Spirit Suite Life Was So Sweet (review 2/20-2/27)

This is my first review... I will try to cover the things that were important to us and also answer some of the questions I saw on here before we left.

I am going to try uploading some pictures:confused:

Travelling was myself (40), my husband (42) and our son who turned 5 while onboard. This was my son’s and my 3rd NCL cruise and my husband's 1st. I have previously travelled on Crystal, Celebrity, Princess and the now defunct Cruise West.

We flew down to New Orleans early Saturday morning from NY. Took a cab to the Drury Inn- it was $14/person. Dropped off our luggage and set out to explore. We walked to the Louisiana Children's Museum and spent about an hour and a half there. It was $8/person. We wanted to have lunch at Mother's but the line was out the door and around the corner. We walked down towards the French Quarter and my son wanted to eat at Hard Rock (not my first choice with so many other fun/good restaurants available but it was fine and fast)

We walked around some more and then went into The New Orleans Wine Institute and purchased 9 bottles of wine to bring on board. I asked if they would ever deliver to the port and the sales girl said “no”!

We walked around some more and stopped in CVS for a few last minute supplies. This was the first night of Mardi Gras so we hightailed it out of the French Quarter by about 5pm as we did not want to blind our 4 year old!!!! Back to the hotel for “Kickback” which included a card for 3 free drinks plus appetizers like salad, hot dogs, baked potato, meatballs, chicken fingers, chips/salsa. My son took a quick swim in the roof top pool- pretty fun as we flew in from cold and snow! We were exhausted after getting up at 4am to travel and went back to the room and fell asleep without dinner!!

Woke up for the free hot breakfast- eggs, sausage gravy and biscuits, Belgian waffles, fruit. Hopped on the St Charles streetcar and rode it to Tulane- very beautiful houses/gardens. Walked around a bit and back to the hotel to head to the port. We grabbed a cab and asked to stop at Wal-Mart which is very close to the port (we were getting school supplies the bring to Roatan-more on that later) Cost with waiting time was $35+$10tip- for waiting for me for 20 min!!

DAY 1 EMBARKATION

We got to the port around 10:30-porters took our luggage- we tipped $2/bag. Went thru a very short security line and were directed to the table to pay for the wine- $15/bottle, no questions asked. Then we headed to the line for suite check-in. This was quick and easy. We were directed into a side room where there was coffee, tea and pastries. Here we met Belle. She explained what she was able to do for us and asked if we had any specialty restaurant reservations we wanted. We told her we were celebrating our son’s 5th birthday and would like to go to Teppanyaki Friday night. She said no problem- it’s all set. Then we were escorted right to our suite. We went in, dropped our carry-ons and set off to explore. I would say it was 11 or maybe 11:30 at the very latest.

We were in aft Penthouse Suite 9210- It had a living room with table and 4 chairs, 2 smaller side chairs, a couch that opened to be a twin bed for our son. There was also a large flat screen tv(?32”) and dvd player. The “hallway” had a “closet” with 5 shelves. The bedroom had a pocket door to close it off from the living room. King size bed, closet w/ sliding doors and a few shelves plus 2 safes. There was a smaller flat screen(19”?) and more shelves plus 5 drawers. The bathroom was separated from the bedroom by heavy curtains- made it nice and dark for sleeping. The bathroom had double sinks, a Jacuzzi and a separate area for the shower plus separate toilet area. There was also a small vanity area with 4 drawers.My only complaint here was that I wish the vanity had a larger mirror over it. The TV had CNN, BBC, E, plus a few others I can’t remember plus a few “cruise” channels and also played movies on a rotating schedule.

After a bit of exploring, the ship did not look run down to us, we went to Cagney’s for lunch. I had the veal ragu over papardelle, my son had the crab cakes and my husband the ahi tuna burger. All were tasty and the servers were friendly and efficient.

