CJDepew

I'm on the Dawn next month and cabanas are able to be booked as an excursion on my account. Take a look at what's offered at HC and you should be able to reserve one.

I had posted this a few weeks ago. You may find some helpful info here.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2571761

Love your video! Hoping to schedule the Sunshine for Feb of 2019 for an eastern itinerary. The ship looks like a lot of fun. I know food is subjective, but did you enjoy your meals? I'm not a food snob by any means, but our only other Carnival experience left a lot to be desired in regards to dining, so a lot of Guy's burgers were consumed.

We’ve only sailed with RC’s Enchantment. However NW’s Epic is now in our local Port. Thoughts on the ship, rooms, entertainment? What is free, what are additional charges? Please share your experience! :)

We've sailed both. The crowd size is the major difference, as far as I'm concerned. It was nice not to have to make reservations for anything on the Enchantment. Specialty dining and shows need reservations on the Epic. Some shows are an up-charge as well as specialty dining.

We had an interior on Enchantment and a balcony on Epic. Not easy to compare, but the balcony room walls are curved on the Epic and the beds are a bit shorter. Anyone over 5'8 might be uncomfortable sleeping. Additionally, the layout of the bathrooms on the Epic is a little different. Shower on one side of the room, toilet closet on the other. Sink in the room, next to the shower stall.

I'm not much of a drinker but I do enjoy the fruity, frozen drinks on board. I did prefer the Enchantment's drink selection, but that's sort of a personal thing.

I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

We took an unfilled Brita water bottle with no problem last February.

We made our sixth visit to Maya Chan last month and it was better than ever! Road is still bumpy and after a very wet month of December, all of the pot holes were filled with water -- not to worry, as we had a brand new taxi van with great A/C and suspension. No sea grass to speak of.

 

By the way: Jane wrote a book about the history and building of Maya Chan. I just ordered my copy off of Amazon; should be a fun read!

 

https://www.amazon.com/Helps-Crazy-Story-Maya-Beach/dp/1432794566/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515453810&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=building+of+maya+chan

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

Thanks for the update. We're headed there March 2nd and I am so excited.

IF CGB beach is open when you're there in April and Myett's is open for business, it's a great place to spend the day.

How many posters can name all the Carnival ships that have experienced "propulsion problems" in the last few years? Some ships were repositioned so their slower speeds wouldn't impact longer 7 day cruises.

 

Let's start with Triumph, then Liberty, Valor, Dream, and Sunshine. Any others?

 

This is a not a knock on Carnival, other lines have issues as well. Considering how they operate these vehicles 365 days a year, I wouldn't be surprised that more ships have already joined or will soon join the "propulsion problem" club. I'd rather not be on one when it happens.

We had one on the Conquest during our March 2016 cruise. It shortened our stop in Montego Bay, but the issue was resolved there and the rest of the itinerary occurred as planned.

He wasn't digging in the sand? STOP SLACKING OFF, TOPHER! :D

 

 

Good question, as I could see it being an issue walking on the beach in the soft sand. The walking is a bit easier where the sand has gotten wet, but then, your feet will get wet too. :)

If you walk out of the port itself and along the road to the left, you can get to Jack's that way also. It might be an easier walk for mobility-impaired folks. If all else fails I assume you could take a taxi there.

Thanks. After I posted here I visited their website and it mentioned it was a quick taxi ride from the port, so those folks might find that option easier. It looks like a fantastic place to spend a day.

Planning a cruise for 2019 and leaning towards an itinerary with a stop at Grand Turk. A couple in our group have slight mobility issues but don't require assistance for walking, they just travel at a bit slower pace. Do you think the walk to Jack's Shack would be too difficult?

Generic Dawn question...muster drill...is it held in various public areas like the larger ships do, or do we line up on decks?

Thanks,

Carolyn

Thank you, everyone! Looks like we'll decide Eastern/Western itinerary and then go from there. It appears we can't lose. And any day at sea is way, way better than the best day at my desk at work!

Glory is the same as Conquest with the exception that it has Waterworks. Conquest Class ships are my preference although I haven’t been on Miracle or Sunshine.

I did like the Conquest itself. Our problems were with food and service. But there seems to be plenty of good reasons to give Carnival another try.

Hello cruisers,

After a less than positive experience on the Conquest a few years ago, a group of approximately 20 of us (ages 40-65) are looking to return to Carnival in 2019. We're not sure if it will be an eastern or western Caribbean itinerary and have some decisions to make.

