siestaclaud

I don't think it was on the room service menu this past week - according to my 2 sons who would have ordered it 2 times a day if so!. Also La Cucina no longer has pizza on the menu - surprised us as we all wanted to order it there based on how good it was on a prior trip. We only found sad pizza on the buffet - it was not good.

Not sure on this. But try Casa Marina or Pier House. Many hotels dont have beaches and have small pools. No mega resorts here. We just returned from KEy West and stayed at Margaritaville. There is no beach. There is also no security to get into the pool area-and it is a short walk from the cruise pier. Our favorite thing to do is Danger Charters. Worth every penny we have done it twice. So much to check out in Key West! Stroll down Duval St. Enjoy!

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We used to be able to purchase full bottles of hard alcohol from NCL pre-cruise and have them delivered to our state room with a six pack of mixers. I have looked online at NCL and cant find any link for that now. Has that also been changed? Thanks!

Thank you so much - hope you had a wonderful cruise! Did you post a review yet? Any comments about the trip/food/service/amenities?

Thank you!! Oh wow wonderful balcony pics!! Room looks tiny but we will live on the balcony anyway so who cares!

How was noise from deck chairs above and any music noise? Could you use the stairs next to the cabin to get to deck 10 or are they crew only?

Cant thank you enough!!

C

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I understand the food is not free at Margaritville, but can you use the drink package and just have a drink at the bar?

 

Can anyone recommend a shuttle from Miami port to Miami airport after the cruise. I saw that you can book a transfer on board with NCL but it tells me that the flight must be after noon, our flight is at 11.30.

Drink away at Margaritaville - its covered. Also take a regular cab to the airport. It is a no brainer. They are lined up all over at the port just for that reason. We had a party of 9 and had no problem getting 2 minivans within seconds to take us all together. This is one thing I would not pre-plan and stress about. Cabs will get you right to the front door of the terminal and you wont have to worry about a bus, a specific uber, or other people. Have a great cruise!

:)

I haven't come across any pics yet either. We cruise in 10 days but do not plan on buying an internet package onboard. So I'll probably post pics of 9471 on November 3rd or 4th after the Trans Atlantic cruise.

Just checking in to see how things went on the transatlantic! How was the cabin? We are in the same one on 12/31 and I am dying to see some pics and hear a review!

Thanks!

We have 9471 on the Vista for the TransAtlantic on October 21st 2016. I plan on taking a lot of pictures then, but was hoping to see some in advance too. I noticed a few weeks ago Carnival revised the floor plan on their deck plans to give a better visual of the layout.

I saw this new rendering and was shocked! The old rendering shows large windows with an aft view. We have no aft view, other than the door. The large window (single) faces the side of the ship. The room looks incredibly small. I am hoping the balcony is redeeming. Cant wait to see your pictures!

We are in 9471 coming up in December. Looking for interior and exterior (balcony) pics. and not finding anything. Can anyone direct me to some pictures? I have seen renderings, and tried to zoom in on small pics, but that is all I can find. Thanks for any help. :)

I think this is a great time to go. We always have WAY too much "christmas" happening that week before, so we always go after - except one year we made it work, and it was very pleasant. Decorations are up, people are in a good mood. Crowds are there, bu not as bad as after Christmas.

Just did Freedom of the Seas RCCL for a NYE cruise. It was jammed - i mean jammed - to the gills with families and kids everywhere. It was fun, but really crowded, and crazy.

We will be on the Vista for NYE coming up. I expect large crowds and lots of kids. i would say your time frame will be very enjoyable. There was a gingerbread village, and some holiday decor - but no holiday themed shows.

Original post - Please don't try to convince me to book when the kids are in school, because that is NOT going to happen.

We are considering a family (grandparents, their kids and the grandkids) cruise, and that week prior to Christmas Day seems promising. I would consider leaving a couple of days after Christmas, too, but that might be too chaotic for those whose children still want to be at home with their Santa toys.

I realize that not everyone celebrates Christmas, and I have no interest in this thread becoming a religious debate, but I do want to know if the ships are decorated for the holiday season. More than likely, we would cruise out of New Orleans or Mobile, so that would mean Fantasy, Triumph or Dream.

Also, are there any holiday shows or dinner themes that we might get to experience?

Any experiences (positive or negative) that you can share with me concerning mid-December cruising?

This is amazing... I am in the exact same cabin 8/06!!

We are in the exact same cabin for the 12/31 sailing from Miami. The more "real" pictures I see of the aft - the more concern i am having. The balcony looks small to non existent and there are fewer windows than shown on the different mock up sites. :( Hoping for little or no music noise from the Havana area - do you think that will be an issue?

I know it is not the Serenity Area - but we are in an aft cabin and i am wondering if there will be a band/loud music in the Tide Pool area (Deck 10 aft) during the day?

Thank you for all of the wonderful suggestions!!! They all sound great! This group is awesome!!

Looking for a good snorkel trip in St. Thomas - that leaves from close to the ship pier. We did St. John's snorkel once before - so we don't need to do that again. Would like to get the most time snorkeling - and least amount of time getting in a bus or ferry to go snorkel. Any tips?? Thanks!

We have a more complicated issue. My friend and I are in a Grand Suite, with the 18 and 19 year olds directly across the hall. Neither of us want to give up our suite perks to one of the minors. :mad:

Patty - just get extra keys made once onboard at guest services. Let the room stewards know - you will be fine!

I was told today that if you are traveling with a minor under 21 and their parents are not on board the ship, they must be in a cabin with an adult over 25. I have kids spread out with parents over 4 rooms, all on one hall very close together. (They are all over 18) My question is, how do you switch once on board since your card has your room key on it but it's also tied to your account and your picture pops up when getting on and off ship. Will guest services actually change it or do you constantly swap cards around?

