VancouverKory

Keep it coming! Great photos! Sailing the Epic in December for 10 days can't wait!!

Great thread! Thanks everyone for the info! I just booked room 12229 on the symphony for a couple in our group. Hoping they get the same double balcony! I'm not going to tell them lol

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Well the trip has been booked and of course it's not an option I initially picked lol

I found the 10 day western Caribbean on the epic at the same price as all the 7 day options we were considering.. so needless to say everyone voted yes on that and we are all booked!!

Great itinerary I can't wait! Also will be my longest cruise ever! Since it was a distinctive voyage there were even more free throw ins

The epic looks like a great ship at least will be different than the breakaway we were on last year

Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions! Time to start the planning :D

as of this morning our group is leaning towards the Bermuda cruise on the escape.. our cruise planner with ncl alerted me today was the last day of the $50 deposit and the 2 free upgrades! so we better decide soon !

The Escape goes to Bermuda twice in October one is 14th - 21st and the other being a Halloween cruise departing on the 28th

now the earlier departure would probably be better for weather but the thought of being on a ship for Halloween seems pretty cool as well and gives and extra couple weeks to save up for final payment and the trip itself.

I still cant get over the odd itinerary though arriving at 5pm - overnight - full day - departing at 3pm the following day. Has anyone done this? I feel like you would not get off the ship that first evening and I am sure you would not have much time to do much the day you leave so really you just get the one full day in port which is very nice I must admit because I golf and I have never had a stop long enough to get a game in on vacation!

but its the cool weather is still my main concern with this one. I also hear Bermuda is quite a expensive island (I found golf for $150 which I thought was reasonable!)

I think I agree since it's only a 7 day might be nice to start in Miami where it's already warm! Plus I don't want the NYC departure to get stale since we are departing from there again next year..

The getaway is still a bit newer from the breakaway even if not much so it should be an improvement..

I'm also seeing the epic out of Canaveral too but the prices seem odd that they are higher for a older ship..

I've done a west coast cruise before and it was great but the prices for this year on the Bliss are right out of our range and as for the older ships we have a few singles in the group so we need ships that have those cabins..

Gja360 - if we go on the escape we are looking at the Oct 28 Bermuda or the Oct 7 Florida one

We enjoyed the Florida and Bahamas itinerary I thought those ports were excellent it's why we have considered doing it again.

We have booked the bliss out of New York for 2019 for a longer cruise so yes we are only going to do a 7 day this year to keep costs down.

I looked at the breakaway out of New Orleans but I don't think we want to go on the same ship again.. so it's really between the escape and the getaway.

I see it as nicer ship but cooler weather lower price and shorter travel

Or

Older ship similar to what we just went on but better weather and itinerary but longer travel and higher cost..

Thanks for all the ideas though it is much appreciated and helps me take in account things I might not think of

This site is the best

Hello all!

I am looking to book a cruise for later this year with a few friends. They have left it up to me for the most part to decide which cruise we pick. This is turning out to be tougher than I thought with everyone's parameters! even having a tough time deciding which one I want myself! But I have narrowed it down to 3 options and am interested in hearing some of your pros and cons and ideas!

Here's some back info that will help

Last year I booked us all on a Florida and Bahamas cruise on the Breakaway from NY. Everyone had a great time but definitely could of used more hot days to spend out on deck. (We cruised in November last year and plan to this year in Oct/Nov again)

We all loved the Breakaway but definitely want to go on a newer ship. We live all over Canada some in Vancouver and some in Ontario and even a couple on the east coast so flights can be tricky and definitely a big portion of the cost.. NYC is definitely the easiest and cheapest port of departure.

Option 1

7 Day Bermuda on the Escape

- This is our best priced option. The ship is new and the flights are easy for us all

- some of the concerns would be how is the weather in late October in Bermuda I feel like this could be a cool cruise for the most part.

- Spending so much time in Bermuda brings up alot of questions.. is the casino open? do you pay extra taxes on drinks and shopping?

