jam&tea mom

We have a 9 hour layover in Rome/FCO as part of our pre Jade cruise and vacation. It is a Monday in late July, do we have time to go to the Coliseum? Or dinner and some time wandering around/where?Our flight out is at 9:40pm and we will not have any luggage or bags. Our flight to FCO is overnight from the east coast, so I'm thinking that some time outside would be good for my son (15) and I and would help make the wait quicker. Any suggestions most welcome.

We've sailed the Gem twice, definitely no retractable roof for the pool. We've enjoyed the production shows but I can't remember what they were. The Gem has a great crew and we hope to sail again on her.

My children ages 12 & 8 at the time loved London. One thing that we enjoyed was a London Walks Harry Potter Tour, it was in the evening, inexpensive. Great sights and information for both adults and children. Tower of London, London Eye, Hampton Court Palace were also great.

We visited Starfish Point with Cayman Eco Adventures in March as a stop included in our Stingray City excursion. It was okay, the day we were there we didn't see many starfish but it was still interesting to stop, swim etc. Our day with Cayman Eco Adventures however was absolutely fabulous- great visit with stingrays and snorkelling stop. Capt Kevin was terrific and we would use them again.

We like the Affinia Gardens, Upper East Side. Centrally located, close to the subway and easy walking distance to lots of great attractions/5thAve. Prices can be all over the price but we've stayed on 3 different occasions and have had really good rates. They have 1 bdrms with 2 queens and a pullout in the living room.

Rib eye, raspberry crème brulee were my favourites.

We live close to the NF border and have taken the train to New York several times from Depew. There is always lots of parking and as you've found out it is much cheaper. Easy to get around from Penn Station, lots of cabs and the subway is also right there. Don't venture too far from the train when it stops in Albany, the stop is usually quicker than most people think and we've watched many people race back to the train before it departs. Its great sailing out of New York.

We used Cayman Eco Adventures, there were only 8 on our excursion. All communication, details were courteous & prompt. Kevin is a great captain, he knows the area really well and we would definitely recommend and do again. Don't book a ship excursion, there will be way to many people. There are lots of private operators available, all of whom will provide a better experience. Try the Grand Cayman threads or look at Trip Advisor too.

We've sailed the Pearl twice and had great vacations. We've only sailed on NCL so I have nothing to compare it too but wouldn't hesitate to book NCL again, we especially like freestyle dining. Astoria and San Francisco are both beautiful, we have visited them on land vacations but it sounds like a great cruise.

We were on a 5 day cruise last March, the cruise before us was a music cruise (?Sixthman, I think) and NCL had 2 different 5 day cruises before the Pearl resumed regular 7 day sailings. Our cruise left on a Tuesday and ports were Key West and Grand Cayman. It was our Canadian school break and I was travelling with my children, the ports didn't really matter to us although we had a fabulous excursion to Sting Ray City with Cayman Eco Adventures. We booked just outside of the final payment window and got a very good price, less than $800 for an outside cabin for 3 pp. Prices were high for a long time prior, I think maybe the Tuesday departure combined with a 5 day sailing and college break was not appealing to many. There were many spring breakers but aside from some interesting pool deck behavior they didn't really impact our vacation and we had a great vacation. There doesn't seem to be anything similar next year but I wouldn't hesitate to do something like that again.

We've driven to NYC a couple of times with our kids, including one Gem cruise which was fantastic. My suggestion would be to drive to Port Imperial, park in the secure lot, I believe it is $15/day and then take the water ferry to Manhattan. I think your children are too little to schlep them from NJ to Manhattan for sightseeing (just my opinion based on my experiences with my kids, who absolutely love to cruise and visit NYC). Find a hotel in Manhattan, mid town east or west would be my first choice and sightsee from there. Its also a very quick & inexpensive cab to the port. Rates are all over place, depending on when you go. We've stayed at Affinia Gardens, Upper East side and it is very family friendly and an easy walk to Central Park, FAO Schwarz, Rockefeller Plaza etc. There are also some great local restaurants nearby and green space. Its a quiet neighbourbood but also quite close to the 6 subway line and Bloomindales. Alternately, we have also stayed at the Sheraton Lincoln Harbour/Weehawken, rooms are spacious, secure parking and there is also a water ferry stop right outside the hotel. You can also take the bus into the Port Authority Bus Station- its the last stop into Manhattan and first out- really easy to do. You may be able to negotiate a good rate for a week of parking- sometimes we've paid $25 for an entire stay, when the posted rate is $25 per day. It is also very close/quick drive to the Port Imperial parking lot and water ferry stop. Have fun, the Gem is great.

