wolfcel

Caution when booking your own tours/appointments outside the ship's offerings -- we were a good 90 mins late getting off the ship in Saint John a couple of years back (on the Norwegian Dawn). First, they announced that we had to wait to enter the harbor at all because of a tide situation (tricky harbor, I understand, but how could they not know the times?) Then once we were at the dock it took them close to an hour to get the gangways set up -- always too short or too long, or something.

 

At any rate, a lot of people who had booked private excursions based on arrival times were seriously put out. I know this can happen anywhere, but it does seem to be a tricker port than many, so give yourself a bit of extra time in the morning if you can.

 

It was fascinating to see the difference in water height between when we got off and when we returned at the end of the day. 4-5 decks' worth, I think!

So very true. Unless you've experienced the drastic change in the tides you can't begin to understand it. The first time we went to Saint John, getting off the ship was so easy..just walk down the gangway...BUT upon our return to the ship after a long excursion, the walk up the gangway was more of a CLIMB..at least a 45 degree angle.

Took my Nephew on this tour on the Glory 2011. Though people say the fog burns off, it didn't. Later in the day it was very bad but we still got some good shots. Both of us had SLR's he was just starting out with manual settings. Other than the one OF him, I don't remember who took these shots but it is what I have available online.

All shots were places on the tour.

 

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LOVE the shot of the waterfalls through the trees. The fog makes it a great photo.

We will be staying in Boston MA for 2 nights in Oct before our Canada/New England cruise. Any suggestions for a reasonable hotel in the heart of the city near public transportation. A plus would be a shuttle/transportation to the cruiseport. Thanks so much

try searching on the website: stay123 dot com

I used that when we cruised out of Boston, got a really nice hotel (HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS BOSTON CRUISEPORT AND AIRPORT) and we were able to leave our car there. A shuttle took us to the Port (2 miles away) and picked us up after the cruise.

GOOD LUCK!

After you get back, I would love to hear what you thought of the tour, since we will be in the area much later than you. I'm torn between taking it or renting a car and going off on our own to St. Martin's and the Fundy Trail. At this point I'm thinking the car rental would be more fun, but I'm still curious about the photography tour.

I will definitely let you know how the Photography Tour goes once we get back. I've done a lot of the other tours which take you to Bay of Fundy, Reversing Falls etc. So this one will be new to me. I have read a lot of good reviews on it, so that is a big plus, and it seems like a small group of people, which I like.

We will be arriving in Saint John on June 23 on Carnival Sunshine. We have booked the ships "Bay of Fundy Coastal Photography Tour" which doesn't depart until 1pm, and its a three hour excursion. We get into port at 8am and depart at 6pm. What can anyone suggest to do in the morning before our excursion departs?

This is my 5th time on the Canada run, and I've always done the long tours which takes me away from the port for the entire time was are there.

Would love to find some place that has nice souvenirs or a place to browse around. (From what I remember there is a white tent at the Pier that has a little shopping).

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for this information. I signed up for FTTF, mostly because I am taking a red-eye flight from the West and know I will be tired by 11am after 12 hours of being on the go. I hope to drop off my luggage around 10, then head out to buy some wine and water, maybe a few other items, then back to port to board around 11. In my mind I am thinking I might take a quick nap but in reality I know I will be too excited and will be exploring the ship! :)

 

Wolfcel, we are on the same cruise...hope to get the chance to meet!

WOW...Terrific!

This will be my 4th cruise up to Canada (my roommates first time) and I am so excited. It will be my (our) first time on the Splendor. I am traveling with my neighbor. We decided it would be a nice girls getaway and the men can stay home.

I did just purchase the FTTF. Being on board by 11:30-12noon is fantastic and to be able to drop off the bags in the cabin will be great.

LOVE this review so far...keep it coming!

We have this same cruise booked for October 11....we are hoping that there is till some color on the trees!

Question for you...What time did you arrive at the Port and with the FTTF, what time did they let you board?

I've never done the FTTF and am tempted....

We are currently booked in an L Shaped cabin on the Splendor (6483) for the October 11th sailing to Canada. But am now thinking about a Spa Cabin. The prices have dropped and the Spa Cabin is the same price as the other.

I've never been on the Splendor, in an L shaped cabin, OR have done the Spa.

Any thoughts as to which is better?

Hi there,

 

DW and I decided we're going to save up and go big on our next cruise, which for us means getting a balcony.

 

We like sitting out and grabbing some sun, but don't like fighting with the chair hogs for 2 chairs together on the deck.

 

Does the balcony come with a couple of chairs for us to both sit out there?

 

Do any of the bigger balcony rooms (extended aft, etc) come with loungers at all?

 

Thanks in advance for the info :)

LOVE me a Balcony stateroom! You will too!! (I hope)

We have always had 2 chairs on our balcony with a small table.

I have seen some pictures of larger balconies that have loungers.

I would check with your TA or the cruise line to see which ones are able

to have the loungers.