We next headed to the kids pool- this is one of my few complaints. The pool is supposed to be for 12 and under. There were a lot of bigger kids running and horsing around on the slides with no parents in sight and I worried that my small build 4 yo was going to get hurt. I also saw a few younger children with pampers or swim diapers in the pool and hot tub. I decided to investigate further as the last thing I want or need is my son with a gastrointestinal illness. An activity staff member came by and I asked him what the rule was- his answer was “we have a sign posted”. I went to look for the sign and found a very small sign with rules and “no diapers” was one of the last rules. I also saw a note at the bottom of the back page on the daily and a small note in the 3 ring binder that was in our room…. I can now see why people claim to not know this rule but the pool had to be closed twice for accidents… You would think that the staff time and effort would make them enforce this more but …. I guess not.

My husband enjoyed a Mojito while I had a Bloody Mary- also both tasty! (each was 8ish dollars in that plastic souvenir glass)

We went to the quick and painless muster/lifeboat drill. We were supposed to have an informal meet and greet w/ fellow CC’er’s in the Bier Garten. The band was playing by the pool so my son wanted to go down there and dance so we didn’t get to meet our fellow CC’er’s. Our luggage was in the room before the drill.

We met Mansur our butler and told him that our only request was cheese, crackers and fruit for our evening hors ‘oeuvres. He explained the Lavazza coffee maker (we don’t drink coffee- but it made tea as well so we were happy) and told us about the DVD library.

For dinner we went to Windows so I could meet the Maître d’ regarding my food allergies... NCL is very good with this- more on that later. There was no wait to be seated- just a few people in line in front of us that moved quickly as they were shown to tables. I had a steak, my son had fish and my husband had… I can’t remember. All were fine but plain- in 3 cruises I have never found the food to be terrible, disgusting or inedible. Even with my multiple food allergies I have always been able to find plenty of things to eat and always leave feeling full. It’s plain but as my husband said- what do you expect when they are cooking for 1000 +/- people. My son fell asleep during dinner so our night was over!

The ride down the Mississippi was not rough but there was a lot of vibration in the cabin that night until we hit the open water- my husband slept thru it!

The staff that we encountered were all very friendly and everyone took the time to say hello or high five my son. He was excited to get right to kid’s club but that was not to be this night! Our balcony was perfect for us to enjoy a drink and snacks and we watched the sunset while smiling!

Thank you for your review so far!

What did you think of the Drury Inn? I'm currently booked there and from your description of the location I think it's where we want to be. We'll be staying in the area from the Sunday before Mardi Gras and we want to be close enough to the French Quarter to be able to walk over and check things out and see parades, but want our hotel to be in a quieter area for sleeping and unwinding...

Sounds like they've done some upgrades to the suites since I last saw pictures (Lavazza machine (YAY) and flat panel TV). I hope you do post some pictures!

I will try to finish my review in the next day or two!! Have to do laundry and back to work at 7am tomorrow.My husband is going to put together an album of pictures, hopefully tonight, that I will include in my next segment.

We thought the Drury Inn was perfect for us. They have free appetizers, free breakfast, free wi-fi. The rooms were clean. Our son loved the pool. The French Quarter was about 4 blocks away and a safe walk. We also were about a 3 or 4 block walk to the Riverwalk mall as well. The street car was a block away. We were able to catch a parade yesterday about a block away on St Charles. It was mostly marching bands and floats- kid friendly.

We loved everything about this trip and are already booked again for the same trip next year:D

I will try to finish my review in the next day or two!! Have to do laundry and back to work at 7am tomorrow.My husband is going to put together an album of pictures, hopefully tonight, that I will include in my next segment.

 

We thought the Drury Inn was perfect for us. They have free appetizers, free breakfast, free wi-fi. The rooms were clean. Our son loved the pool. The French Quarter was about 4 blocks away and a safe walk. We also were about a 3 or 4 block walk to the Riverwalk mall as well. The street car was a block away. We were able to catch a parade yesterday about a block away on St Charles. It was mostly marching bands and floats- kid friendly.

 

We loved everything about this trip and are already booked again for the same trip next year:D

Thanks for the information. I may very well leave our reservation alone (unless I find better pricing!).

You'll be boarding the day we get off of the ship!

This is my first review... I will try to cover the things that were important to us and also answer some of the questions I saw on here before we left.

