tonyfall1

I am looking at booking an MSC cruise for early next year. I have narrowed it down to a similar itinerary on either the Seascape or Seaside. Prices are the same. I know the Seascape is newer but it is also quite a bit larger. It will be just me and my wife, we are in our late 50's. We sailed on the Meraviglia 2 years ago and liked it. We would prefer lesser crowds and kids if at all possible, so I was leaning towards Seaside since it is smaller, but the newness of the Seascape is also appealing, or am I just splitting hairs lol.

Hello,

I am looking at booking my first Carnival Cruise for February 2025. I have done 1 NCL last year and an MSC the year before. Both of those were Western Caribbean. They were both pretty good. I am trying to decide between the Easter Caribbean cruises below. 8 days on the Magic or 7 days on the Celebration. The prices are the same. We are a couple in our late 50's, prefer to not have a ton of kids but understand that may not be avoidable. We went to Nassau last year and have been to St. Thomas and St. Maarten but that was more than 20 years ago.

I don't think this is just affecting the cruise industry. My wife and I enjoy going out to eat regularly. Almost every restaurant we have gone to the prices are way up and the quality is way down. It is very noticeable. Almost to the point where we may stop going out. Also some of the grocery products the quality is down.

Hi All,

I'll be taking my first NCL cruise on the Breakaway on 2/18/2024. I see a lot of reviews saying that it is very difficult if not impossible to get into many shows and venues even in the main atrium. I was wondering if there are any tips or tricks you could share or shows and venues I should not miss. I have already reserved Burn the Floor, but I am not able to reserve any other shows.

Just wondering what everyone brings on excursions. I would like to bring the least amount of things as possible. Was thinking cruise card, cash, credit card and phone. Do I need to bring my license or passport? I would prefer not to.

20 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

We don't wait until we board the ship to start our vacation.  Our vacation starts the day before we board when we leave for the port.

Yeah we are flying in a day early to enjoy NOLA.

I thought of another one.  What time does the pool open?  I am an early bird usually up by 6 am ET. Wondering how early I can go and get a chair by the pool.  I'm not a chair hog just an early bird so wondering what time I should get out there.

Thanks for the answers. How important is it to check in as early as possible on the 21st day? I already have a room assigned. Is it just for people that are waiting for a room to be assigned?  I ask because I belong to a Facebook group for this cruise and they are all saying they are staying up late to make sure they can check in immediately. Not sure of the urgency of checking in.

Hello All,

My wife and I will be taking our first NCL cruise on the Breakaway next month. I've read through the forum and got answers to most of my questions but I am still a little fuzzy on a few things.

1. I have the FAS package and we each get 150 minutes of wifi. I will upgrade one of us to unlimited. It sounds like it is best to do this on the second day on the ship as opposed to ahead of time?

2. How to book shows? Sounds like I have to do this onboard. Doesn't look like I am able to do this ahead of time.

3. Where to eat the first day? We hope to board around noon. Sounds like I should do one of the MDR's cause O'Sheehan's and buffet will be packed.

4. How much can you eat in the MDR's? We're not huge eaters but just curious if you can order multiple entrees, apps or desserts or is it limited somehow.

Thanks.

Hello,

I booked my first NCL cruise for February using the BOGO airfare. I am pretty happy with my flights, they booked me on United.  They booked me for economy which is fine. There were numerous seats for economy for my return flight which I was able to pick the seats we like. For our flight to MSY there are numerous seats available but they are all either economy plus or premium, there are no economy ones to select. I assume we will just get one of the economy plus seats if we take no action and there are no economy seats to select.

9 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

To grab a taxi, it's only $4 pp. I can't imagine wanting to walk in that heat. Is there a reason you are wanting to walk instead?

We are hikers and like to get lots of miles in a day. Particularly while cruising since we will be overindulging.

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

I think that the unlimited plan is only available on Day 1 and 2. After that, you need to pay for blocks of minutes.

Oh thanks.. that's good to know. 