I know the Miracle is smaller and lacks some amenities in comparison, but would appreciate hearing about food, service and general experiences on Glory, Sunshine and Miracle.

Thanks in advance,

Carolyn

Hi Carolyn,

I'm an organizer for a small group cruise and St. Maarten is on one of the itineraries we're looking at for Feb. 2019. From the sounds of what you're reporting it seems as if things should be just fine by then. One of our group who is an experienced cruiser and a very strong personality seems to think that won't be the case. Can you please confirm so I can put that chatter to rest?

Thanks,

Carolyn

We sailed on the Dawn last year after dry dock and the new facilities were beautiful.

 

That being said, we have done 13 cruises on NCL megaships (Epic, Breakaway, Getaway, and Escape) and greatly prefer those ships over the smaller ships. Having more things to do, places to eat, Broadway shows, things to see is our preference. You can't get that on the small ships.

 

Don't miss eating at Los Lobos! Great food.

I can't wait to try Los Lobos! One of our perks is the dining package and I'm also looking forward to Cagney's. Not sure what our third choice will be.

IMO the Dawn is the best ship in the NCL fleet. It is the perfect size and has enough to do without having so much that you don't know if you are coming or going.

That is great to hear. We're booked on the Dawn for the Feb 25 cruise. Last year we did the Epic and there were just too many people. I wasn't a fan of having to make reservations for shows, either. When I'm cruising I prefer to sort of wing it. All the photos of the Dawn I've seen so far point to it being a very nice ship.

Any news on Myett's in CGB? Our group visited at the beginning of March and they couldn't have been more accommodating or nicer.

Following...visiting in February and looking for someplace to relax. There will be over 14k in port that day and I suspect Little French Key will be a zoo.

Hi

 

I am looking to book a cruise next summer for my family (wife and two daughters age 6&2).

 

We have only done Royal Caribbean but we like an itinerary on the epic. How does NCL compare to RCI as we do love RCI but want to find out more about the Epic

 

Thanks!

What, specifically, would you like to know about the Epic? Spent a week on her for the Eastern Caribbean itinerary in Feb/March.

Cortrans is phenomenal. Jaime will give you his cell number and you call him when you have cleared Customs - he will tell you where to meet the bus. :)

I second this. They were amazing!

What bad experience did you encounter, we can't use Cortrans arriving to airport because their last pick up is 12:30 PM. Our flights won't get in before 4 PM. We are early enough to shop around and find what is best for our family of 5 going on a B2B on the Oasis.

In 2015 we were told the shuttle would be arriving at the airport terminal to pick us up within 10 minutes. 45 minutes later it finally pulled in.

In February, when the driver pulled in to the terminal to pick us up he started asking for names to check off who was on his reservation list. I offered up my printed reservation because I thought it might be easier for him to have something printed. He snarled at me, and it was so bad the others in the group just got goggle eyed and I thought my husband was going to punch him. We had to wait another 20 minutes for another van, because his was overbooked (which was probably a good thing).

Hello, for our family of 5, I plan on using Cocoa Beach Shuttle. http://www.cbshuttle.com/. They charge the same as the Hotel to the cruise Port, $6 PP For our family of 5 they are asking $88 Airport to Hotel ( $17.60 PP ), yet $93 ( $18.60 PP ) from Cruise Terminal back to Airport ( MCO ) I checked with Cortrans which are also recommended but they don't have a late pick up from the Airport, so if you are arriving by 12:00 ( Noon ) your fine. I think they charge $20 PP back to Airport from Cruise Terminal.

We've used Cocoa Beach Shuttle twice (2015, 2017), with bad experiences each time. Cortrans once (2017), and they were professional and great to deal with.

I believe the tallest in our group was 6'3. He said he could only sleep comfortably diagonally across the bed, which left his girlfriend not so much room. Another in the group was around 6', and he ended up sleeping on the couch. At your height I'm thinking it's going to be a problem.

We booked through shore excursioneers for $87.99 each all exclusive, buffet lunch and 2 drinks, round trip from port. We paid a deposit for 4 adults $30 balance to be paid in cash there. This is our first time cruising, we are on a Norwegian ship also at Coxen Hole.

 

 

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Would love to hear about your experience. Will be on an NCL ship there next February and am interested in visiting LFK.