buckirj1

Sounds like a lovely dinner for your last night. I didn't think about Freestyle in those terms until you brought it up, but you're exactly right: NCL takes the initiative of setting up lots of things for passengers to do, and leaves it up to passengers to choose whether or what they want to do. Makes for a very relaxing cruise, unlike some other cruiselines where I frequently felt pressured to Do.Something. Just one more reason to love Freestyle.

Thank you for your report; I've enjoyed reading it. Wishing you safe travels back hom.

We'd be much better off if we relaxed and realized it's all just clothes and not "play."

The Sky looks like such a pretty little ship. I'd like to sail her one day.

On my Canada/NE cruise on the Jewel, I wore jeans, turtlenecks and sneakers the whole time: main dining (in the smaller of the two dining rooms), captain's reception, and all. Please don't stress out over this; you'll be fine.

These kinds of threads happen every time NCL (probably any cruise line, for that matter) runs a promotion about 3rd and 4th passengers sailing free or greatly reduced.

I've never gone on a cruise without insurance for medical and evacuation. I have some pre-existing conditions, so I need to purchase insurance early to be sure I'm covered.

It's definitely workable with young children, but with teens?! It'll be awfully tight, but will work out as long as nobody expects to move around in the cabin very much. I'd be more worried about the trundle causing a wall-to-wall bed effect, but a previous poster mentioned there's a way the cabin steward can make it into a u-shaped configuration.

I rarely pay attention to the percentage of solo supplements, though the rare occasion of waiving the solo supplement will certainly grab my attention. I have in mind a "should" cost when I first begin researching an itinerary I want. If pricing doesn't come close to that "should" cost, then I don't go.

Looking forward to your posts. I loved my cruise on the Jewel.

It's great PR to have the Boss seen as accessible. It's even better when the Boss agrees to actually be accessible. I think NCL is lucky to have Mr. Sheehan.

1. I think NCL is a little less relaxed than Carnival, and much more fun.

2. I loved the food the last time I sailed Carnival, but I also found much to like on NCL more recently. I especially loved the freedom of Freestyle. I never had to make reservations, but I can see where they might be required if there are a lot of you, and you insist on eating together at the same time every night. Only one of the main dining rooms is open for breakfast, both are open for dinner. I can't say about lunchtime, except I know MDR lunch is available on embarkation day.

3. To my knowledge, only some entertainment on some newer ships require reservations. There's still plenty of entertainment that requires nothing except showing up.

4. I thought the staff on NCL was a little more friendly and engaging, but not intrusive like on some other lines (looking at you, RCCL). While Carnival staff was very competent, they also seemed to me to be more harried.

5. I don't remember ever seeing a soft-serve ice cream machine on NCL, though I might not have noticed. I really liked those on Carnival and Cunard. On my NCL cruises, there's always been free hand-dipped ice cream in the afternoons. so I never missed the machine stuff.

6. I've never sailed in January on any cruise line, so I can't say. Hope you have a good time, whatever you decide.

I enjoyed my Carnival cruises for a long time. For me, the decline happened when Carnival started making solo cruisers into second class citizens. Service and especially entertainment started to decline at about the same time. It was time for a change when karaoke became the best entertainment onboard.

I would be coming on the Empire 280 leaving Buffalo at 4:54AM arriving 12:5o PM. I think with the cost of gas and possibly a hotel leaving from Albany is not a great option. I am bringing my DD and do not want to take the train the day before because she will miss a day of school. I also have found a Megabus leaving at 10:30 PM from Buffalo arriving at 6:30AM. Its really cheap but I hate buses because they are usually disgusting! Love the train ride just worried about it being late. My gut says being a Saturday it probably would be fine. I would hate to be wrong. Anyone ever take the Megabus to NYC?

Thanks for the explanation. I know a number of folks who have taken the Megabus from Baltimore to NY, and loved it. I've considered it, but I don't know how the luggage situation works. Everyone I've talked to who has used Megabus has used it for a daytrip or one overnight, and had minimum luggage. I don't know how a weeks worth of luggage would work, and I sure wouldn't want to start my vacation crawling around in the belly of a bus retrieving my big suitcase. Good luck, whatever you decide.

Don't you hate it when all you want to do is eat in peace and quiet, but the staff insists you will be more happy sitting with other folks.

Yes, this. It happened on my last Royal Caribbean cruise, and I really had to stick to my guns to eat alone. On Open Dining, no less! On my other Royal Caribbean cruise, back in the old days when they only had fixed dining, they stuck me at a 2-top with another solo cruiser. Awkward! I never have to go through all that on NCL.

