First cruise... so many questions, help me decide!!

[bragstarr]

Previous poster has it right about getting on the ship. Get on early and have lunch. Begin the week long feasting! If the main dining room is open, go there and relax. We always got on Dawn early, went to the MDR for lunch.....usually it's pretty empty so we always asked for a table by the big picture windows in the back, which in NY gives you quite a view, no idea what you see in NO! Your large luggage will get checked and delivered to your cabin at some point, so anything valuable put in a carry on and take on ship with you. You'll be able to put in your cabin pretty quickly.

 

I can understand your hesitation, but after months on these boards before my first cruise I felt pretty safe in taking excursions not run by the ship. Like I said prior, check out the port of call boards. It's full of info and you can form your own opinions, also check out Trip Advisor, which I do in conjunction with those.

 

I will wholeheartedly recommend Yhony's operation at cave-tubing.com. We were supposed to cave tube, a big thing to do in Belize, and the river was so high and flooded from all the rain no groups could do it. He offered us the option of a refund or staying with him, taking his bus tour of the island, and either doing ATVing or ziplining which we had planned in Roatan, so we did the ATVs and had a blast. Normally it's more expensive, too!

 

In Roatan we did ziplining...I'm in my mid 50s and had a blast! Great operation, South Shore zipline adventures, just google it. Also did their eco walk over suspension bridges in the forest. He also narrated the van ride to and from the port with some great information.

 

You've found CC and that's the first step...have fun!

 

I honestly think I've taken maybe one or two

[nets33]

ok so now our next order of business. My wife has been looking at excusions all day on youtube. I see it mentioned on here to not book it through NCL and wait till you get there. I see most of them are about 99 a person so we will be spending $400. Since this is our first time do you think it is just best to have them set up in advance or should we wait? I have heard horror stories where people go out on their own and the taxi people basically threaten to strand them if they dont pay more.

 

DH and I vary between booking excursions with the cruise line and doing our own bookings. You can often find excursions that are cheaper by booking yourself, it really depends on what you want to do and how much you want to pay.

 

Since you are new to cruising I do want to make sure you understand that the ship will NOT wait for you if you miss the boarding time.

 

Excursions booked through the ship will wait for passengers as the companies running them are in contact with the ship if they are delayed. If the ship on-board time is 4:00pm and your Non-NCL tour doesn't drop you off on time you may miss the ship. You can find many pier runners by searching on YouTube that show passengers that miss the ship. If we do book an excursion with someone outside of NCL we always ensure that we are back to the ship a minimum of 1 hour before on-board time.

[Susie51]

NO, it is a unique city. You need to fly in at least a day early to see this interesting city.

[realcindylouwho]

You've received some fantastic advice here and I would second nearly all of it!

 

First, yes, by all means fly in a day early. So many causes of delays by the airlines these days, or by passengers who behave badly and cause flight diversions. I like to think of this as "the vacation before the vacation"! It helps to settle in and enjoy the port city a bit before you get on the ship. N.O. is a fascinating city and during the evening on Bourbon Street, I never felt unsafe. There is so much information to take in on sites such as Trip Advisor and here on C.C. that you can find the perfect place to stay, eat and be entertained. The port area is small and very busy, actually it can be chaotic, so remember that each port is different and go with the flow! We try to arrive at the ship around 11 a.m. and eat lunch onboard since we usually only nibble on a small breakfast before hand. We cruise in suites, which means we are on the ship soon after arriving at the port.

 

Secondly, on our first cruise we felt most comfortable paying a bit more and booking our excursions with NCL. We also did tons of research, but we weren't willing to be responsible for the possible consequences of being delayed from reaching the ship. We have cruised NCL once a year for the past 5 years and since our first cruise, we do some excursions on our own and some through NCL. It depends on the country we are visiting and the activity we are participating in. For us, some places and excursions carry more risk than others. There are real savings to be had by doing the research, planning and booking on your own.

 

Thirdly, welcome to CRUISE CRITIC!!! You have found the perfect place to ask questions and gather information to make up your own mind about things. Please be aware that many of us are kind and helpful, but there are also some real NEGATIVE NANCYs and DOWNER DANIELs who will say some nasty things. Ignore them. :D

 

Finally, with a one and three year old at home I am guessing that you are younger than myself...? I wish I had discovered cruising at a younger age (I just turned 48 today!) as it is a wonderful way to explore and meet new people. Join the Roll Call for your cruise and begin connecting with your fellow cruisers. In a couple of years the kids will be great ages to travel with as they will be a bit more independent and you can make memories together as a family.

 

Again, welcome! Enjoy gathering information about your upcoming cruise as it certainly helps the time pass by.

