LConstable

Your experience on NCL almost mirrors ours - we were on the Breakaway last summer (so its not just the smaller Sky that has issues) and we had the same complaints! We were travelling with my large family for a multi generational trip so the price was right (you get what you pay for) I would do a 5 day out of NYC on RCCL and give up 2 days for the same price and be so much happier. It was crowded - somehow 2x the passengers on the Oasis felt less cramped, the clientele was questionable - I felt like I was on a Spring Break Carnival cruise in the 80's and the food was mediocre at best (and we had 5 night Specialty Dining) - I think because they give away everything for free nothing seems special. We had problem after problem with boarding, with dining reservations, with our photo appointment and no one cared. I wrote NCL a scathing letter when we got home and never heard anything back from them - whenever I get a solicitation in the mail from them I return it to sender with a sharpie marker saying we will never sail NCL again on it - I am probably only amusing my mail carrier but it makes me feel better.

I don't believe there will be much open at Navy Pier after your dinner reservation - by way of shops etc..

The Restaurants and Bars should still be open

I am confused by your second question - Horsehoe Bay and St. George's are on opposite sides of the island - you would likely have enough time to one or the other of them but not both and be back to ship to catch a 5:30 excursion

I would not risk going to St. George's on a 3:00pm sailaway day but could certainly do Hamilton or Horseshoe Bay that day

Hi Everyone

It was just based on what the sales reps were telling me, the lack of available balcony cabins, connecting cabins and booked and (not wait list available) early/main dinning- I will scratch this off my worry list :)

thanks for the input

Laura

Me Too - didn't find anything either

I am in the "I didn't know I needed to be worried about this but now I am" phase lol

Honestly, like I said I expected the ship to be at capacity - and if its a large group I don't mind them closing certain lounges etc... or having private parties - I just don't know if there will be an impact on the more common areas - ie reserved section at the pool or shows - closed FloRider or Rock wall etc...

Hi Everyone

We are booked on the July 26, 2019 Adventure out of NJ - we are kind of committed to our date as we have a couple families travelling with us. When we booked (well over a year out) we had a lot of trouble finding the cabins we wanted and main dining was already full and not accepting wait lists - even the RCCL agents kept commenting that they didn't understand what was going on - or that they hadn't seen anything like this....

The more I read - I see that there is a possibility of it being "chartered" which I guess can mean that some of the amenities are closed to other guests. In all of my cruises I have never experienced this and wondered if anyone had an experience on a chartered cruise .... or an explanation for what possibly could be driving the inventory levels.

Its summer so we kind of expected the ship to be at capacity (and were prepared for that) I just don't know the impact a chartered full ship has compared to a regular full ship??

Any help is appreciated

Laura

I will add that if you take public transportation (i.e. the island bus system) then you are dropped off at the top of a fairly long and steepish hill. I (being able bodied) do not want to make the hike back to the top to the bus stop at the end of the day and certainly would say that anyone with mobility issues shouldn't. We have seen on occasion some people being transported by golf carts but I do not know how that is arranged. If you have your heart set on HB, as others have said be sure to take a taxi or other private transportation.

We have been to Bermuda a number of times, its my most favorite Island - I would agree that you don't need to book an excursion, but please do not limit yourself to horseshoe bay there are a lot of wonderful beaches and are easily arrived at by using the Ferry or the Island bus system - everyone goes to Horsehoe and it can get quite crowded if there are multiple ships in port. We are old school and still like to rent scooters which gives us a little more freedom...

We are on your same itinerary and are also looking for something to do in Nassau - Ill be following along....

Hi Everyone

We are looking for something more than a beach day in Nassau - July '19

We have a number of Sea days and feel confident that between them Bermuda and Coco Cay 2.0 we will get our fill of beaches, water slides and pools.

Traveling with older teenagers so are game for a little adventure.....

Any suggestions?

Also weirdly we are in port Noon - Midnight so would have to be an afternoon activity

Thanks in advance

Laura

PS we have done a number of cruises and I am comfortable booking our own outing so it doesn't have to be a RCCL excursion

we have done as Ken has suggested many times - you just have to book one Adult (over 21) into the cabin at time of booking and then you can switch up the actual sleeping arrangements when on board - the only time it gets a little confusing is when the cabin sharing is being done with a different paying family - ie. your cousins because often times the first and second persons in the cabin are paying more than the 3rd and 4th so it might require some math and IOU's between family member lol. We did this last year with my sister's family and I am still not sure we ever figured out the actual cost and who owed who what - good luck!

thanks everyone - I do have Black Friday bookmarked and will keep an eye out in my cruise planner - just wanted to make sure they weren't going to pop up in some secret place that I wasn't watching!

Hi Everyone

We are booked on the Adventure July' 19 (and wow was that a process almost completely sold out well over a year out - but I digress). We did the Oasis for our last RCCL but liked the thought (and savings) of not having to fly to the Port and even one day in Bermuda is a great cruise! For the Oasis we ended up purchasing some of the add on's while we were on board but this time I would like to pre-book the stuff I know we want before hand (ie. coffee cards and drink packages) - my question is I see from these boards and trip reports that folks are saying they got special prices on some of the extra's and I am wondering where /how you find out about those promotions? Do they appear in your cruise planner, are folks calling and asking for them? Any help is appreciated .....

