Great.  Thanks!

Is there a difference other than some sites are blocked on the regular unlimited wifi? 

Thanks all.

My goodness.  What a roller coaster!  I do hope you get some sort of relief, and QUICK!

Have a great trip!  Post a lot please so I can pretend I'm on vacation too...  😁

Other than hurricanes and what not, Hawaii makes its own weather.  Meaning that each island has dry areas, wet areas, really REALLY wet areas, and semi-arid areas (and etc. ad infinitum).  It also means that just like in other rainforests, even in the wet areas, you'll be dry for a lot of time until the clouds build up and dump on you. 

I'd say that any time you can get to Hawaii is a wonderful time.  Just do a bit of research on each island to find out where their weather happens so you'll know what might be a good back up plan in case you don't want to take the Road to Hana in a downpour, for example.

It's really about what YOU (and whoever is with you) want to do while there.  Thhis is what I have so far for my trip next year:

What all do we want to do?

1. Riding a tram would be cool
2. Hiking!
3. Whales!
4. Pan for gold
5. Eat -

1. Seafood
2. Reindeer

6. Native American culture
7. Ride a train
8. Glaciers

Anchorage

Friday - Monday morning

• https://www.alyeskaresort.com/resort/about-aerial-tram  Dine-and-Ride option looks good.  Would make a great lunch or dinner spot.  $39/32 apiece.
• https://www.alaskawildlife.org/  Could do this and Alyeska the same day maybe.  $16/11 per person entrance.  Sounds like it would be a great and restful Saturday thing to do, maybe with some wandering around Anchorage in the afternoon or morning.
• http://indianvalleymine.com/  AND add this to Saturday!  Admission is only $1 per person, and you can buy a bucket of “pay dirt” guaranteed to have gold, and they’ll show us how to swill the pans properly, AND they can tell us where else we can go!
• Alaska Native Heritage Center would be a great option for Native American culture.  $25/adults, $17/kids.  https://www.alaskanative.net/ 
• Shopping in Downtown Anchorage (5th Avenue Mall has Lush!)
• Don’t forget - the hotel has a “full” kitchen, including outside picnic and bbq area.  Also, it has an indoor pool and whirlpool.
• A float trip would be great.  There’s two tour companies in Talkeetna (2 hour drive North) that offer 2 hour tours (one does a 4 hour tour as well).  Approximately $84 per person ($139 for the 4 hour one).  BUT would be an excellent chance to see wildlife and hopefully Mount McKinley.  http://denaliviewraft.com/ OR https://www.talkeetnariverguides.com (for some reason TRG looks more fun)
• Rent bicycles and ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail http://www.alaska-bike-rentals.com/  $16 per bike for 3 hours, small fees over that.  This might be a great thing to do Friday afternoon, to help stretch our legs and get some movement in after all that flying.
• https://knikglacier.com/tours.html  Sounds like a rather spectacular glacier tour.  Looking hard at this as a good option.  Sunday?

Northern Lights coupon book available October 2019

Alaska Tour Saver book or app (not sure when 2020 version comes out)

*example 2-for-1 tickets on Alaska Railway

Alaska Railway $110 per person for Adventure Class.  Anchorage to Seward train is 6:45-11:05.  Supposed to check in 1 hour before departing.

From the notes you'll see that we have the opposite itinerary from you, but the concept is similar.  Going all the way to Denali isn't a priority to me... I'm finding a ton of great options using Anchorage as our home base.  Too much, actually.  I'm going to have to cut some of these activities.  ☺

Following along!  Here's hoping for calm weather for the next few weeks.

It is kind of interesting that there's no repositioning cruise for sale then.  Maybe someone (NCL itself, maybe?) is using it as a private cruise for their employees or something?

Harvest Caye can be a bit difficult to wrap your head around, especially if you're used to a traditional private island from a cruise ship.

As you learned, Harvest Caye is not a traditional private island.

What it IS, is an island that (my understanding is) NCL owns, but they struck an agreement with the government of Belize in the running of this island.  NCL bought the island and paid for (most, if not all) of the construction of the island features, but it is actually run by the government of Belize, or more likely some sort of contractor company. 

