Taylor95

We are scheduled for the 5 day cruise on the Elation that stops at Nassau and Half Moon Cay. I know Half Moon is missed sometimes - I wondered if they usually pick up a different port close by, stay longer in Nassau or just another sea day?

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I did not receive any info unfortunately, but did read today that Grand Turk had a lot of seaweed also ☹️. We leave next month for our cruise - I will try to remember to report back.

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Aruba is AMAZING! So easy to navigate and so many beaches and things to see and do! I would love to stay at the Renaisaance, but only to be able to go to the private island with the flamingos...and we can't do that because they don't allow child at that beach. :mad:

 

 

 

I did a small review link of our last stay in Aruba last summer, which listed all the places we went with pictures (over on the Aruba section). Do you plan on renting a car to get around?

I will try to find the link for your last trip [emoji4]. I’m hoping since we are staying on a central location on Palm beach that we can walk to a lot of restaurants etc and not need to rent a car. It’s just my hubby and I so we are planning some R&R, but I definitely do want to see the island by booking a couple of excursions. I’m thinking possibly a UTV tour and definitely a snorkeling excursion. I’m curious how was the wind while you were there? We recently went to Negril Jamaica and loved Seven Mile beach, but there was no breeze... you had to stay in the water or it was HOT! I have read just the opposite of Aruba and that the winds can be really strong ...

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I have been absent from cruise critic for a while now because we have been taking land vacations instead of cruises. I’m planning our next vacation to Aruba and decided to check this forum for ideas. I have read many of your cruise reviews and was excited to see this post saying you have vacationed there. I would love to read a review of your trip to Aruba if you have one! I’m in the beginning stages - plan on staying at Palm Beach 7 nights and 1 night at the Renaissance to visit the private island - that’s as far as I’ve got so far (we aren’t going until May).

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I know many beaches in the Caribbean are suffering with huge amounts of seaweed this year, but I haven’t seen anything mentioned about the Bahamas. Is Nassau or the private island Half Moon Cay having any issues?

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We just stayed in Playa for vacation and our most favorite place to visit was Xplor. Awesome zip lining, cave swims, ATV riding etc.

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I would advise AGAINST Godfrey tours. I helped family members plan a cruise and excursions last month and they had a bad experience. After talking about things they wanted to do in St. Thomas, we decided Godfrey was a good match. They booked several months ahead of time for the shopping, sightseeing and beach tour. Because they were scheduled to have 3 hours shopping time, I had researched for them the area and recommended visiting the Magic Ice Bar while downtown, had pre-picked a place for lunch, and recommended picking Sapphire Beach for their two hour beach time and then had tickets for Paradise Point at the end of their tour (supposed to be 4:00). It was all carefully planned and they were excited. The problem was Godfrey was supposed to show at 9, close to 10 he still wasn't there... someone called him and he showed up to tell them that he had another tour but they couldn't join because it was booked by a travel agent for their clients. He recommended them to a different tour company that was there and assured them it was exactly the same. They took his suggestion and was very disappointed- the only thing this tour did was take them to Mountain Top - no shopping and no beach! They were dropped back off at the ship two hours later. They did use their tickets for Paradise Point and shopped around at the port area. Being their first time there, they didn't realize to just take a taxi to the beach. When they returned and told me what happened, I was very upset. Because I have cruised and been to St. Thomas before, they trusted in my help - Godfrey definitely disappointed and I will never recommend him again.

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I posted a list of places to go in town in addition to the shopping in this thread. There may also be a tour of ARC Vodka Distillery (Facebook) available by appt but haven't been on that tour.

 

 

 

appthttp://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2450412

Thank you for the list. Do you know if the Magic Ice Gallery is within walking distance of the shopping area?

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We were there last month. Enjoyed Chankanaab park, but was disappointed in the dolphin discovery side.

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My parents have an upcoming first time trip to St. Thomas and booked a tour with Godfrey. I figured the tour would be good to give them a taste of the island, but I'm not sure how much they will enjoy the 2.5 hours allotted for shopping. I have been to St. Thomas a couple times, but have never went downtown. Can anyone please tell me if there are other attractions within walking distance while downtown besides shopping?

