maryandmarge

We are doing a cruise on NCL Dawn in October and are doing ship excursions because of the $50/ea per port credits we received.    Can anyone tell me how far the Statue of Liberty is from Battery Park as far as getting a picture of it?    There is an excursion that stops at Battery Park and it says that you can see the Statue in the Distance.   I'm thinking "in the distance" is not close enough for good pictures.    As we will be arriving that morning to dock at 7 AM I'm thinking we would not be able to get a good picture if the ship passes on the way to Manhattan Port.   I'm thinking we should take the 4 hour excursion that  has the harbor cruise that goes up close but does not stop at the Statue (which is fine with me since I would just like some nice pictures).   We are thinking that maybe we can pick up a short tour from the port excursion  in the afternoon that will take us to see the 911 or other sites that we will miss.    None of the ships excursions seem to cover everything.   Any advise will be greatly appreciated.  

Thanks for the suggestion.  They have their heart set on checking out Disney Cruise ship.    We've done a week at a Disney Resort the last 2 years and they decided this would be something different and fun for the kids.    The kids range from 3 - 8 so it's more about the characters on this cruise than the cruise itself.    I'm pretty sure this will be one and done because of the prices on Disney.   The price for a 5 day Disney cruise is comparable to what I'm pricing out for a 13 day NCL New England fall foliage from Quebec to New York this fall which includes the air fare.   So this one is all about the kids....  I welcome any comments   

Thanks so much for the information and the picture.   I was afraid that's what someone was going to tell me about not being able to split the bed.  I've slept on the regular sofa beds that you had to fold out and it wasn't the most comfortable but I was on vacation with 2 sisters and right next to the balcony doors which at that time we would leave open at night so I thought I had the best spot.   The sofa bed in the picture doesn't look bad at all.   The other Grandma has never cruised so I would give up the bed to her if that's what we end up doing.   We are trying to plan the best and most cost efficient way for us to do this trip for 13 people:  2 adults and 2 kids - 2 adults and 3 kids / 4 grandparents consisting of one couple and 2 grandmas....this should be fun!!  Any suggestions people might have on that stateroom possibilities would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks again and happy travels

Planning cruise to Disney with family members in 2020.    Can anyone tell me if the queen beds in the balcony room can be split into 2 separate beds like on other cruise lines?    Looking at pictures it seems they have one big headboard so it wouldn't allow them to split them.    2 Grandmas sharing a room and would like separate beds.    Am I missing something in my searches?   Looks like we will probably be on the Disney Magic.    I appreciate any feedback you can give me.    I'm sure I'll have more questions as we go along but for now that's the only one that is jumping out at me.    

Yes, that's the one. Yes, they have a free shuttle from the airport. They use an independent shuttle provider to the port - $8 pp was the cost the last time I used it (April 2017).

 

If you put the address in google maps, you can see what is close by - restaurants, shopping, and movies. Since I had my car, we drove to Miller's Ale House and to Sweet Tomatoes. I recall a fellow cc roll call member who also stayed there report that the hotel shuttled her to Red Lobster and KMart. (We were going to walk to Sweet Tomatoes but there were pop up rain showers so we drove.)

https://www.google.com/maps/place/2620+N+26th+Ave,+Hollywood,+FL+33020/@26.0388593,-80.1603866,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x88d9aa4c9d4f2c2f:0x4288f1de38ca02f2!8m2!3d26.0378712!4d-80.1595605

Thanks for the quick response. Good to hear that the neighborhood is good enough to walk if we wanted to but still have options to use the hotel shuttle to get somewhere. They had decent prices for February and the reviews were also ok. Safe travels to you!

I have stayed at that Springhill and would stay there again. I have not stayed at that Home2 (or any Home2) so I can't comment on that.

I have stayed at the LaQuinta three times pre-cruise (2016, 2017, and 2018) and have it booked again for March 2019.

Checking to see if you are talking about the LaQuinta at 2620 N. 26th Street? We were considering this hotel for our pre-cruise night Feb 22, 2019. We will be arriving probably before lunch time and are not planning on renting a car for the day. I think I read that they have free shuttle from airport and you can take a shuttle from there to the port for $8. It doesn't look like anything is close by to walk to. Can you tell me what my options would be? Do they have a local shuttle? None of us have Uber so our other option would be to take a Taxi somewhere to spend the day. Thanks much.

Maryell

Thanks everyone for all the great help. I forgot to mention I also get a casino discount so think I will get two cabins under my account so we can all get the same low price. Couldn’t handle all in one room.

Might be more fun if you could get adjoining rooms - gives you the option to leave the door open so the 4 of you can hang out

Have fun whatever you decide to do...