I am going to try uploading some pictures:confused:

Travelling was myself (40), my husband (42) and our son who turned 5 while onboard. This was my son’s and my 3rd NCL cruise and my husband's 1st. I have previously travelled on Crystal, Celebrity, Princess and the now defunct Cruise West.

We flew down to New Orleans early Saturday morning from NY. Took a cab to the Drury Inn- it was $14/person. Dropped off our luggage and set out to explore. We walked to the Louisiana Children's Museum and spent about an hour and a half there. It was $8/person. We wanted to have lunch at Mother's but the line was out the door and around the corner. We walked down towards the French Quarter and my son wanted to eat at Hard Rock (not my first choice with so many other fun/good restaurants available but it was fine and fast)

We walked around some more and then went into The New Orleans Wine Institute and purchased 9 bottles of wine to bring on board. I asked if they would ever deliver to the port and the sales girl said “no”!

We walked around some more and stopped in CVS for a few last minute supplies. This was the first night of Mardi Gras so we hightailed it out of the French Quarter by about 5pm as we did not want to blind our 4 year old!!!! Back to the hotel for “Kickback” which included a card for 3 free drinks plus appetizers like salad, hot dogs, baked potato, meatballs, chicken fingers, chips/salsa. My son took a quick swim in the roof top pool- pretty fun as we flew in from cold and snow! We were exhausted after getting up at 4am to travel and went back to the room and fell asleep without dinner!!

Woke up for the free hot breakfast- eggs, sausage gravy and biscuits, Belgian waffles, fruit. Hopped on the St Charles streetcar and rode it to Tulane- very beautiful houses/gardens. Walked around a bit and back to the hotel to head to the port. We grabbed a cab and asked to stop at Wal-Mart which is very close to the port (we were getting school supplies the bring to Roatan-more on that later) Cost with waiting time was $35+$10tip- for waiting for me for 20 min!!

DAY 1 EMBARKATION

We got to the port around 10:30-porters took our luggage- we tipped $2/bag. Went thru a very short security line and were directed to the table to pay for the wine- $15/bottle, no questions asked. Then we headed to the line for suite check-in. This was quick and easy. We were directed into a side room where there was coffee, tea and pastries. Here we met Belle. She explained what she was able to do for us and asked if we had any specialty restaurant reservations we wanted. We told her we were celebrating our son’s 5th birthday and would like to go to Teppanyaki Friday night. She said no problem- it’s all set. Then we were escorted right to our suite. We went in, dropped our carry-ons and set off to explore. I would say it was 11 or maybe 11:30 at the very latest.

We were in aft Penthouse Suite 9210- It had a living room with table and 4 chairs, 2 smaller side chairs, a couch that opened to be a twin bed for our son. There was also a large flat screen tv(?32”) and dvd player. The “hallway” had a “closet” with 5 shelves. The bedroom had a pocket door to close it off from the living room. King size bed, closet w/ sliding doors and a few shelves plus 2 safes. There was a smaller flat screen(19”?) and more shelves plus 5 drawers. The bathroom was separated from the bedroom by heavy curtains- made it nice and dark for sleeping. The bathroom had double sinks, a Jacuzzi and a separate area for the shower plus separate toilet area. There was also a small vanity area with 4 drawers.My only complaint here was that I wish the vanity had a larger mirror over it. The TV had CNN, BBC, E, plus a few others I can’t remember plus a few “cruise” channels and also played movies on a rotating schedule.

After a bit of exploring, the ship did not look run down to us, we went to Cagney’s for lunch. I had the veal ragu over papardelle, my son had the crab cakes and my husband the ahi tuna burger. All were tasty and the servers were friendly and efficient.

We next headed to the kids pool- this is one of my few complaints. The pool is supposed to be for 12 and under. There were a lot of bigger kids running and horsing around on the slides with no parents in sight and I worried that my small build 4 yo was going to get hurt. I also saw a few younger children with pampers or swim diapers in the pool and hot tub. I decided to investigate further as the last thing I want or need is my son with a gastrointestinal illness. An activity staff member came by and I asked him what the rule was- his answer was “we have a sign posted”. I went to look for the sign and found a very small sign with rules and “no diapers” was one of the last rules. I also saw a note at the bottom of the back page on the daily and a small note in the 3 ring binder that was in our room…. I can now see why people claim to not know this rule but the pool had to be closed twice for accidents… You would think that the staff time and effort would make them enforce this more but …. I guess not.

