or possibly men were more apt to wear khakis/collars at dinner than shorts/t-shirts, but nothing too oppressive. We did the 'my time' dining, not unlike freestyle. But definitely if you want to see the most amazing cirque-type shows, spectacular theatrical shows, go-karts, waterslides, etc. then those would be more apt to be on NCL or Royal. We didn't do the upgraded dining, but do choose the upgraded dining on NCL. So Hal might not be for you, but I don't think it would have to do with formality; it's not like the QM2, which I think is actually is pretty formal. Hal actually seemed to feature a lot of 1960s and 70s music, which I liked. If you see a good nearby deal on the Koningsdam (or the other new one), it could be worth trying--but just go in knowing that it's not going to have the 'ooh' and 'ahh' factor that an Oasis class or a really new NCL ship has.
I recently went on the Norwegian Getaway to the western Caribbean. In my previous cruise, I stayed in the Star class on the Harmony of the Seas. This experience was completely different from my stay in the Haven on the Norwegian Getaway. Unfortunately, everything on the Norwegian Getaway was worse than the Harmony of the Seas. The entertainment was not comparable along with the overall service of the staff. I was disappointed by the haven area as it was boring and small. The ships overall size, not having the central park or boardwalk was a horrible step down. I found NCL Getaway to be a zoo on the top deck with crowds of people. As on the Harmony of the Seas, it was as if everyone was dispersed around perfectly on the ship. The spa in the Norwegian Getaway was crowded as if everyone on the ship was allowed access to it, with nowhere to sit, along with this the waterfall was loud and didn't allow you time to relax. Overall the quality of our trip on the Norwegian Getaway was not comparable to the Harmony of the Seas. NCL Getaway 4/10 Harmony of the Seas 9/10
If you are looking to go on a relaxing/fun cruise with amazing service, book the Quantum or Oasis class ships with Royal Caribbean.
+Thomas Poke I've actually only watched about 3 videos of his but with minimal effort i found the fact. He is doing this out of his heart, he legally cannot say he has never been paid to do a sponsored review because that's illegal and you can face jail time and fines and due to his stating he never has been paid then that mean the only income comes from the small amount he gets per youtube video which has no affiliate sponsor and has minimal income. If you are going to argue how invalid someone is and depict them as cruel and in it for the money do some research so you don't look like a complete idiot. Also as he seems to be older i would guess that he is retired and has funds saved up for the cruises which he paid for hence why i said this is his current job PS if you check my youtube its very clear I'm not 'In it" with him, i have yet to even graduate
Deliberation I understand now. You are a groupie for Jim. Aligned in some way. No way you post this message AND know all about Social Blade and min-max payments. So you say this so Jim can come back with the disingenuous bull about paying his own way. Later you say it’s his job to cruise! Jim and other folk have figured out a way to get paid to travel lavishly. I’m impressed but then to suggest he is doing this out of the goodness of his heart? No. I think you are a groupie in league somehow. We are supposed to believe there is no connection. Yeah sure.
By far the best video of this ship!
This is so cool cause I was in this ship on New Years
This makes me want to retire in the age of 30
Hello Jim. I love your videos. Used yi be an only Royal cruiser.but now NCL. You sokd me on the Spa balcony. Can't wait to go in 46days. Thank you for an awsome info.
Where can we find the Getaway’s info? (Capacity, length, etc.) thanks
Wikipedia!
Jim Zimmerman I love your honest!
what the most relaxing cruise you ever been on. I really need help figuring this out. My wife and I sailed twice on allure of the seas. We want to be papered, we want care free cruising, and although privacy hard to get on a ship with thousands of people be nice to have some of that. What do you think ? Nothing beats morning coffee on the room deck my fav thing ever. Oh and wife and I are 34 , so although I sound like im 50, well I am at heart lol.
You sound like someone who would enjoy "The Haven" on Norwegian cruise line. It's pricey, though... so if your budget will not allow you to do The Haven, consider a Havana cabin on one of Carnival's Vista-class ships instead. There are videos about NCL's Haven and Carnival's Havana area here on my channel.
I’m going there in April
some one sounds jealous
We're leaving for our cruise on the Getaway next week! Thanks for the heads up!
Thanks for this amazing video. We are on the Getaway right now. We too stayed in the Haven. We noticed you had a Haven hat. Where did you get this? My husband would like to purchase one.
Jim Zimmerlin Thanks for the reply. We asked our concierge about the hat and he said it must be a personal, homemade hat. Y’all could start a business!
