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We were on the Norwegian Dawn a couple of months before dry dock. Now granted, this is NCL, rather than RCCL, but she couldn't have gone into dry dock fast enough. There were buckets in the entrance to the theater catching leaks, our toilets kept backing up onto the floor (and we were told by guest services that we couldn't use the showers in the spa to get ready for dinner while waiting for them to clean the cabin), the plates/cups etc. in the Japanese restaurant didn't match, and the tea was served in coffee cups, rather than tea cups. We were told it was because the ship was going into dry dock, and rather than replace the dinnerware, they just used whatever they had until after dry dock. We got into Tortola pretty late - I think they were down one of their engines - which caused us to get to a certain snorkeling spot (the Indians) too late to be allowed there - (BVI limited visits), so we had to snorkel somewhere else that wasn't good at all.

There were also a number of other things that needed repair/upkeep. Even so, we had fun as the entertainment was (up until Oasis class) the best we'd experienced on a cruise, even if the food was also the worst we'd had on a cruise. I'll add that the price was very, very right.

Having been on this very sailing, I'm struck just by how much there is to do, as other than attending the shows, we have very little overlap. Since we'd been on Allure the same time last year, we made a point to do things that we had no time to do last year. We took the tour of Central Park led by the head landscaper (for both ships) and it was much more interesting than I would have thought going in.

We also did the art tour, which was fascinating, and pointed out a lot of what many people may miss - including the binoculars scattered about the ship that allow you to peer in to tiny art works.

Looking forward to your next posts!

Kim

Thank you so much for your review - we were on this sailing and I'm getting to re-live the vacation here in the freezing cold Northeast U.S.

I got a kick out of your pic in the comedy club, as we are in it. I hope you don't mind if I download it to put in my vacation album.

We had a great time, but not quite as much as the Allure same time last year; however we didn't waste as much time wandering around lost!

Looking forward to your next installments.

Kim

I left my travel umbrella in Cabin 3198 - slim vertical cabinet to the left of the mirror. Filed a report with lost and found but they say no one has turned it in. We were on the Feb. 1 sailing. If someone finds it, would you mind turning it in? It's not worth very much, but that little umbrella has been to a lot of places with me, so would love to have it back.

Thanks,

Kim

Both your pocketbook and your health will thank you. It's the poker chips that are the biggest culprits in spreading germs.

Not that the cruise lines will tell you that!

I wouldn't say they've thrown in the towel. Last month I was surprised to hear Ken Rush announcing for the first formal night that if you weren't properly attired you should avoid the Promenade during the Captains meet and greet. That's a pretty busy area and it appeared the majority complied. He also pointed out the restaurants that were casual and those that were not. I've never heard a CD do that on other ships.

 

Not that I care of course. ;)

They requested the same on the Oasis last week - and the Captain's Meet and Greet conflicted with Super Bowl.

There was also a very high percentage of non-U.S. passengers and we were surprised at the numbers of small children eating in MTD after 8:30. (Including crying ones). The Europeans, Brazilians and Asians seemed to really dress up for formal nights.

I wore a simple dress and my husband wore a sport jacket, button down and tie, and we didn't feel out of place for formal nights at all. We did however, feel out of place watching the Super Bowl at the Aqua Theater dressed like that!

Headed out on the Oasis in a month and wondering what is the latest that we can disembark? We have an afternoon flight, so we are in no rush. Remind me again, when do we have to be out of our cabins?

We had a 1:00 p.m. flight out of FLL, so we were in no hurry this past Saturday. Our number was 76 and our friends' number was 92. Our stated departure time was 10:00 to 10:30. We didn't get off the Oasis until after 11:00 and we finally made it through customs/immigration and into the taxi at 11:55. We got to the gate just as they started boarding, and only because the plane was ten minutes late.

Next time I'll cool my heels in the airport, rather than on the ship. That was a pretty stressful way to end a vacation.

I don't remember what time we had to be out of the room, but breakfast in the Windjammer ended at 9:15. The room steward entered our room around 8:00 wanting to check the mini bar; DH was standing there in his underwear and the guy knocked and opened the door without waiting for a reply. Pretty funny. We took that as a cue to get out.

