epermar

1 hour ago, jgmpuma said:

It is still closed, and probably will be for several more months due to construction on the old World Trade Center. The closest station to your hotel is at the foot of Canal Street.

 

It wouldn't be a bad walk from your hotel: about eight blocks. Or you could walk down to the Harrah's Casino and catch a pedicab. There are always several of them at the Canal Street entrance.

Thank you so much...this is very helpful!

We will be in New Orleans Saturday, a day ahead of our cruise, and want to explore the French Quarter.  We are staying at Hyatt Place across from the convention center, and we heard that the Julia Street Station (streetcar) might be closed due to construction.  Can anyone confirm this?  What is the best alternative to get to French Quarter from our hotel?  TIA

NCL offers a Dolphin Encounter in Ocho Rios which allows us to stand in the water on a platform and meet/kiss dolphins...which is perfect for us as we do not wish to swim with them.  Has anyone done this specific excursion?  I understand there is a nature trail with some birds and other small wildlife to view.  Is there beach access here?  What else is there do to?  We have done Dunns River Falls and want to experience something different.  TIA

On 11/21/2019 at 9:23 PM, chong67 said:

Yes, I have walk the whole length of 7th mile beach and want to try new areas. 

 

We took an independent excursion to Rum Point a couple of years ago through Captain Marvin.  They offer guaranteed ship return.  The drive around to the other side of the island is interesting.  You will drive along the water some, and our driver pointed out areas of interest.  It is about 45 minutes out there, and you don't get a ton of time to enjoy.  But we did enjoy a different change of scenery and some drinks.  On this particular tour, the driver picks you back up from Rum Point about 2-1/2 hours after you are dropped off and he takes you to a small pier where you board a ferry that takes you back across the sound where you hop on another van back to the pier.

21 hours ago, Mparis184 said:

Where did you get the information about 5 ships being in port at the same time you will be there?  I want to look up the ports on our itinerary and see how crowded the ports will be.  Thanks

There are a few sites where you can find this information.  Just Google "how many ships in port".  Here is one for example:  http://ports.cruisett.com/.

I take that back - I tried this website and it was not working well.  I do know this information is online.  Hopefully, someone will post a better site.

We booked one through NCL called Past, Present & Perfect which puts us on a coach and gives us a tour of the area then drops us off at the airport.  I have to believe this will make disembarking a smoother process as we will be with our tour group and our luggage will, hopefully, be preploaded on the coach for us.  Not sure which cruise line you will be on, but perhaps you can find something similar. 

Great post - thanks!  Sailing the Getaway on 1/26 and looking forward to drinks at Sugarcane on the Waterfront.  Considering specialty dining 3 night package...Cagneys, Moderno and maybe La Cucina.  

No, I am from the US, and we did have the UBP and were given some of the extras like bottled water, Vitamin Water and teas.  Not sure how, but we did.

Interesting.  I wonder if it varies by ship.  We sailed on the Spirit January 2016, our first NCL experience, and were able to get just about anything.  It was a perk with our package though. 

When we first cruised with NCL in 2016, we had the standard beverage package, and at that time, it did include bottled water, milkshakes and other bottled beverages (Vitamin Water for example) as well as a good selection of teas (for hot tea).  The cruise lines keep looking for ways to make more $.  Remember when it used to be cheap to go to Las Vegas?  Not as much anymore.  I foresee the cruise industry going in this direction, but demand is up so it makes sense I guess.

On 12/7/2019 at 7:13 PM, ClevelandCruisin said:

Back in my hotel room, counting the hours till the cruise.

 

New Orleans is a town  I just have no interest in seeing again. Everyone raves about how awesome it is, Bourbon Street... well no thanks. It's just as dirty as anywhere else, but with more drunk people on the streets... Less than Vegas. Bourbon Street and Broadway Street in Nashville have a lot in common.

 

 

Maybe I didn't experience enough of it for more days.

I've heard two other people say the town is dirty.  We will be there a day ahead of our cruise the end of January.  Want to at least go to Cafe Beignet, Jackson Square and hear some jazz in the streets, a decent meal and just relax before the next day.  I can do without the Bourbon Street nightlife but think the architecture and music/street performers would be neat to see.

My husband and I each have a $50 spa credit to use.  I LOVE the salt scrub/massage for myself, but this time we are considering doing a couple's massage.  Has anyone done this, and how was your experience?  I assume it is just the massage...no soaking tub or other element, right?  Did anyone take advantage of any embarkation or port day spa specials and what were they?  Would love to hear about your experiences on board this ship and any tips you may have!  TIA

Just now, smithop said:

I boarded Joy in LA last week, using a CAS booking.   I'm only bronze but went in the CAS line.  I ended up group 15 so it didn't get me on any faster.