17 hours ago, Brewster said:

Hi, I just got off the Breakaway (was a Greece/Italy Cruise). Starlink service was excellent. I had pre purchased the unlimited WIFI(regular not premium) for one of our devices for $200 for a 10 day cruise. The regular is fine for emails, social networking sites, any other websites - just not for streaming video. During the cruise, the price to purchase the unlimited was $30 a day. There was never a discount offered on this price on this particular cruise. One thing that was annoying is that after you purchased the unlimited on one device you lose the 150 mins on that device.  I thought I was going to have at least have 300 mins in total to use on my other device but that was poor thinking on my part. On the positive side, it is very easy to switch the unlimited back and forth between multiple devices so if you are willing to share, it's not an issue having one device on the unlimited plan and the 150 mins on the other (and those 150 mins do go very fast). 
 

Maybe my wife and I can share one of the 150 minutes until that is almost gone and then upgrade the second 150 to unlimited. We would use it primarily on sea days. We have 4 port days.

It looks like according to google maps the walk from the port to Mahahual Beach would be short using a dirt road that is close to the coastline. But everything I map to walk to Mahahual Beach takes me through paved roads through town which seems to double or triple the walk. Has anyone done the walk along the coastline?

Hello,

I am doing a cruise with stops in Cozumel, Roatan and Costa Maya. I plan on doing excursions in 2 of the ports and plan to just walk around in one of the ports. I will be docked at Punta Langosta. I have been to Cozumel once before and did an excursion to Chankanaab. I have not been to the other 2 ports. Which port is best to just walk around in and perhaps skip the excursion? I am thinking Cozumel might be the best for that? I plan on probably doing the sloths in Roatan and a beach day in Costa Maya.

I shopped all of the lines and NCL had the cheapest price. They were even cheaper than MSC. When shopping the packages the FAS seemed like a great deal. I know it's not "free" and doesn't include the service charge, but it cost me and my wife $328 total, or $164pp for unlimited drinks, some wifi and one specialty dining plus $50 off per excursion. Even if you factor in the $20 service charge it comes out to $304pp all in. That seems like a pretty good deal.  I also got the BOGO airfare. I don't want to go down that road lol. My flight is only a couple hours and I am flying in a day early. That saved me $700 as well. I also got the cruise first certificate for a down payment which saved $150. When I was crunching the numbers between lines, NCL came out significantly cheaper.

23 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Are nickels and dimes even worth anything anymore?🤣

It should be changed to Benjamin'ed and Grover'ed.

2 minutes ago, rj59 said:

I'm Elite with Princess and go on NCL, but as a price-conscious solo I simply don't play along for all the money-making temptations, like casino, photos, bingo, packages, or other nonsense, particularly Princess now charging for room service or the previously-free Alfredo's pizza. I think people get upset about having to pay for go karts or other things on NCL, but I realize that's how they make money. They can be a little sneaky with FAS, giving only a limited amount of free internet, counting on most people to burn through it and pay for more, and they hide the $20 or so daily gratuities for the 'free' drinks package. They're also sneaky about selling $250 future cruise deposits, so I was fooled into buying more than I wanted by their sneaky phrasing. As with every other cruise line, realize they have a mountain of debt and have to pay for their fancy new ships, so they're going to try to extract as much from passengers as possible, but it's your choice whether or not to play along. Every other line has been cutting back and increasing prices, but people still are filling (and often overfilling) ships, so with NCL it's best to focus on the positives. For me it's the outside walk around most of the ship with incredible views, especially since all the other lines are cutting out wraparound promenades entirely. Then the Broadway and other shows are better than anything on Princess, and they have a comedy club (book as soon as you get on the ship) and Beatles band on many ships. So to me it's a nice middle-road between the insanity of the megaships of Royal and the dull old people ships of HAL and Princess. Even with food, I look at the positive--NCL has the most extensive Indian menu of any line in their buffets, as well as scoop ice cream, which Princess doesn't offer. And for pricing, NCL has incredible last-minute deals for a solo like myself. 

Yum, I love Indian food so that is a bonus.