I have to say one disappointment of my Allure cruise was lack of feeling of even being at sea. It is a VERY internally focused ship; there are not many night time events up on top decks and due to lifeboat regulations and I guess other space constraints the outdoor promenade offers a few peeks at the ocean. Will Quantum have this style, or any, of outdoor promenade or other good vantage points of the ocean? Well interior venues offer at least some view/connection to the sea like on smaller ships? I know on any ship you can see the ocean if you want to, but on some ships it is much more of a focal point than others.

 

Opinions, best guesses?

Totally agree with you. If you don't have a balcony cabin you have to make an effort to see the sea on Oasis and Allure. The life boats block much of the view when on the jogging track, and we have always liked to walk around outside after dinner along the ocean - without having to go up to the pool deck. If Quantum is Radiance on steroids, that would be absolutely fantastic. We love the look of Radiance, but of course there is far more to do on the Oasis class.

We are Just off the Oasis 2/1 cruise. Last night we had a bit of excitement. We picked up a raft with 8Cuban refuges. I wasn't able to get any other information as to what kind of shape they were in and wondered if anyone knew what happened to them?

We were on that sailing. According to a security crew member we were talking to after the Coast Guard came to get them, here's what transpired.

There were 18 Cubans on a falling apart raft - no children and most in their 20s I don't know if all male or a mix male/female. The motor failed about 15 miles away from Cuba and they were in the water for 5 days. A number of cargo ships did not heed their SOS call (disgusting!). When rescued, they were dehydrated and one had a broken leg from being hit by either an oar or the mast. Oasis crew went out to get them in a dingy and pulled their raft in. Once off the raft, crew painted "Rescued" on the raft and let it go out to sea. The refugees were taken care of on board and the U.S. Coast Guard was called. We watched the Coast Guard take them off the ship several hours after the rescue - I want to say they took them four at a time and put them on the Coast Guard ship. Then according to the security crew member, they will be taken back to Cuba.

We were delayed by Customs/Immigration getting off the ship yesterday - take note folks - it was a nail-biter to make a 1:00 pm flight, but we did check one of the later boxes to get off, preferring to stay on the ship than cooling our heels at the airport for hours. I wonder if the delay had anything to do with picking up the Cubans?

We had a great time on the cruise, by the way. Weather was perfect. Now we are cold again.

Hi, we'll be getting on when you get off! Do you think you could ask someone what they plan for Super Bowl, and if they will switch the first formal night to another night? Somehow football and formal wear don't really go together for me. :)

Thanks,

Kim

Looking forward to Giants/Jets matchup. (Well maybe the other Manning) We were on Allure last year at Super bowl and I was disappointed that they didn't do anything special. Plus it was pretty chilly out there as we had just left FLL. The On-Air Club was packed and we couldn't get in.

I am hoping that they'll reschedule formal night. To Oasis' credit at least they didn't have reservations up on the system for the Aqua show on Oasis this Feb. 1 sailing. Last year on Allure they posted reservations for the Aqua show. I called RCL to figure out what night to book the water show and the agent told me that the show would go on as scheduled and that not everyone wanted to watch the Super bowl. I told her that I thought she was mistaken, but she insisted. Sometimes I think the passengers know way more than staff.

Loving your review. I'm pretty sure those "coins" are old subway tokens (or replicas of them), in keeping with the NYC theme. Some of us are old enough to remember using them to get to school. (not me of course).

Your pics of FAO Schwarz remind me of your Cozumel pics from your Allure review. I said it then, and will say it now, you should consider a career in advertising. Your photography makes me want to buy stuff.

Thanks for all your hard work,

Kim

We just returned from Allure and booked this excursion through RCCL. We had a wonderful time. The crew was great, very personable and hard-working. The snorkeling was good, but not as good as the snorkeling in the same place 10 years ago. You can tell that the reefs are under stress if you've been before. But it was lovely anyway. Our friends did not snorkel and took the dingy to the beach, and enjoyed being in the beautiful setting on Honeymoon Beach (which is part of Caneel Bay and is not to be confused with Honeymoon Beach on Water Island).

The drinks were flowing on the return trip, but this is a catamaran, so it's not one of those pirate party boats where people are dancing and doing squirts of booze from a tube. It was a very relaxing day.

"The snorkeling in the area was not the absolute best but it wasn’t bad. There were fishes, coral, sea grass, and turtles all around us but if you are looking for more a more Finding Nemo-type reef, you will be disappointed in this area. We snorkeled and laid around on the beach for a while and then made our way back to the boat for lunch."