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We were there last month and purchased the sea lion & manatee swim combo online & then added the dolphin encounter when we got there. Out of all three, we liked the sea lion swim the most! They do make all the swims about the pictures (which are very expensive). The sea lion swim was the only one that was organized, the trainer told us a lot about the sea lions and made it the most enjoyable. The manatee swim was VERY unorganized and we just stood in the water wondering where our trainer was and what we were supposed to be doing for a long time. The dolphin encounter had way too many people with very little interaction time. If we could do it over again, we would have done the sea lion only and then had more time to enjoy the Chankanaab park.

We have visited Blue Lagoon when in Nassau a few years ago and participated in the dolphin swim there - their program was far superior to the one offered by Dolphin Discovery in Chankanaab park.

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I noticed that on their site prior to going in December, but had no problem paying with US cash :)

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In December we saw the blankets for $13 in Cozumel - my daughter was upset because she paid $25 for one the day before in Costa Maya.

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I had Beef Wellington last Friday in the MDR on Getaway. It was the only night we ate in the MDR, so not sure if it was always available. Personally, I didn't care much for it.

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LFK beaches in my opinion are by far better than Maya Chan. LFK also has a lot more activity options. Guess it just depends on what you are looking for, but I would chose LFK hands down.

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I have had really good experiences with online TAs from one particular company that does specialize in cruises. They don't charge any fees, often have access to prices that I don't have access to, offer obc booking bonuses, and because they are so big, can get ahold of someone at virtually anytime. If I have an urgent issue and can't get ahold of the person that has my booking they just transfer you to a manager, and they have always been super happy to help. If you want 'to go' on 'vacations', give them a try [emoji6]

 

 

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I have used this same online agency for all of my NCL cruises because of the extra perks. I did run into a problem with the cruise I currently have booked on the Getaway that will make me think twice about using them again. The agency decided to opt out of participating in NCL's new upgrade advantage bidding program. I'm happy with the cabin I booked, but it would have been nice to try for an upgraded cabin category. We leave this Sunday for our cruise and multiple people have commented on getting really nice upgrades at a minimal cost - I hate that I didn't have the opportunity because of the agency I booked with.

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Anyone? How about any of the water view rooms on the bridge side?

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Several months ago I booked a water view king suite w/balcony at the Gallery One for our precruise stay and to watch the Winterfest boat parade. We later decided a two bedroom suite would be better for us and upgraded. After looking at reviews on Trip Advisor, I now realize that we forfeited our view for the extra bedroom. Hotel is sold out now, so I'm looking for anyone that has had a two bedroom suite here that had a decent view of the intracoastal. The 2 bedroom suites with a water view look to be on the corner facing the bridge - any ideas what floor level would be best for viewing the parade?

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Check out Groupon for some discounted tickets on the bus and boat tours.

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Just off the Epic... There seems to be a misconception that standard seating is the balcony seating and it's not.

 

Standard seating is on the ground floor in booths around the perimeter of the room. The views forward are semi-obstructed by the tables in front of you, and upwards (much of the show takes place in the air) is obstructed partially by the ceiling.

 

Premium seating includes all other tables on the floor, as well as the entire balcony.

 

I opted for premium and sat upstairs - I felt the view was great from there and I didn't have to worry about getting pulled in to participate! :)

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for the clarification :)

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It's been a long time since we were on the Epic, but I was thinking the standard seating was ok because it's balcony seating verses the Breakaway/Getaway standard seating being in the back. I just booked standard seating for my parents on the Epic, so would like to hear from any recent cruisers if this is correct.

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Loved the M6 w/large balcony!

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I would think that this may hurt the online travel agency's business. I have my first NCL cruise booked for next Nov with an online travel agency that starts with Pric.. I will need to contact them to see if they participate in the bidding because it's the only way that I might be able to afford a haven. I would love to have the Haven SPA. Right now I have a mid balcony.

I agree. I have used this online agency (not the same as yours) for all of my NCL cruises, but probably will not next time if the bidding options are still going on. I am satisfied with our current rooms, but would like to try for different cabins that are too expensive to initially book.

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I got the email directly. Looks like they use third party to send emails and process the bids. I don't know how they select who gets the emails.

 

 

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Thanks. I'm going to try calling them and try a "bid.";)

I booked using an online travel agency and called NCL today to request an email. I was told that the agency I booked with opted out of the process therefore it's not possible for me to bid on an upgraded cabin. We sail December 11th so I asked if I could call back in a few weeks to do an old fashioned upsell and was told no for that also because their system had changed. So basically if the agency you booked with doesn't participate, you are out of luck.

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