LuckyLori

Does anyone know how the beds are set up for 4 people in a Mini Suite on the Bliss? Does the sofa bed turn into a double bed? Or are there bunk beds there somehow? I haven't seen any photos showing it set up. And I don't see anything indicating that there'd be a bunk bed to pull down. This is our first cruise, and we'll be with our two kids. So I'm just trying to know what to expect. Thanks!

I don’t know about the bliss but the sofa did fold out to a bed on the Pearl. We didn’t use it but I think it would be a double maybe even a queen sized bed. My cruise mates had a mid ship mini suite with a balcony. We had an inside cabin that had a king sized bed and a twin that folded out from the wall. But agin we didn’t use it.

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we are currently booked with Butts Up for the triple tour, ATV Cave Tubing and Zip Lining. I am curious as well what others suggest. We will be on Carnival Magic, late April/early May. our 2 teenage boys are interested in all 3 of these and so I am hoping we are making the right choice by NOT snorkeling while in Belize. (we plan to do that in Cozumel, Roatan and undecided on what to do in Costa Maya)

We went to Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. $50 each all the food and drinks included! We snorkeled and parasailed there. The snorkeling was very cool, they took us out on a boat and we went to 2 different places. The food and drinks were great. The beach was awesome. They only allow so many in each day so if you decide to go there you might want to make reservations. If we go to Cozumel again we will go there again!! The snorkeling and parasailing were extra I think the snorkeling was $35 each and the parasailing was $65 each. We booked through shoreexcursioneer.

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My daughter and her husband did the butts up excursion a few years ago and they had a blast!! She said the guides were awesome and they would do it again!!

We went zip lining at Pirates of the Caribbean in Roatan and it was great. We went on 11 lines, I think. They drove us to the top of a huge hill and we zipped through the ‘jungle’. We went from platform to platform only a few steps along the way. It took about 1 1/2 hours for the 4 of us. They took pictures of us and we bought the sd card for $20. Then they took us to Little French Key. Great day except for the rain. That was a couple months ago in Oct.

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Thank you!

 

We were hoping to wait and book a Speciality restaurant package once on board to use our OBC ( it isn't very much!)..

 

Do you think we should book online and in advance.. we don't know what else we would use the OBC for?

We used the onboard credit to buy pictures!!

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We too are newbies, our first cruise was on the Norwegian Pearl out of New Orleans this last Oct. We choose this line because we didn’t want to do the formal thing. We are jeans and T-Shirts people. Our group is my husband 59, his sister 64, her husband 72 and me 54. We do like to dress nicely casual, if that’s a thing, just not slacks and ties!!

We choose this port because we live in Kansas and driving to New Orleans was a lot cheaper for the 4 of us than flying. It also gave us more time in New Orleans with a vehicle.

Also we wanted 4 port days instead of 3. We went zip lining, snorkeling, parasailing, on a Mayan ruins tour and a all inclusive beach.

The money we saved flying made the excursions affordable, we didn’t go though NCL but through a tour company.

We are retired and so we could go any time but we choose Oct hoping to avoid all kids and crowds.

We had a fantastic time, this ship is a smaller ship but perfect for us. It was relaxing, no lines, the average age on the ship was definitely over 50. We literally only saw maybe 10 kids the whole week. Don’t get me wrong I love kids but we wanted an adult vacation and that’s what we got.

The next cruise we go on will probably be Alaska on the same boat. Hopefully the same rooms!! This boat was easy to navigate and our rooms were nice and quiet. The food was great, we ate at 4 speciality restaurant and the unlimited drinks were great.

I would like to try one of the mega ships so maybe our 3rd cruise will be to Bermuda.

I think like the other posters, it depends on what you are wanting out of the cruise! I think my favorite part was just spending a week without cell phone and tv shows. For us we will probably stay with NCL, because we really loved the causal atmosphere and the unlimited drinks, the great food, oh yes even our room steward was awesome. Even though the weather did not cooperate with us, it rained on us all day for basically 2 1/2 days and rained some more, we really only had one warm(75 degrees) day. Next time I will do more research on the average weather in ports. Oct is the rainiest month in Belize and Honduras.

Good luck and happy cruising!!

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LuckyLori,

 

Bermuda and Alaska are two very different experiences as are the large and smaller ships.

 

 

 

We took the Pearl roundtrip out of Seattle to Alaska and it was absolutely perfect. There is so much to do in the ports in Alaska that all the extra entertainment, etc. on a larger ship would have been a waste for us. We just ate in the buffet at the end of each day and went to bed early.

 

 

 

We took Liberty of the Seas (a large RCCL ship) to Bermuda. Having the extra activities on those sea days was a big plus. We had taken a much smaller ship to Bermuda many years ago and it got a bit boring on the sea days.

 

 

 

So Pearl for Alaska and a bigger ship to Bermuda. As to which that is personal preference.

That’s kinda what I was thinking also. Now I just have to talk my husband into going on two cruises.

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For Alaska, I suggest taking a one way cruise from Vancouver to Seward than a three or four day land trip including Denali.

 

We did the cruise on NCL that was great. We loved Glacier Bay (not every cruise line does Glacier Bay).