Thanks so Much

Laura

we were in the same boat (so to speak) just got off the Breakaway July 24-31 sailing - We are long time Royal Caribbean sailors but their itineraries to Bermuda are the pits - if we had to do it again we would forgo the razzle dazzle of the Breakaway and sail Celebrity - don't get me wrong it was a great week - BUT we went in with very low expectations so it wasn't too hard to please us - overall we found NCL to be sorely lacking in customer service - most of the staff was either ambivalent or rude and the dining/show reservation system is horrendous - everything was marked sold out only to be sitting in 1/2 empty restaurants and shows all week- - We LOVE Bermuda and have been many times so we were lucky that we knew what we were doing once there - and don't even get me started on the pool deck situation - you had your choice between the kiddie pool or an MTV spring break special and that was only if you got up at 6:00am to grab deck chairs - for the short time you are at sea - I would do the Celebrity - hands down!

Hi All

We are new to NCL (But not Bermuda) we will be on the July 24th sailing and have the Ultimate Beverage Package - am I to understand that this does not include bottled water? If so, has anyone 'packed' bottled water in their luggage? Is it allowed or do you have to sneak it or is it a complete no go? I see they will sell you an 18 pack for $60 (which is beyond ridiculous) we really only want it for our Bermuda days ???

thoughts

thanks

Laura

Hi we were on the sailing right before you - we too commented on what an awful table that was (we were placed very near but tucked away nicely on a balcony) - not to mention the smoke smell that was coming in regularly from the casino (even where we were)!

We were on the April 23rd sailing and they had both

The "White Party" was more of a "Dance Party" where folks were encouraged to dress in white - as a previous poster mentioned the guests mostly didn't and the crew mostly did!

Just a quick hello – I am new to Cruise Critic but certainly not new to Travel Boards – we will be doing the July 24 sailing to Bermuda on the Breakaway – celebrating my parents 50th (they were married there in the summer of 1966!) - 8 adults and 8 grandchildren – OMG are we crazy …. we have all been to Bermuda a bunch of times and will miss parking in Hamilton and then moving to St. George – this is everyone’s first NCL cruise (usually do RCCL/ Celebrity) and our first time out at Navy Pier - but none of the lines seem to do 7 days to Bermuda anymore - and let’s be honest there is no such thing as a bad trip to Bermuda – it is literally one of my most favorite places on earth!

I will say I am struggling a bit with the freestyle dining (we are old school cruisers) and will likely be doing some version of the Specialty Dining package – but a couple of the restaurants I am interested in are a la carte – on the NCL website it says

“Guests who have purchased the package may also choose to dine in other select à la carte priced restaurants, entertainment-based restaurant for the following per person upcharges: Ocean Blue ($15) Raw Bar ($7) Sushi ($7)”

So is it a dining credit (meaning one of your three meals from your package) plus the a la carte upcharge or by having the Package is it just the upcharge – I hope this is making sense I am basically trying to figure out how many Specialty meals we need ……

I can’t help at all with the Breakaway – but am happy to answer any Bermuda questions – look for us this summer we will be the crazy family tearing away from navy pier on the scooters!

TTFN

Laura

Hello Everyone

I am new to Cruise Critic but certainly not new to travel forums - we are traveling on the Oasis on April 23rd and I have become the defacto planner – mostly because I am a bit of a control freak and the people we are travelling with tend to just go with the flow - - so it all works out just fine haha. This is a “Senior Trip” for my daughter and our best friend’s son (there are 9 of us total 4 adults and 5 teenagers) so we picked the big “cool kids” ship. I have a bunch of really random questions (I did search the site but wasn’t getting any matches) so hopefully someone out there can help – apologies if it’s been asked and answered before!

I thought I read somewhere that you can make reservations for the (on ship) zipline – but I haven’t found it anywhere – did I dream that? If not, any advice on beating the crowds?.

Is the Solarium Pool Adults only? (what’s an adult…. 17 I would guess?)

Does anyone have an estimate cost of a taxi ride from Fort Lauderdale Airport to the port – I hate to buy the transfers for $17 pp (there are four of us)?

If we do express de-embarkation off the ship do you think we will be okay making a 12 Noon flight out of FLL – it never occurred to me that it would take a while to get off the ship we have always been off by 9:00am (we have never sailed with 6,000 people either though)

Any tips for where to head at Labadee (with said teenagers) we didn’t do any excursions here but want a nice chill beach day – but I know the kids will want to be in the thick of it?

Thanks for humoring me – we have done a bunch of cruises some with Royal Caribbean and some not, so I am not a complete newbie but I will say that the sheer size of this ship is throwing me for a loop – damn Royal Caribbean commercials!

Thanks Bunches

Laura