culinarc

Where will Escape be based?

 

 

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Miami

Same thing happened to me a couple years ago and I ended up taking a different ship..still had a great cruise. Hopefully the price drops on Getaway but if not maybe consider another ship with the same dates out of Miami.

 

 

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I agree between MIA or FLL it's hard to fathom you cant end up on a great ship heading somewhere. You could also spend some time in South FL and take a cruise maybe a 5 day.;)

After working 22 years in the NYC restaurant business all in fine dining and the last 12 years in corporate dining I have to throw my opinion in here. I'm not speaking against anyone I'm just assessing the market as a whole as I see it. Most people don't really know good food but they all think they do. Trying to debate that with them is grid lock. Sometimes food does come out of a kitchen substandard for various reasons and this is usually poor quality product or kitchen management/execution. I would assume that because chef's are under contract with the cruise lines, some may like the position where others feel trapped. Morale is key to build a team that produces great food. An "I just want to finish this contract and be gone" type of attitude is bad. Otherwise you have a staff that would like to learn new things but they feel like they are working in a factory putting caps on toothpaste. It is also very difficult to build a team when that team knows you may leave in a year and there will be a new chef with new ways of doing things etc... I have found food on all lines vary and ships amongst the same lines vary even though they are cooking the same menu. Consistency is made more difficult by where that ship is sitting in the world as well. Changing suppliers/quality all changes consistency. You are dealing with plants and animals which are never perfect anyway and then doing it on a scale that most wouldn't believe unless you saw what it is like to serve 10,000 meals a day. I'm not making excuses for them either. They make mistakes, I personally have seen and had bad food on cruises. I do see a serious challenge for their system. That being said customers should be able to expect good food but how good. As we all know food prices have gone up a lot in the last decade and cruise prices haven't. Times are changing but it seems like a lot of cruisers are not and expect more than businesses can give. Lastly IMHO the lines still do a pretty good job on the food for the most part. If you cant find something to eat on a cruise something is wrong with you not the ship.

njhorseman, you said that the Gem docks at Pier 88, what about the Carnival Splendor? Thank you in advance.

Same place within easy walking distance.

I am staying at the Comfort inn, just .2 miles from the port in Manhattan. Family is driving and bring my big suitcase. I will just have a small rolling suitcase. Can I walk from the Comfort Inn to the Gem? Is it safe?

Yes you can walk and it should be a nice stroll on a Saturday morning. Perfectly safe as all the criminals usually sleep until noon on Saturdays.:p

Posted by the OP: I'm wanting to book NCL Breakaway Florida and Bahamas April 5-12 in an Oceanview that sleeps 5.

I'll throw my opinion out there. I think because the Breakaway only has a certain number of cabins that sleep 5 you are playing a little more tricky game than some of are used to. Those rooms on a spring break cruise will be sold out due to the amount of families that will be there during that time. I understand your problem but in this case if you wait too long to decide someone will buy the room out from under you. In which case you need two cabins losing your savings or even your vacation. I wouldn't wait very much longer on this particular booking because the kids are back in school and people are doing their planning for spring break already. Good Luck. Some may disagree though.

Sorry not trying to pry and definitely not making fun of this, but guess the first part in bold didn't work out. :p

I was wondering also. Too Funny!!!:D

I'm just curious if most people on this board are die hard NCL travelers or do you flip flop/try other lines? And if you are a die hard, what has made you stick with NCL and have you tried other lines?

I used to flip around more but we have stayed with NCL for a while now for two main reasons:

1. My kids love it and enjoy their activities which gives my wife and I ample vacation time.

2. They sail out of NYC year round which saves me from buying 4 round trip plane tickets.

The kids are a little older now and more self sufficient to find activities on other lines and we just booked a HAL cruise from FLL in January 2016. I will be looking around for new places to go and other experiences. I do enjoy an NCL cruise and am not by any means leaving forever but I'll be shopping around a little more after this next trip to Bermuda. Plus these days all lines from what I hear, the only concern is to keep cutting costs so I'll keep an open mind and see who really wants my business.:p

I am debating about when to buy our tickets: on-line now or when we arrive in Newport? My concern is that since Newport is a tender port it could be missed due to weather. Does anyone know if that happens very often? Thanks.

