cidymom

I'll be flying into EWR on a Tuesday night. I'll be staying at a hotel right next to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. Is there a bus from EWR that goes directly to the bus terminal? If so, which bus would it be? How long does it take. Do you have to make advance reservations or just walk up? Thanks in advance for any help.

NCL and Carnival both are doing a Canada/NE itinerary. The only difference in the ports is NCL goes to Boston and Carnival goes to Bar Harbor. Which port would you prefer? I haven't been to both. Thanks for your comments.

Sailing first time on NCL and Breakaway in May. What shows need to be booked in advance? Thanks.

If you have an Aft-Facing Balcony on Breakaway (Deck 9), would you upsell to the Haven Courtyard Penthouse? I can see that the balcony is WAY smaller (not too big a deal for us; we just like to have a balcony) but is the room size bigger than a regular balcony room? Just wondering if it's worth it to upsell for the Haven perks. Any advice or comments? Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm going on my first NCL cruise next year. When you buy the Future Cruise Certificates, is there an expiry date to use them? Thanks.

Dreamer68 - how did you enjoy the Summit to Bermuda? I have one child (11 years old) and deciding between Summit and Breakaway to Bermuda. Did you factor in the ship's activities and entertainment for your children before making your decision? Would be interested to hear your take on it. Thanks.

Darn - no free seasick meds. That's probably why I don't cruise Carnival a lot (just my 2nd cruise with them). I guess Royal Caribbean is more generous or they don't want guests sick all over the place as they keep a supply in the Medical Centre for anyone to take. I'll look for a Walgreens or CVS as I will be staying near Times Square most likely. Thanks everyone for all your advice.

Many thanks for your comments. I've decided to go for it and just booked for early September next year. It appears hurricanes in September head towards the Caribbean so I should be okay, right? I hope Carnival gives out free seasick meds! Bonine works for me but they don't sell it in Canada. I usually stock up when I'm on a cruise. I wish you didn't mention about the bumpy ride to and from Bermuda as I'm heading there next May - LOL! Thanks all.

Hi Carol. Thank you for all your helpful advice on the East Coast Departure forum last year. As we're from the West Coast of Canada, I've always wanted to visit Eastern Canada. For some reason it's quite expensive to fly within our own country. With cruising I can visit some US ports that I've never been to and of course visit Halifax and New Brunswick. I've always had to take Bonine as I get seasick except while cruising in the Caribbean. This year while cruising Anthem back to Cape Liberty, I had to take Bonine on the last sea day as the water was choppy coming back. Will cruising the Canada/NE itinerary be like this all the way through? I guess I'm worried that the weather will be so bad that we'll be stuck in the cabin for 7 days and be sick. It appears that September/October is the only time to cruise this itinerary. HAL has cruises going there as well with more Canadian ports but smaller ships. As I'm travelling with a young child I just don't think HAL will be a good fit for us even though I like the itinerary. I guess my main concern is how bad would cruising out of NYC to Canada be in early September? This year it appears a Carnival ship just missed Hurricane Hermine before it left on this itinerary. I know no one can predict the weather one year out so that's why it's such a hard decision to make. Thank you for listening. Any comments appreciated.

My family can only cruise this itinerary in the first week of September. Has the weather ever been so bad that it affected the entire cruise and it was a washout. I'm taking this cruise for the ports and of course to visit Eastern Canada as I'm from Western Canada. Thanks.

Is the first week of September a good time to cruise the Canada/NE itinerary weather-wise? I checked last year's weather on the internet and it showed the Canadian ports at about 20 degrees. I'm just worried about bad storms and hurricanes and getting seasick. I've always wanted to see Eastern Canada and as it is expensive to fly within our own country I thought I cruise there for a short visit. Thanking you in advance for any comments on this itinerary, the weather and anything else you would like to share.

Thank you for doing a picture review of this itinerary. You're right - there aren't that many reviews for a Canada/NE itinerary. My family is considering this exact same cruise for next September. We are from the West Coast of Canada and would love to visit our own country on the East Coast. I saw that you missed the hurricane in NYC and wondered how the sailing was out of NYC and into Canada and the ports. Was the water choppy throughout the cruise? Did you experience seasickness? I know the weather varies and best to dress in layers and to bring seasick meds. Does Carnival provide free seasick meds in the Medical Centre or Guest Services? How was the entertainment aboard the ship? Is it still warm enough to use the pool and waterslides on sea days and while in ports or was it too cold? Sorry for the questions but I thank you in advance for your comments.

