TonyFred

Went on the behind the scenes tour on the Getaway last year. 79 bucks. That included an 8 X 10 photo of each person taken in the galley. Spent a lot of time on the Bridge.

The good news is that if the price had gone up instead of down, they would not have asked you to cough up the difference.

Part of the fun for me is getting there early and watching the other passengers arrive. Funny how you will notice the same people over and over again on a ship with that many people on it. I love people watching for some reason.

Because I have zero experience with paying for a 3rd or 4th guest, but I suppose you could make the same argument. However, I think it is a little more reasonable to be forced to pay port fees on a 3rd and 4th person, as they are not imposed by NCL. As for the taxes, I'm afraid I don't really know how they work, so I will hold my tongue on them.

 

I don't want people to think that this issue is ruining my life- it isn't. I'm just speaking up about something that could've been handled by NCL a little better.

 

By the way, Celebrity offers a free drink perk that includes gratuities. Shocking, right?

Then book with Celebrity. Shocking solution, right?

Because of my flight, I should be getting to the port around 9-9:15AM.

 

Anyone know my chances of getting a boarding group that will have a chance at Vibe passes?

I would expect you to be in one of the very first boarding groups. We got there last year around 1030 and were in group 3, no problem getting Vibe passes. (That was on the Getaway)

7:15 was the only time available for us also. Could it be because we are only in port until 3:00? Anyway we grabbed it as it is the one thing I really wanted to do.

Yep, same here. We booked the same itinerary this year as last year just so we could go back to JVD. We were on the Getaway last year and the Escape this year so at least the ship is different. We loved the Getaway and expect the Escape to be just as lovable!

The 7:15 time slot was the only one available for 11/02 of this year. I am fine with that. We did the 915 last year and cut it very close on getting back to the boat. They shut the gangway right after our group got back onboard. By taking the early time, we can walk around the port area when we get back and do a little shopping.

Also beware aft cabins on upper decks. I was under Spice H2O last year and it was VERY loud till about 1 am. The bass from the big speakers was rattling everything in my cabin.

Crown Plaza San Pedro.

This.

I'm on the Escape in November and have been waiting FOREVER for this excursion. It JUST appeared late tonight/last night/this morning and I am 93 days out.

Yes, the JVD NCL excursion finally appeared yesterday for booking for the date we are there--11/02 of this year. I immediately booked it.

I booked our cruise on the Escape back in December. We depart on Oct 29th of this year. I have been watching for the Escape to Jost Van Dyke excursion since I booked and it has not been available. Very disappointed as we went last year and this was our favorite all time excursion. I sent a couple of emails to the Rebel Yell contact info but I dont guess they care or need the business since they havent answered. I have since contacted Foxys Charters which can at least provide transportation from Tortola to JVD. They told me they would get back with me. I'm not holding my breath though. I think these folks live the island life and things like email are the last things on their minds.

I dont care about being herded through the Baths. If I knew we couldnt get the JVD excursion I would have booked a different itinerary altogether.

I'm sailing in August and booked our escape to JVD excursion through NCL back in January. I'm afraid it may be sold out for you.

I booked the Escape back in December for this October. The excursion has never been available. I sent an email to the tour operator with the Rebel Yell boat about 2 weeks ago. No response.

No way in hell they are going through my personal belongings. The end.

Well, even you don't count the gratuity, the Free UBP is not so Free.

The Free UBP is not offered for the GTY categories (IX, OX, BX) and the price difference between GTY and self-assigned room is several 100s.

I doubt that anybody would pay $300-400 pp just to choose the room.

May be just me, but I would never book a GTY. So yes I always pay the difference to choose exactly where my cabin is located before I get on the ship.

I am going to Tortola on Regent in March, and they offer an "escape to Jost Van Dyke" excursion. The description says that you have to swim 30-50 feet from the boat to the shore. My question is, how do you deal with your "stuff", towels and anything else you need to get on the shore in a dry condition?

Thanks,

Bob

When we took the excursion last year, they pulled in very close to the beach. There are drop down stairs on the boat. We were in calf deep water at the most. I could see issues if the water was rough and they couldnt get in as close. I would suggest carrying a waterproof beach bag, put everything in it and hold it over your head. But I dont think you will have any problems. It is a very calm area.

Its probably the best excursion I have been on. Loved the Rebel Yell and I cant imagine a better beach than Jost.

We took the NCL excursion from the Escape in mid June. The catamaran Rebel Yell left from the pier and literally dropped us off in front of the Soggy Dollar Bar right on the beach (it had retractable stairs). The price of NCL's excursion was $109 pp. The price of Pain Killers was $7.

Thats the same one we did last year but it is not showing up under excursions for the October cruise.

I posted this over on the Tortola forum but thought someone here might also know.

We took the Escape to Jost Van Dyke excursion last year and loved it.

We are going again this October on the Escape. We are 110 days out and so far this excursion isnt available. Has anyone booked it lately? Sure hoping they havent dropped it.

We did this excursion last year and loved it. We are going back to Tortola on the Escape this October but so far NCL does not have this excursion listed. We are 110 days out. Does anyone know if NCL is still doing this one and if so, when will it become available to book? Prettiest place I have ever been.

We boarded in the 2nd group around 11:45. Went straight to Guest Services and got 3 passes with no issue.

bump

Just a suggestion if time permits. My son and I took the public ferry over to Bainbridge Island on Friday evening. We came in a day early also.

We had dinner over there. It was a nice atmosphere. There were some street performers, etc.

But the best part was the ferry ride over and back. Great views of the skyline, cruise terminal, etc. And it was a very inexpensive way to sight see. The ferry terminal is very easy to locate. Very close to the port terminal downtown. Super easy in and out.

Can anyone help? I have a chance to snag 13904 on the Escape. But it is hard to tell from the pics if it is much larger than a standard balcony. It looks like balconies above and below it have larger balconies. This is one of the cabins at the very rear of the ship, next to the Aft cabins.

Way too windy the first few days last year on the Getaway. No way you could enjoy it for more than a short period of time. It was BAD.

And they sell a limited amount of passes so odds are that when you are there, others might be doing other things. That is one of the attractions....very limited list of folks who can get in.