Option 2

7 Day Florida & Bahamas on the Escape

- Another well priced option and again on the new ship

- same trip as we took last time however which is not terrible because we can enjoy the ship more or take different excursions

- but same concern with warmth last year we had great weather for the 3 days we were south but it was cold leaving and coming back to nyc

Option 3

7 Day Western Caribbean on the Getaway

- Our most expensive option and ship is only slightly different than the breakaway

- in my opinion best itinerary by far and probably i am sure the best weather

- toughest for everyone to get to Miami

We have some future cruises booked on the Epic and Bliss but for this year choosing this one has been tough any ideas would be greatly appreciated

as always thanks to everyone who responds!

35 days!! That's incredible! I don't think I could go back to real life after that long I was worried about the 16 days as it is! Lol well we will see ya on board! Hopefully the time flies between now and then 👍

Following this thread

I am booked on the previous sailing and also on the one after the Transatlantic so a 35 days for me.

This will also be my first time in Europe and first time on a Trans

Thanks for all the great info everyone!

Definitely hoping to spend at least 2 days in Barcelona, really interested in seeing anything medieval and of course good food sounds great!

To answer your question indykitten, we will be flying from 3 different cities we may all meet in Toronto then fly out but we'll see and thank you so much for all of your detailed answers for me!

The thing I forgot to put on my original post is tell me about some of these ports! The itinerary looks incredible on this cruise

Hello all!

I am very excited as I have just booked my first transatlantic cruise! so far we have a group of 6 going (all in our 30s) but surely there will be more!

Now i know its a long way away as its the 16 day on the NCL epic departing November 22 2019. However I have a few questions that maybe some of you can help me out with!

1) Weather? what can we expect? I picked this one for us as we seem to stay quite south for the crossing so hopefully some sun!

2) how rough is a transatlantic.. we cruised to the Bahamas out of NYC last winter and I assume it would be comparable ?

3) Thoughts on the Epic? does it have a dry dock coming up? We thoroughly enjoyed the breakaway.

4) flights and Barcelona? any advice on how long to spend in Barcelona as I have never been to Spain. lots to see in the port area? thinking of booking flights through the cruise line as one way airfares can be hard to find from Canada.

5) types of people on board? are transatlantic's generally less busy? less children? older clientele not that it matters just curious as there will be a couple singles within the group who will be interested in mingling.

Thanks for any advice that may come my way ! I know its a long way out but its never to early to start planning and most importantly saving!

Kory

oh life is so hard.. what will I do :confused:

Arrived in Crown Bay and caught a taxi to Magen's Bay. The taxi process was extremely easy. Follow the signs out of the port to the taxis. Yeah, they are really just pickup trucks with the beds converted to seats. The stated cost for the trip as $12.

 

The taxis go over a pretty steep hill, which was an experience. But, it allows for some fantastic views on the way up and down the hill.

 

Arrival at Magen's Bay requires a $4 per person entry fee. The taxi driver let us off at the building, which includes chair and water float rentals, gift shop, food stand and bar areas. The taxi driver only charged us $10 per person for the trip. Not sure if this is normal or not. Paid $10 for the ride back too.

 

Rented chairs (have to pay a refundable deposit) and dragged them into a spot of our choice under some trees for shade. Lots of space out in the sun or in the shade.

 

Something I thought of interest, Magen's Bay had lifeguards on duty during our day there.

 

Water entry is nice, with a pretty good step down just into the water. Mostly, the beach is nice soft sand, but there are some shells, etc at the "ledge" in the water. Otherwise, its a very nice beach.

 

Food was burgers, pizza, hot dogs, fried chicken, french fries, etc. Not really anything on the menu that I would consider local. But food was pretty decent, incredibly average. Nothing wrong with the food. Burgers were $8 - 10, fries $4 (large), cans of soda $2.50, beers were $3 - 5 (I think). Minimum charge card transaction is $15.

