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Posts posted by Melissalcsw
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We did an ocean view with four of us. I would not do it again. Our family needs a little more space and an extra bathroom. Lesson learned for us.
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Great topic, my 11 year old and I are going in 81 days; we cannot wait!! Have a great time!
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Howdy,
My spouse and I took a 4 night Epic cruise, last week for our honeymoon. Here are my thoughts. This was the first time being on NCL.
We were booked in two of the studios with connecting doors. Long story short, this cruise was planned for a getaway for me, then I asked him to join, then we got engaged and married; so instead of losing our deposits I keep these cabins.
We stayed the night prior at the Residence Inn by Marriott, and loved it.
We had a check in time of 1030 -1100. We got to the Port by 1000 and parked easily in the garage. Take your parking ticket with you, so you can pay.
We grabbed our luggage and zig zagged our way to the porters. It was quite congested as people were still disembarking from the previous trip.
After dropping off our luggage we took the escalators upstairs. We quickly got through security.
Check in was smooth, we only waited a couple of minutes. We were assigned boarding group 5. We took our seats and waited. We waited a little over an hour. It was very difficult to hear what boarding numbers they were calling where we were seated. After scanning our cards one more time, we proceeded to the gang plank and got the prerequisite washy washy lol
Once onboard it took a few minutes to get our barrings. We wanted to eat at Taste vs battling the buffet. The AFT elevators don't go to deck 5, so we made our way down the stairs then the escalator.
All in All a very smooth and pleasurable boarding.
Our cabin was perfect for us. We had the connecting door open the entire time, The steward was great and attentive. Towel animals and ice every night. The ship is showing it's age. For instance, the shower drained very slowly, to the point I thought it might over flow. My closets had no doors, they were completely missing. It didn't detract from my trip, just an observation. Finding our cabins on the first day was challenging, boy did we get our steps in. On another note, the Studio Lounge was excellent. The coffee maker alone was worth it. Macchiatto's and Latte's, no coffee bar for us this trip. They even had goodies and a set bar time.
We got the dining package, which in hind sight maybe was not the best idea, but it is what it is. We ate at Cagney's, La Cucina, Le Bistro and added on Moderno. We had terrific meals and service at all these places. My husband really enjoyed La Cucina the most. I thought the service was very slow here. as the waiter had no assistance. My favorite was Le Bistro. The salad bar at Moderno could be a meal alone, it was very very good.
We also had two meals at O'Sheehans....was pub like food. Took a bit to get food and on one occasion the waiter disappeared. Both otherwise was good and fit our need at the time.
Taste was fairly decent, good service and attentive.
We visited many of the bars on the ship, the service was touch and go. Our favorite bar was the Atrium bar...great drinks, not pre-mixed and strong. We frequented the Spice bar, as we spent many hours back there. That bar was slammed the majority of the time. It was nice to see a server going around; however, they could have use more than one. Granted unbeknownst to us, this was a Spring Break cruise...duh... lol
Man were the bars hoping...it was crazy, but we rolled with it.
Burn the floor was great, we didn't see Priscilla. Caught a portion of the Beatles show.
Escape was all booked so we didn't get to that, along with all the comedy shows.
We saw the Glow Party, my husband didn't think it was that glowy LOL
Great Stirrup Cay was awesome. We caught the first tender ashore. This was easy, as many were likely sleeping off their hangovers LOL
We did the paddle boarding. This was so fun. The staff was very informative and helped this novice a great deal.
Lunch on the island was good and plentiful. Jerk Chicken and salads were very good. We had a couple of drinks from the bar, didn't take too long.
On the sea day, we didn't have any difficulty finding a lounger in Spice H2O; likely again people were probably sleeping off their hang overs LOL
The photography staff were helping, we got a few photos.
Disembarkation was super easy. We picked a 0930 disembarkation time. We had a leisurely breakfast at Taste and then went to the outside decks to wait. Once called we walked off , grabbed our bags, went through customs and walked to our car. Super easy.
Overall, despite the craziness of Spring Break, we had a great first time on NCL. We would definitely cruise NCL again if the price was right!
Cheers
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So we are from Augusta....and we drive to all our ports. Port Canaveral this weekend. Good luck!
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Wow that was amazing, thank you for sharing these gems!
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On the flip side, how early is it released? I currently got mine more than 6 months out...
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Great review indeed, sounds like a great time!
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We had no problem with our kids exploring together. It's a smaller ship, easy to navigate. They will likely end up at the pool, mini golf or the arcade lol. As long as they have a buddy they should be ok. Use the Hub app, it's $5 a device for the cruise and will allow you to send messages to other cruisers in your party. The water park is also great! Hope you have a great time.
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Sea days and embarkation day were the worst. But the lines moved fast. It’s worth it
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That’s me. I booked a 2019 anniversary cruise for $50 deposit. We aren’t even married yet lol. My SO just shook his head at me.
I love cruises and good deals lol
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Is the Seafood Shack open on Embarkation day?
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Funny you post this! I too got an "upgrade" email for our Liberty sailing. We are in an inside stateroom on the 6th deck with an offer to upgrade to Panorama Deck for $4.00 yes you read that right...$4.00
Looks like the cabin would be under the spa section...So I took it, closer to the fun.
There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to their offers.
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Definitely keep checking back. I loved it!
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That's awesome!
Great video too, the colors are amazing!
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BTW Jim Cantori is in Galveston. That is not a good sign!
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I laughed, but you are absolutely correct...
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Thank you for sharing and your attention to detail. You drive from Skagway looks amazing...I hope to enjoy retirement like this too!
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The bliss will be based in alaska and miami.
:o Good to know, I shall continue to avoid it LOL
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Considering it will be based in China that won't be hard to do. A lot of people will be avoiding this ship.
Ha, I had no idea...well then problem solved :p:D
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I am not excited about this feature. Feels like an amusement park on the water. I will definitely avoid this ship.
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Yikes, that's crazy!! Good luck, we couldn't do it. We barely good cover our 5 day cruise.
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Thank you, and yes that's exactly what I'm referring too.
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Question does Disney employ PVP's (Personal vacation planners) like Carnival does? I'm waiting for release of 2019 dates and wanted to see if someone can notify me when they are released. I know about TA's but I really like to control my booking. Weird. I know.
TIA for your tips.
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So glad I stumbled upon this. Your two videos are great. Your writing is enjoyable.
Time for more lol
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They are slow in their response, but definitely don't pay ahead of time.
Cruising in Feb 2019
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted
We are cruising on the Sunshine in Feb 2019, they have opened up 12 excursions for Amber Cove only at this time. NO FTTF yet....Hope this helps