My husband enjoyed a Mojito while I had a Bloody Mary- also both tasty! (each was 8ish dollars in that plastic souvenir glass)

We went to the quick and painless muster/lifeboat drill. We were supposed to have an informal meet and greet w/ fellow CC’er’s in the Bier Garten. The band was playing by the pool so my son wanted to go down there and dance so we didn’t get to meet our fellow CC’er’s. Our luggage was in the room before the drill.

We met Mansur our butler and told him that our only request was cheese, crackers and fruit for our evening hors ‘oeuvres. He explained the Lavazza coffee maker (we don’t drink coffee- but it made tea as well so we were happy) and told us about the DVD library.

For dinner we went to Windows so I could meet the Maître d’ regarding my food allergies... NCL is very good with this- more on that later. There was no wait to be seated- just a few people in line in front of us that moved quickly as they were shown to tables. I had a steak, my son had fish and my husband had… I can’t remember. All were fine but plain- in 3 cruises I have never found the food to be terrible, disgusting or inedible. Even with my multiple food allergies I have always been able to find plenty of things to eat and always leave feeling full. It’s plain but as my husband said- what do you expect when they are cooking for 1000 +/- people. My son fell asleep during dinner so our night was over!

The ride down the Mississippi was not rough but there was a lot of vibration in the cabin that night until we hit the open water- my husband slept thru it!

The staff that we encountered were all very friendly and everyone took the time to say hello or high five my son. He was excited to get right to kid’s club but that was not to be this night! Our balcony was perfect for us to enjoy a drink and snacks and we watched the sunset while smiling!

9 bottles of wine, what did you do, share them with Conner? Only kidding of course. It was a wonderful cruise huh?

Nita

9 bottles of wine, what did you do, share them with Conner? Only kidding of course. It was a wonderful cruise huh?

 

Nita

We ended up taking 2 back off board yesterday!!!

I'm enjoying your review. We were in 9710 in December and loved our cruise. We thought Belle was the best! We just booked again for January. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your review and seeing the photos. :)

Pat

Did you get them to refund the corkage fee?

We ended up taking 2 back off board yesterday!!!

DAY 2-SEA DAY

Headed to Cagney’s for breakfast. They have a small buffet with fruit, cereal, meats and cheeses plus pastries. You can also order off the menu- eggs benedict, waffles, pancakes, french toast, and fruit de mar. Again service was very friendly and efficient. Servers already knew my son’s name.

Went to the Meet & Greet- well attended by cruise staff including the captain Evans Hoyt.

Went back to the kid’s pool. My husband played in the Texas Hold ‘Em and Blackjack tournaments ($100 initial buy in. We opted for lunch at the buffet since we were wet from the pool and sat at the aft Raffles Terrace (views are beautiful). Plenty to choose from although I often just have a great big salad as cross contamination is quite high here ( I always play it safe with my food allergies).

My son went to Kid’s Club- he loves it and would rather hang out with the other kids than us!! No charge on sea days 9am-10:30pm. Staff told me only 200 children < 18 on this sailing. It was great and he got a lot of attention from Crocodile, Ace and Snuffles.

We relaxed on our balcony and took my son to the buffet so he could rush back to Kid’s Club.

I forgot to mention specialty restaurants were 20% off on Sunday night and all week kids were ½ price in specialty restaurants. Attended the VIP party in The Art Gallery- Captain and other senior staff were there. Cocktails and appetizers were passed. We had a nice leisurely dinner in The Garden Room- no waiting at 7:30pm. This is one of my other complaints: I understand casual and believe me I am all for it but there’s a point where casual turns into sloppy… We saw 2 girls in their 20’s in short Under Armour workout shorts and hoodie sweatshirts and another guy in baggy shorts a sleeveless t-shirt and sideways baseball cap…. How are they allowed in the dining room? My husband did wear nice Bermuda type shorts and a collared shirt a few nights.

After dinner we went to The Newlywed Not So Newlywed game. This was pretty funny and all the women contestants got a sapphire bracelet (maybe it was a necklace??)

