southernat_Heart

Hi everyone,

My Husband and I are sailing on the Breakaway in late October of 2017 as a 5 year anniversary/birthday gift, so we've opted to stay in the Haven (spa suite 14130). We've only sailed once before, on RCL's Allure (in a Grand Suite for a West Caribbean itinerary).

I have a few questions that I haven't found in my searches. :)

What is difference between Haven and GS categories with NCL and RCI? Aside from the access to the Thermal spa, the spa tub in the room and dedicated haven area (Better than the sundeck bar on the Allure, I'm guessing ;) ) are there notable differences in offered special services? Do Haven guests have a special area on GSC? Are there special things like going out on the helipad and being introduced to the Captain and ship officers? Things like that, which I hadn't previously found out in my research, really made our last cruise special.

Also, what brand of water is in the room with the champagne on the first day? I don't drink Aquafina, and understand that it is the standard offered water on the ship (so I won't be paying for it either). Is the ship potable water filtered? Does it have a weird taste or odor? This might seem very picky, but I drink a lot of water and we use a zero water filter at home, and I just find Aquafina to have a faint taste that disagrees with me. Anyway, I was considering bringing one of the brita or other brand water filter bottles with me to solve this problem. However, I read that the butler can also supply water on demand, so if I don't have to buy a special water bottle for this, I'd rather not.

What excursions in Nassau did you guys enjoy? I'm not expecting the cruise to have amazing ports (Leaving out of NYC was convenient) but if there is something you would suggest, I am all ears. I thought that the Space Center tour in Port Orlando would be fun. My husband is not much of a swimmer, but may be open to snorkeling. We swam with dolphins in Mexico, so are not interested in doing that again (but I would swim with sharks).

I know this seems long winded already, but I gave up trying to find information about the discontinuation of Rock of Ages this year as well. I saw a rumor, is that true? What would be the show for October 12017 if that's the case?

Thanks for the help!

Any idea on BA Haven Spa suite # 14130?

We are staying in room 666(0). I hope it's not as hellish as the number would suggest!

Cuizer, we read your review and enjoyed the photos, thank you for giving us an idea of what to expect. Can I say that I feel more excited now than ever?!

I hadn't given this much consideration, but our room is on the 6th floor, which is apparently not a 'good' floor. Any reason why? I'm assuming noise, but I'd love to know if I am going to have a surprise in store for me (and how to prep for it).

Thank you guys for your comments (You are probably right about the 7 night thing, I just didn't have the email handy, Cuizer ;) )

I'll give the excursions some serious consideration this weekend. I've never been seasick (but I've also never been para-sailing, on a ship, or pretty much everything else I'm doing on this trip) but perhaps the cabana thing is the way to go. We shall see.

Thanks guys again for the help and advice, I'll be sure to check out that post of your's Big Al.

So I am back and we have booked our cruise (we actually did last week, but it's been a crazy busy time getting everything ready, passports etc..)

This is what we booked: RCC 6 night western Caribbean with ports in Haiti, Jamaica and Cozumel on the Allure of the Seas with a Grand suite. Picking this cruise has been hard, the ports were not really what I would have preferred, however leaving out of Ft. Lauderdale will allow us to stay with family, and I will at least get to see some sort of ruins in Cozumel.

We chose the grand suite over a balcony (which I would have probably had been fine with and will do if/when we have a second cruise) on my husband's insistence to be 'spoiled a little'. Is it the best way to spend our money? Maybe, maybe not, but I am sure we will love it and I know I'll spend time in it for some peace and quiet if the ship gets to be too many people for me. Also comfort and space are things that we enjoy, and it's not like the money in our vacation budget wasn't going to be spent on -something-. (The talk of family cruises is nice, but that's still at least 3 years down the line)

So anyway, that's the cruise. I haven't booked our excursions yet, but after looking at whats available, I've thought about para-sailing in Hati and (if this is actually available for us) the Chicken Itza trip in Cozumel. We had planned on staying aboard the ship in Jamaica and probably take advantage the time with some intense minigolf action. I've heard Jamaica can be a little scary for travelers and that even the taxi cabs push drugs. Not really something I'm interested in dealing with! For those that have done these ports, do you guys have any advice?

That's disappointing. I know they are not the 'dream' ship, and I was actually just looking at photos in dismay. Back to the drawing board.

Thank you Lerin for your suggestion. The thing is, our long delay wasn't a financial one, but just for a lack of time with very busy lives.

That being said, I think we have made our decision. After looking at countless Western Caribbean cruises, weighing our options with time frames with ports etc etc we have chosen (tentatively) NCL's Sun for the 7 night cruise leaving from Tampa and doing the the South America circuit rather than anything involving islands, as that seems to be more of interest to us.

My question now is about any possible tips about this particular ship. Also, after marveling on how anyone fits into some of the little rooms, we are definitely doing a well deserved splurge and getting a suite. I understand that there's just the owners suite and the penthouses on this ship, of which I am interested in the latter. What's the best room or deck/location for ease of movement while still being relatively private/quiet?

Thank you all for the really fantastic and very detailed(!) suggestions. As far as the debate on suite or not, at least for me, it would greatly depend on the price difference. Typically we like a larger room when we travel, and I know we would at the very least want a balcony, which I do think could be rather romantic and worth the cost. A suite would be decadent, and I could think of a few ways to find reasons to stay inside if that's what I had to look forward to. ;) I have quite a bit to look into here, but I promise to keep you all updated.

Hi there, I figured I'd make a new post to help guide me in a more specific direction with cruises. Firstly, my husband and I are looking to possibly (we are not entirely sold on taking a cruise, but we are seriously considering it) book a cruise for a very long awaited late honeymoon. We are in our 30s, and active adults that want to have our last 'amazing' experience before we really settle down and have a family, so this trip has been the subject of many evenings of internet research.

To give you an idea (for those that might be of some assistance), I am looking for a cruise that is about 7-10 days, not Europe. Our budget's high point is 8,000, but we'd prefer to keep it at about 5 grand. I think that doing a cruise that involves some historic sightseeing opportunities, or the possibility of some ancient pyramids would be the most interesting to us, with the opportunity for some snorkeling, etc.

Additionally, I've done some research on the various cruise lines and am very interested in booking on Royal Carribean's Oasis of the Seas, mostly because it seems to be in the category of good ratings and being recently updated. However, i noticed the mention of it having a larger 50+ crowd (no offense meant, I am just looking for something that will be appropriate for our age).

So with all of that being said, I'd really appreciate any suggestions, whether that be a specific ship/cruise or destination that would offer the opportunities that we are seeking. Thank you guys!