Thanks for the tip to change pick up location from Port Canaveral to Cape Canaveral. I had a one day rental with a return to MCO and it cut our reservation almost in half.

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn, East Rutherford last May. Parking was free and the hotel had great rates (?maybe $115, we stayed 2 nights pre cruise and also used points). It did take a bit longer to get to Port Authority than I thought, about 40 minutes but it was really easy and then a $6 cab to the pier- you could also walk but it was raining last year. We find it easy to use transit/subways from previous trips and don't mind having our bags with us, we travelling with carry on type bags only. There are other Marriott's nearby too, also with free parking. We have also stayed at the Sheraton Weehawken and it can be a good deal depending on what they charge for parking, it has fluctuated on previous stays- once we weren't even charged. Port Imperial is also a good choice, depending where you stay the night before.

My 13 year old son & I were on the Gem last May and we did an excursion with Fin Expeditions. Kayaking in the mangroves. It was a fabulous excursion, it was about 3.5 hours at a leisurely pace and there were only 4 of us plus Tim. He accommodated our cruise schedule. Scenery was beautiful, lots of birds and manatee sightings. I would highly recommend it, even my hard to please teen thought it was a great day. We used Cocoa Beach shuttle but I would recommend renting a car, the cost is probably the same and then you can also do other things. They were also late and made several extra stops on the way back. The meeting spot is about 15 minutes from the port.

definitely no slide. We were on the Pearl in March.

We were on the Pearl last month with 2 11 year olds and they each paid $12.50 at Teppanyaki. They ordered from the Teppanyaki menu. I'm not really surprised, unfortunately if NCL is now charging full price for those under 12 as the revenue is less than a full price adult, but disappointed none the less. We ate in specialty restaurants most nights and did not ever see 3 menus. There was the children's menu on a Nickelodeon sheet that was standard in all outlets (and no additional charge) or the 11 year olds could eat off the same specialty menu as the adults and be charged 50% of the adult cover.

Agree with the above post, cabs are plentiful and inexpensive to the pier. There are huge price fluctuations on hotels/dates/neighbourhoods that will more than offset a couple of extra $ on a cab.Midtown East or West are very central, walking distance to so many great things that Manhattan offers. One of our favourite hotels is Affinia Gardens which is near Bloomingdales, 6 subway line and an easy walk to 5th Ave and lots of local eateries. Last year for our Gem cruise we drove and stayed in NJ at a Marriott that offered free parking. We were quite use to using transit so it was a very good choice for us; easy to get in and sightsee and to get to the port. In fact it was probably quicker than some Manhattan locations for getting around. Its great to sail out of NYC and down the Hudson River.

I was on the Pearl March 11-16, the onboard price for the UDP was $89. We had friends who booked the cruise last minute and wanted to book on board, we were told the $59 was an online price only. Also advised that there was no UDP discount for under 12, which was a contradiction from what I was told when I booked 2 adult plans through NCL prior to our cruise.

We were on the Pearl March 11-16 and were told one entrée person was included in the UDP per meal/seating. 2 nights at Cagneys, 1 at Le Bistro. We did meet several others who visited more than 1 specialty restaurant per night. What we also found out about the UDP was that the $59 on line price for 5 night cruises was offered for $89 once onboard. Also, there was no reduced rate UDP for under 12. You either paid the adult price of the plan or 50% of the adult rate per meal if you were eating off the specialty menu.

