johnrich

That is correct. Enjoy your cruise.

I got the promo for UBP and I was told that the 18% gratuity is included and that i wouldn't be charged anything regarding to drinks for the whole cruise ship as long as i stayed below $15.... and now i see other people saying they have to pay the 18% gratuity? :confused::confused:

If you look on your cruise invoice and there is a charge for approx $198 (if there are two adults in your cabin) then that is more than likely your UBP gratuities. We made our final payment for our cruise in Sept several weeks ago and part of that was the $198 for gratuities for the UBP. Once we get on the ship, we will not be charged gratuities for the drinks we order from the UBP (although we usually give a little extra for good service).

[sometime in the fall of last year they changed the cost of the UBP so if you booked prior to this time, the amount may have been a little less. We booked last July and had the cheaper gratuities but then the fare went down over $400 so they lowered our fare but made us pay the higher gratuities. The gratuities were only something like $20 difference, if that.]

When I said final payment, I mean final payment before cruising, not the bill you receive on the final night of the cruise.

Southernshug welcome to Cruise Critic. Happy to have you. DW and I (late 40s/early 50s) have cruised on Celebrity, Princess, RCCL and NCL. Based on our experience and what you have stated you are looking for, I think Celebrity is a great choice for you. It's been several years since we've been on Celebrity Summit but we had one of the best bartenders we've ever had. His name was Charles. He remembered our names on the first day and had our room number memorized by day 2 so never asked for our card after that. And it wasn't like we sat at his bar all day. We went there while waiting to get into our room and then for a pre-dinner drink.

As others have said, everyone is different. We were RCCL loyalists for the most part until we took an NCL a couple years ago and now like NCL and RCCL pretty much equally. Our one experience on Princess was not good (we didn't Like much about it except for the Captain himself). Our trip on the Celebrity Summit was pretty good but I am a night owl and it was difficult to find anything to do after 10 or 11 pm. On the cruise we went on it felt like we were the youngest people on the ship.

Enjoy your research as it can be lots of fun even for experienced cruisers.

Be sure to let us all know what you ended up booking. Our favorite Itineraries have been Southern Caribbean ones but once again everyone's taste is different.

I find it hard to believe that one coin pusher game is any different than another no matter what they are called on the machine itself.

 

 

 

Guess the OP doesn't want to share their winning strategy.:D

I agree with the OP. I also love playing these but I also have my favorites. Some allow you to aim your quarters in a certain direction but only have one slot, while others don't let you aim but have 3 slots, and there are still others that are different yet. In addition to the slot where you put your quarter, as the OP stated there are other nuances like the quarter "bases/floors" that have space between the base and the "wall" where quarters can fall but you don't get those that fall there.

I would rather play these than slot machines because I can sit for several hours for under $20 and usually leave with more than I came with.

If you are getting the UBP as a promo, they will charge you the 18% of the value of the UBP before hand. We will be cruising in September and chose the UBP (which we've done twice before). We had to pay the ~$99/pp gratuity as part of our final payment this time (they figure the UBP is worth $79 a day for the 7 days).

We have done Hacienda Antigua three times. The first two times i believe it was $10 but I think it was $11 the last time we went. The tour starts out with a 22 oz margarita. We always had a great time although I think we are going to try something different on our upcoming trip.

All three times we just rented a vehicle from Avis (it was around $30-$40 total) and after the tequila tour drove around the island sightseeing on our own (Avis gave us a map and told us some things we should see). It was great. We found a nice beach to stop at for a while as well as a great bar/restaurant. And I didn't mind the driving at all. Once you get out of town (which isn't bad driving) it was great roads with not much traffic.

Lack of a "traditional" dining option is one of the major differences between NCL and other lines. There is apparently a daily solo meeting every day and people will connect for meals there. But if you don't mind answering, I'm curious why you chose an NCL trip if traditional dining with new companions was important to you as a solo traveller? Frankly, I think most people would tell you they opt for NCL because they don't want traditional dining.

 

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My wife and I actually PREFER traditional dining but really like NCL ships and other things they offer. We don't mind Freestyle dining but prefer traditional.