 

Here is my review of our Canada, Alaska trip and cruise.

 

 

 

Alaska, Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=547125&et_cid=2764671&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

 

 

 

We visited Bermuda (had one and a half days there) on our transatlantic cruise from England to Miami

 

 

 

28 days in Britain and Celebrity Eclipse home The Bermuda part is toward the end of the review.

 

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139

 

 

Thanks for the link! Is sounds like you had a great vacation!!

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Thanks!

I just found the capacity is 1042. Wow, I was way off.

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MANGO MELTDOWN

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1.25 OZ BRUGAL ANEJO RUM

 

0.5 OZ DISARONNO AMARETTO LIQUEUR

 

4 OZ ISLAND OASIS MANGO MIX

 

1 OZ ISLAND OASIS STRAWBERRY MIX TO FLOAT

 

GARNISH

 

Mint Sprig

 

GLASS

 

14 oz

 

METHOD

 

Blend all ingredients except Strawberry Mix. Pour Strawberry Mix into glass and pour blended mixture over to create lava flow effect.

Thank you, thank you!!

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Reviving an old thread...

 

 

 

We're on a Sixthman cruise next month and several of the shows are in the Stardust Theater. Anyone have an idea how many people the theater can accommodate?

I don’t know how many people can be seated but I would guess maybe 400 maybe more. We went to a game show there and there were only about 50 people and we only took up a very small area.

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Thanks for the info. Was just looking at the deckplan...can you enter Stardust from Deck 6 or do you have to go down to deck 5?

You can enter from both decks

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Hi Everyone! I just got my room assignment today for the Epic. Turns out it is on the 11th floor all the way forward. (first inside room) Has anyone stayed all the way forward? How much does the boat move? This isn't my first cruise but I usually stay more mid. Thanks for any help!!

Off topic but, we were on our first cruise last Oct and we had a drink called Mango Meltdown. I would love it if you could take a picture of the description in one of the menus, so I can try to make it at home. It was on the menu at the bar at the back of the boat above the bar. I can’t remember what it was called. We were on the Pearl. Thanks

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We live in northwest Kansas. Today we have 4 inches of snow and it was 9 degrees yesterday. But we can have 100 degrees in the summer. My husband and I are opposites anything below 70 and I’m cold, anything above 70 and he calls it hot.

 

He is retired and I own my own business so we can go whenever we want. However we have only taken 2 week long vacations in 33 years. One to Orlando with our daughter 20 years ago and our cruise last October. So one cruise ever Year is probably not going to happen. But a girl can dream!!

 

What are the best excursions in Alaska and in Bermuda? I know it’s is different for everyone but I’m curious what are the must do ones!

 

Thanks everyone I really appreciate you input!

 

 

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I just checked on prices, for what we and our cruise mates would pick for our cabins the prices difference is about $1500 for the group more for the Bliss as compared to the price on the Pearl. Is the bigger ship worth it? As far as food and entertainment.

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We live in northwest Kansas. Today we have 4 inches of snow and it was 9 degrees yesterday. But we can have 100 degrees in the summer. My husband and I are opposites anything below 70 and I’m cold, anything above 70 and he calls it hot.

He is retired and I own my own business so we can go whenever we want. However we have only taken 2 week long vacations in 33 years. One to Orlando with our daughter 20 years ago and our cruise last October. So one cruise ever Year is probably not going to happen. But a girl can dream!!

What are the best excursions in Alaska and in Bermuda? I know it’s is different for everyone but I’m curious what are the must do ones!

Thanks everyone I really appreciate you input!

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Ironically my last two cruises were Alaska on the Jewel and Bermuda on the Breakaway. Both were fantastic and I agree with the other poster that you should do both! We went to Bermuda in July and it was incredibly hot. If I went again I would go in May or June. The breakaway was fun, more to do than the Jewel, but also very crowded. If you could go before school lets out I would recommend it. Bermuda is stunning, the beaches are amazing.

 

 

 

Everyone should go on an Alaska cruise. I liked this the best of all my cruises so far. I don't mind cooler weather and the scenery is unreal. Definitely get a balcony room so you don't miss anything. The Jewel was a great ship. Definitely not as much to do, but the scenery made up for it. We had a great time in all the ports and I believe there was at least one sea day. One of the port days was short as well and you sailed down a straight to a glacier. Not to be missed!! We went to Alaska in May and got some really nice weather.

 

 

 

You'll have a great time with either one, but if you choose Bermuda, definitely plan for Alaska for next time!

If we decide on Alaska which side of the boat is better for a balcony room? Or is the front or back of the boat better? The first full day of our cruise we went to a thing in the stardust theatre which is at the front of the boat and I got a little sea sick. But I had the patches and was better after I put them on. This time I’m putting the patches on the first day. I think a cabin on the front of the ship would be awesome if I don’t get sick again.

