20240227 NCL Escape Neighbors Cruise - Day 4 - Grand Cayman - Shopping and steaks

NCL Escape Neighbors Cruise Day 4 - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

We rolled up to Grand Cayman this morning. This is a tender port, meaning that there isn't a dock that can handle a ship this size. We parked offshore using dynamic positioning. Rather than drop an anchor, the bridge essentially hits a button and tells the ship to, "stay". The various propulsion systems on the ship keep it pointed in the right direction and nearly motionless automatically. Technology can be cool.

We weren't the only ones. There were four ships in Grand Cayman today. 

MSC Seascape and Celebrity Reflection

Disney Fantasy

(all numbers are approximates)

• NCL Escape: 4,700 passengers (us)
• Disney Fantasy: 4,000 passengers
• Celebrity Reflection: 3,000 passengers
• MSC Seascape: 5,200 passengers

With nearly 17,000 passengers plus more crew going ashore, we added around 30% to the population of Grand Cayman today.

Celebrity Reflection, MSC Seascape, NCL Escape, Disney Fantasy

The disembarkation process was sloppy with nobody knowing where to go and different crew members giving different instructions and information. Ultimately we got on a tender (lifeboat) for the short five-minute ride to shore.

We opted today to just wander around town, browsing the shops and seeing what we see. We started by finding the stingray fountain.

We continued wandering, exploring the shops (mostly jewelry).

Chickens roam freely in Grand Cayman - not something you'd expect to see in a city.

Apparently, this sign pointed to something interesting as he was heading there

We grabbed a couple of sodas at Burger King and sat for a few minutes. One cock, three hens, and two chicks were hitting up customers for any fries or buns that might go uneaten.

This sign in the bathroom at Burger King was too good to not share.

We continued wandering, stumbling across a small park in the middle of town.

With shopping completed, we headed back to catch a tender to the ship. NCL was now using commercial tenders like the other ships were using this morning. They are larger and less cramped than the lifeboats, so that was nice.

When we got back, we had to wind through a cattle line to eventually get to security.

We have discovered on this voyage that NCL is not very good at moving large numbers of people effectively. When I compare this with the larger Royal Caribbean ships, the difference is amazing. Royal has it figured out and NCL doesn't.

As we got back on the ship, we switched our phones back into airplane mode with WiFi on. That clearly demonstrated that another thing NCL hasn't figured out is internet service. They rank right up there with Viking and Oceania for the top spot in crappy, yet costly internet. Once again, Royal Caribbean and their sister company, Celebrity, have it figured out with top-tier Starlink internet service. On those lines, it is almost like being at home in terms of internet quality. It is really apparent if you have to make a call. All my calls on NCL have had very poor sound quality. Oh well, live and learn.

We went up to the Garden Cafe for a quick bite. Two of our travel friends met us and wanted to go to O'Sheehan's Pub on deck 7. We finished and went with them for a drink as they had lunch. O'Sheehan's is open 24/7 for drinks, appetizers, handhelds like sliders, wings, and other pub-style food. It is a nice venue on deck 7 overlooking the main atrium on deck 6.

After that, we all headed to our rooms for a little downtime. Dinner is late tonight. With 8 PM reservations at Cagney's Steakhouse, we had time. This gave me the time to get most of this missive written before dinner, making it so I won't have too late an evening.

We sailed right on time just before 5 PM, which we found surprising, given the disorganization of getting folks off and then back on the ship. We were treated to a lovely sky as we made our exit from the Cayman Islands.

We met up at the Prime Meridian Bar a little after 7 PM. As has been the standard on this cruise, seats were hard to come by. Eventually, we all got seats just in time to get seated for dinner. Cagney's, like most of the specialty restaurants, is an a la carte eatery, meaning that if you don't have a dining plan, you pay for each item you order. Many of us were looking forward to surf and turf until we found out that surf and turf came with a $25 upcharge, even if you had a dining package. NCL was nickel and diming us again. The meal with the package included an appetizer, a soup or salad, a main course, two side dishes, and a dessert. Don't get me wrong, that was plenty of food, but going to a steakhouse on a dining plan and not being able to get surf and turf is amazing to us.

Our meals were good, but definitely not great. The filet that I had was fine, but it lacked terrific flavor. Arlona's prime rib was good, but again, it lacked flavor. The garlic mushrooms didn't taste like garlic at all. The onion rings were tasty. The seven-layer chocolate cake was a huge disappointment as it was dry and bland. Arlona's chocolate cake is much better. At the end of the meal, they still present you with a bill, even though it gets zeroed out. Our meal ran $201. Again, that is above and beyond the cost of the meals that are included in our cruise fare. We view Cagney's as a "meh", with modest food at exhorbinent prices.

The best part of the evening was spending time with friends and enjoying our time together. Dinner wrapped up at 10:30 PM, so everyone was ready to call it a night. Eating this late just before bed means I'm looking forward to a lovely night with heartburn. That's not NCL's fault, but I'd feel better about the heartburn of the meal had been world-class.

Tomorrow, we will dock in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We don't have a definite plan. We might look to walk to the beach and perhaps swim/snorkel a bit. We'll see what the morning holds.