sdmike

As we were walking through town in Mazatlan, we stepped between two shops and found this beach. Notice local vendors selling all kinds of crap...er...stuff. They can be persistent and annoying

So the liquor laws are a bit lax in Mexico. lol

Another couple of pirate ship pictures

my how we've changed in just 6 years....

One last dune buggy shot in Cabo

I vote for going somewhere you've not gone before, even though we found Alaska to be stunning. They're very different trips. Mexico is beautiful, and the resort communities are relatively modern. Getting outside of the cities is a different thing altogether. In Cabo we took a dune buggy trip where we raced along the beach, but also went inland and up into the mountains to a small historic community. We got to meet locals, and see how most of Mexico lives. It was eye opening yet wonderful (although it was hotter than heck and the kids got grumpy)

My only issue with Mexico is the crime danger. Living in San Diego I hear quite a bit about what goes on across the border. The drug-driven violence has spilled out of the rural areas into some of the resort towns, and as stated earlier, some cruise operators stopped visiting some ports for a while.

Here are a few pictures. It's been a while, so I'm not sure which port is which in some cases

This was a pirate ship trip to a remote beach off PV. They had kayaks, banana boats, games, etc.. It was a wonderful day.

This is Mazatlan

Coming into Cabo

Dune buggy selfie in Cabo. Son in back is now 19. One next to me is now 17. Yes...the years fly by.

We have a hold on 12313. I also have the choice of 12312. Thoughts?

For both of those rooms, the bed is near the door and not the balcony. Also, being on deck 12 you might get some late night noise from deck 15, but probably not a big deal. Also, being in an aft you will get vibration while the ship maneuvers into port. This will be lessened the higher up you go, but you'll still have sone

See if you can get 309 or 310 on deck 10-13. Those will have the bed placement that you want, plus a larger balcony on the corners.

Spice H20 is up on deck 15. Many say that if you're down on 10-12 you don't hear it

Yes to that too. Right now, I have the Epic and the Escape booked - both for the Haven. If I drop the Haven for the Epic, the price difference covers my cost for the Escape and for the aft cabin on the Epic. I may not be wording it right. The cost of the suite on the Epic is the same cost for an aft-facing cabin on Epic plus the suite on the Escape.

so basically you're saving thousands of dollars by moving out of the Haven and to the balcony on Epic, right? Go for it! I see some new jewelry in your future. lol

Are you saying that the difference between the Epic balcony and haven is enough to pay for a totally NEW cruise on the Escape in a suite? If so, it's a no brainer. You get another cruise, your Haven experience (on the Escape instead of the Epic) and a chance to try a brand new ship.

If you're already sailing on the Escape, then you're switching one Haven for another, right? At least you end up with an upgraded balcony (corner on Epic)

OR, are you already planning to sail on the Escape in the haven (looking at your upcoming trips), the this is just a huge price decrease, right? Either way, it's a no brainer for me.

It depends on the airline. Information on the BAGS program can be found on the NCL website

http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/bags

OP -

There's lots of epic info in my signature area. Make sure you're aware of hull balconies, uncovered balconies, and those above or below noisy areas. Decks 10-13 are generally awesome and avoid everything you're looking to avoid.

We often found late night snacks at the Great Outdoors on the Epic, way after the buffet was closed. Things like nachos, pizza, tacos, and stuff like that. Finger food. We never went hungry

Me too. I also had to show our passports!

Yep, same...in both Seattle and Miami.

The ONLY reason you need edocs is to get past the rent-a-cop. In most cases, nobody actually looks at them. Thinking back at cruises like the one last month. Three of us traveling - I had the docs and told them I had them for the other two. And away we went.

 

People do show up with NO DOCS - I have done it and still gone through. Does anyone think that 100% of the people show up with their e-docs, or any documentation other than passport?

 

Anyways, another easier way to fix it is to just put a kid in each room. Then sleep where you damn well want to. Not worth the battle.

on both my trips the security guard scrutinized our edocs before letting us into the building. Maybe that's not typical, but it's why I answered the way I did. I agree though. I'm sure that many, many show up without any docs, and they must have a way of dealing with that.