I think it's time to get a new TA. We love the Getaway! Not sure how the different lines give the TAs their commissions, but maybe NCL doesn't give yours as much as other lines do. But either way, I definitely recommend the Getaway.

You can tag your soda or water and give it to the curb-side porters and it will show up at your stateroom.

This is the one thing I love about NCL. We were frequent RCCL guests. I have diabetes and like to drink a sugar free, caffeine free drink like Diet Sprite but they wouldn't allow me to bring it on the ship. I always had to fight with them. Although once out of Galveston we packed a 12 pack in the luggage and got called to the "naughty room" when we questioned where our luggage was. They opened it and said we weren't allowed it. I explained that I had diabetes and had to limit caffeine due to high blood pressure and the gentleman was understanding and said he had to check with his boss. The boss told him we weren't allowed it and to throw it away. He came back over to our suitcase, zipped the suitcase up (with the cans still in there) and said "Thanks have a great day." Just love that with NCL you don't have to deal with any of that hassle.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all your advice. I called and they were able to just adjust the price without cancelling and rebooking. The UBP price went up and even though we got it as a promo, you still have to pay the gratuity so that went up. The taxes and port charges also went up $6 a person. All in all we still saved almost $150. I'll take it. That'll pay all but $40 of the DSC. So I'm happy. And since we didn't cancel the lady said we still get our extra points for booking 9 months out.

Found out today that the fare for our cruise went down and is $400 below what we were paying. We have not made our final payment but it is due within the next week. Does Norwegian offer you anything when this happens? I've heard they'll upgrade you to a cabin that is same price now. If we didn't want the upgrade would they give us OBC and if so, can that be used for gratuities/service charges?

Thanks!

Several years ago I also got summoned for federal jury duty the week we were going on a cruise to Alaska. I sent in the request for postponement and never heard anything. Two weeks before I started to worry and called the federal court house in Pittsburgh and the woman told me I had to wait until the week before but they would more than likely postpone it. A few days later I did receive the postponement and the new dates of jury duty. And I got selected! 3 week long sequestered trial. It was awful.

I disagree about everyone's love for the Illusionarium. I found it to be nothing more than cliched Vegas stage magic done poorly (one exception was the performer who did the too short routine with the soap bubbles). It is one of only two things I wouldn't do again on the Getaway. The first is the dining package. The food was so damn good everywhere that the dining package just wasn't needed.

 

 

 

Don't miss sitting on the Waterfront and watching the ocean pass by.

 

 

 

Don't miss building memories and stories with your kids.

I agree. We were not fond of the magic show or the food at Illusionarium.

I second both the Flamingo Grill and O'Sheehan's. Don't forget the bowling alley behind the wall at O'Sheehans. It's fun times.

Another suggestion is Howl at the Moon dueling piano sing-a-longs. We had so much fun at these. And there were even guests who had a musical instrument on board with them and would bring them to the show and play along with the piano players/singers. So much fun.

The Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle was the best I've ever been to. There must have been at least 20-30 officers that attended and many remembered us throughout the cruise saying hello to us by name. We were very impressed.

There are lots more fun things to do but those came to the top of your head.

Have a great time!

I agree with the OP. I don't think they are saying to get rid of the anytime dining concept but for those of us who always enjoyed having a set table/waiter, we should also be able to choose that. And for those who say to ask for the same waiter, we've tried on both the Dawn and the Getaway and they were unable to fulfill our request.

Does anyone who's been on Getaway lately know if Lilly the bartender is still working at OSheehans?

DW and I love O'Sheehan's. The chicken pot pie was unexpectedly good. Also love the fish and chips. When sitting at the bar, the bartenders always waited on us for the food as well as drinks. If sitting at a high top bar table or in the dining area we would be served by a server. The bartenders and servers at O'Sheehan's on the Getaway Were awesome! We did breakfast several days there as well.

In Roatan we always do a private Best of Roatan tour with Victor Bodden. We've done several different ones - zip lining, beach, monkey, iguanas.

In Belize we did the Moho Chocolate Factory and then just sat at the center bar and people watched.

In Cozumel, we always rent a vehicle and drive to the Hacienda Antigua tequila place to do the tour and then do the drive around the island stopping at whichever beach place looks nice that day. We've visited probably 8 different beaches over the years and they were all nice.