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Bermuda is fantastic - we've actually done 4 cruises to Bermuda on 4 different lines we love it so much (between 1 day and 3 days there). We did the Breakaway and loved it overall. Its a great ship with a lot to do and fabulous shows. I find the pool area to be way too crowded but it would not keep me from booking this ship again, or the Escape. In Bermuda you can come and go as you please over the 3 days, which is a luxury when cruising. You can explore on your own safely using public transit (quaint pink busses), ferries (To Hamilton and St. George) and mini van shuttles to and from the famous and most beautiful Horseshoe Bay beach. We usually plan the day so we come back for a late lunch and get back out again in the late afternoon. On another note, some of the best golfing can be found in Bermuda.

 

 

 

I haven't done Alaska so I can't comment. I agree though with others that you should plan both :-)! Happy cruising!!

The pool is not a big draw for us. We are in our 50’s and more interested in the shows and entertainment.

Which ship was better?

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I don't believe the Bliss is going to Bermuda as far as I know. Currently it is Escape and Dawn with Gem replacing Dawn next year.

 

 

 

They are completely different experiences - my vote is do one this year and the other next.

Which of these ships are the biggest or best in your opinion?

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We went on our first cruise last Oct to the Western Caribbean it was a great week except for the weather didn’t cooperate, it was rainy and chilly. We choose the Pearl for the ports, this time I want to see a mega boat and all the excitement on board. While the Pearl was great is was a little underwhelming.

For our next cruise my husband wants to go to Alaska and I want to go to Bermuda. My thinking is with a cruise to Bermuda you have more full days to enjoy the ship. With a cruise to Alaska there are a lot of ports, I know you don’t have to do excursions but that’s why you go right?

So my question is which is better with these two choices Alaska and all it’s glory on the Pearl or spend the extra money for the Bliss? Or Bermuda on the bliss?

I’m a sun lover my husband is a golfer but not really a sun lover. What is typical weather in Bermuda, when is the best time to go? What is the best time to go to Alaska early in the season or late?

Sorry this is so long but I would love to hear pros and cons of each cruise and the best excursions for each destination!!

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Thank you, LuckyLori! Every bit of information helps! I will check out the patches you mentioned. Do you need a prescription for these, do you know? I will definitely report back on here after the cruise just so others who may be heading on a similar cruise will know our experiences. I find forums such as this one is invaluable. Thank you again!

Yes, it was a prescription. I don’t remember the name but it was $55 for 4 patches. Each patch lasts 72 hours. I almost didn’t get them because of the cost, but it was totally worth it.

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My hubby & I will be cruising the South Pacific & Fiji soon (Christmas & New Year) for 11 nights on the Explorer of the Seas. Our cabin is situated on level 10 towards the front of the ship. Can anyone advise re getting seasick on the cruise please? I don't have great "sea legs" but have managed to survive a hurricane in the Sea of Biscay from the UK to Spain many years ago & have crossed the English Channel in 2004 without dying. I have spoken to my GP & am armed with Kwells, Maxalon (anti nausea), some alternatives such as Ginger Calm/Travacalm & even pressure bands just in case. I am truly hoping not to have to resort to any of them or all of them. Any advice of your experiences here please? I would appreciate it very much.

We just went on our first cruise in Oct. to the western Caribbean and we have rough waters according to a lot of the passengers. I started with ginger pills the day before we got on the boat just to be prepared and i was fine the first day but started getting nauseous the second day. Luckily I had got the patch from my doctor before hand. I put one behind my ear and within about 2 hours I was back to normal. The patch is good for 72 hours and I used 2 of them. I also wore the pressure bracket and kept taking the ginger pills. So, I’m not sure what worked better. I did enjoy quite a few drinks over the 7 day cruise and the only problem I had was a dry mouth and that lasted for a day or two after we got off the boat. Hopefully that helps. As they say it’s better to be prepared. The other 3 people in our group never had any seasickness.

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You go!!! You are only as old as you feel. :D

My brother-in-law is 72 and his first comment when we got done zip lining was ‘that was definitely a bucket list item’. We went to the Pirates of the Caribbean Zip line and there was only 2 places that had steps. You basically zipped from platform to platform. The guys that went with us did all the stopping and it was hands free. But I held on most of the time. We were a party of 4 aged 54-72. The ‘guides’ were awesome!!

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I too, am a picture taker. But I just had them take the pictures. When we were done we bought the pictures, well we paid $20 and they gave us a sd card with the pictures on it. They were great!!

 

 

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I also have a chest strap that my camera snaps into and that worked great when we went snorkeling.

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LuckyLori, zip lining sounds like fun, but I will tell you the REAL reason why I won't do it. I am a PICTURE taking person. I cannot take pictures while zip lining. I know some people have worn a cap/hat on their head with the camera in front, but that is not me.

I too, am a picture taker. But I just had them take the pictures. When we were done we bought the pictures, well we paid $20 and they gave us a sd card with the pictures on it. They were great!!

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LukyLori, thank you for your posting about who you used in Roatan, Honduras. We are not into zip lining, but they may still have other things to take us to, or show us as well, if we use them.

It was our first time zip lining. The 4 of us range from 54-72 years old and it was amazing. I’m scared of heights but it was really fun!!

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We just got off the Pearl and they did have a few places where you could fill water bottles. I just filled my bottle with the water in the ice bucket. Ours was filled every night when they ‘turned down our bed’. By morning enough ice had melted to fill my water bottle.

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