DAY 3- COSTA MAYA

Back to Cagney’s for breakfast. The servers now know our preferences and great us by name. Special attention given to our son- he is eating up the attention!

We had booked a private tour to Maya Chan and got a discount( before the discount it was $56/per adult and $30/child with a $90 deposit on paypal) as a lot of CC people were going as well. Belle told us to call her when we were ready to disembark and she would escort us off. This perk alone is worth the price of a suite in our opinion!!!

When we called her she told us to meet her in Henry’s Pub and took us out thru the crew area and we were in the front of the line to disembark. My son thought going the “secret way” was the greatest. We walked thru the port area and outside to the bus/taxi area. Our name was on the list for the bus to Maya Chan and we all waited off to the side to board the bus. Bus ride was about 15 or so minutes.

This place was outstanding staff was super friendly, drinks were great and the food was DELICIOUS- unlimited soft tortillas with fish, chicken or beef, homemade salsa ,chips and homemade guacamole. They had clean bathrooms and showers. My husband had a great 30 min massage for $25 + $10 tip. It was very windy that day so no snorkeling trip but we just played in the water and relaxed under our palapa. They had warned us when it was windy there would be turtle grass in the water and on the beach. They were raking it up as fast as they could. We had a great time and are already booked for next year.

They called us a cab around 3pm and we went back to the port for a little shopping and my son swam in the pool there.

Dinner was Taste of India ($15/each). This was unbelievable. I would highly recommend this to anyone even if you are not sure if you like Indian food.

The Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef met with me before hand to discuss my food allergies and assured me that I would have no problems and they would make the few dishes that contain nuts and/or seafood separately for me. We had 22 different dishes and each one was better than the next. Even the waiter was great about which dishes I could and couldn't have. This really meant a lot to me- I wrote a style card for each one. We sat with another couple from Canada who were very nice.

Picked our son up at Kid’s Club- which opened after we left port at 6pm. It was 9:30 and off to bed we went (we’re kinda boring).

I must mention that we did not see or really use the butler much but every night he brought/left us cheese, bread and grapes and strawberries. I also saw 2 for 1 martinies every night so far. Specialty restaurants were 20% off again.

Did you get them to refund the corkage fee?

I didn't even think to ask that...:rolleyes:

Hope this works!

More pictures...

I'm enjoying your review. We were in 9710 in December and loved our cruise. We thought Belle was the best! We just booked again for January. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your review and seeing the photos. :)

 

Pat

I am sad to report Belle is going to the Star for her next contract:(

Great job on your review! Don't know if I will get to putting anything down until sometime next week. Say hi to my friend!

Thank you for your review and pics. What did you think of the theater?

How much does breakfast at Cagneys cost?

Breakfast & lunch in Cagney's is only for those passengers in suites or guests that have been given a VIP status.

how did you book the private tour to Maya Chan? was it through NCL excursions? we are leaving on mar. 6 and I haven't booked one excursion yet. oh my, i better get moving!!!!

Great job on your review! Don't know if I will get to putting anything down until sometime next week. Say hi to my friend!

I'm working on it a bit at a time... I was really GREAT to meet you and Tim. Connor did the dolphin puzzle last night- I'll email you a picture.

DAY 4 BELIZE CITY

We had VIP tender tickets in our room the night before. When we saw Belle at breakfast she told us to call her and she would escort us down to the first tender- but we did not need this as we were all doing ship sponsored excursions.

My husband did the ship’s excursion for Discover Scuba- the boat picked him right up from the ship, after picking up a few passengers from the Sun. He said this was a great excursion and is now signing up to get PADI certified- this counts towards his credits.

My son and I took a trip to the ruins Altun Ha. We had 2 guides who were interesting and informative with a sense of humor. The tender ride was about 15 minutes to the Tourist Village then we boarded a bus for an hour ride. Some say the road is very rough and bumpy. I didn’t think it was that bad. The only complain was the a/c did not seem to be working.