Hi, loving your review. We're on her next month. Where did they take you to snorkle?

I hope not Honeymoon beach. We're doing the ship sponsored catamaran to Honeymoon. Many years ago we did a Captain Nautica, which isn't offered on our trip, and they took us to an amazing reef off what we think was Honeymoon beach on Saint Johns. We were hoping to recreate the experience, but that was 10 years ago and I know that there's been global warming damage to the reef systems.

Hope you can shed some light.

Loving this review. The photos of the merchandise in downtown Cozumel actually makes me want to buy it. Consider a career in advertising. Thanks for the review. I'll be sad when it ends.

I am curious as to where you found discount tickets for sale for the last night. Do you have a website and do you know if it is legitimate? Please post detailed information, I would like to verify the authenticity of these tickets. Thank you

Thanks for your help. But I believe the mystery was solved. The venue I was interested in does not have obstructed views (St. Blaise) but other venues (Rector's Palace) does, and they do sell obstructed view seats for those.

In just one month we'll be there!

The only half price tickets sold are those being offered now. The seats at the rear of each venue are half the price of those at the front. Since all events are normally sold out easily and quickly, there is no reason to further discount. I believe you may have misunderstood what was meant by half price.

Thanks. I don't believe so, since there are 75 Kuna tickets with obstructed views being sold for the last night, but no way to buy them on line, that I could tell. The other seats go only as low as 200 in the venue I'm looking at for purchase on line.

All information about our summer festival is located on their website.

 

http://www.dubrovnik-festival.hr/news

Thank you. I've scoured that site before and no way to buy the half-price tickets. I will email the concierge at the hotel. Perhaps he'll know. If not, we'll go full freight and enjoy it.

We will be in Dubrovnik for three days in August and I have seen that we may buy tickets to the Summer Festival on line. Can anyone (DubrovnikTravelLady, maybe?) tell me whether they are likely to sell out, and also, I've read that there are half-price tickets with some obstructed views, but I don't see how to buy the half-price ones in advance. We don't care if the views are obstructed at a concert, as long as we can hear. Does anyone know where we can get these tickets?

Look forward to hearing back!

Kim

Has anyone ever taken a bicycle on a ship? Since we would be driving to Bayonne, it would be easy for us to take our bikes with us. I'd much rather have my own than a rental in Bermuda. Other than the obvious issue of having to maneuver around two bikes (and golf clubs!) in the cabin, is there any reason why we can't do this?

Appreciate your responses,

Kim

We sailed Wind Star Costa Rica Dec 26 2010, cabin 114 and the noise was unbearable when the engines/stabilizers started up. I had to sleep on my side with a pillow blocking my exposed ear. Next time, we will select a cabin nearest to the bow.

We sailed that itinerary - i think we were in Cabin 212 - and while it didn't bother me, my husband couldn't stand the noise, which was a kind of background humming much of the time.

We also were in Cabin 120 on the Spirit, and it was nice and quiet, and we really liked the first deck and being close to the water - it washes up over the portholes and looks really cool. I would never pay for a category A again. Plus, the extra flight of stairs is a welcome antidote to the overeating.

This Sept we completed the NCL New England cruise on the Dawn and had a serious infestation of bedbugs.... Blood drops on sheet and pillowcases in the morning; blood spots on us; and even caught and killed a few of the bugs themselves.

 

We told our room steward and he changed all bedding and linens, curtains and I think even the mattress.... the problem was finally eliminated, but it was nearly the last day.

 

We are or have been very positive about NCL cruises...and are booked on the MR cruise on the Star coming up in early February. We won't cancel the trip....

 

However, I have been surprised that NCL has NOT responded in any way to our emailed and faxed complaints...not one word. Not even that they are sorry it happened...nothing.

 

That is, I think, bad business. Indeed this next MR cruise may be our last on NCL.... We'll see...

What cabin were you in? We're on the Dawn next month, and being from NY I'm always checking. A few months ago I was walking down E. 50th Street and saw three large bedbug exterminating vans (complete with bedbug drawings on the doors) parked next to the side entrance of the Intercontinental and just across from the Waldorf. Who knows - they could have been sharing the exterminator!