FairyGodmother55

Green tea shots!

Just got off Brillance- went to both Cocoa Cay and Nassau.

We were on the Norwegian Sun that morning and the captain had announced that all tenders were canceled for the day due to extreme wind! It was a very rocky ride there- so we turned around and headed back to sea! 

Was on a 4 day cruise on the Majesty recently and there was no white party... and we all brought white... LOL!!

We just left Majesty today and we booked the cruise in Feb when they were offering free internet and we had a note on our seapass giving us a code for the entire cruise. One free pass for each person booked. Others have also received as long as booked when offered.

Yep- we just got off as well. I had called RCCL and asked about it and was told they didnt know anything about it- but when we got on board they handed us a card with a password. It worked great- except in our cabin which had no service most of the time! It was good for 2 devices at a time.

And all White night Party on pool deck night 2

Just got off the Majesty.. no white party... and we were prepared!

FYI We were there at Mr Sancho's on Saturday. When we got to the club, however there were no openings for PAYG.... hmmmmm ...but there were openings in AI, so we decided to go for it and we had a BLAST! Nice beach, good service, and wonderful food!! Get there early though if you want PAYG. I would go there again!

Enjoy! It's a beautiful city! And although I spent a few hours in the Uffizi gallery, I still got to see plenty of the city! Everything is so close!!!!

Glad to help! Just writing up trip report on main NCL page, so enjoy! Ask away...

We were planning to DIY Athens. Which HOHO bus company did you use? Did you purchase the tickets ahead of time, online? Did it take a long time to get to the Acropolis? We really just plan on seeing the Acropolis, the museum, and then wandering around the Plaka, so would be using it more for transportation than touring. My husband and I have both been to Athens before, but will have our kids with us this time and want to make the day as enjoyable as possible (and easy as possible, as I know how hot and crowded it will likely be).

It was the " yellow" HOHO bus, and we found it as soon as we got off the ship (head to the LEFT and across a parking lot, you can't miss the tour buses) Be warned, cab drivers will try and convince you to take their tour!! There was also a " red" bus that did the same route. You can get your ticket right there, in fact we got a "discount". It was well worth the cost for us (15 E each) because we wanted transport into Athens without dealing with walking to the metro and we wanted just to see a few things. To be honest, the Acropolis museum was not what we expected, and we would have skipped it and spent more time on the bus instead. It took about 30 min to get to the Acropolis and they drop you off right at the main entrance.

Just got off Spirit.. Wifi in most ports.. Free in Venice and Athens right at terminal, and if not most cafes etc had wifi, they had signs in the windows, just ask for the code.

We did the hoho bus at the port in Athens and it was great cause you didn't have to deal with taxis or walking to the metro and when we finally saw the bus stop and public bus, we were VERY grateful we were on the hoho bus! Only wish we had gotten off ship a bit earlier. Bus took us right to Acropolis when you get off, and then you pick up bus back to port down street from Acropolis museum, near Temple of Zeus ( take back exit at Acropolis near amphitheater) Very, very easy DIY!!

In the past I have taken a hand wash solution to wash basics in the sink in my room. Washed in the evening and were dry the next day. Since it is during the hotter months I tend to wear cotton so it is easy to wash.

Be warned, we were not informed of the first laundry day, only the one at the end ofvthe trip, and had to resort to washing stuff out by hand. We spoke to others who confirmed there WAS an earlier laundry day, so ASK about it as soon as you get on!!!

Not the best but we were starving. Had much better pizza in Rome at La Montecarlo!

Mindy:

What about Naples?

They drop you off in town. The highlights of Florence are all very close and walkable. I can't remember the exact name of the square where we were dropped off but it's close to Uffizzi. When in the square we were "suggested" to go into the shop and watch a 5 minute gold leaf presentation. DH and I skipped it in favor of the pizza shop next door.[/quote ]

So how was the pizza? We'll keep an eye out fori it!

Did you spend extra time in Barcelona and if you did - what was your favorite site there?

We arrived the morning of the cruise, so we went to Sagrada Familia (just the outside), Parc Guell, and walked Las Ramblas before heading to port. We made great use of the metro system which is very easy to navigate. We bought one T10 ticket which is 10 trips for 10 euros and shared it - it was perfect.

 

What did you do while in Toulon?

We went to Bandol. Great little town.

 

Do you have any favorite spots on the ship?

Aside from our balcony? As Realitoes said, Galaxy of the Stars is a great spot, especially the perimeter window area. We also watched sail away from deck 7 aft a couple nights. For a quick dinner, Blue Lagoon and the adjacent bar are great (tell Ed the bartender Mindy & Tim say hi). And spent a lot of time (and money) at the roulette table in the casino.

 

How was the food in the MDR?

Mostly great. I am sensitive to high sodium levels and had a lot of problems with that. On the last night, I ordered lamb and it was totally inedible. Other than that, I found the food to be really excellent quality (despite seeing the staff walking around with food plates under plastic covers, which reminds me of eating in a hospital). Ate breakfast two mornings in Windows and had the eggs benedict both times because I found it to be really good. Otherwise it wasn't much different than the food being offered in the buffet, which we found to be really good.

 

Did you eat in any specialty restaurants and if you did, were they worth the extra cost?

We ate at Cagney's Steakhouse and had one of the best filets I've ever had. Everything at Cagney's that we tried was amazing, and we probably ordered half the menu. Also ate at Le Bistro, where I had some sodium problems with all my dishes but the desserts alone were worth the cover charge (get the Napoleon if you like nutella).

 

Where did you go when you were docked in Livorno?

We took the ship's "Florence on your own" tour, which was a shuttle that dropped you off in Florence and picked you up at the end of the day. We had a guide who explained sites and handed out maps and answered questions on the way there. Then we were led to a leather shop where we had a short demonstration and we were able to use the restrooms any time during the day, if we needed. Then that was our meeting point in the afternoon to go back to the shuttle. It was overpriced but worth it for us, since we reached a point in our planning where we didn't want to research public transportation any more (we planned this trip in essentially 3 weeks after Carnival cancelled our Sunshine sailing).

 

Enjoy your cruise and your birthday celebrations!

Thanks for all the info! We are on the May 6th trip from Venice. We also booked the ships transport into Florence. Where do they drop you off? Is it central? We don't want to spend time in a leather shop as we have tickets for Uffizzi.

Also, what did you do in Naples?

Kim

We just got back from Costa Maya, rented a golf cart for $35.00 for three hours... drove a round, stopped where we wanted, hung out at the beach... it was fun, and we felt very safe!