Instead of like those private islands in the Bahamas where all the employees are cruise ship employees, all the employees on Harvest Caye are actually from Belize.  It helps their economy and NCL gets a nice docking port in Belize.

Yes, the island is essentially a giant touristy port, but without all the weirdness of "how do I get out from this maze of shops?"  If you buy something on the island, you're paying someone who lives in Belize for that product.

This certainly isn't explained well by NCL, which I think would help a lot of people enjoy their day at Harvest Caye better.  If a calm, touristy port experience doesn't sound like a fun day, then guests can make sure to schedule an excursion, take the ferry to Placencia, or simply stay on the ship.

Personally, I like to schedule a small excursion as I get bored easily.  Then I can wander around the island for a while, and it's up to me whether I want to spend money on the island for food and drinks or go back to the ship for munchies.

Ugh, that all sounds horrible.  I'm not a medical expert so have no advice to add on that one.

With Sakari's situation, that really sucks too.  Last year it took an hour and 15 minutes for my son to get home from school, which I thought was long enough!  (But then, we live 10 minutes away from school so there's definitely a certain level of whaaa...? to bus routes.)  Is she using the time well?  My kiddo never had any homework since he had plenty of time to get it done after school, lol.  Maybe you should get her some Spanish language lessons to help fill her time so she can converse with everyone when you start cruising again.  Or heck, a tablet with movies loaded!

Yeah, when I priced out an Anchorage to Seward car rental I immediately went NO THANK YOU and am planning on doing the train.

There are Alaska coupon books that I've heard of that apparently regularly include 2-for-1 tickets (adventure class) on the trains.  I think the Northern Lights book for next year should be available in October.  I forget the name of the other major coupon book, but it seemed to have a similar coupon as well.  Might look into them when planning some activities!

I'd keep the inside and make friends with the observation deck.  Buy the internet package online so you save 10% or whatever it is. 

Some sailings get that "pick airfare for free" OR "an additional $50 shore excursion credit right now... so you might be able to swing either of those in addition to the drinks package (assumed chosen perk for inside cabin) if your sailing is eligible.

How many people would be in the cabin with you?

How much time do you typically spend in the cabin?

Will there be other cabins in your overall family that you can utilize (balcony wise, sofa wise, etc) if you keep an inside?

How often do you use each perk/which perks do you use?

I need more information before I can tell you what I'd do.  😁

3 minutes ago, Skipper305 said:

Suggestion, since your deadline (final payment?) is the 13th you should call. Prices could go up and email responses  take forever.

Agreed - my PCC is fantastic on the phone, but emails are a bit all over the place in terms of response time.  I've ended up calling before when my patience for a response wore out.

On 9/9/2019 at 2:15 PM, Bavariangirl said:

Hi , last week we booked the Haven H6 on the Getaway. Today we saw a pricedrop of more than $600 . Is there a chance to get the difference?

I watch my prices all the time and call in whenever there's a (significant) price drop.  So far my upcoming H6 on the Getaway is now $3,000 less than what I booked it for. 

My PCC encourages me to call in and rebook anytime the fare changes to something that benefits me.  Before final payment is due, of course.

1 hour ago, Sthrngary said:

Hello All, We are booked on the NCL Pearl, June 6, 2020 to Canada/New England.  This is my 18th cruise and is my 40th wedding anniversary.  I Originally booked a Suite for My wife, 33 year old son and myself.  Next to the Suite was another cabin with a deck for my daughter and significant other. I was uncomfortable with the suite due to not having a private master bedroom.  I also like the notion of a yacht within a ship "Haven" experience.  I recently upgraded my cabin to a 2-bedroom Villa in the "Haven".  I (and my family) are obviously spoiled.

My question is kind of simple.  My daughter is worried that the second bedroom bed will not be comfortable. That it will be uneven and lumpy.  I really think she is just upset she won't have her own room, LOL.  Can someone give me a review of sorts for the comfort of the second bedroom bed in the 2 bedroom Haven.  Thank you all in advance.

Making sure I understand - You went from 5 people in two cabins to 5 people in the one cabin, yes?

