beachloverandfoodie

Going on a 4 night cruise on Norwegian Sky over the 4th of July 2020!

1. Is there a formal night/captains dinner? Other theme nights? How will I know about these ahead of time?

2. We got unlimited drinks through a booking special-does anyone know it that includes Starbucks 

3. How do you "pay" for drinks? I think someone said you don't have to use your key card...how do they know its you? I've only been on carnival and you have to sign every receipt...ugh.

4. Are there straws? Paper straws? Do people typically bring their own? 

5. We booked with a flight special where flights are included....what is the earliest flight people have gotten back on departure day? I have to work the next day and would prefer getting in as early as possible....any luck with that? Can I request early departure? 

6. On Carnival you can bring on 1 bottle of wine/champagne per person...are you able to do that on NCL? 

7. Italian or Steakhouse better? 

Can you purchase bottled water for your cabin ahead of time? I'm sure i have a lot of other questions but that's all for now.

My husband and I will be on the Brilliance towards the end of April 2015 and we are wondering about the drink packages. About a year ago I e-mailed RCCL about what some of the brands were for each package and they replied, but what I forgot to ask was……. What are the average prices per drink for top shelf liquor, top shelf wines and specialty coffees (if you don’t get the package)? Anyone recall what they are recently? I am thinking that we don’t need to buy any of the packages on such a short cruise (5 night). Especially, if we plan on being in port two of these days…….why pay the ship AND the local establishment at the same time?

do you happen to know the brands of beer? Trying to figure out what craft beer they might have on board. When I spoke with RCCL they said their prices are very comparable to "bar prices". I saw a few things on the message boards and had to agree. Beer was $4-$8, cocktails were $8-10. Not sure specifically about the top shelf stuff but I think it would also be comparable to bar prices.

We were on your cruise also ! The weather was great huh ? We took a chance and did an 11 am flight. We carried luggage off at 8 am.

 

Loved the cruise. I am not a complainer but that bed was hard ! LOL Hub did not mind it .

 

We were in an aft room. Long walk but was worth it. Room 8670.

 

We did MTD 3 nights. Don't like how they pressure you to make reservations. What's the purpose if you can't go when you want to ? LOL

 

Oh yeah we did the ultimate drink package. Loved the convenience.

My husband is a big craft beer fan, we are going on the Brilliance in October and I was wondering if you knew what craft beer they have onboard? I've heard the pub might have a few options....trying to decide to get the ultimate package or just premium and it all depends on the beer line up.

Also do you know if we can purchase the drink packages once onboard or do we need to do it ahead of time?

Thanks!

yes, I think that is the new plan. I checked the port website and it looks like a lot of ships/people will be in port that day so I'm working with a local company now to book in advance. Thanks!

I recently did this in Jamaica and I have to say that the horseback riding portion was just ok, the swimming was fun. The best part was the swimming and it only lasted about 5 minutes....its hard work for the horses and the guides said they never have them out there more than 10 minutes max but its good exercise for them. You don't get very far from the shore but the horses are actually swimming and you lay flat on your stomach down their spine while holding their mane. Cool experience but I would only do it again if I could skip the trail riding part.

I have been told by several people that there are a ton of vendors right off the ship that are looking at filling up their excursions and will do so cheaply. Is this a good way to go? Has anyone tried this?

I am such a planner but the thought of saving money makes me consider doing this. Me and my friends were wanting to do a Jeep tour but would be open to most things including relaxing on the beach.

Thoughts?

The itineraries are identical but in reverse of each other: one leaves from Boston and goes to NY, the other leaves NY and goes to Boston. Both are the same price. Decisions, decisions.

I hate paying for the speciality dining and spending more money...which line has the best food in the main dining rooms?

My husband and I are in our early 30's, no kids and we are looking at the Norwegian Gem or Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas for a 7 night New England cruise this fall.

We enjoy luxury and relaxing but we can also be adventurous. We have never cruised on either line, what can we expect? Does one have an older crowd? One more family focused? Nicer balcony rooms, better food?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

My husband and I are in our early 30's, no kids and we are looking at the Norwegian Gem or Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas for a 7 night New England cruise this fall.

We enjoy luxury and relaxing but we can also be adventurous. We have never cruised on either line, what can we expect? Does one have an older crowd? One more family focused?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

My husband and I (we are both in our early 30's) are looking at a New England cruise this October. We have narrowed it down to Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas or the Norwegian Gem. Any advice? Does one have an older crowd than the other? Which is more luxury? Both are similarly priced so just looking to understand each ship.

Lastly beginning (10/4), middle (10/11) or end (10/18) of October for peak leaf peeping?