We arrived and they let everyone use the clean restrooms then off we went to the plaza. The guide speaking here was Mayan and this really added to the experience. It was HOT but he led us to shade to talk and thankfully there was a breeze. At the end you could climb the ruins or shop. My son and I stupidly wore flip flops and I thought better of trying to climb. Back on the bus they gave us bottled water and the ride back was hot but not unbearable.

My son and I were back in time for lunch at Cagney’s and some swimming. My husband had the buffet when he returned- he loves that Indian and Asian choices are available along with hot dishes, salads and sandwiches. Who could pass up the soft serve ice cream?

Dinner at Windows- the Maître d’ shows me the menu for the next night and I order and it is prepared in a special kitchen. When I arrive I just give my cabin # and it comes out with my husband’s meal.

Our son was in Kid’s Club- they had a lot of fun activities such as Under Sea Adventure, t-shirt decorating, Mad Hatter bday party, Prince + Princess Party. There was an arcade on 7 near Shanghai Bar that he did not go to but I peaked in and it looked busy ( wonder what some of the parents thought when they got their bill??)

Tonight we went to the casino to play Blackjack. Now I have to say that I am probably the biggest smoke hater there is. It was smoky in there but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I lasted about an hour and was up $250 so we headed back to our cabin. Tonight was a Caribbean deck party out by the pool. I still am seeing 2 for 1 martini’s each night from 7-9pm.

DAY 5 ROATAN

Upon awakening this am I noticed that we seemed to be sailing past Mahogany Bay. I was a little worried as I remember last year on the Jewel we had been docked at Coxen Hole and saw that Carnival did not make it in that day due to high winds.

Another breakfast in Cagney’s- I was enjoying the steak and eggs while my son and husband alternated between waffles, pancakes and French toast.

The captain came on to announce that we were going to drop anchor at Coxen Hole as conditions were not favorable for getting into and maybe out of Mahogany. Belle told us to meet her in Henry’s Pub if we wanted VIP tender access. As we were sitting near the reception desk waiting for a few others we overheard A LOT of moaning and complaining… the usual “this is the worst cruise ever” “ I will never take NCL again” “ I’m calling my travel agent” and on and on and on…. My husband and I chuckled to ourselves.

We got on the first tender (and saw a few of the loudest complainers were escorted on as well- this is amazing to me) Once we were out side of the port shopping area we were met by Jonathan from Rony’s tours. He took us over to introduce us to Norma our driver for the day.

Our first stop was the Iguana Farm- my son and I had been there previously and wanted to take my husband. Norma gave us some history along the way and answered all of our questions. She made a few stops at places she felt would make great photo opportunities.

Our next stop was the highlight of the day for us. We went to an orphanage, prior to leaving home I had asked Rony what we could bring as a donation- he said school supplies. In N.O. we had gone to Wal-Mart and filled a big duffle bag with pens, pencils, crayons, markers, glue all kinds of paper stickers, glitter etc. We spent about an hour there talking to the children (ages 7-18) and the live-in director. They were so happy and grateful- this really made our day.

On to the beach. We headed to West Bay beach. We pulled into Infinity but were told they had just sold out. So we went next door to Paradise. $10 for a chair the bar was not crowded and my husband was able to walk a few hundred yards back to Infinity to enter the water to snorkel. Bananarama was on the other side of us and looked packed! We also saw the sign for Celeste’s restaurant where we were going to eat but we ended up not being hungry. We took a banana boat ride $20 for my husband and I and he let our son go free because it was his birthday the next day. We had a blast but in retrospect I will probably wait until my son is a little bigger before taking him again. He was fine and really enjoyed it- I was a nervous wreck he was going to get hurt! Norma waited with our stuff the entire time

Back to the ship- dinner at the buffet for our son. Windows for us. Tonight was Second City (7:15+9:15). We enjoyed this. The White Hot Party was tonight as well- but we didn’t make it that long!! There was also a murder mystery at lunch ($20) that I have to try to remember to get to next trip.

Tonight we saw our steward Milton in the hallway- he was AWESOME and want to give him kudos for being so friendly and nice every time we saw him. He always took the time to ask my son how he was and where he was going.

We asked him about buying the birthday decoration package for the room and he said ask the front desk to charge it to your room and I’ll put it up while you are ashore tomorrow. The front desk told us it’s too late. We told Milton who called his supervisor who said “they should never tell a guest no”. Milton suggested we call Belle- who said it’s done- no worries.