 

As far as getting off, Self-Assist went first, so I wheeled my own luggage and was off in the first 100 people, breezed through customs with no wait.  None of the luggage was even in the pickup area.

I will try to contain my excitement and just enjoy watching people until my group is called.  As far as disembarking, we booked the New Orleans past and present tour so we will get off the ship in a group to board the coach, our luggage will be loaded for us, and we will get a two hour tour of the area.  This will also serve as our transportation to the airport, so it should be pretty seamless getting off the ship.  Thanks for chiming in!

We have sailed different cruise lines the past few years, and I can't recall if NCL assigns a boarding "window".  We are Bronze Latitudes members (woo hoo!), just one night away from Silver status, so we do get priority check-in.  I am wondering if this will be a difference as to when we actually get to board or if this just puts us in a shorter check-in line.  TIA

We used Captain Marvin's a year ago for the Far Side Tour to Rum Point and were very pleased with their service.  The driver was timely getting us to our destination and back to Georgetown via ferry across the North Sound.  I also scoured reviews of this company prior to booking our independent excursion with them.  I can't speak to the particular excursion you wish to take, just our experience with this tour operator.  

We will be in Georgetown in late January 2020 for a port day.  I just saw a couple articles online from August 2018 that mentioned Calico Jacks was going to relocate to West Bay.  Does anyone know if Calico Jacks is still at it's original Seven Mile Beach location or if it did in fact move?  What about Royal Palms?  We are looking for a casual beach day with some drinks and a snack and were considering Calico Jacks.  Thanks in advance!

On 2/2/2019 at 4:21 PM, Karysa said:

 You didn’t mention what pier or where you plan on parasailing so it’s really impossible to answer your question to be honest.

 

I would consider parasailing and beaching at the same place. With this plan you should be able to do all that you have planned between 11:30 -5 if you aren’t spending the majority of your time going back and forth in a taxi. Also on our day last month the last ride down from Paradise Point was 4 pm so you should know the hours of operation for your day as you make plans.

Thanks for your reply.  Sorry, we will be docking at Havensight this time (we docked at Crown Bay once before).  

Our ship arrives in St. Thomas at 11:30 amand leaves port at 7 pm.  We have a parasailing excursion scheduled first thing and should be done by 1-1:30. We then want to take the ride up to Paradise Point.  Would we have enough time to take a taxi over to Magens Bay and be back at the pier by 5?  Can we snag a taxi from Paradise Point to the beach? Appreciate any feedback!

I guess I"m confused. You complain about people jumping line but then you ask about an owner's suite line when you aren't in a suite?

 

Also, did you have the beverage package or not? You complain about $15 wine cost so it sounds like you didn't but then you complain about the beverage plan surcharge so it would be either one or the other unless you were ordering a glass of wine over $15.

I am confused as well as to why this person stated they were in an Owner's Suite then a mini-suite. The intention doesn't sound any different than the person who veered off to use the restroom only to get ahead of the masses.

My husband and I plan on spending the early part of sea days on the Epic at Spice H20. I understand they have a lunch buffet and am curious what kind of food I can expect to find there. I really don't want to make the long trek to the opposite end of the ship to grab a plate from the buffet and take it all the way back to Spice H20 (does anyone actually do this?), but I prefer fresher offerings such as salad, grilled items and fruit while my husband is just fine with burgers and fries. Can anyone provide me more detail on the food that is offered at lunch there? TIA:)

23 days until we board the Epic for first "mega ship" experience. Second cruise with Norwegian.

Can't wait to see them!

Not sure how old your kids are or if this is your first visit, but when you get off the ship, there will be tour operators standing by for a lot less $ than the cruiselines charge. You can do a 2-3 hour tour that will give you a tour of the West Bay...the Turtle Farm is a great family activity. Then usually there is a stop in "Hell" which is not much than rock formations and a post office, but you will also get a drive by view of the beach. It's been a long time since we did this but I can tell you our kids enjoyed it (8 and 10 at the time).

Day passes for the Thermal Spa are not always available, generally only on port days. They’re also fairly expensive, in the range of $60 if believe (someone please correct me if I’m wrong). Best time to visit is while at port as most people are off the ship. Busiest times are sea days between 10 and 4.

Thanks, MikeBTN...I guess we will take our chances on getting day pass. :)

Did anyone take advantage of port day spa specials, particularly massage, and approximately what was the cost? On our first NCL cruise a couple of years ago, we visited the spa upon embarkation and attended the raffle where we received a flyer with specials supposedly for raffle attendees. Also, is the day pass to the Thermal Suite a good value? I really don't want to spend $200 for the entire week but would love to experience it. When is the best time to visit the Thermal Suite?

Thank you in advance! :)