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I asked my TA this same question for my upcoming cruise in December 2019. Her reply was, "PCL offers the Hilton Long Beach with transfers from LAX to the hotel and hotel to pier for $523 for the two of you. Other than that I would suggest a hotel near the airport (most of them have airport shuttle) and pick up a transfer on cruise day from the airport to ship - $34pp."  Maybe PCL doesn't offer the Hilton Long Beach in May 2020. We opted instead, like others here have said, to book at Doubletree in San Pedro. We plan to use Uber from airport to the hotel, then hotel shuttle to the ship. 

19 hours ago, hawkman402 said:

Thank you very much!  How was your cruise? 

Overall, it was very enjoyable.  This was my first time on NCL; I've been "loyal to Royal" up to this point. There were some things I liked better on NCL, especially O'Sheehan's where good food was available almost around the clock without having to do self-service and fight the crowds in the buffet. The food and service in Ocean Blue were outstanding. I did one of the Canvas By U classes which was a lot of fun. "Burn the Floor" and "Million Dollar Quartet" were fabulous shows.

The stateroom bathroom is larger than I have experienced on Royal, with more shelving/storage areas and a larger shower. I liked the liquid hand soap pump by the sink. But the cabin itself was smaller, the closet was smaller and I felt there was less shelving/drawers/cabinets than any of the Royal ships I have sailed. I was surprised that there were no tongs for the ice bucket in the cabin.

I was disappointed that there were no lounge chairs on the pool deck or sun deck, only loungers, so I spent a lot of my daytime "outside time" sitting on the Waterfront which meant I didn't get much sun. I found the layout of the buffet to be a bad design. It's basically one big oval so there is a lot of walking to see what all is offered, people coming from both directions, and a lot of "cutting" of people trying to get to the food they want. But I did like that the napkin-wrapped silverware was on the tables so it was not necessary to carry that along with your plate and beverage. On Royal, most of the buffet is set up as multiple themed stations so it is easier to navigate and to quickly roam around to see the options before deciding what to eat.

I felt the service in Taste, Savor and Tropicana was extremely slow, and at our first dinner in Savor, the waitstaff had a terrible time getting our drink orders right and getting them to us in any kind of reasonable timeframe. After that, we would get our drinks before going to the table.

All in all, any cruise is good and I would sail NCL again, especially if I got a good deal like I did on this cruise.

Day 7

Hope this helps with your planning. Enjoy your cruise.

Day 6

Day 5

Day 4

More to come this evening....

Day 3

Day 2

Freestyle Daily Day 1

I just got off Getaway last Sunday (3/3/19) and have Dailies from all 7 days.  I will post them as soon as I get them scanned.

Are the drinks at Margaritaville included as part of the Ultimate Beverage Package?

I think I read that you booked the escape room. Did you do this activity? Were there any flashing lights or strobes? My friend and I are thinking of trying this, but flashing lights and strobes make her dizzy.

This is an incredibly thorough review and has made us even more excited for our cruise. Thank you for taking the time to do it and to answer questions.

If I remember correctly, a virgin pina colada was $4 on my last cruise.

Has anyone had a foreword D3 cabin on deck six? We booked one for August before I knew about this community, and want to make sure we won't have too much sound from the night club coming in. Thanks!

 

 

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I was in 6218 and never noticed any sound from Pharaoh's Palace.

NO!! NOT ON EMBARKATION/DEBARKATION days! There is always a big line waiting for the WJC 2 open; Go to your stateroom 1st, drop UR bags, then explore the ship then eat

I have to disagree. My dad and I were among the first to board Freedom last month, at 11:00. When we boarded, the Cafe Promenade, Sorrento's Pizza and the Windjammer were open and ready to serve. Access to the staterooms was not available until 1:00.

I heard Freedom is getting a Cupcake Cupboard and an outdoor movie screen like Oasis has.

Quick question for those of you in the know: Where do you go to see the Maitre D on FOS the first day if we need to request a change of tables? Also, do you know what time he or she is there?

I just got off the Freedom yesterday. According to the Day 1 Compass, "Your seating arrangements are printed on the front of your SeaPass card. Our Dining Room Manager will be available today for any questions you may have regarding your table seating assignments between 11:30 am and 3:30 pm in the Isaac's Dining Room, Deck 4. The Dining Room Management will again be available in front of all dining rooms between 6:15 pm to 7;30 pm and 8:45 pm to 9:45 pm. On the second day of your cruise vacation (Monday), your Dining Room Manager will be available for table seating questions in the Isaac's Dining Room, Deck 4, between 9:30 am and 1:30 pm."

Enjoy your cruise!

I really don't want to take bonine...........where do I get ginger tablets at??

You can find ginger pills in the vitamin section of most drugstores and places like Target and Wal-Mart.

Question about cabins! I was looking at the deck plans after I booked an E1 Cabin 7300. Across from 7300 is an empty space on the deck plans. Does anyone know what that empty space is? I am worried that is the stairs and elevators for the crew. I am worried about the noise that comes with it. Thank you.

I was in this cabin last August. I don't know what's on the other side of the wall that's across from the cabin, but we had absolutely no problems with noise. Enjoy your cruise!!

I've seen questions and comments about this so I thought I'd post for anyone interested.... Just got off the FOS eastern itinerary and we did NOT need to wear our life vests at the muster drill.

Radio,

Just watched you pulling in to Port Canaveral. Thank you so much for taking us all along with you. Two weeks from today it will be my turn to enjoy this beautiful ship. Reading your posts and seeing your wonderful pictures has really added to my mounting excitement. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hi. Our "meet group" is looking for a place to meet on embarkation day so we can say hi face-to-face without having to wait until our Meet and Mingle time. Anyone have a suggestion for a good place to meet either before the muster-drill or for sailaway? There are probably 40 or more of us.

 

Thanks.

Some people in our group are meeting at a restaurant the night before we sail. We also planned a get-together at the pool bar at 3:00. Everyone is going to wear leis so we know who we are looking for.