pugetmandm

From an email received today—

20 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Welcome to the SWEET suite life! We will be on the cruise right after you. A few tips:

 

1. Be sure to ask where the full suite/Elite boarding area is. You should board in the first group.

2. Yes, eat at Sabatini's for breakfast - worth it!

3. You have Club Class Dining which is in the Skagway Dining Room on Deck 6 from what I remember.

4. Enjoy free drinks and snicky-snacks/happy hours in the suite lounge on deck 14.

5. Book the 360 dining experience in the App - it is free for you. You also get a free specialty dining the first night so book that now too.

6. You get a free mini bar set up in your cabin that you are able to switch out for wine or bottles that you prefer.

7. Take advantage of the free laundry if needed.

8. The concierge is available to assist you in booking/changing reservations.

9. Sign up for the Chef's table if you want to do that at guest services right when. you board. I prefer 360 but that is a personal choice. You do pay for Chef's NOT 360.

 

Drinks are not included except during the suite happy hour. They do have coffee available there all day though.

Wifi Not included.

 

 

I'm stunned (but delighted) to hear that the 360 is included--when I went to sign up, the charge was almost $300, but I'm hearing that will be refunded?

30 minutes ago, akeasley said:

Have you booked the suite yet? I wish someone had told me about the differences in the forward Lido suites vs the aft suites. If I could go back in time, all my suite bookings would be aft.

Yes, there was only one (aft) suite left.

We are coming off a very challenging year so decided at the last minute to splurge on our very first suite.  Since this will be a new experience for us, please give us your best and brightest tips to help us get the most from our experience. 

What do you wish you were told before you did this the first time?

A couple if questions--do we still need to buy drink packages? wifi packages? 

We welcome any and all advice! Thanks in advance

Are we really the first to wave the gay flag for this cruise?

Mark and Michael here.  Just decided to book this cruise last minute after a very challenging year.  We love meeting new folks on cruises so please do let us know who's joining us. 

Warm regards, 

On 9/16/2022 at 10:03 AM, traveljunki said:

We have done 10 trips with OAT/GCT. I did the Northern Greece, Albania & Macedonia trip this spring by myself and it was a fantastic itinerary (but land based) and had a wonderful Trip Leader. I followed it with Crossroads of the Adriatic where the itinerary was very good. We have done 2 Africa trips and absolutely loved them both. Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda Aug. 2022.

 

The only small ship we were on, besides river cruises in Europe,  was the Corinthian on the Antarctica Voyage and it was an excellent trip. 

 

All in all we find the trips very good to excellent. Itineraries are excellent with very few 1-night stays. Accommodations are generally 3-star. Most Trip Leaders are very good, a few have been outstanding and a couple mediocre. Customer Service is good once we finally get a hold of them. Long hold times like many businesses these days.

 

Some friends are on the Dalmatian Coast cruise in a few weeks so we will definitely get a trip report from them.

Thanks so much--very helpful!

Mark

We're contemplating a trip with Overseas Adventure Travel to Greece and Turkey next year, on the M/V Arethusa or M/V Athena,  and would welcome any feedback about the company or the ships.

On 9/1/2021 at 10:58 AM, Love4tahoe said:

Thanks, guys. That is great to know as we would prefer the more active itinerary. I will take a look at the details but just to make sure - would that be the one that goes up to Genovesa and down to Espanola, or the one that goes to Floreana? Many thanks.

The more strenuous itinerary starts in Baltra and ends in San Christobal which I think is the first one you mentioned—“the one that goes up to Genovesa and down to Espanola“ —but please double check to be sure. 

On 8/29/2021 at 10:40 AM, Love4tahoe said:

Would love some insights into which of the two itineraries to choose. Also, is Machu Picchu an option yet for a pre- or post-cruise excursion? Thanks in advance!

If you look carefully at the itinerary details for each of the two possibilities, it's clear which is for those who are more active vs those who tend to be more couch potatoey.  We actually switched trips after reviewing the details, especially the recommended fitness levels.  