Quick note b4 I head off for a quick bite and my Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour. I was chatting with our dining room steward, practicing my (very limited) Indonesian, and he mentioned that next year (whether that means a year from now, or 2019, or what precisely I dont know) there will be some more SE Asian members of the staff, specifically mentioning Thai and Vietnamese.

 

Sent from my SM-J727V using Forums mobile app

We loved the Bering Sea Crab tour that we took in 2014. I think it was our favorite of that cruise. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Safe travels

Thanks so much for the responses - I'll definitely look into the cost with the promotion and weigh out options since we really aren't big drinkers...Safe travels to all

In checking for a future cruise I noticed the Explore 4 promotion they are offering. The beverage package says it covers drinks up to $9. Does that include the cost of the tip they automatically add? Also does anyone know the costs of the frozen drinks like Mudslides or Strawberry Daiquiri. Just wondered if they are reasonable enough to be included in this pricing. When we were on NCL their max amount was $15 a drink. But if you went over that we were told they would only charge you for the difference. I read somewhere in a post that on Holland if the drink is over $9 they will charge you the full cost of the drink and the tip not just the cost over the $9. Trying to decide if this a a promotion that is worth it for us or not. Thanks in advance for any input you can give us....

I have to say that we took a chance and let NCL handle our flights on our April 8th Panama Canal trip from Los Angeles to Miami. We had the Distinctive Voyage Promo and also the Free at Sea Promo. We were willing to take a chance and for us it turned out well. We flew in a day early as always to make sure there would be no chance of missing the ship. They booked us on United direct from Cleveland to Los Angeles and From Miami they booked us on American Airlines direct to Cleveland at the end of our trip. With the $200 ea that they credited our account our flights cost us $400/ea. I couldn't have booked it that cheap. So I know they could have put us on flights with connections but we just happened to luck out. So I might be one of the few positive reviews on this but it worked out well for us. Best wishes on your travel plans.

Thanks so much for the review- we will be doing the same trip only from Los Angeles to Miami on the Star April 8th.

Thanks for reading and I am glad you enjoyed it.

 

That video was funny. Susan and I watched it this morning. I put that dysentery comment as a little tongue in cheek humor. See who was still paying attention!

 

I am glad you are looking forward to it. I am too. We are doing something new in each port.

 

Vancouver - hop on/hop off bus tour

Ketchikan - deadliest catch excursion

Juneau - renting a car/Mendenhall

Skagway - Dyea Dave tour to emerald lake

Glacier bay for the first time

Seward - Kenai Fjords boat tour

 

I am so excited for this trip! It also means a ton of pictures!!!

We did the Deadliest Catch Excursion in 2014 when we were in Alaska and I have to say that was one of our favorite excursions. They really get the people involved and they act like they really love their job.

Truly enjoyed following along on this trip with your pictures and all the information you provided. We are on the Star in April from LA to Miami thru the Panama Canal and some of the info you gave is quite helpful for our trip. Safe travels in the future to you and your wife.

We booked it through NCL. The price was the same through Cabo Adventures independently as through the ship. We were silver on this cruise and got the NCL shore excursions discount as well as the 50 dollar per port perk. We were cheaper through the ship.

 

I choose this excursion for the fact we could go out and sail, have a lunch, and included drinks. The perk was it was whale season and we had the possibility of seeing the humpbacks.

 

I would do this again, because there was no real wind and we couldn’t really sail. Cabo Adventures was great, and had excellent customer service.

 

We hit Cabo last. We had a beach day, a land day, then a sea day. I can’t answer what you should do. I merely am presenting what we did and our thoughts and opinions on it. I would look at the whole trip, deciding what’s important to you and then figure out what is offered in each port.

 

Thank you for reading!

Thanks for your input. I'll do like you said and go thru and pick all the options at the different ports and decide whether to do a sea excursion or something on land. Hoping we have as much fun as the two of you...

Really enjoying your review of your cruise. Question for you on your last excursion shown as the Luxury Sail. Was this thru the ship or did you do this excursion on your own? We are doing the Panama Canal cruise out of LA to Miami in April and we are considering doing this thru NCL. The tour is 4 hours for $109/ea. We have $50/ea credit for excursions at each port and just wondered if you found this worth the money or would you suggest a tour on land to see more of Mexico? We've never been to Mexico so this is all new to us. Thanks in advance for your response. I've had fun watching you and your wife and your travels.

:) Being originally from Chicago and having lived in NY, Boston and LA, among other places, I will reassure you that Seattle drivers are actually quite polite and sane in comparison. Actually I get annoyed that they are so slow-moving! For a major city, you'll find it fine.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. How lucky for you to have lived in all those cool areas and experienced the different lifestyles.....