I'd say you'd be fine if you were taking a NE corridor train, because I've done it, but it looks like you have to take an Empire service train. Could you come down to NYP on the Maple Leaf the night before? That'd me much better than driving all the way to Albany. Like others have said, I'd be very careful about taking a same-day, non-NE corridor routing. You'd probably be okay, but I'd prefer a bigger time cushion.

Timbuktu might not have the very best crabcakes, but I think they're very close to Olive Garden and G&M in that order. All 3 places are pretty closely bunched in the top 3 of crabcake places near the airport. Timbuktu by far has the most parking, and is the easiest to get in and out of, if that matters to you. It matters to me, and I'm relatively local.

Does the Princess ship depart from Manhattan or Brooklyn? That makes a big difference (to me at least). I'd rather not go all the way to Brooklyn.

I wouldn't hesitate to take any NCL ship. A dealbreaker (again, for me) is the lack of a wraparound outdoor promenade. I don't think the Royal Princess has this. I think Princess improved the bathrooms and showers on the Royal Princess, but I think it's hard to beat the showers on NCL in standard cabin categories.

I think much depends on how the OP prefers to cruise, and what is important to him/her. NCL is my favorite of the cruiselines I've sailed, by a wide margin, because they do best the things that're important to me. YMMV.

One of my dream cruises is to take a cold weather cruise on a Princess ship that has one of those Window Suites. Those look incredible, though expensive!

I prefer going home the same day after disembarking, but if the flight/train will get me home too late or after the busses stop running, I might stay over an extra night (only one, never more). I can usually priceline an airline hotel for about the same dollars as it'd take for a taxi or shuttle home.

I usually sail the cooler weather itineraries, so I'm of the jeans, turtleneck, sneaker crowd. If I were to sail a hot weather itinerary, and I think I might someday soon, I'd be of the shorts/capris, tee shirt/casual top, sandals crowd.

Despite never having sailed on HAL, that's the cruiseline that sends me the most snail mail. Followed by Oceania (not my style), Royal Caribbean (not again, thanks, unless the price/itinerary were very good), Cunard (might sail again if the price/solo supplement was right), and Celebrity (really not my style). I receive little to no email from these companies.

I receive very little snail mail from the lines I've sailed most (NCL and Carnival), but tons of email.

No cruiseline has ever called me on the telephone. The telephone is the devil's instrument, and being tortured by one would be a dealbreaker for sure.

Most cruise lines have the same MDR lunch menus every day. Many do not even open for lunch on port days.

The Silver trains running on the east coast use single level Viewliner cars . You're correct that Superliner cars (the long distance trains running west of Chicago) are two-level trains that have limited luggage storage on the lower level.

...Has anyone had issues with getting their luggage on the trains? I understand there is a "baggage car"...Not sure if that means once the bags are in there, they become inaccessible?...

You may check luggage, provided your embarkation/debarkation train stations BOTH provide checked luggage service. NYP and TPA Amtrak stations both have this. Your luggage will be in the baggage car, and will NOT be accessible during the trip. You'll need to pack a carryon. As already mentioned, you can carry on your luggage, up to Amtrak's limit, if you're in coach. If you're in a bedroom or roomette, there likely won't be enough room for luggage unless you're traveling solo and light, and you'll need to check your luggage.

The schedule of leaving Friday for a Sunday departure gives you plenty of leeway for delays. It's unusual for the Silvers to be _hours_ late, though you should expect delays. Spending extra for a roomette or bedroom depends on how you like to travel. Personally, I can do without it for one night. I think they're very claustrophobic at night, though I like them in their daytime configuration. Coach seats have high backs, and if there are two of you, they afford a sense of privacy when reclined; i.e., you can't see anybody else and they can't see you, except of course the aisle across. Pack enough food, snacks, and entertainment. It's a very relaxing way to travel.

sp- It seems possible to have a night or two in some ports- even a night would be good. Everyone has their favored ports-...

Yes, this is what I meant, and gave an example of where I'd like to stay overnight, and what port city I'd be willing to give up in order to make that happen. I realize my favorite places might not match somebody else's, but I'm sure sufficient data exists that cruise lines could determine where an overnight might be feasible. FWIW, Bar Harbor is very much like what my hometown has become, only with a bunch of water around it. Visiting there hardly feels like a vacation at all:p