I think some people are just a bit more cost conscious than others. What I told my group was that we don't all have to agree. I am leaning toward OV connecting rooms and so are several in our group. But if 2 people want to save a little bit of money then they can get an interior room maybe even on the same deck! Seasickness has never been an issue for me except when I look out a window and see the waves moving.....not sure how I will handle the ocean view room but I'm sure it will be great.

Thanks, that is exactly what I wanted to know! Do you think being on the first two levels is a big deal as compared to being up on a higher deck? I think that is my only issue but I might be able to get over it to be close to my friends.

That is what I was wondering about the kids vs friends but I thought it could be fun to have the door open when we are hanging out, getting ready for dinner/etc. Not sure I love the idea of just having the hallway door open all the time!

My friends and I are going on a girls cruise Jan 2016 and we are looking at going fairly cheaply. I am happy with an interior room on the Empress deck and have our rooms side by side. The other option is to get connecting rooms which we can only do with Ocean View rooms...the issue is that all those rooms are on the first and second decks in the belly of the ship and although they are larger, they are also a bit more expensive.

I guess my question is, has anyone cruised with connecting rooms and did you use that feature all the time/was it worth it? I just feel like I'm giving up a prime deck (Empress) but I will do that if we would use the connecting feature a lot. HELP!! Need opinions.

The main reason we purchased FTTF was so our luggage would arrive quickly but that was not the case, it took over 4 hours for our bags to get to the room so I complained at guest services and they fully refunded us while still allowing us to use the perks throughout the trip....worth it!!!

I also was about to give up hope, our cruise doesn't sail until March 31st but I think sometimes people cancel their entire trip or maybe even change their mind about FTTF. Additionally I think they release a small amount of them at a time. I noticed after I purchased mine this morning that there were more still available so I think they released a few more. Keep checking and good luck!:)

YES I agree! The FTTF was sold out for months and I kept checking back and those sad words "Sold Out" were replaced with the beautiful words "Add to Cart". This will be my first time doing FTTF but I tend to enjoy luxury and being treated like a VIP so this program was made for me and my travel style. So excited to be cruising in 42 days!

Thanks, good info. The port is Jacksonville. I like the idea of maybe getting there a bit early and waiting a bit so we can get on the ship early. We will probably try to get there around 10:30 or 11. Thanks all!

I have cruised 2x before but it has been 12 years since my last cruise so basically I feel like a first time cruiser all over again. I tried to sign up for the Faster to the Fun package but they were sold out so instead of VIP onto the ship I will need to wait in line. That being said, what is the best strategy for arriving at the port and getting on the ship quickly? Get there early? Right before the ship is leaving? We are getting dropped off so we don't have to worry with parking.

Also if one of my ports of call says 12pm-8pm. What time will I likely be OFF the ship? 12 or more like 1? Just trying to plan stuff for the day....

Lastly, what time should I tell my driver to pick us back up on the day we return? The itinerary says we will be getting in at 8am but how long until we are off the ship? Thanks in advance for all help with this!

My sister and I will be in Nassau for 1 day but i believe the ship is coming in at 12 and leaving at 8pm. I REALLY want to go to Sandals but the rates are $115 per person for the day pass that lasts from 10-6. Are the ships typically early or late getting into port? Is it worth it for $115? I have stayed at RIU's before and I'm not overly impressed...I've also heard the beach there is a bit rough. I hear that Breezes is a bit dated. Any advice would be great. I'm thinking I'll just suck it up and spend the extra money so we can get the best i.e. Sandals but I hate that we have to miss a couple hours of the beach day...suggestions?

We are definitely parasailing just trying to figure out if we should book local or through the ship, the ship is so expensive but if they are going to give us 100% back in onboard credit that seems pretty cool....

We are definitely parasailing just trying to figure out if we should book local or through the ship, the ship is so expensive but if they are going to give us 100% back in onboard credit that seems pretty cool....

My sister and I (both in our 30's) are cruising on the Fascination during spring break March 31st-April 4th. Not sure what to expect from the crowd...lots of college kids? Children? Anyone else do a spring break cruise before?

Also our ports are Key West and Nassau. We were thinking about Parasailing in Key West and a resort day pass in Nassau but we are open to suggestions, I've heard something about a pub crawl in Key West?

One last question: With Key West, if we book through Carnival its $189 total for a tandem, if we book through a private reputable company in Key West its $60 for a tandem ride. I know that Carvinal has a 110% money back guarantee which means I need to book through Carnival then submit a claim with the competitor info and they will reimburse me 110% of the difference in onboard credit. Has anyone done this? Is it worth it? I like the idea of the secuity of going with Carnival in case of weather delays, etc. but the other is so much cheaper and they have great Tripadvisor reviews....not sure what to do..... Thanks All!!