You and your wife will be in the master bedroom, which of course is amazing.  Your son I assume will be on the couch in the living room?  We never tried this so I can't say how comfy that one is.  Daughter and SO will be in the smaller 2nd bedroom?  They'll have a couch that folds out into what I think was a double bed size, and a pullman that can be utilized if space is really an issue (might work well for additional storage if nothing else).  My kids (12 at the time) absolutely loved their room and had zero complaints about comfort.  Then again, they camp fairly frequently so they may not know what comfort lovers want!  I have heard that you can request an egg crate which makes the bed more comfortable, if needed.

Thanks!  Enjoy your vacation.

12 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

 

 

4 ships on Roatan or 4 ships at Coxen Hole?

Pretty sure all the cruise ship port timetable websites use both ports for Roatan.  They always show Carnival and RCL/NCL/ect. anyway.

Though the website claims that Coxen Hole can support 3 cruise ships even now, which I find disconcerting (one at the dock and two tendered).

https://roatantourismbureau.com/roatan-news/port-of-roatan-expansion

Looks pretty impressive; interested in others' thoughts.

On a similar note, it looks like in early 2020 they're going to start having 4 ships (or more) regularly call to the island.  The estimated passenger load on the day that we'll be there in March is something like 12,000.  Is the island ready for THAT many cruise ship visitors on the regular?  Based on photos I've seen (as of 6 weeks ago or so anyway), it looks like they still have a long way to go to get the additional port area developed.

Can't talk to you about the sloths, unfortunately.

For Maya Key - You'll be docked at Mahogany Bay, which means you're a short 5 minute or less boat ride from the port in case one or both of the kiddos decides they are DONE and need a nap.  Boat shuttles run every 30 minutes or so between Maya Key and the port.  Easy peasy.

There's lots of things to do on Maya Key.  The beach, plenty of beach loungers, some really excellent snorkeling once you get to the drop off (all guided from my one experience), a rather interesting Mayan replica area with small museum type area inside, and quite a few rescue animals on the island.  No sloths that I remember, but they do have a number of monkeys (and big cats!).  Also, there's a free afternoon session where people can go into the monkey enclosure and let the monkeys climb all over you (you know, "hold" the monkeys... yeah right).  A buffet lunch was included which my picky kids were fine with the offerings, and there's a pool as well, though we never visited it.

We really enjoyed Maya Key.  Personally, I'd say you wouldn't go wrong if you chose it.  Of course, others may say the same about a sloth-oriented experience as well.

following!

There's plenty of "which cruise line would I prefer?" quizzes online; why reinvent the wheel?  Just make sure people go to one of those.  Or if you're looking to make money from this, borrow ideas from other quizzes but make it your own (like recipes).

At any rate there's such a huge variability among different ships for each cruise line that these general quizzes can be a bit off even within a cruise line.  Think the difference between the Pearl and the Escape, for example.  Or itinerary-wise, a western Caribbean 7-day cruise vs a TA.

At best you can make vague generalizations about a line, which may or may not be accurate for a specific ship + itinerary + time of year.

On 9/2/2019 at 5:26 AM, shadowmeboy said:

Plus I have a list of items I must return from Alaska with! Items include: mint fudge from the Alaska Fudge Company; A 2020 Alaska calendar; this bourbon maple syrup we bought in the Yukon last time we were up there; plus door prize giveaways for our Meet & Greet on the Jewel in June!

NOW I get why Susan is letting you go without her!  (Ok, and you working your tail off all summer.)  I do think a pampering basket full of stuff that she loves while you're gone would go over very nicely (hint, hint).

Anyway, glad your leg is better, glad the summer season is winding down for you, and greatly looking forward to your trip report for this next adventure!

15 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

Any benefit to getting an H6 for the Panama Canal or would a traditional aft or regular balcony suffice?

I like how they're on the outside so you can look to the side of the ship as well.  Basically a 270 degree view.  That would be neat for the canal, though I guess you could join everyone else on the waterfront or up top too.

While my kids love water slides, they're also perfectly happy playing with other kids in the pool.  You can also bring blow up pool toys to increase the fun.

Of course, they also like lazing in their beds and playing on their phones and tablets.

And there's Entourage, as well.  To say a Jewel-class ship has nothing to entertain a teenager is a bit laughable in my opinion.  Unless they're ridiculously spoiled they should be able to find entertainment.

We do make sure that the port days are full of entertainment.  That way the sea days are sort of resting up for/from the port days.