[fmrlkr]

We love sailing out of NOLA, have done it 17 times. When you leave you sail down the river for about 8 hours before you reach the gulf. Many twists and turns. Hotel prices in NOLA vary greatly depending on time of year and events in the city. We usually drive in the day before even though it is only a 3 hour drive for us. Stay in or near the French Quarter to explore Bourbon Street. We have stayed at the Roosevelt which is a Waldorf property, when we have used points. Have stayed at the Hilton on Poydras and have been able to see the ship from our window. Do get multiple recommendations on specific hotels before booking, depending on your criteria, advice from those familiar with NOLA can keep you from ending up at the wrong hotel. On the morning of the cruise we generally try to arrive between 10:30 and 11:00. Once on the ship have lunch then explore.

[mabones]

There are so many threads about different ports of call. For interesting excursions I suggest you look up Mitsugirly on the Boards. She has many different reviews about the Ports of Call she has stopped at & reviews of an array of excursions. She recently did a review about the Getaway for her Nursing Graduation. It may be on the 1st or 2nd page of this Board. In her signature line is a list of all the Ports she has been to. Just pick one that you are interested in & enjoy the reading.

[medicalma'am]

As you can see, my next two cruises are on the Sun out of Tampa and the Dawn out of Boston. It will be my first time on both.

 

I agree, that NOLA is awesome as a cruise destination, and have done that three times. Good choice!

 

Excursions: We almost exclusively book our own. Look at "Maya Chan" for Costa Maya, owned and run by Americans. It is a very safe bet, a day of luxury, and their business depends on getting you back to the ship early - not a worry. I look at cruises based on this port and the only reason I did not book the Jewel out of Houston in November. (Even though Houston would have been an easy three hour drive for me)

 

Look at "Little French Key" for Roatan. The have a zip line option that my daughter and son in law did that was out of this world. Again, they are pros and know when to get you back with plenty of time to spare!

 

Belize - I have also done cave-tubing.com with Yhony and his is a top notch operation. (I am wearing his "Butts Up" t-shirt today. lol) This time on the Sun in November, we are doing the Shark Ray Alley excursion with the ship, as the guarantee that they will wait for you is priceless, as opposed to the risk of doing this one on our own time wise.

 

Cozumel - it is EASY to get to Chankanaab Park on your own. There are PLENTIFUL taxis to take you on the short ride there, the entrance is $22, I believe. When you are ready to get back, they have taxis LINED UP to take you back - easy peasy. We booked the Dolphins WAY ahead of time by calling them and got a HUGE discount, like almost half of their stated price!

 

You can check out reviews of Maya Chan, Chankanaab, and Little French Key in my signature. (Jewel 2013 and Star 2013 cruise) The only other advice I would give is to do "all inclusives" that include your transportation to and from the ship.

Edited June 24, 2014 by medicalma'am

[GWAE]

I am so glad we are going. My wife seems really excited about it, more so then other vacations.

Someone mentioned age, we are both 34. In the years past if I was going to spend a lot of money we would go to the beach or to Vegas. We have both wanted to go on a cruise so this was a great opportunity.

 

She has printed all of the excursions and is eagerly going through them. She is really interested in cave tubing, zip lining, Jose cuervo tour, some underwater snorkeling thing with the little propelled jet things. Well basically she wants to just stay on the islands and do multiple excursions. It is going to be tough to decide which ones to do.

[JMHAM1]

Don't forget to check out the New Orleans port of call board too. Lots of good info on where to stay and parking. Critical to park somewhere safe.

Costa Maya has got to be one of my favorite ports. We did Maya Chan and thought we found heaven.

I always go on my own now because I don't want to waste money plus I think we get a better experience. The port of call boards are the best. Enjoy the planning and the trip!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[OCMS Fan]

There seem to be hidden fees and extras that you have to pay attention to. We are responsible for taxes and port fees and also the $12 a day "gratuity".

 

I have never been made to pay anything that was hidden. All taxes and fees are fully disclosed. On the free cruises you are responsible for three components of your cruise.

 

1) The NSF part of the cruise fare.

2) Taxes.

3) $12/day/person DSC.

 

The final amounts for each will be fully disclosed when you book.

[cod]

I'm so glad you found this site before cruising! We were completely in the dark about everything 20 years ago. Our first mistake was stopping for lunch on the way to the port!!

 

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

[OCMS Fan]

NOLA is amazing...

 

The people are amazing.

The food is beyond amazing.

The cruises out of NOLA are fantastic.