We like all kinds of food: steaks, Asian, Mexican, Italian, French, seafood. Thank you for the link. I am interested in personal opinions also.

If the thread goes long enough you'll probably get an equal number of votes for each place :) Here's my view though, and ranked based on what I hear overall

LeBistro - probably the most formal, and arguably the best food. People say the steaks are better than in the steak house too. I've never eaten there

Moderno - Excellent salad bar (usually shared with Cagneys) and great selection of meats in this brazilian steak house. We've eaten twice on different ships and loved it both times. Go hungry, leave in a meat coma

Cagneys - NCL's steak house. Used to be the top choice, but seeing more and more "disappointment" posts. Not many, but more than I used to

Teppanyaki - Really good food, prepared in front of you like Benihana. I didn't eat there because we have them all over here locally. The busiest of all the restaurants (limited seating, high demand)

ChinChin - Mixed reviews. If you really like Chinese food, not a bad option

La Cucina - Generally "Olive Garden" quality Italian food. Cheapest of the specialty, I believe. People say the pizza is really good, but the rest is so so. Nothing you can't get at any local restaurant.

hope that helps

We also went the route of booking an adult in each room then switching once on board. Never a problem.

I agree with the others. Don't assume they can be printed at the port. In fact, they might not let you into the terminal building without the edocs.

Here's a list of all NCL dining venues for all ships.

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Dining-Guide-022814.pdf

You never mentioned what you like. Each restaurant has a specialty

52Marv - thanks for sharing your experience. Sounds like you had a great time.

I find it funny that people are arguing about something that is very subjective, like taste in food. Just because I found NCL food to my liking (and you didn't) doesn't make me a cheerleader. :rolleyes:

Put them in the suite with you. It's plenty big. There are only 2 issues:

They would sleep on the couch

There is only 1 bathroom

If you get them an inside they won't enjoy the butler, concierge, cagneys, etc., which are things you want them to have access to. They can use your hot tube if they are in an inside, but you'd need to get them a key to your room. If the bathroom issue is troubling, a quick trip up the elevator will get someone into the gym locker room.

I disagree with this, only because I was just on the Getaway and have experienced the new menus and upgraded food quality. It was a noticeable difference! Then again Mike, you are probably right because I never had a "problem" with the food before. It's much better now, but I never complained or had an issue with it before - so I see where you are coming from with this.

Good point. I forgot about the upgraded menus. I'm thinking, however, that if they didn't even find the food in the pay restaurants good, I'm not sure "improvements" in the main areas would be sufficient for them. Good question, actually.

I guess my main point was - this is a mass market line like CCL and RCCL. They're not going to get 5 star food then or now. :)

I'm not going to try to convince you. You should pay the extra $2000. If you didn't like the food and it was important enough to you that you are asking this question, I suspect you will be disappointed again. The food hasn't changed significantly in the free dining areas. You're still eating food prepared for 3,000. For that $2000 savings, however, you can eat in some excellent specialty restaurants.

For many, including me, the food on NCL is perfectly fine. However, it sounds like this might be an issue for you

Or you can give it a try :)

Our C.C. group on the repo hundred and fifty or so at the M & G .;):D

wow! Now that's a party

How early would you say to get there? I would like my 7 yr old granddaughter to be able to get an unobstructed view.

Thanks!

Christina

buy premium tickets and get there at least 30 minutes early. Ask for a seat around the stage. She might not be tall enough to have a good view from the balcony

What is a Red Solo Cup sailor?

We boarded the Epic just after 11 after arriving at 10:30. I would expect similar

You should be able to buy a couple of posh passes without issue, as long as you get to the service desk quickly after boarding. They sell out fast.

I also suggest a balcony room. Sitting on the balcony watching Alaska go by is just awesome, especially if they're not very social

click on the link a couple posts above this posted by P&LCruising. It's a direct link to the roll call for that trip. No searching required.