On 7/30/2021 at 3:47 PM, AngieS said:

Hi Terry. Sadly it is our last day on the ship. It has been the most fabulous week. I will be home on Sunday morning and promise to write a full review as wifi here is a little slow. I will tell you this cruise is busy busy with the activities and lectures. I highly encourage your clients to do everything they possibly can. The naturalists are so passionate and knowledgeable. We have loved every minute and the ship is so luxurious. We were only 58 passengers. I have taken pics of a few menus including room service menus and of the cabin. I also have saved all the daily chronicles. This cruise is a once in a lifetime experience!  Best Angie

Angie--did you do the route that starts in Baltra or San Cristobal??

msm

Thanks so much for the great information!  We're taking this trip in June 2022.

msm

Does anyone have any advice about which of the following ports are easy to explore on your own or if it would be better to book an excursion?

• Dunedin
  
• Akaroa
  
• Napier
  
• Tauranga
  

We're headed to Australia next November for a 10 night cruise to New Zealand on RCL Radiance of the Seas. We're part of a small gay group organized by a gent named Arno Schuechen. We'll spend five nites in Sydney before the cruise and a few in Auckland at the end of the cruise. Never been to that part of the world and welcome any tips or suggestions.

Can anyone shed some light on the difference between the Deluxe and Superior Ocean View Rooms with balconies?

We decided to a NCL excursion in Belize and stay on the boat in Costa Maya which we've seen before. Off to New Orleans on Tuesday!:):):)

Have you guys got anything planned for Belize? We are thinking of flying to San Pedro.

We've given up on the cave tubing idea and I'm interested in San Pedro. Have you made any definite plans?

What part of town are you staying? There are plenty of parades to choose from and they are all unique in their own way.

 

The "best" parade is always subjective. If you were to be staying in Metairie/Kenner then I would say be sure to see Caesar 1/30 which is in the suburbs but is a truly stunning visual parade with top notch bands and floats.

 

There are plenty of parades Uptown/Downtown but none are super krewes or anything that would require camping out on the side of the road for hours in order to secure a spot. Just go with the flow and enjoy as you will be there when the entire city is yet to be run over with tourist.

Thanks for the info Nolatravelgirl--We're staying at the W in the French Quarter.

Greetings all from cold, dark Seattle--

We're flying into New Orleans on January 26 for five nights before we leave on the Dawn on January 31. Would love any advice about which parades to catch at the end of next week, and if you have any tips on where to watch from, that would be great too.

Heading to New Orleans in a few weeks and have five days there before our cruise; looking for a recommendation for the best riverboat cruise to book. Suggestions?

We're planning to do Cavetubing through Vital Nature and Mayan Tours, although I've been having some issues with my knees and may not be up for the walking required. Hope you had a good holiday--best wishes for a happy new year.

Mark

We're going. In fact, I just replied to you on the other roll call thread. Looking forward to meeting you!

Excellent--we live in Seattle so will be ready for a little sun. Heading to NOLA on the 26th to spend a few days there (we'll be at the W) before the cruise. Just celebrated 19 years together. How about you all? Where are you from?

Mark & Michael

Thanks for the great review--this will be our first NCL cruise--we leave from New Orleans and are very excited.

Hell, I'm booked on a Galapagos cruise in May of 2017.

 

If I live that long...

Shepp--which Galapagos cruise? That's on our bucket list and I was thinking about that in 2017 which good lord, I realized will be when I turn 60 :eek:

Can you tell us what the spa is like on the Dawn? It's our first time on NCL. Are there steam rooms in the regular locker room or only in the spa? Is the spa pass worth the expense? Thanks in advance for your tips.

thanks...that was a great response. appreciate your time and input.

we decided to go for the Dawn since it leaves from New Orleans (which has been on our list of places to see) and we were lucky to use our points to score five nights in a nice hotel before the cruise.

we also like the itinerary and the chance to see Belize and Honduras...and blessings to the person above who cautioned us about Spring Break. did you know there are sights that list all of the dates for college spring breaks?