Colin must have raised he rates. My wife and I used him two years ago and it was $40.00 per hour, 5 hours and we gave him a $40.00 tip. He had either a Nissan or Toyota European van which comfortably held 6

I've used Collin 2x (last summer and the summer before) and he was $40 per hour both times...he was fantastic.

Hi, Folks,

We're on the Caribbean Princess, stopping in Bermuda on 10/29. Following the threads here, I e-mailed four guides. Guess what? I heard back from 3 of them in 24 hours!! Now - how do I choose? Its Duke Soares, Collin Jennings & Dennis Hollis.

 

By the way, its just the two of us so far, so if anyone is also in port 10/29/12, please speak up. We like to share shore excursions -nice to split expenses & meet people from all over.

I can't speak for the other 2 gentlemen, but I used Colin Jennings last year and he was terrific. So much, in fact, that I am going back to Bermuda in 39 days with a different group of friends, and we will be using Colin Jennings again. We didn't know exactly where to go or what to see, so we left it up to him and he took us to all the "hot" spots. He is very friendly, informative, and knowledgeable about the island. You can't go wrong if you choose him.

Good luck and enjoy Bermuda!

Good Morning, future Bermuda visitors!

 

I am the one that originally introduced Colin to this CruiseCritic thread. I heard from him this morning, in response to an email that I sent him several days ago, as well. Here is part of what he wrote back to me.

 

" I have been extremely busy with the taxi, and some illnesses in the family. I am just getting settled back in and glad to say that the illnesses were all temporary.

 

I know everyone must be asking for me as I have about 50 e-mails. Please tell them all that I do apologize and I will be answering all e-mails between today and tomorrow.

 

So, future Bermuda visitors, please give him just a little more time to get back to you. He wil reply and he is definitely worth the wait! He has to read, check his schedule, and reply to the emails after driving and touring all day, (as do I'm sure, all the other drivers) but his family all have jobs of their own and he must wait until his free time in the evening to get to the computer!!!

 

Hope this helps!!! - Miriam

Thanks for the update...I did get an email from him last night. Colin is worth waiting for. He is a great guide!!

Mom and I just got back. We did a 5 hour tour with Colin when we arrived on 6/10. He was waiting for us when we docked. We really enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend him.

Do you (or anyone) by any chance have his contact info?

I have an email address from last year and I sent him a message last week but haven't heard anything from him. I'm thinking that it might be an old email address.

Thanks in advance!

Christine - wolfcel

Has anyone used Colin Jennings recently? We used him last year and he was FANTASTIC. We are going back to Bermuda this summer and wanted to contact him again for another private tour.

When you first get on the ship... RUN, don't walk, to the spa to get your weeklong spa pass for $99 ($178/couple). Worth every penny on the Gem!

What is the weeklong spa pass??...what does it include?

Sounds like somthing we might want to try.

You can request the bar setup up to a week before your sailing date. They do process them in order of sailing, so if your date is out aways it might take them a few days to get back to you. I have to always think about this, If I'm wrong I know someone will correct me. You email groupeventgem@ncl.com , substitute the "gem" with the ship you'll be on. Just let them know what you would like and they will send you the prices. Last November the prices ranged from $63 - $83 - $103, depending on the type of liquor you selected. The bottles are full liters not 5ths.

 

I thought the waves were a lot of fun, but I know there were a lot of people that were very green. ;)

Do you know if you can request to have wine in the cabin via our butler or conceirge? .... I've read that you can send yourself a Bon Voyage Wine Gift, but since we have a Butler, can we ask him to keep us supplied with wine?

The Bailey's was part of the bar setup that we ordered. I believe we got a bottle each of Original and Caramel Bailey's, Rum, and Crown. The caramel Bailey's is Wonderful in your coffee.;)

How and when do you do request a bar setup?? We love Bailey's...all of them :D!

OH, BTW...amazing video's of the 35ft waves...that must have been some trip!

We love to entertain while on a cruise so always have the Butler plan a party for us in our suite. Three times we have been crusing over Halloween--so have alot of fun planning for those parties. Had extra chairs brought in, more patio furniture and lots & lots of food. Also we order in room service from all the different dining venues. Chilled soups are my favorite and I will even have some for breakfast!!;)

 

 

Our Concierge is a god send when it comes to all the reservations--be it dinner, spa, special seating at shows, excursions ect. We use both services a lot and tip them accordingly--as they are not in the tip pool!!

So glad you mentioned that they are not included in the tip pool...I did not know that.

How many Butlers are there?....or is there just one for the entire 14th floor?

Is there anything else we should know about or what we should expect??

Thanks for the info...do you know if they will supply cans/bottles of soda in the stateroom? and if so, is there a charge...thanks!

We are sailing on the Gem to Bermuda in late August in one of the Courtyard Villa's. This will be our first full week with Butler and Concierge service...for those of you who have used them before...what do you use them for??

I know the NCL website says that your butler will unpack your suitcase, etc., but I can't see me having someone do that...lol