The roads in NOLA are the absolute WORST in the entire US of A.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Staying the night never really occurred to us. I was thinking about flying in in the morning and going right to the ship. It says it departs at 4pm, is it not advisable to do that?

 

We wouldn't do that. You never know what kind of glitch can happen with flights-----delays or cancellations, which can cause you to arrive to late for boarding.

 

For peace of mind, fly in the day before. The price of a hotel room is cheaper than plane fare to the next port.

[aubreyc1988]

First of all, congrats on your first cruise! I am sure you will be addicted to cruising!

 

I have never been on NCL, having my first cruise with them in August, but I have been on other cruise lines!

 

I would recommend flying in the day before, especially since this is your first cruise! Don't want to have any extra stress! And usually, you can get really good deals on hotels through hotwire, priceline, etc. So if you can spare the vacation and some money for a hotel, go the day before.

 

I haven't been to tampa's port, but i would go with New Orleans. Pretty easy to get around and I remember we stayed at this really nice hotel downtown, right by the port, and it was really cheap! 80.00 or so!

 

Get the the port as early as possible. Even if you have to wait to get on the ship, at least you are there and there is NO WAY the boat is leaving without you! Plus, it is kind of fun! We always meet people while waiting in line and sitting around!

 

Other than that, have a fantastic first cruise! Your first cruise is one you never forget!

[GWAE]

We wouldn't do that. You never know what kind of glitch can happen with flights-----delays or cancellations, which can cause you to arrive to late for boarding.

 

For peace of mind, fly in the day before. The price of a hotel room is cheaper than plane fare to the next port.

 

we are definitely hoping to do this. I was checking hotel rooms and they are mostly over $200 for a Saturday night near the port. We could stay a little further out but then we would have to figure out how to get to bourbon street on Saturday night and then back to the ship on Sunday. Those costs may eat up the savings.

[GWAE]

Sometimes I wish it wasn't so easy to get information these days. I have probably spent more time reading about the cruise than I will spend on the actual cruise.

 

We are debating on buying the UDP. I was trying to find a good thread about that on here for the Dawn but my searching efforts are not working out. Does anyone remember seeing a thread for UDP on the Dawn.

[OHRiverRats]

LOL, you sound like me. Freestyle sounds all well and good, but I'm a planner! I like to know all my options and decide what we're doing every day. We've found the food in the MDRs to be so good we save our $$ for excursions and the like. Have a great time. You'll find it's addicting!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GWAE]

I am going to officially book it on Monday. Once booked do they give u any more info about the cruise or is it just what's on their website? I have a hard time finding things on their site.

[OHRiverRats]

I booked mine last weekend. I can log in now and pick excursions, prepay service fees (gratuities) or order UDP. I understand once you get within 90 days you can get reservations.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GWAE]

I am going to book this cruise very soon but I had another question before I do so. I think that I read on here before that when booking a casino trip you can still get the promotions that are running. Is that true? The one e that we are going to book has a current promo of a free stateroom upgrade and obc. If we can actually get those, what is a stateroom upgrade. We are comped an ocean view room currently, would an upgrade just be a better ocean view room?

[fuggles]

I've sailed on both ships and I would pick The Sun. It has the Observation lounge and the Great Outdoors, two of my favorite features of NCL ships. The Sun didn't really feel smaller than The Dawn. I've sailed from both ports and I would definitely recommend NOLA. You should spend a day or two before or after the cruise to experience the music, food and spirit of NOLA. I also enjoyed sailing down the Mississippi, it takes about 8 hours to reach the gulf.

[GWAE]

I am going to book this cruise very soon but I had another question before I do so. I think that I read on here before that when booking a casino trip you can still get the promotions that are running. Is that true? The one e that we are going to book has a current promo of a free stateroom upgrade and obc. If we can actually get those, what is a stateroom upgrade. We are comped an ocean view room currently, would an upgrade just be a better ocean view room?

 

bump for this question

[Daghis]

I recently took advantage of a land-based casino offer for a free NCL cruise. I did get the onboard credit (a whopping $25 :)), but the promotion didn't qualify for the free upgrade.

[mojomorris]

Just a little info on Jose Cuervo exc. It's similar to a "wine tasting" activity. We learned there's a lot more to tequila than just doing shots to get buzzed (i.e. tequila types, aging, history etc), had a meal afterward and enjoyed a presentation of Mexican history. You also get a "ticket" for a free margarita at Margaritaville in town.

[GWAE]

I recently took advantage of a land-based casino offer for a free NCL cruise. I did get the onboard credit (a whopping $25 :)), but the promotion didn't qualify for the free upgrade.

 

I see that you are in Mcmurray. Was your offer from the Rivers?