I don't know how often that happens but either way I would by tickets in Newport. The larger houses Breakers, Elms, Rosecliff, Marble house etc... tickets can be bought at the visitors center or at the property itself. If the line happens to be too long in town take a cab, bus, trolley whatever to one of the larger houses I've listed and buy there. Might even save time in some cases. You can buy any of the multi house packages there as well. I have been to Newport many times and always loved it. Now we take the kids there every other year. I am always there in prime season July-August and I have never bought on line tickets or been turned away from anything we wanted to do because of crowds. I don't think the larger houses sell out. Once in a while they will close a house or two for upkeep, construction etc. Real quick, there are also smaller mansions that are not roaming tours but with a guide. These houses you should look earlier in the day at the schedules as they are at certain times. If you did have tendering problems and had purchased tickets on line I couldn't even begin to tell you how to get your money back. Sorry this got a bit long. Let me know if you have any other questions, keeping in mind I always drive instead of cruise there so I cant give much help on that angle. But if you make it to shore have fun!:D

so close yet so far:rolleyes:

Doesn't matter much. This is just the first fee you will trying to get out of if you are flying spirit.

Just an opinion but I would wait. I think the prices on those dates will come down.

Hi. Will be visiting October and cruise tour is sold out. Is it easy to visit the Breakers on our own? Is there a private company you could suggest?

thanks

All of the Newport mansions are run by The Newport Historical Society. Because you are a little off season I would check their website for the hours of operation as some properties may vary.(I've been several times but usually during peak season) If The Breakers is open to the public you will need transportation because it is a bit off the beatin path from town. You can purchase tickets there for however many houses you would like to see. You should be fine and transportation I think will be your largest issue. That being said if you have the time and can work it out The Breakers and other houses in Newport are well worth seeing. Have Fun:)

If you go one stop past Horseshoe Beach on the #7 bus you are at Warwick Long Bay Beach. It is much nicer than the beach called sea glass beach which is not very nice as one poster has mentioned. There is plenty of sea glass there and the kids had a great time finding it last year. Warwick in my opinion is much nicer than Horseshoe, less crowded and with the beautiful little coves off to the right. There are no rentals or food service so bring what you need, snack, water etc... I hope people don't go crazy on me for saying that there are better beaches in Bermuda than Horseshoe but after 4 visits I can assure you there are many. Have Fun!:)

Personally, I wouldn't even consider 3 adults in a balcony cabin. If you have concerns after being on the Breakaway then I'd imagine it will be a mistake. The rooms are exactly the same.

 

 

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I agree. I couldn't do it. It would make life quite difficult for me.

Thanks for the tip about the beer place in the dockyard - what's the policy on drinking in public places - ie beaches, parks etc?

 

Thanks!

 

Dennis

It is not allowed. The store has an outdoor seating area where you can drink outside as do a lot of bars. I have ordered a beer to go at a dockyard bar where they put it in a to go cup for you to walk around with. Not completely sure it is legal but I didn't have any problems. Ask a cop as there are plenty and they are friendly and will answer your questions.

Thanks for the review. I found it to be positive and fair. I'm going soon and have a large balcony on deck 9 this time. I cant wait. I completely agree with you about the way you described the food. I have found it to be the case but I have never come home lighter than when I left. Always find something I like a little too much of. I think NCL overall does a good job but I also have and will try other lines as I just love a cruise vacation! Glad you had a good time on yours.:D

Sebas,

 

Thanks this helps me out a lot. I have read similar stuff before I guess but never being there its hard to picture the layout of the island. Being docked over at the royal naval dockyard makes it a little tougher.

