jakeil7

On 12/8/2019 at 3:22 PM, B-52 said:

We've been to Barefoot Beach  many times....long before there was a pier....

We rented a Cabana once. It was Ok, but we did not like it. I felt "detached"

Much more pleased with chairs...early enough you can get one under a tree

But that's just us...the cabanas sell out fast!

Being detached is what I really liked. It felt like I had the island to myself. With the exception of the cabana attendant - but they brought me booze on demand so I can make an exception for that 🙃

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Well, in this case, stands to reason that NCL's should at least strive to improve the service provided for them/in their name.

They may not be able to if they are locked into the port’s preferred vendor. 

12 minutes ago, $hip$hape said:

Still trying to understand “status”.

From the company’s loyalty program

3 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Indeed it can. BUT, the check in line for NCL’s equivalent to Diamond/Elite was practically non existent... The moment someone with a “status” showed up, they took precedence... When I got nearer the check in stands, I saw that they were very disorganized too.... To paraphrase Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” — “no more NCL for me”😎

I wonder how much of this is a function of the Port as well. Honolulu is doing on average 1 ship a week. Terminal A in Miami is doing...7?  It’s easier to do when you have a lot of practice I’m thinking. Comparing this with departures from San Juan and Cape Liberty which have a moderate number of people. 

8 minutes ago, $hip$hape said:

Right.

WE have been on the POA.

As far as i'm concerned it's the way to go,

but please extend your Hawaiian adventure, since you have to travel this far. 

Totally agree with this if you have never been to Hawai’i before. There is a lot of interesting stuff on Oahu. 

10 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

, no NCL for me.

 

Out of curiosity, have you taken any non-Hawai’i trips on NCL?  Curious as I am considering it. 

OK. First:  it’s been a while since I took the trip, but bypassing the complications:

The NCLA iteniary is awesome if you like a port intensive trip. but because it is a US flagged ship it will be much more expensive and the service will not match your expectations versus typical non-US ships. 
 

The Royal trips are mostly at sea as they are Transpacific.  However, you will see better service. Time wise, it is about the same as the flight to and from Hawaii will chew up 2 days itself. 

4 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

NCL America.  It is a US flagged cruise line that can cruise from island to island without having to visit any foreign ports.

Right. The critical thing is that it is not exactly the same product as what you find on NCL ships which is why I am asking the OP about which company/ship we are comparing it to. 

First, are you talking about cruises from the mainland only or NCLA’s Hawaiian only cruises?  NCLA is special as it is a US flagged ship. 
 

I have been on one of the old NCLA cruises although it has been sometime 

43 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

Beach is better in Coco Cay.

True. But that is offset by the land which feels cheap and a pure money grab.  Labadee just feels like they built it to feel more luxury and they at least tried to hide the money grab. Poorly 😝

1 minute ago, zotzer said:

Can we secure a barefoot beach cabana before the cruise, or do we have to wait until onboard and talk to the concierge? It's not showing as an option in my cruise planner to book ahead. 

Do it as soon as you get your email from the concierge. Usually 1 week prior. 

40 minutes ago, lovelife said:

IMO the lunch is much better - shrimp and scallop skewers, steak, lamb, to name a few.  My son, who is in a balcony, got a cabana on Barefoott Beach for our group this past Tuesday so I thought it was open to whomever paid the price.😮

It could have changed on the last couple of months...but are you sure it wasn’t on Nellie’s Beach?

Just now, Bailey & Sophie said:

Can you expand on the yummy lunch. We didn't hang around long enough last time to have lunch in the suite area. We're in a suite again in a couple of months and want to know more.

Thanks.

It’s a slightly upgraded lunch with some additional choices and far less crowded but I did not think it was all that special beyond that. 
 

one other note based on a comment made earlier:  you must be in a suite to reserve a cabana on Barefoot Beach. That is done through your Genie (Star) or Concierge (Sky).  Star guests get first choice. 

On 12/2/2019 at 10:22 AM, molsonschooner said:

OP, you mentioned the long walk from the elevators. If you were to book on an Oasis class ship you need to study the deck plans carefully. We always try to book a cabin close to the elevators.  

Or, if you are doing suites again, get one on the top deck.  At most you are a minute with normal mobility from the main restaurant and lounge. The suites on the lower decks tend to have very long walks. 

1 hour ago, dgramling said:

I wonder if there is a point that developing a new port and terminal becomes economically beneficial.  If an area can support a mega ship homeport, but has a limitation of a bridge why not make the long term investment to allow for it.  