DAY 6 COZUMEL(Connor’s birthday)

We had laid out some presents while he was sleeping. He got dressed in the birthday shirt my mom had made him and off the Cagney’s we go. EVERYONE was wishing him Happy Birthday, lots of high fives. He was really enjoying that so many people knew and acknowledged it.

We were a little slow this morning so we did not use Belle to disembark and just walked off. This was my first time docking at Punta Langosta. It appeared that the only way out was thru a shopping mall type place. We went to the cab stand outside and took a cab to Nachi Cochem-$16. It was $49/adults and $17 children. We used a credit card to hold and paid cash when we arrived.

They had a bar, a restaurant, a pool with Jacuzzi and a long stretch of beach. We settled into our chairs and the waiter came right for drink orders.

My husband signed up for a snorkel boat trip ($35/1-1.5hrs).

We had a great time playing in the water and at the pool( the Jacuzzi was filled with a group of loud drunks) Lunch was off a menu with a selection of Mexican dished( fajitas, tacos, enchiladas etc) and sandwiches, wings, burgers, salads etc. The waiter brought over a slice of cheesecake with a candle and we all sang Happy Birthday. We headed back to port- they called us a taxi when we were ready and did a little shopping for Connor’s birthday. The room had steamers, balloons, confetti and a huge cake when we returned

For dinner tonight we were going to Teppanyaki for Connor’s birthday dinner. I was a little worried because of my allergies but belle and the Maitre d’ assured me that the chef had been notified and not to worry. We had the 6:30 seating.

Warren was our chef and Ni our waitress and they were GREAT. Warren told me his wife had a shrimp allergy and had to be hospitalized so he understood. I was so relived and able to enjoy the “show”. We thought the food was delicious. Miso soup, seaweed salad. garlic fried rice and veggies. We had ordered chicken and steak and our son had the tofu and veggies. Others had shrip and scallops. Dessert was fruit or green tea cake/ice cream. They had arranged for a cake and singing but our son was literally crying to get to kid’s club as they were going to have a little party there for him (they arranged to do it the following night when we went to dinner)

We had wanted to go to Elements but ended up back in the casino. We left after about an hour- ahead a little bit. On the way to pick up our son we stopped and bought 2 cruise rewards. Tonight in our room were the luggage tags and instructions for priority disembarkation (sad)

how did you book the private tour to Maya Chan? was it through NCL excursions? we are leaving on mar. 6 and I haven't booked one excursion yet. oh my, i better get moving!!!!

They have a website or I believe you can also do it thru Island Marketing. They only sell 40 spots I had booked it 6 months in advance

Thank you for your review and pics. What did you think of the theater?

I thought the theater was fine. There were "box" seats on the top level side and also seats down on the floor level with little tables. We didn't make it to nearly as many shows as we wanted to.

Thanks for posting your review. I found it very informative because I'm considering booking your exact cabin for next year. I thought from looking at the deck plans, that the balcony seemed narrow but I was really surprised at how narrow it appeared in your photos. Do you know if the balconies were all fairly narrow? The width is not a deal breaker but we do enjoy our time out there.

Thanks for posting your review. I found it very informative because I'm considering booking your exact cabin for next year. I thought from looking at the deck plans, that the balcony seemed narrow but I was really surprised at how narrow it appeared in your photos. Do you know if the balconies were all fairly narrow? The width is not a deal breaker but we do enjoy our time out there.

We LOVED this cabin and as I said tried to book it again for next Feb but it is already booked.:( We did not find the width (narrowness) of the balcony to be a problem. We had two nice comforable chairs each with a little side table and a lounger out there. Others had 2 lounge chairs. The 3 of us fit fine. Aft is so AWESOME. I am trying to make an online photo album so I can post a link to better (bigger) pictures

We ended up taking 2 back off board yesterday!!!

geeze you could have shared them with us you know? On the other hand we did enough for all of us, so guess it is better you didn't share. I might add, a few of our family enjoyed their booze a little too much a couple of nights.

Nita: Smiles