 

Anyone else?

I'll chime in. As the other poster said once the transportation stops it limits ones options unless you are willing to spend a fortune in cab fare. There a few nice little places in the dockyard to have a drink but these can be pricey as well for someone like me who will sit for 3 or more drinks if I am having fun. Nice for a walk around and a drink here and there. On the way out of the dockyard, about the last little building on the left is a convenience store. You can buy a 6 pack and hang out at the picnic tables outside and have a drink. The lady who owns the store lets you keep what you buy in the fridge and come back for them one at a time. Nice for an inexpensive happy hour right on the water! Also keep in mind you will probably be returning for dinner every night as the vast majority does and after that there is really no way to get anywhere. That being said the ship has a lot of night time options and where I may be in the minority I actually like the Dockyard area. I think depending on your own drinking habits the answer about the UBP will come to you. Hope this helps!

Have a great cruise:D

Last year we had a balcony cabin with a sofa bed. When I sat down on it I remember how hard and uncomfortable it was and I kind of felt sorry for my 11 year old daughter who slept on it. She never said a word and is more than ready to sleep in it again in a few weeks. As an adult though I couldn't do it for a week. Just my opinion.

Thank you so much for your replies. I have been pondering this for awhile now.

 

Luckily I have a waterproof camera so we can take that with us to the water and we'll just leave the other valuables (kindle) back at the boat. This way we can leave our stuff and only risk loosing sandals and cover ups.

 

Do people have trouble getting towels stolen since there is a deposit? I used to go to all inclusive resorts where this would happen.

I believe these incidents are very rare. I'm certainly not comfortable saying that things like this don't happen though because I know they do. It has happened to me just not on a cruise. If nothing bad or inconvenient (however big or small) has ever happened to you on vacation then you don't vacation enough. I do believe cruisers watch out for each other and and if they are next to me on the beach I wont sit and watch their things or area be looted while I am watching. I don't think others would either. But never say never!:rolleyes:

Sharon and I will be on the Norwegian Breakaway with another couple sailing to Bermuda on Sunday 9/21 and would like to know what night and time the fireworks show is done???

In addition, what are good locations for viewing this show???

Would we have a good viewing of the fireworks from the aft center stateroom 11914??? The other couple travelling with us needed a handicap stateroom and was assigned 11914. Sharon and I are still waiting for a stateroom assignment as we decided on a BX guarantee stateroom for this cruise, our first guarantee stateroom in 25 cruises.

Last year they did them on day 7, the last sea day, port side aft. Anywhere on the aft port side you get a nice view. You might see them from an aft balcony but I cant say for sure.

We will be cruising on the Norwegian Breakaway. NCL posted an arrival time at 8 AM on a Sunday. Will a 12:40 flight at JFK be doable?

 

Thanks for the help!

Should be no problem. I live close to JFK and I am usually home between 10:30 and 11am.

Depends which Lifeboats they need to test.

Good point had never thought of that.

This link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2041982&highlight=navigator+panoramic+cabins has a photo of a Navigator Family Panoramic Cabin . The windows are the same for the a regular Navigator Panoramic Cabin.

I'll take it!

Hey guys, Forrest Gump was a great movie.

 

Also, how you interpret a situation and how I interpret it are probably going to be different. That's how opinions work. That doesn't make yours wrong. That doesn't make mine wrong. Opinions, by their nature, can't be wrong, because they're opinions. Everybody's got one and everyone is entitled to their own. I, personally, wouldn't be as offended as the OP if in this situation (or maybe at all...who knows without being in her shoes). But that doesn't make her wrong for it. If we all shared the same opinions, morals and ideals, the world would be pretty boring...and regardless of yours, that doesn't make anyone else wrong for having their own.

Thank you for so clearly teaching us all how opinions work I never would have gotten that without your post.:p