mholzy

St kitts actually has very few beaches. We went to friars bay first time there....not impressed.

Second time we went to the marriott hotel and casino. Didn't have any issue not beings guests and its a short easy cab ride. We ate lunch and bought drinks there so they got some business from us. Very nice beach and pool and we spotted many other "cruise ship" towels there too.

I would highly recommend that location on st kitts.

St Maarten town beach is fantastic for atmosphere and value but you must see the planes at Maho if its your first time there. One of the coolest spots on the planet.

"Around the island" is a very long trip....probably not even doable in the time you have available. I would suggest doing a morning boat tour with your snorkel stop and then a stop at Maho in the early afternoon. That time is the most BIG planes between 1-4pm.

Make sure you allow time for traffic, which can get very bad on your afternoon return from Maho....allow at least 30 mins to get to Maho and 45 mins for the return.

Can't recommend a boat tour, but there are lots of other posts here for such. If this is your first time on St Maarten dont miss the opportunity to stop by the main beach in town and the shops in town. One of the reasons St Maarten is one of my favorite islands is that souvenirs are very inexpensive compared to other islands and the chairs and drinks and services on the beach are very affordable. Typically $2-3 for a beer, $1 for water and $15 gets you 2 chairs, an umbrella and 2 drinks. Can't beat it.

Everything always tastes better when its a good deal :)

My wife woke me up at 5am this morning FREAKING OUT when she read the article in the Herald. We are planning a non cruise vacation there in 2 weeks and were shocked to hear the news....but honestly not that surprised when you consider the nanny state that we live in here in the US. "But if it saves one person from getting hurt....blah blah blah..."

I am a private pilot myself and was devastated to hear the news as Maho is one of my favorite tourist destination in the world.

I also remember it was on April 1, 12 years ago that officials in Chicago buldozed the runway at Meigs Field in the middle of the night to make way for their new park project permanently destroying one of the country's most unique airports. At the time I thought that was a joke too but sadly, corrupt mayor Richard Daly insured that it was not.

Upon reading the article I told her something seems fishy and of course I knew it was April Fools day, but like in Chicago, if you're doing something controversial, especially in foreign countries, it would make sense that there would not be much notice of it.

When I read the quote from "former lap dancer" April La Premier (April the First) I knew it was a hoax but she made me call the Sonesta Maho Hotel, Sunset Beach Bar, AND the Coldwell Banker office in SXM that was quoted in the article. After none of them could confirm the report I finally convinced her that it was in fact a hoax.

Kudos to the writers for their creativity even if it did cost me a couple hours sleep and a few international phone calls

A-FOOL Alpha Foxtrot Oscar Oscar Lima in pilot phonetic alphabet

IDAFT (meaning... I am dumb) in Brittish slang

chairman U. Loof....Fool

and of course...former Lap Dancer, April La Premier

Let this make all of us remember to appreciate what a jewel Maho Beach really is....you sometimes don't appreciate something until it's gone.

I know I will have a smile on my face and a tear in my eye on April 13th when I an having a Heineken at the Driftwood Boat Bar waiting for the KLM.

I'm pretty sure he was just asking whether NCL has a similar satisfaction guarantee policy to Carnival's. I have to say, that Carnival policy is actually pretty impressive...I wasn't aware of it.

thank you sbrocket....I didn't think the question was unclear at all.

Why the indirect reply? 100% of 2 is still a very small amount.

 

What percentage of the 4000+ people onboard complained? 25%? 50%? The number MUST be significant for you to want to cancel.

 

BTW...Did you really want an answer about whether Carnival policies apply to NCL? I didn't think you could possibly be serious. I thought that question was a joke.

most times for a given sailing there are a few bad reviews, but mixed in with many good ones....this time there were NO good ones and since it is the first sailing after relocation this could become a trend with this crew.

Cruise line policies are usually pretty consistent between lines, so I was looking to see if Norwegian had a similar policy.....which would seem logical.

But thanks again SeaShark for responding and STILL not answering my question.

I haven't seen the reviews from the 11/13 sailing that you mention. Since you have seen them, can you report just how many of the 4000+ passengers onboard for that sailing filed a negative report? It must be a pretty substantial number for you to be so concerned.

Obviously only a very small number of guests take the time to write a review, but of those who did almost 100% are BAD.

Thanks for replying with your 2 cents, but NOT answering my question about a satisfaction guarantee?

Are there any particular aspects from these reviews which is concerning you?

I know to take reviews with a grain of salt, but the detail and frequency of the issues experienced by the reviewers is what has me worried.

Many say the ship hull design and height make her prone to seasickness....which has never been a problem for me on other ships.

Overall bad reviews on the food (except the pay extra restaurants of course)and coldness of the staff.

Huge lines for the waterslides, which was a main reason we booked this ship....and expecially bad reviews on the childrens facilities.

I am really concerned.

I am booked on the 12/7 sailing of the Epic.

My only experience with Norwegian was 16 years ago on the now retired Norway. We thought it would be fun to try something new and were attracted to the apparent kid friendliness and waterpark of the Epic for my 7 yr old.

Reading the reviews from the 11/13 sailing, the most recent on CC, they are one bad review after another. I am REALLY concerned.

I know that Carnival has a satisfaction guarantee that if you for any reason are not happy with the cruise you can disembark at the first port and they will fly you back to your port of embarkation and refund the prorated portion of the unsailed days.

Does anyone know if Norwegian has a similar guarantee?

Does anyone know of a way to cancel and not face a full fare penalty?

Really wishing I had booked on Celebrity Reflection sailing the same day.

Thanks for your answers