LD Silver

3 hours ago, Samstress said:

 

This is going to severely impact the Cuban people...

 

Not nearly as much as decades of communist dictatorship.

Mostly machines and dumbbells. 

Interesting, well thought out read.  Thanks for taking the time to write this review.

3 hours ago, CruisingNole said:

 

It means that if you want the shrimp cocktail, you pay $5.

$6 with gratuity

The pizza on NCL is just not worth the calories you take in.

If the pizza is going to be this bad, they should just stop serving it.

4 hours ago, Shorty6095 said:

Hello all, first time cruiser here!  We'll be on the Pearl from Mar 6-10.  I have been scouring these message boards and finding lots of information!  One thing I've seen mentioned multiple times is that we have the option to remove the gratuity charges from our credit card that we made the reservation with.  We would prefer to tip with cash.  Even if we aren't able to remove the gratuities from the credit card, we'll still tip with cash while on the ship because that is just how we are.  We are very appreciative of those in the service industry and we'd rather put cash in their hand instead of NCL deciding how to divide up gratuity. 

Anyways... is having the gratuity charges removed as simple as calling NCL?

Don't do it, cheapskate

Spice H2O is adults only...easy choice.

I would not want to end a wonderful cruise vacation with a stressful event like missing a flight.  Book a later flight and relax at the airport.

On 2/22/2019 at 11:41 AM, Happy3671 said:

 

 

So, for example lets say I am booked in a Haven Suite and I want to make a reservation for La Cucina for a party of 9 on Monday at 5:30 pm thru my concirge. If somebody already made a reservation online for La Cucina for a party of 8 for the same time does their reservation get bumped. 

 

Why in the world would you think you can bump someone else from their reservation because you are in the Haven?  

29 minutes ago, ColinIllinois said:

Already posted and discussed.   Thread from page 2.

 

 

And so has every other cruise related topic under the sun.  Just scroll by if it bothers you.

1 minute ago, casofilia said:

@LD Silver

 

Yes - For example, both times I have booked the Escape to Jost Van Dyke at our Tortola stop it was sold out within days of it being posted on NCL.com 

 

Your answer is not clear. "I have booked"; does this mean that you did book it before you boarded?  Or were you unable to when you tried both times?

If the latter did you try to book as soon as you boarded?  If you did were you successful?

I booked it online and it was sold out within days of me booking it online.

Got it?

7 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Is that actually the case?

 

I would have thought that some of them would be kept back for booking onboard, as is the case with other things.

Yes - For example, both times I have booked the Escape to Jost Van Dyke at our Tortola stop it was sold out within days of it being posted on NCL.com 

20 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Just wait until you get on board, then book excursions, pay with OBC.  

Most of the popular excursions sell out well in advance of sailing so this strategy is a fail.

14 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

A Roll Call is exactly the place to be discussing and arranging private shore excursions. 

So is the meet and greet.  And if an officer or fellow passenger (including whoever arranged the meet and greet) doesn't like it then too bad for them.

3 hours ago, kfnesq said:

I love the fridge magnet idea!

We did a shot glass exchange on the Escape a couple of years ago.  Over 60 people participated.

Thanks for the review.

Did you go to Gatsby's?  That's my favorite place to enjoy a post show cocktail and listed to music.

I usually go with a Mercedes-Benz - CLS550 Coupe.  They seem to appreciate it.

On ‎1‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 10:37 AM, zqvol said:

 

Don't get your hopes up. What I am thinking is that your TA has sent you a fruit basket or something of that sort. NCL doesn't recognize VIPs.

A fountain of misinformation....as usual

13 hours ago, MandiesPharm said:

 

 

 

 

The planes only take off and land every so often so it’s not terrible. Karakter is one of our favorite places to go to - whether we cruise or do a land vacation to SXM. Always good service and lots of fun!

We do miss the days before people knew about it and it was still a school bus with bar stools.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

 We are planning to take a land vacation to SXM next year.  Any places you could recommend near Karakter?

Thanks! 

As MandiesPharm indicated plane noise is not an issue.  We were there for about 4 hours and only 5 planes took off during that time and 3 of them were single engine planes. 

The landings do not create any noise as Karakter is at the end of the runway and the planes are just taxiing slowly at that point.

We spent the day at Valley Church Beach enjoying sand, sun and drinks. The Bar/Restaurant was called The Nest. A $20 bill gets you two chairs and an umbrella.  A bucket of 6 beers was also $20.  We did not eat there

One thing to note, there is a 1-2 foot drop off about 10 yards into the water.  We saw more than a few people stumble on their way in and out of the water. There were 6 ships in port, so it was crowded but you still had room to move about.

The interesting part of the trip was we took the bus to and from the beach. I’ve done it before, and it was easy.  It is about a 10-15-minute walk to the bus station and completely safe. Cost is $1.50 pp each way.  A taxi ride would have cost $25 each way.  When you compare $50 vs. $6 it is an easy decision.  Here's how you do it:

Walk straight down the St. Johns Pier and continue straight onto Nevis Street. About two blocks down make a right on to Market Street. Continue down Market Street passing Tanner Street, South Street and New Street in that order. Just past New Street the road forks. Stay to the right to remain on Market Street. The left fork is All Saints Road (this is the wrong street). The bust station is on the right. Just keep walking down Market Street and you cannot miss the Bus Terminal.

You do not buy tickets. Just look for Bus # 22 or ask someone. They will be glad to help you. We waited less than 5 minutes to leave. Cost was $1.50 each. Pay as you exit. I asked the driver to let me know where the Valley Church Beach stops was and he gladly obliged. The ride took 15 minutes and we made only 4 or 5 stops.

Just do the reverse for the trip back. Walk back to the road and wait for the bus.  We waited about 2 minutes for a bus to come along to take us back to town.

After much research we decided to visit the Karakter Beach Bar and Restaurant on Simpson Bay Beach (pronounced care-actor). We were not disappointed. Not only was the beach nice but the food, drinks and service were outstanding. Beach chairs and umbrella are no charge so long as you are buying food and/or drinks. We had 8 beers and an order of nachos and our bill was $31 excluding tip.  The euro is the official currency of St. Maarten, but they accept US dollars at par value (1 euro = 1 dollar) so it is a great deal if you have US$.

It is located right next to the runway of the airport. The planes do not take off and land over your head but rather to your side. The views are magnificent without the chance of death. They were more than happy to call us a taxi for the return trip to the port.

Can't wait to go back.

I always go with a Mercedes-Benz - CLS550 Coupe.   They seem to appreciate it.

Extreme caution should be used when using the treadmills on sea days. The rocking of the ship can easily throw you off-balance and result in injuries.  I witnessed just such an occurrence on the last sea day of my recent NCL Pearl cruise.

A middle-aged man was clipping along, the ship lurched, and he face planted right on the treadmill.  In the blink of an eye he was thrown off the machine.  He was not wearing the safety clip, so the belt continued to spin with his arm still on the belt.  I ran over and hit the emergency stop button, but the damage was done.  He had about a six-inch abrasion on this wrist/forearm that was darn near down to the bone.  Not the way you want to end your cruise. 

So be careful and wear the safety clip on the treadmill. 

I just got off the Pearl last Sunday.  I think we were the 2nd cruise after the changes to the UBP.

I happy to report everyone survived.