It's one of a kind! My wife made it on her embroidery machine.
I thought this was a video about the ship and not flights and ports!
Seen 2/4/19 Sir. I would hire you. Your channel is informative. From Beverly Hills, Good day.
Extremely informative and helpful. I've heard so many negative things about NCL so this is refreshing and prayerfully we can experience the Haven.
Caught this with one month out for our Getaway cruise. Jim you did a great job and really got our kids excited. Love that you cover both adults and family activities. Can you do one about the shore excursions to recommend and others to avoid? Thanks again and keep up the awesome work.
What ports of call will you be visiting?
I didn't like harvest Kaye. Absolutely detached... Totally detached from Belize. That's what I don't like about cruising you do not get to experience a country... Just consumption. Edit: same with Costa Maya.
+Jim Zimmerlin like I said, shoehorning in even a five day cruise is difficult. I think one reason why cruise lines are building private resort Islands is..... Money. With a place like Harvey Kaye....even your off boat spending goes into their coffers.
+Jim Zimmerlin I agree with what you are saying; but getting time off from work is difficult and this cruise fit my window. I did cruise once before, and it's hard to get a feel for anything in 7 hours.
Sounds to me like you picked completely the wrong itinerary for someone who wanted to experience the countries you were visiting. Harvest Caye and Costa Maya are private destinations created specificially for cruisers. The majority of cruisers really LOVE those private destinations, and the cruise lines are building more and more of them in the Caribbean every year. When you relax on a public beach in a Caribbean country, you get bothered all day long by locals trying to sell you crap. On the beach of a private destination like Harvest Caye or Costa Maya you can truly relax without being bothered by any of the local vendors. And the cruise lines know exactly what kinds of things that their passengers want, so they always make sure to have those things available at the private destinations. Honestly, most Caribbean cruisers aren't out to experience the countries of the Caribbean... they are looking to relax on a nice warm beach with nice warm ocean water and have some food and drink and fun. That's what those private islands provide. But for you, as someone who want to experience the real country, you should have gone on a totally different itinerary... perhaps the Eastern Caribbean or the Southern Caribbean, where you wouldn't have been visiting private cruising destinations. You may have also picked the wrong cruise line for someone who wanted to experience the real countries. Viking might have been a better choice for you. Maybe a travel agent could have helped you pick a better cruise for your tastes. Seems to me like you picked the wrong one. On other itineraries, not visiting those private destinations, you probably would have had a much better time!
Its funny how many people are upset that someone ELSE can enjoy vacation and make a living too. BRAVO JZ, to HELL V.I. for them.
Enjoyed this very much , folks. Jim will you do a video sometime taking the rail across The States and or Europe and Canada ? Just a thought .
I might do the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada some day. My wife and I have also tossed around the idea of an Amtrak trip from the east coast to California... to get home from one of our east coast cruises, in lieu of flying. It would make a great subject for a video.
I need to know what excursions had that zipline, where there we climbing that net thing, im going there next year.
@Jim Zimmerlin I ABSOLUTELY LOVED YOUR VIDEO! I have 9 Cruises under my Belt it would have been 12 but we passed on three. Nowhere close to what you have Cruised! But We follow the same plan. We fly in a day early. Stay on BISCAYNE BLVD, across from the CVS you mentioned. Get out supplies and beverages for the ship from there. Then head over to The BAYSIDE MARKET and Shop, Eat and listen to live music
I follow the same plan when we Cruise
Hello, loved the video and I will be staying at the Holiday Inn, based on this video. I love the Bayside Marketplace. Hey, can you ask your wife, where did she get that great big beige bag she is carrying when you guys were boarding the ship, please, thanks.
She says she got it at Forever 21's web site. It's pink.
+Jim Zimmerlin Thanks, I'll go look for it!
@Jim Zimmerlin Thanks, I'll go look for it!
@Jim Zimmerlin like I said, shoehorning in even a five day cruise is difficult. I think one reason why cruise lines are building private resort Islands is..... Money. With a place like Harvey Kaye....even your off boat spending goes into their coffers.
@Jim Zimmerlin I agree with what you are saying; but getting time off from work is difficult and this cruise fit my window. I did cruise once before, and it's hard to get a feel for anything in 7 hours.
