Lacaena

Seems like most of the cruise line's prices are going up, even Carnival. But they seem to be selling well, so I guess the economy can handle it.

Yeah! I'm glad to touch base with someone who has done the tour! This makes me feel a lot better - I am nervous by nature, and you hit on some of my concerns. Since the issue of sun and heat came up, can you tell me about the kayak time - was it mostly open to the sun, or shaded? Will we fry in July? I can see you were on the Sky too - since we've never cruised before, any tips on disembarking? It seems like a tight crunch to get to the tour on time. Thanks so much Lacaena!

The mangroves offered some cover, and we were under them a portion of the time. Sometimes they are so close overhead that you have to take your paddle apart and just use half, the guide will tell you when. The day we went it was overcast, although not raining. This was in October. In July, it's probably going to be around 90. Bring water! They give you a waterproof bag to put your stuff in which is nice. There's plenty of shade along the beach, when you get there.

As far as disembarking, they know if you have a tour planned, and they know if they're missing anybody when they set off. Just give yourself as much time as you reasonably can as it can be a little slow to get off the ship. Chances are if there's a delay in disembarking, you won't be the only ones held up. We had no problem getting to the meeting point with time to spare.

Enjoy! If you think of any other questions, let me know!

Hi!

I've done this excursion! It was really fun and our guide was good. We went for a quick "hike" first. This had me nervous, I'm not a hiker! It was more like a nature walk. Our guide told us all about the local flora and fauna and we saw some really cool "caves," they were kind of like sink holes that had stairs down into them. It wasn't scary or sketchy at all, it was neat. To me, hiking implies up hill. It wasn't, thankfully.

Then we went across the street to where we kayaked. It's nice because you kayak down the river through the mangroves, out to the ocean. You don't actually kayak in the ocean, you beach yourselves before you get to the mouth of the river. The only part that had me a little nervous was toward the end the current got going pretty good as the river narrowed. But we were fine. It was a 2 person kayak, so if I go lazy I just let my DH paddle for a while. Yeah I'm a total brat lol.

Anyway... when we got to the beach there was a picnic area set up and we had sandwiches. There are these super cute diurnal raccoons that live near the beach and come to the picnic area. You can feed them, they are friendly. There is no rabies on the island. If I recall correctly there are no facilities at this beach so be prepared for that.

I hope this helps, if you have any other questions I'm happy to answer them if I can.

Parking at the port is easy and convenient. There's a parking garage right there with an elevator for luggage. It's just a quick walk across the street to where you board (less than a 5 min walk, probably more like 2). I believe parking is $20 a day.

Hi everybody!

Sorry if this has been asked before. In fact I know it has, because I did a search and found this exact question but no answer in the thread. That was posted quite a while ago when the GA was brand new, hopefully there's some info out there now.

For those of you who have sailed in a M9 on BA or GA was there noise from the pool area above? I was under the buffet seating area on the Sky last year in an aft balcony and I wouldn't wish that on anybody!

Thanks!!!

I was on the Sunshine in January. It was not my cup of tea to say the least. Granted, everyone is different, but IMO you've made a good choice!

I don't know if it's too late but I'm going on an awesome photography cruise on October 3rd-8th out of Bayonne on RCL. If you want more info let me know!

Here's the description:

Pink sand. Aquamarine seas. Soft island breezes caressing your skin. A gorgeous cruise ship, with all the amenities you could ask for. All of this, plus a photography refresher and photo-editing workshop to make the most of every photo op Bermuda has to offer. What's not to love?

We sail from Bayonne, New Jersey. En route to Bermuda, we'll take just a little bit of your on-board time to run a brief refresher of our Photography the Basics course. By the time we pull into port, you'll be primed to make the most of two full days of exploration and adventure in gorgeous Bermuda.

Again on the way home, we'll take a small amount of your ship time to help you edit your vacation photos in a workshop-style setting. You'll arrive home with a tan, memories to last a lifetime, and photographs that are completely ready to be turned into wall art. Coming as it does at the very start of fall, this cruise will help you hang onto summer just a little longer. And flex your real-world photography skills.

You pay for the cruise; the photography refresher and editing workshop are free.

There's a lot to tell! You should definitely check out the review section or search for Breakaway Reviews that have photos. This will probably get you excited and teach you a lot!

After 3 RCCL and 3 Princess cruises, we are considering NCL Getaway for our next family vacation (spring 2016). At time of sailing we are a family of 4, with one son, one month shy of 13 y/o and a just turned 11 y/o girl.

 

 

 

Please help us with some questions-

 

 

 

Ocean View Staterooms- are there any connecting/adjoining (with interior door) staterooms? I have poured over the deck plans and have not found any, but just incase there is a hidden gem....

 

 

 

Shorts -- not athletic, but khaki knee length style, are they allowed in any of the dining rooms or restaurants at dinner (remember that preteen boy??)

 

 

 

Kids club- Again from the 12 going on 13 y/o- what are the chances he will be allowed to join into the 13+ kids club?

 

 

 

MDR- what are diners like? Based on passed cruises, we are used to a 3 to 4 course meal. appetizer, salad, main meal and dessert. is this the way meals are served on NCL in the MDR?

 

 

 

Freestyle cruising- from what I read that means no set dinner times or reservations. That sounds great! But is it really that easy to just show up and eat?

 

 

 

Lobster- on our previous cruises, formal night also means lobster night. With NCL not having a designated formal night, is lobster served in the MDR on any night?

 

 

 

 

 

Escargot- it may be a non issue come next spring, but on our last cruise, to my surprise, both kids ordered escargot as their appetizer each night. Does NCL offer this?