Rental cars are cheap and easy to book right at the dock.

Hello. We did the zip and dip tour last year when we were in Roatan. There were 11 of us in our family who went. Six of us zip lined and the other 7 watched. We had a wonderful time. During the one zip line run my GoPro actually fell off my helmet and two of the workers went down into the brush and found it for me without me even asking. I figured I had lost it for good and when we got to a station several zips later they were there with it waiting for me - and it still worked after falling probably 50 ft.

When we were finished with the zip lining we did do the Monkey Business tour. They told us before we even entered the sanctuary that the monkeys may jump on you but to just be still and you will be fine. As mitsugirly stated above these are wild animals. While we were walking through several monkeys did jump on us. In fact one jumped on me and pulled the collar of my shirt out and climbed down the back of my shirt. I was a bit freaked out but just stayed still and it climbed back up and sat on my shoulder for a little bit then climbed down the front of my shirt. Once again I was freaked out but remained calm and the monkey (not sure but I think his name was Steven) crawled back out and jumped off me.

Had I not stayed calm I'm sure I could have scared it more than it scared me and it may have bitten me. But in my case this did not happen.

I would not recommend this part of the tour to children unless the parents are actually carrying them. (Not sure if mitsugirly was carrying her daughter or not).

Looking back, our family doesn't talk about the great time we had zip lining. Anytime they talk about Roatan the topic is always "That's where the monkey went down John's shirt. "

All of the staff we encountered were awesome. Sorry to hear that mitsugirly didn't have the same experience.

We've been to Maya Chan Resort twice and going back again in Sept. We love it there! Lots of activities and the service is wonderful. Last time we were there we had a group of 12 ranging from 20's-80's. They only allow around 50 people in the resort so it isn't crowded. They do welcome families with kids. When we were there a family beside had two teens and the bartender was making them virgin drinks all day. They really liked when he climbed a tree, got two fresh coconuts and made them virgin pina coladas.

My wife and I have been to St. Thomas three times and all three times booked with Sonny Liston. Twice he did the tour and once his wife did. All three times were fabulous. We had a GREAT time!

Has anyone ever used Miami Port Express shuttle. Its a couple bucks cheaper than MJS and SAS but not sure if it is worth it.

Thanks!

I love to visit new places as well as find cruises that visit ports that we loved on prior cruises. If I had my way, I would love to have a different port to visit every day with no sea days.

My DW however loves the days at sea. She would rather have more days at sea than days in port.

We are about to go on our 9th cruise and have been on a different ship every time except two that were on Majesty.

Our main decision is price. We always look at all of the cruises that are available when we want to go. We then narrow it down by price. (We include price of airfare or car to embarkation port). Once we have that, the ship and destinations are pretty equal. If there is a ship that we've wanted to try, we would book that or if there was a destination that we were interested in, we may try that.

The one thing that has been constant since our third cruise, we get a balcony. Both of us love to spend time out there to wind down at the end of the night. I always enjoy getting out there in the morning to watch the sunrise. While we are pretty frugal we think that getting a balcony is well worth the extra money. The way we see it is that we have very few vices and try to save for a cruise each year or two, so we deserve to spend the extra for the balcony. :)

As far as cruise lines are concerned, we have loved RCCL. We had a bad experience on Princess so would not sail on them again. We liked the staff on Celebrity Summit and the ship itself, however we felt like we were one of the younger couples on the ship and we're in our 40s. In 2 weeks we will be on the Norwegian Dawn - our first time on any Norwegian ship. The main reason for this was the price we got was great. We would have liked to have gone RCCL again but it was several hundred dollar more for a very similar itinerary. I am happy that 3 of the 4 ports of call are new to us. My DW is happy that she can relax the first and last day since they are sea days.

Thanks Clarea and EatonDoolittle! Appreciate the quick response!

There will be 10 of us flying into MCO and renting a full-size van and driving to the Port of Tampa. When I pulled up directions, it states that Beachline Expressway (SR-528) is a toll road. Does anyone know if this road accepts cash or is it cashless? Also does anyone know how much the toll for this section of the trip costs? Is there a quick and easy detour to not use the toll road if it is cashless? (We will be driving on a Sunday morning)

Thanks!