Not being loyal to any cruise line. I based my decision strictly on which line was giving me the biggest bang for the buck. Comparing all of the main stream lines it ended up being NCL when I factored all in costs and it wasn't really even close. MSC was the closest and I cruised with them last year, they were ok, but NCL certainly gives you more than MSC did and it was cheaper.

14 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

People use the term "nickel and dime" when it doesn't always apply. 

 

If you want coffee, it's included.

If you want specialty coffee (Starbucks), it cost extra.

 

If you want dining, it's included.

If you want specialty dining, it cost extra.

 

If you want an adults-only sundeck, it's (usually) included.

If you want an exclusive adults-only sundeck, it cost extra. 

 

If you have the SDP and want Cagney's, it's covered.

If you have the SDP and want Cagney's with crab cakes, it cost extra. 

 

People are given options but some expect those options to always be included. If those options aren't included, those same people will complain using "nickel and dime" comments. 

Thanks .. to me it doesn't seem like totally unexpected costs, but I am somewhat of a novice cruiser.

25 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Random observation - when you do book your dining, be sure to book Moderno and Teppanyaki first. If you don't, the system may try to charge you the cover fee for the restaurant. Since Cagney's is a la carte, you can book it after (or any other NCL restaurant) and not pay. 

 

As for nickel and diming, my husband and I never feel nickel and dimed. We purchase our shore excursions, thermal suite, pay our daily service charge, and Free at Sea service charges prior to getting on the ship. We do generally book a massage, so need to pay for that. Also, we purchase some cancer sticks (cigs) for my grandma and make some souvenir purchases for ourselves. We are fully aware these purchases cost extra and are totally optional. In the past we have played some games in the arcade which also costs a little extra. Also, we may have a milkshake or mozzarella sticks from American Diner. These are a la carte purchases, not Free at Sea credits. If you're in port/territorial waters of certain localities, you may need to pay taxes on drinks (and maybe meals, but this is less likely).

 

I don't think you'll feel nickel and dimed. Have a fantastic time onboard 

Thanks,  yeah most of the stuff I am seeing is not stuff I would necessarily expect to be free. Doesn't seem substantially different than some other lines. Maybe a few things.

2 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

There are several items that have a cost or upcharge…only if you want to partake. Sounds like you could walk off the Breakaway without owing NCL anything if you choose to.

 

Some onboard expenses you might decide to do are:  games like Bingo or Deal No Deal, casino, shopping, menu items that have an extra cost (which there are very few), difference in drink cost for drinks over $15, room service. Or if you wish to take advantage of the Cruise Next offer.

 

What specialty dining restaurant/s did you choose?

 

 

I haven't booked yet I need to wait till next week. In order of preference just from reading things. I think:

1. Cagneys

2. Moderno

3. Teppanyaki

Hello,

I will be taking my first NCL cruise in February on the Breakaway. I have done one Princess over 20 years ago and MSC last year. I have been doing a lot of reading to familiarize myself with NCL. A common theme I read on all of the different sites or see on Youtube is how they nickel and dime you once they get you onboard. They don't necessarily provide a lot of examples, other than Starbucks or water which are non issues for me. I have the FAS package, I have booked my excursions prepaid all of my gratuities and service charges, upgraded 1 internet to unlimited.. I am not really into laser tag or things like that. It seems like I have pretty much paid for everything I would want to do or be interested in. I can't think of anything else I would really need. What kind of nickel and diming is everyone referring to? Thanks.

I am reading the terms and it sounds like it can be used at the Casino?

" It may not be used toward onboard service charges or prepurchased activities."

Thinking about buying stock for the $100 obc for by Breakaway cruise in February. I have purchased the FAS. My question is I would probably use it to upgrade my wifi or put it towards and excursion.  My price right now to upgrade to unlimited internet is $109 which doesn't seem bad and the excursions seem reasonably priced right now as well. If I wait to upgrade or purchase once onboard will the prices increase significantly. I have heard that could be the case. Not sure if it makes sense to buy the stock if it ends up being basically a wash.