@Jim Zimmerlin tbh, other than a couple of formal nights in the dining room (not in the buffet of course), it wasn't really more formal than other cruises. Or possibly men were more apt to wear khakis/collars at dinner than shorts/t-shirts, but nothing too oppressive. We did the 'my time' dining, not unlike freestyle. But definitely if you want to see the most amazing cirque-type shows, spectacular theatrical shows, go-karts, waterslides, etc. then those would be more apt to be on NCL or Royal. We didn't do the upgraded dining, but do choose the upgraded dining on NCL. So Hal might not be for you, but I don't think it would have to do with formality; it's not like the QM2, which I think is actually is pretty formal. Hal actually seemed to feature a lot of 1960s and 70s music, which I liked. If you see a good nearby deal on the Koningsdam (or the other new one), it could be worth trying--but just go in knowing that it's not going to have the 'ooh' and 'ahh' factor that an Oasis class or a really new NCL ship has.
@Jim Zimmerlin should be extremely similar, but at least there are different shows (Burn the floor and Rock of Ages were both broadway quality). Rock of Ages is a bit raunchy, which I think does shock some viewers. 'Ashlie Amber Harris' did a Whitney Houston tribute that was really good. I'm sure your Haven shower will be better than the standard balcony room shower (was weak and shaped in some asymmetrical roundish shape---but at least it did keep the water in the shower).
@Jim Zimmerlin cant find that at all that would have a Fajitas. https://www.yelp.com/biz/mambo-cafe-miami
@Jim Zimmerlin true. The new GoPro has a quite good image stabilizer and might be a little higher quality video. Hero 7 I believe. Again it could just come down to your video editing software.
@Jim Zimmerlin THX 4 pointing that out .the food looked ravishing!
@Jim Zimmerlin Ok good to know!!! Yea thats common here in Miami unfortunately
@Jim Zimmerlin looks good, recommend it?
yes they are great!@Clarence Royandoyan
Have you been on the Norwegian Getaway twice?
Great video Sir! We're sailing on the Getaway in December. If you've ever sailed from New Orleans, what hotel do you recommend? Thank you
@Jim Zimmerlin Sounds Amazing! Thank you!
For sure! The zoo, the butterfly museum, a steamboat ride on the Mississippi River, a swamp tour to see alligators... just to name a few. Also, don't make the mistake of thinking the boys would be bored by the World War II museum. Google the WWII museum and check out all the really interesting things they have there. There are also streetcars, lots of live music, all sorts of restaurants... which the boys might enjoy. Also, check out the New Orleans River Walk and have lunch down in the food court at the mall, which may very well have a cruise ship docked right next to it, depending on the day you visit.
@Jim Zimmerlin Great information! I thank you Sir. We have 16 year old twin boys, if we go a couple days early do you happen to know if there are fun things to do in New Orleans for teens?
Some people try to stay at a hotel very near the cruise port, so that they can just walk from their hotel to the cruise terminal on embarkation day. But I don't really recommend that, because even the closest hotel will be a very awkward walk, pulling all your luggage along with you, to the cruise terminal. I actually prefer to stay over near the French Quarter. Not right in the French Quarter... too noisy at night! But very near, so it's an easy walk to get to Bourbon Street and all the night life. Then, on embarkation day, you just use Lyft or Uber to get you to the cruise terminal. The hotel we stayed at during our most recent New Orleans trip was called "Homewood Suites by Hilton, New Orleans French Quarter". Another good one in that general area is the "Courtyard By Marriott, New Orleans French Quarter". On our next trip to New Orleans, I think we might actually stay there at the Courtyard By Marriott, because I like a big breakfast in the morning and that hotel is located on the same block as an IHOP. The Homewood Suites was a 5-block walk to IHOP. I am assuming that you're going to come in to New Orleans a couple of days before your cruise, so you can enjoy all the fun New Orleans has to offer. If you're not actually planning to come to New Orleans until the night before your cruise, you could also just look for a hotel near the airport, with a free airport shuttle. Again, on embarkation morning, just take a Lyft to the cruise terminal. Don't take cabs... Lyft is quite a bit less expensive. And in all of our travels, the one and only time that a cab driver cheated me was in New Orleans! I never took a cab after that!
I really liked Harvest Caye! I went last year and I thought it was so beautiful. Although I didn’t like the see there, smelled so strong the day I went, but I fell in love with the pool! I thought it was so cool to have a nice restaurant for you to buy some food, but what I liked the most about the original NCL’s island was the fact that they make a no charge self serving station with barbecue and salads at the island. If you don’t want to pay for lunch, you must go back to the ship and it can be a long journey back for people with reduced mobility or a tedious walk if you just want to relax. Love your videos, best wishes from Argentina!