Thanks for your helpful comments. Would love to hear about your Gem cruise to Canada/NE when you come back. Perhaps you can list the differences between the two ships and itinerary. There is a HAL cruise leaving on the same day as well with a jam pack itinerary - more port stops in Canada but my family is more into activities & entertainment (I have an 11 yr) so I don't think HAL would be a good fit for us at this time so narrowed it down to Sunshine or Gem. Thanks again.

I've always wanted to cruise this itinerary. For Sep/2017, there are two cruises leaving the same day (Carnival Sunshine & NCL Gem) from NYC. Has anyone done the same itinerary on both lines? Just wanted to know if it would be rough sailing from NYC into Canada and while in Canadian ports. Is the weather still decent in early September. My concern is seasickness. Right now for the price, the Sunshine is the better deal. I can get an oceanview for the price of an inside on Gem. I haven't been on either ship so don't know if it makes any difference on this itinerary especially if the weather is colder. Any comments on the itinerary, weather, either ships would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.

Thanks for your review. Always wanted to do this itinerary but worried about the seas at that time of the year as I always get seasick. How did you find the sailing from Boston to Canada? Were the seas rough? Thanks for your comments.

Thanks for your replies. I phoned NCL to switch my WIFI promo to free service charges and unfortunately it was going to cost me another CAD$700 as my cabin category went up on the Breakaway and I guess factoring in the exchange rate. The NCL representative said it wouldn't be worth it to change to a promo worth $200. So I will stay put as is. Thanks all!

I was wondering if NCL charges a flat fee for unlimited internet for a 7-day cruise. The last few cruises have been with Royal Caribbean and are spoiled with their fast internet. As one of the free promos, I chose the WIFI and was wondering if I should switch to the free service charge for 2 people instead? Would NCL let me switch promos without changing cabins? Also, I noticed that the category of cabin that I booked went up $100. Does that mean I would have to pay in order to switch promos? Thanks in advance for all helpful advice.

Looking forward to the rest of your review. As I will be flying into Newark too, I wondered how much your ride from Newark to the pier cost with Independent Driver. Thank you.

Thank you to everyone for your helpful input. To be on the safe side, I moved from the starboard side to the port side. Hopefully we will have considerate neighbours who follow the rules! Thanks all.

We will be on our first NCL cruise next year on the Breakaway. My son has asthma so I would like to avoid the public smoking areas. Which other areas allow smoking besides the casino? I read there is smoking on the Waterfront area on Deck 8. If we are in a cabin on Deck 9 towards the aft, will we smell cigarette smoke from balcony from below? Which side do they allow smoking so we can avoid? Thanks in advance for your input.

I will be going on my first NCL cruise next year. What are Cruisenext Certificates that you mentioned? How did you get them? It seems like a odd amount $305? If you're from Canada, does it get issued in Canadian funds? Thanks for any help.

Thank you, Two Wheels, for the pic. It puts my mind at ease about Deck 9. Wow, that is a big balcony! Many thanks.

Thank you for your replies. As I've never cruised with NCL before, I now have another question. If the Deck 9 aft-facing balconies are deeper, will people above in the higher decks be able to see you in your Deck 9 balcony because it looks tiered. Also, as Deck 9 is above the Deck 8 Waterfront area, would the goings on from the general public be an issue? Thanks again for your insight.

I read that the aft balconies on Decks 9 & 10 are the biggest on the Breakaway. Is there a difference between the two decks? Does it matter which deck or are both the same except one is higher? Do you get a good view of the Statue of Liberty when sailing out of NYC? Thanks all in advance for your help.

On the NCL website, it says you get all 5 perks free if you book a "suite" or "The Haven". Would a mini-suite be considered a "suite" and entitlement to all 5 perks? or is it another type of suite that I'm not aware of? Very confusing. Thanks for any help.