zdad59

Hi all. We are experienced cruisers with virtually all of our sailings out of Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. We’ll be sailing out of Port Canaveral for the first time when we sail next February 2025. We always come in a day ahead of time. Was wondering the advantages/disadvantages of doing the pre cruise night in Orlando or near the Port (Cocoa Beach)? We’d be comfortable with both but having never sailed from this port I look to cruisers experienced with Port Canaveral to see if one location is superior to another. Either way we’ll need to arrange travel to/from Orlando to the port and a return. We’ll either Uber or use a Go Port or similar shuttle service. Any advice is appreciated.

We were in the aft most MC suite on Apex, 8210. Large balcony with window on the balcony looking aft. Our bed was on the left side wall when we entered. It was pretty much centered on the wall, equidistant to the Balcony and bathroom. Great suite. Central location on the ship. Big, Great service and Luminae. Roomy bathroom too. Enjoy your cruise.

We just got one at the taxi stand at the port.

This happened about a month ago. The booking call and the second call were within days of each other.

I get the not getting offers when calling. Recently islets pretty random and a function of who you end up talking to. We booked an ABCs cruise on Reflection recently. When I called all I was “eligible for” was the 20% discount. I booked it anyway. I called a couple days later with a question and the agent told me she can update my booking to a net 60 sailing with all included. It lowered my cruise cost by over $2000 on a plain old veranda room booking. They need to work towards consistency, for their sake and ours.

We have sailed Summit 3 times, twice in 9086. Noise was a non issue. Sure, once in a while you’d hear a chair scrape on the deck above but nothing to create a negative effect. We love the overhang. It doesn’t affect view and it allows you to use the balcony in almost any weather, except driving rain. It’s near midship so ship movement is minimal. Next time on summit we’ll try and book this room again.

Last time we did the ABCs we rented a cab for the day. 6 of us. $30pp. Fun tour of the country. He did stop at Hato Caves. An extra few bucks to get in. We were unsure. Really glad we did it. A good tour and beautiful caves. A LOT of steps to get up to the cave entrance. I was only 3 months removed from a heart attack so they were an adventure. If you have physical restrictions that may be an issue. Otherwise we really enjoyed the caves.

We considered Vibe. My niece is Platinum with NCL so she knows many of the ins and outs. The 9 day itinerary we are on though only has 1 sea day. So its super port intensive. With that we decided against doing Vibe this trip and will use the $$ for better excursions.

My initial analysis shows that for the two of us, the total airfare savings is ~$1300. I'll do a layover or plane change to save that much. I'm hoping that's not an issue going out, since we're going two days early and are flying from a major hub. The return is a tad concerning, flying out of Lisbon back to the US, but at that point I'll be sleeping on whatever plane I'm on anyway. My worry is the luggage if we have to change planes on the way out. We do have Air Tags fr each luggage piece, and the trip insurance I get from my Chase Sapphire card is pretty awesome. Luggage lost is covered up to $3,000 and there's also a luggage delay payment. Now that's still a PITA but its something.

We are very much in sync. We'll need to have a drink together one night. My thought is to obsess and plan BEFROE the cruise, so when I board I can put my brain in the safe and not think for 9 days. Now the itinerary is still just a guide. Things change. But having it all laid out makes dealing with changes easy as well.

Who would do a thing like that? (hahaha) My rough draft from last night is below. Before sailing, it will be complete and LAMINATED !!

I've actually done that. Our cruise confirmation document says we'll be flying into Gatwick, not Heathrow, but I'm sure that can change based on price and availability. Thanks for the info.

We are doing two days in London before the sailing, thru NCL. We’re flying out of a major hub (Newark, NJ) so fingers crossed it’s a simple itinerary. Is it possible to cancel the air portion and do it on our own if the NCL flight choices are unacceptable ?? thanks for the info.

Hi NCL forum. We are typically Celebrity and RCL cruisers but we just booked an NCL cruise with my niece, who sails NCL regularly. It's like learning a new language. I'll have a million questions as I am an OCD planner but here are a few to initiate me. F Baseline...we are sailing NCL Getaway. 9 days from Southampton, UK. Stops in Rotterdam, Belgium, LeHavre, Bordeaux, Bilbao SP, Vigo SP, and ends in Lisbon. 1. We booked a Balcony cabin. I noticed there is a Club Balcony Suite. Total booking is about $600 more total. Is the upgrade worth it? SHould we book the balcony and then just bid on an upgrade later? 2. Deal comes with two specialty dinners. Which specialty restaurants are worth considering? 3. Am I understanding it that the all inclusive drinks package DOES NOT include water? Not premium bubbly water, just, plain bottled water. 4. We are letting NCL book our flights. I've never let anyone do this before. Is my paranoia justified? I'll find the thread for this sailing and ask a lot of detailed questions. Just thought I'd throw these out to the general population for a broader response. Thanks in advance. The CC forums are a great resource.

We just had mama’s retirement trip to England & Scotland canceled so I’m scrambling to arrange a different trip. Alaska has always been on the list. To do it right we’d want a week in Denali and then a week cruising South. Is August too late in the season to do it right ? looking for the wisdom of the CC boards. You’ve never steered me wrong before.

For MC suites, we think that decks 8 & 9 are the sweet spot. Any higher the Magic Carpet starts to become an overhang. It is up on deck 14 most of the time.

Loved everything about the cabin. Big. Great bathroom. Huge balcony. Centrally located. High enough that there are no obstructions but low enough that nothing about the MC impedes the view. Saw the MC move twice in the week. Actually a fun experience. The Retreat benefits were awesome. The adjoining room was not an issue at all. You share a hallway from the main hall to your room door and that’s it. Not a noise from the other room. Have no worries about this room it is a gem. IMG_4272.MOV

Request on of the tables for two at the back window. They have those huge clamshell chairs and the tables are not close together. Also a beautiful view for dinner.

Really enjoyed your review. We were in our first suite on Apex in April. A Magic Carpet suite. Your review brought back all the memories. I was always freaked out that our retreat host was always waiting for us at our cabin when we came back from excursions. We realized after a bit that he got a text when we scanned our sea pass cards to get back on the ship. The attentive service was awesome though.

We usually get the classic or premium pkg. For our upcoming 7 day cruise in February, we are considering getting the Classic Non Alcohol Pkg. It includes specialty coffees, sodas, non premium waters, and non alcoholic drinks. May have a drink at dinner but would pay individually for it. CURIOUS ABOUT.... For those that do like a drink but have done the non alcohol pkg, what besides coffee, soda, and water do you order? Have you found it to be worth it? There is a $48pp/pd difference in price (plus gratuity). Thats 4-5 drinks a day each or $672 for the week total for 2. Did it really change your style on the trip? Appreciate any thoughts and insights.

True. But when simply traveling domestically, it makes it one less thing to carry.

The US govt just extended the deadline requiring travel passengers to have a “Real ID”. This will make things easier for me. Now I can just get it with my drivers license renewal. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday the new deadline will be May 7, 2025, allowing Americans more time following delays caused by the COVID pandemic. The old cutoff was slated for May 3, 2023.

Now that the trip is over, can you tell us what cabin you were in? We'll be in 7266 in February on the same itinerary as you. Your thread has been extremely helpful. Thank you.

I don't know for certain but we Uber from FLL to Miami, and the other way as well all the time. West Palm is only a 50 mile hop, so I think you'd surely find an Uber. Test it on the app if you're unsure.

We’ve had luck checking out bags outside with the Porter, even when getting there at 930 for a 115 flight (our usual process when sailing from FLL). We then go inside and use the self serve to get boarding passes.