 

 

 

Waterslides and ropes course- they look amazing, are they? If we are going during spring break, what type of line should we expect?

 

 

 

Thanks to anyone who can help answer any of our questions

Connecting OV rooms - yes there are, check deck 5.

Shorts - my understanding is that shorts are allowed in every dining venue except Le Bistro.

Kids Club - disclaimer, I don't have kids, but I have heard that they stick the the age groups and will not waive a child into another group.

Dinner reservations - if you are a little flexible with your timing, yes it's that easy. Prime times may have a wait but you can see if there is a wait on TV screens positioned around the ship.

Lobster - I'm not sure on this one.

Escargot - also not sure about MDR but I believe it is served in Le Bistro.

Water slide and Ropes course - on spring break on a sea day there may be a wait. I suggest going when they first open. For the ropes course make sure your kids are wearing closed toed and closed healed shoes or they will not be allowed on. And for the water slides (specifically the drop ones) make sure they have on no jewelry or anything with grommets.

My DH and I used this on our GA cruise. I think it was $7 or $8 flat rate per device for texting for the entire cruise. It worked pretty well for texting but the app had to be restarted every now and then.

I don't know what ship you're on but if you're on the Jewel or the Pearl you'll have access to it; however, the Sun doesn't have iConcierge last I knew.

It's the 3rd through 8th guest in the same cabin only. But if your friend has more than 2 in her cabin it will apply for the 3rd through 8th guest so she should still be able to save some money.

I believe it will be the same except instead of OBC it will be a shore excursion credit. Emphasis on believe.

The "limited supply" approach is a sales technique as old as the hills. You have to have a "call to action" to get people to buy things. If you see the email or phone call or whatever it may be and don't act on it right away the chances that you'll act on it at all go way downhill. I think it's probably just a ploy. But admittedly my knowledge of sales is pretty limited.

I would vote for a Haven Spa Suite if it's just the two of you. A couple reasons why, first off it's on the lower end of Haven prices, second you get a spa pass with it which takes a bit of the sting off the price. On my cruise on the Getaway after the cabin crawl I got a lot of comments that out of all the Haven suites we saw the spa suite was people's favorite. We absolutely loved it and the Haven! It's worth every penny!

Many people have been confused by this, don't let people make you think you're the first. It's pretty weird, I get why you're confused. Unfortunately, it's not really mini-SUITE it's more like MINI-suite. The only difference between a mini-suite and a balcony is that they are sometimes larger and on most ships they have a bathtub.

You should be able to use it for an excursion with no problem. I have also heard that you can load it onto your card as casino credit then just cash out and get cash that way. I think that carries a % (maybe 3%) but I'm not sure and I've never tried this myself.

We didn't have any problems making reservations once we were on the ship, even the day of. All of the menus for the specialty restaurants are available to view in the "atrium" area. We would go look in the morning and reserve whatever we felt like that day. Maybe that would work better for your mother.

I believe the mini-suites have bathtubs, instead of just showers. But there are no perks for staying in one, they are essentially a glorified balcony. As the above poster stated there is no self service laundry.

Imo the Osso Buco is one of the best dishes I've had on a ship. The other dishes were good as well. Much better than an Olive Garden in our experience. for $15 I would recommend you give it a try!

I'm in the like the hull art camp! Especially on the "away" class ships. At first I hated the Breakaway but I've grown to at least be indifferent if not quite like it. Whenever I've been in port next to a plain white ship, celebrity for example, and we're on a pretty painted ship it makes me cheerful.

I agree about the lines, if they were that classic ocean liner shape, but they're not :( they're very boxy nowadays. It's more like a crazy paint job on an RV, put it on a sleek sports car and it would look bad. But he RV looks great.

Hello, we have family booked on the Getaway next year and we are currently all booked in spa balcony cabins. I am thinking of changing to the aft penthouse cabin but wondering if its worth it for us, have questions if anybody can help us as we never had a suite cabin on NCL and we aren't very experienced either with NCL.

 

1- I heard that I can have cocktail parties, if so, what is the cost for the alcohol and or food, is there a menu or a web site that I can get these prices from?

 

2- Does anybody have the breakfast/lunch menu's for the Haven Restaurant and know what the times are its open?

 

3-What exactly do you use your butler for, I realize they do similar work as the cabin stewards but give you total personal attention...I like to unpack my own clothes and really don't need much....I also don't use the pools or lie out in the sun due to my lupus giving me photosensitivity. My question is knowing this do you feel its worth getting the haven?

#2 - I hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting this link, but this website has the menus for the Haven if you just scroll down a bit. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-menus.html

The menu is the same everyday and across all the ships.

#3 - We didn't use our butler for much. They do bring tasty snacks in the afternoons and you can request that they bring you something in particular if you really like it. They also bring any room service you request. You can't just call regular room service, it's re-routed to your butler. They have a phone number and you get a portable phone so you can call them whenever you need them. They will also show you how to use the awesome coffee machine in your room. It's kind of complicated lol.

Right now we are booked in a spa balcony. For about $800 total I could upgrade to a haven spa suite. Would you do it and if so what perks would I get? I am thinking it might make a nice birthday gift for my husband.

Personally, I would do that in a heartbeat! The Haven is amazing and so worth it! But, as others have said, only you can decide what's right for you. Do be aware that it's pretty standard to tip the Butler and Concierge so you might want to consider that additional cost over and above the $800 when you are making your decision. Still worth it IMO!

The policy, as I understand it, is that unless you are booked in a suite you may not use the suite amenities or facilities. He can visit you in your room whenever and can dine with you, I believe twice during the cruise for a $20 surcharge per meal. If you want to board with him you would have to give up your priority boarding and board with everyone else.