We had 4 cabins and moved everyone around once on board. Easiest thing to do is to just go to guest services and get extra keys. They will give you as many as you need. Then you have your sail pass for charging and getting on and off the ship, (for id) and the extra key is just for the room. I used a sharpie to write on the keys so they knew which key got into what room. (we used a code - we did not write the room number). It worked great - not one problem!

I stressed about it in advance - but no worries you will be fine. We even had different room stewards for the 4 rooms, and we just let them know on the first day what was up and they were just fine with it.

If you really want to think ahead - I was able to get at least ONE person booked in each cabin they would actually be in once onboard. Worked even better! You can do it - good luck!

I will make that call - thank you both so much!!

Oh my - I would NEVER spend all that money for a mere few hours at Universal - totally NOT worth it. You could spend all that money on a trip to Orlando exclusively and have a much better time!

We have done Universal at least 8 times. Here is how we do it -

1. Stay in one of the 4 Universal Hotels. All are great - different price points - we love Hard Rock because it is very easy to walk to the 2 parks from there. Just one or 2 nights is plenty.

2. Buy the buy 1 day get 2 days park pass. Because you are staying on property you automatically get a front of the line pass for almost every ride - Harry Potter is a regular wait line. But you can use this pass at both parks - Islands of Adventure and Universal - and literally do everything in both parks 2 times or more in 2 days. With or without kids in tow!

3. DO NOT go over the holidays - it is too crowded, too expensive and just not pleasant. We often go in August, and yes it is hot and there will be afternoon storms, but plan your day accordingly. Get up and go early - hit the rollercoasters and outdoor attractions. Save indoor stuff for mid day and later when it starts to really heat up and possibly rain.

4. Take advantage of City Walk - a fun area in the evening, plan a nice dinner, or hit one of the fun clubs, movies and other various entertainment.

You would miss the majority of the above if you just take the "cruise excursion".

At Port Canaveral - if it is a good day, I would just take a cab over to the jetty area and go to the beach. Free, relaxing, good people watching and fun!

All great info - thank you everyone! We just got off RCI Freedom of the Seas and had dinner for 9 planned out every night. It worked well - yes service was slow - but I blamed that on RCI - ! :)

Since my inlaws are paying we are all planning to just meet up for dinners and probably 2 excursions. I am hoping we can make it work - but I will heed all of your advice moving forward.

Thanks!

We are booked for Aug 2015 so I have sometime to prepare, but I am trying to coordinate dinners for 15 of us. My in-laws are in the Haven and they are paying for all of us to take the cruise. They just went on Getaway in October and loved it - first cruise ever. We have been on 9 cruises - just off Freedom of the Seas - never will we sail with RC again (long story :mad:) - so I am really looking forward to the causal fun of NCL. :D

I am hoping some people here can help me with the planning of these meals. Should I call the concierge number for the Haven and have them book it all through my in-laws instead of trying to do this all online myself? Will I be able to do that?

Also - we have 7 days. I am trying to plan the nights out to meet up for dinner. Any suggestions on what you would do with this group? In-laws are early 70's, 6 middle aged adults, 7 others ages 21 down to 13.

Top restaurant choice is Le Bistro, probably followed by Teppanyaki. And then Cagneys. Just planning dinners and shows. Breakfast and lunch will be on our own.

Speaking of breakfast and lunch - what are some of your favorites? We were VERY limited on Royal - basically just the Windjammer all day long, but we are excited to have options, and want to make the most of them!:)

We just booked this same thing - except with more kids. My husband was booked in the middle and kids were booked on with side of him. Not connecting - just immediately next door. We also had another cabin 3 doors down. Once on board we switched everyone around and got a few extra keys made. I brought a sharpie and coded (did not write the room number) the extra keys so the kids would know which ones were the correct room.

Get 3 cabin - 6 people (teens) need 3 bathrooms!!!!

:)

Actually, my TA told me it could not be done, so I called RCL. They said we could do it, if they were close to my cabin. So, my TA booked them directly across from me. I'm a better safe than sorry girl and will have the notarized letters from their parents in hand, though.

 

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This is EXACTLY what happened to me. TA said no - RCI said yes. And I was booked incorrectly. BUT THEN - RCI actually called me to tell me it was booked wrong and that they needed to change it or we would not be allowed to board! So we ended up with the non related travelers (under 21) in the rooms with me and my husband and then our own kids were right next door to my husband (on either side). Of course we switched rooms once on board - no problems there!

Well that's the opposite of what they did to me, I had me and my wife in a balcony, and our daughter and 2 friends in an interior opposite, which we have done many times before, we have even taken our daughter and 3 friends and had them share a quad cabin, no problem. About 3 months after booking, RCI called and said we wouldn't be able to board, because you can only have 1 unrelated minor per each related minor. After a lot of checking and looking at our past history where this had happened, they still wouldn't budge. It took an email to the executive offices to get it straightened out, and we ended up with me and the daughter in one cabin, and my wife and the 2 friends in another, we just switched when onboard, this happened in 2012. Just goes to show that RCI is still consistently being inconsistent.;)

TRUTH!! Inconsistent for sure - after so much "misinformation" prior to even getting to the ship, I prepared with every email and piece of paper I had from the 1 week ordeal that it took to actually book all 9 of us, then rebook with the additional cabin. I was on the phone for so long, I bruised my ear holding it to my shoulder! I was just glad it all worked out - but here is a great example of things not being consistent across the board!!

RCL booked an 18 & 19 year old in a virtual balcony cabin directly across from my grand suite, just yesterday. They said it is okay, as long as they are within 3 doors from me.

 

 

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Patty - Are they related to you?

so do you get to keep the bag? or like the buckets~ you return them?

You keep the bag - we returned all week for refills and took them home with us.:)