 

The ocean was rather rough on the cruise, but the beach just had nice little waves most of the day. It got a bit rougher as the day wore on, but a storm was kicking things up just before we were leaving. Still, it wasn't rough.

 

Very nice day, very nice beach.

 

Overall, for two people

taxi - $40

rentals (we rented floats too) - $30

food - $35

No alcohol drinks for us on this stop.

Thanks for the great Info!!

I knew asking all of you would be my best plan!! :D Thank you all so much!

I am now ready to go!! 10 days until I fly out as of this morning and just trying to get through the next 8 days of work!

I am so excited to explore the Caribbean and with all of your help we are ready!

Thanks all

Kory and Katie :)

Thank you everyone for the great ideas and information, We really appreciate it!

The open air safari bus type ride just sounds perfect and exactly what I am looking for

We will without a doubt make sure we are back in time that's probably my biggest fear, I don't want to miss the ship!

The roll call is a great idea as well, I will check that out!

thanks! :D

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I will be cruising on the Breeze in just two weeks!!

We have a plan for every port day but we have some questions about St Thomas I figured I would post here as this board is way more active.. We would really like to go to Magen's bay for the day.. We have done some research online and it seems that just taking a cab may be the best way as you can then choose how long you spend there.

So I would like to ask all of you seasoned cruisers what have your experiences been like?! We are looking at the $35 carnival excursion there but 2 hours just does not seem long enough.. We are both in our mid 20s and would you think it is safe to just take a cab just the two of us? or Maybe pair up with another couple headed the same way?

I have been to st Thomas once but I was young and with my family. We have only been on a few trips together as adults so we are rookies! so Any tips or experiences would be much appreciated!

thanks all! :)

Kory

wow really?! some people are just so uptight I cant even believe it. :confused:

One of the crew challenged everyone to swing out with one arm, down drink and release.

 

This snorkeling firm seems to be more concerned with drinking and horseplay than safety. They should be more professional and careful with their guests.

 

Just noticed their sign on the boat, "Alcohol and snorkeling do not mix..." Yet the drinks were flowing before snorkeling.

I am so happy you guys enjoyed the Cove! Great Pics of the room too!

we have one booked as well and I am very excited to be so close to the water and all the action while in port!!

Your Breeze photos are great! Thank you so much I am getting very excited only 49 days to go!

Thanks!

Kory

Thanks for the great photos! I can't wait to see your shots of the Breeze! My girlfriend and I will be sailing on her in December can't wait!!

Amazing Review!!

Thank you for all of the information!

I can't wait to get on board the breeze in only 98 days!!

I was wondering if the Cheers program works in the specialty bars aboard the breeze.

Red Frog Bar?

Blue Iguana?

Red Frog Pub?

I had the Cheers program on the Splendor last year and we loved it however the Splendor did not have any specialty bars like the Breeze does!

Thanks in advance for the info!

Kory

Sonvoltken6

We will be in the same cabin in December, unfortunately there will not be Diamond in December this year per RCL :(

We are in the same cabin the week before you! lol that's too funny! :D

I would love to see some more photos of the room/balcony as they seem to be hard to find! but this thread has definitely provided the best view of the room!

That was awesome! We are going with 7 friends in a few months, never been on a cruise with so many friends and your video definitely got us way more stoked!

We were in a JS on Freedom back in 2008. I kind of liked the view with the super structure. Added another bit of character to it.

 

 

Unobstructed has it's merits as well.

 

Later this year we are in 9392 on Explorer of the Seas. Does anyone have any to share from either 9392 or 9692?

 

Thanks,

Rich

It just makes no sense to me that they didn't make just huge suites with huge balconies back there on these classes of ship and just extend it to the end of the superstructure?? I am booked in 9404 on the independence and we are very excited for our first aft :D

Great photos By the way! Thanks!

Wow Great Photos!!

This is why I am a member of cruise critic!!

My girlfriend and I as well as 4 other couples will be doing this itinerary in December

Can't Wait !!

Its photos like these that get me through the days until December :D

I cant wait to see more!