I approve of this plan. Royal, please see to it immediately!  😂

3 hours ago, BillHoo said:

 

If you were going to use the CPAP on a long flight I would say it's useful to have a portable travel CPAP.  

 

For a cruise where your luggage is picked up at the curb and dropped off a few yards from the room.... I'd use my regular cpap and have the steward bring me a jug of distilled water and a power strip.  It's not like a plane where you are confined to a tiny sleeping or sitting area.  Got lots of room.

 

If I didn't want to take any chances, I'd also bring a backup travel battery.  Picked one up this summer when my home had a very rare power outage due to a storm.  I did not get any good sleep that night and found CPAP battery packs online.

 

 

Be careful with the batteries you find online. Two things: 

1.  Some are not properly protected with respect to the power they use which could lead to damage or, more likely, the inability to use it with the CPAP or at least the humidifier. 
2.  Some are too large (as measured by watt hours) to take on a plane.  The limit is 100 watt hours per the TSA website. 
 

also, many of the third party systems are somewhat complicated. 

2 minutes ago, dgramling said:

Having placed the Ovation doing Alaska itineraries they are moving to a larger ship in that market.  I follow a lot of travel vloggers and Royal invited a group of younger vlogers on the Ovation, I take that as a sign that Royal will be marketing the Alaska market as an adventure market.  In the past Alaska has been marketed as a passive sightseeing trip, the future will be climb a glacier, ride a helicopter, etc.  Royal has been successful in putting a new youthful spin on existing routes, and part of that is placing the more Instagramable/full-featured/adventure ships on those itineraries. 

Are the ports in that area capable of handling that size of ship or is this like the Oasis type trips where you end up giving up ports for ship size?

12 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

I mentioned a few years ago and I'm still a little surprised, that RCCL hasn't created a "new" cruise line brand name and transferred all Vision and Radiance Class ships to that new Cruise Line. I don't believe that they want new and younger cruisers.... heck everyone!....  to think of a Radiance Class ship the second someone mentions "Royal Caribbean"... they want everyone to have the big girls top of mind at all times imho.

I don’t think RCL wants to get out of the Alaska market yet as a specific brand. However, otherwise I think you are right about migrating the smaller ships to a different brand (Celebrity?). Small ships don’t fit their brand anymore. They are all about active, family oriented trips. Which means big ships. 
 

if I was in charge, I would unify their loyalty program and then transfer the ships.  I think that would address any lingering concerns.  Although it would raise others. 

8 minutes ago, bilyclub said:

 

 

Did they actually rope off his spot?

If you pay for 8,000 days on a ship, I’m sure they will do that for you as well 😝

Live posts from the bar? 😝

Does CP count as being outside? 🙂

53 minutes ago, JSR said:

Thank you for the tips. We just landed in Miami. Early morning so we are a bit tired though we did sleep some in the plane. Nice lie down beds on a 777-200. I haven’t been on a large plane in years. Headed to the hotel to freshen up then DD needs a mani/pedi. Hope to get to bed early and head to the ship at a reasonable hour. 
 

We do not have the drink package. Trying to drink less and exercise more. So we will defiantly be checking out the track. Wonderland sounds a little like Eden on Celebrity Edge. We are winging dinners as we are not planners. We did book Hooked  for lunch as our one reservation.. Glad for the suite perk of not having to reserve shows. This is a last minute trip and couldn’t figure that all out. 
 

We plan to go to the sports bar Monday night to watch the game. Is there food there or just drinks? 
 

Thank you all for the hints and tips. Please, keep them coming. 
 

thank you, thank you. 

If you are not a planner, make heavy use of the concierge. They have additional access to reservations it seemed. 

1 minute ago, lovelife said:

Ha ha, nothing like Red Lobster  🤮(gag).

What was so good about it?  I just ask as looking at the menu I was not impressed. 
 

To bring this back to the OP’s question:  the one thing you will find is that you won’t be able to do everything. 
 

However, if you like quiet sea views, make sure you take the running track to the back of the boat on Deck 5. There is a great viewing area there with several loungers that is not usually crowded. Also, there are other sporty things arranged between the track and the water. 

I didn’t have a chance to go to hooked (looked like Red Lobster at sea to me), but I did go to Wonderland. Very, very creative and very good. 

10:30 to 11 am. When you enter Terminal A, turn right and take the elevator to suite check in (assuming you have a full suite instead of a Junior). Get on board and go to the suite lounge. Plenty of room to stow your carry ons and meet your concierge. If you are in a Junior suite, go to Costal Kitchen and knock on the door if you want reservations there. I overheard that there were not that many available on my sailing.