Our Le Bistro evening wasn't terrible just a lot of little things that went wrong. To start we were 2 families, including 2 11 year olds and 2 teens. My friends daughter who is 11 arrived just before us, she was dressed in white capri's to her knees and a sweater set. The ass't maitre d' did not want to seat her as she didnt' think she met dress code, she looked lovely but there didn't seem to be a problem with the 2 men who came in jeans and tshirts (yes, jeans & no collar) just behind us. Service was painfully slow. This was the only waiter we had all week that was disappointing. We had lunch and breakfast most days at the Summer Palace, utilized fully the UDP and all other meals were great including service. One of the 11 year olds was eating off the children's menu and both wanted Caesar salad which had not been a problem earlier but was that night. I ordered Cote de Boeuf pour deux and after waiting more than 1 hour from the time our appetizers arrived did not come, I received the beef tenderloin (which was delicious) but the idea was to share with my 11 year and that wasn't going to work with the 1 entrée. No real attempt was made to offer anything else so the girls left and my daughter went to the buffet with her friend, who had finished her kids meal because it came early with the appetizers. The teens got the evil eye because they each ordered 2 apps. The birthday cake that was ordered never arrived. The waiter tried to charge full price for the girls meals.The assistant maitre d' (Alina) just was not very pleasant and was very indifferent to our Le Bistro experience. It was just so many little things. We had the UDP so we had already dined at Cagneys, Moderno and Teppyanaki all were great especially Cagneys so it was disappointing. What was interesting is that the F&B director came by and asked how our evening was and I told him, politely. I work in the Beverage Alcohol industry and spend a lot of time in restaurants and felt that it was best outline what happened. He was very interested and tried to make things better with an offer of wine etc. So I do appreciate the follow up however it just wasn't the birthday dinner we had hoped for. I would definitely go again, it was just one of those nights unfortunately. From appetizers through dessert the food was outstanding. I wouldn't hesitate to go, we just got unlucky that night.

We were on the Pearl last week and ate at Cagney's twice. We also had the UDP. You may only order 1 entrée, if you order an entrée that comes with a surcharge you do not pay it if you have the UDP. If you want a second surcharged entrée it will be the additional price. You may have as many sides, apps and desserts as you would like. Those at our table order several of each, including a 'double' shrimp cocktail which was quite nice as they normally only have 3 shrimp per serving. Food was great, we had the same server both nights and we enjoyed both nights at Cagneys. We also had dinner at Le Bistro- same rules, 1 entrée per person and no surcharge if you ordered from those items but again, only 1 entrée per person. Again the food was very good but we had a service issue that night really put a damper on our evening.

We too take a picture, its great to see how my children have grown. Our 5th cruise is next week (yeah! I can hardly wait to get away from the cold). My children's favourite tradition first day is to have lunch at the Blue Lagoon. We are usually on board by 1130/12 and its much better than going to the Garden Café. It is their favourite place to eat on board.

I've booked them for our mid March cruise. Kat was great to deal with, quick replies and good trip advisor reviews. I also looked at Stingray Sailings, their customer service and reviews were also equally good but the catamaran trip wasn't important to us. Deciding factor was the falling CAD$ so we saved some $ using Cayman Eco Adventures.

What a great list. I had a couple of these but the rest of these suggestions sound terrific and we will check most of them out next month.

I spoke to NCL about the UDP & our upcoming cruise, March 11. The UDP is available for children 3-12. It is 1/2 price, so for our 5 day cruise it is $30. I can add my 11 year old, each person is added to the 'cart' separately and NCL will credit the difference in the child's price once onboard. Right now, it shows as $59 but once the UDP is booked (apparently, we haven't gotten that far yet) you will be able to make dining reservations prior to sailing. I also believe that as long as your child is still 12 it is 1/2 price. For our 5 day sailing we thought it was a good deal and will take advantage of the specialty venues probably every night. We have had no problems in the MDR but thought it would be fun to enjoy a variety of the specialty restaurants and both my children have great palates and love to try new things- they are actually much more adventurous eaters than Iam!