I go to Pike Place all the time (on the weekends since I work mon-friday. I come in from across the sound) and honestly never have trouble finding a decent place to park. Most times I get lucky and can park on the main street, but for days that aren't lucky I just go down to the Western Ave parking garage. It's only $3/hr and they have an elevator that will take you right into the market. Just have a little patience in the market area as the traffic can get a little crazy (mostly people traffic who just love walking in front of moving cars).

 

In the market do make sure you get yourself some flowers. Do get some of the yummy fresh doughnuts (next to the pig). Do get some fresh fruit/veggies and DO have fun!!

Thanks for the info - I have looked up the address to this lot and will keep it handy to put into our GPS. I'm sure for most people driving and parking is not an issue but for me - strange city (used to driving in the country) / driving a minivan (much larger car than I'm used to). I will definitely be driving very cautiously. So if you are going to the market around 1pm on 9/10 - please be patient with the 4 out of state "older" people in the minivan - just give me a minute and I'll be out of your way.

We drive along 1st ave, one block up from Pike place St.. and find a guy holding parking sign. He guids you into a lot and you pay $15-20. We also have a handicap sign, so will do the circle around in front of market a leat couple times. Sometimes a guy see us and directs us to a space that really isn't for parking.

Thanks - I'll have to check out 1st Avenue and see how that works out.

I don't want to be discouraging, but the Seattle area is very busy with people and traffic. It will take you a minimum of an hour to drive to the airport and park and walk to Pike Place Market. The market will be packed with both locals and tourists. It will take some time to make your way through the market. There are no Catholic churches within walking distance of the Market, although, should you choose to drive to the nearby First Hill area, there is a lovely cathedral.

http://www.stjames-cathedral.org/masstimes.aspx

(The website has a nice photo gallery of St. James)

The drive time from Seattle to Olympia will be between 1 1/2 hours and 2 hours, depending on the traffic and congestion. Even though weekends don't have the commuting slowdowns, there can be congestion on I-5.

After you arrive in Olympia, consider some time on the Olympia waterfront. Olympia has its own farmer's market in a permanent structure right on the waterfront. It's fun to explore and not congested like Seattle. Our favorite waterfront restaurant is Budd Bay Café. It's locally owned and has great seafood + other offerings. If it's a nice day, there will be outdoor seating available right on the water. Sunset views are lovely.

Hope this helps.

 

(Seattle native, back to the great-grandparents, lived all over the Puget Sound region)

Thanks so much for this great information....looks like we will do church on Sunday morning down near Olympia. I know my sister has researched this already but thought maybe would have time to go Sat. night so I could sleep in a little longer on Sunday morning. Want to get an early start Sunday morning and head to Mt St. Helens. Sounds like at the market place it will be quite the crowds - if it was just a market we would have skipped it but having seen the "fish throwing" its been on our bucket list so guess we'll just add 4 more people to the crowds and see what we can see. Thanks for the suggestion of Budd Bay Cafe - I know we'll be doing dinner somewhere down in the Olympia area....always good to have suggestions from local people.

Thanks - that is good to know. After an early 6:45 AM flight out of Cleveland I'll have to make sure I have my "calm and patient" mode that day.....both in Seattle traffic and at the Market Place

Thanks for the suggestion but won't work for us. We're coming from the airport and just going to Pike Place Market for the afternoon before heading south to our hotel in Olympia for our first night - wanted to have a closer start to Mt St. Helens in the morning. Is the market in a safe area as far as walking? I'm also thinking that if we see every thing we want to see we might still have chance to go to a catholic church for Sat. evening services while still in the Market Place area. Thanks for any info you have....

Thanks so much for the info and the website to connect to the different garages. Will certainly try somewhere other than the market place as I hear it's really busy on Sat.

We are flying into to SEA on 9/10 and will pick up our rental car around noon. We are headed to the Fish Market at Pike Place in Seattle. Because there will be 4 of us on this trip and luggage for 2 weeks I rented a minivan. Being in my 60's and not used to driving a minivan in traffic and parking in tight spots I was thinking that the parking garage at the market will be packed on Saturday afternoon and a challenge. Does anyone have suggestions for other parking garage options - that are within walking distance that might be easier for us? I've done some research but it's overwhelming. This is the first stop on a 3 day road trip that will end up in Vancover and cruise to Hawaii so this is really the only time we can fit this in. Looking forward to any suggestions....also any special places we should check out in the market - watching them throw the fish around was on our bucket list so that is the main reason for the stop. Thank you - safe travels to all...

Was wondering what would be a ballpark number to tip the room steward, everyone has different opinions on tips, I know, but I'd just like to get a number to base off of

I know that everyone feels differently on this subject. We have always left an envelope on our desk every morning with $10 in it for our room steward. The amount the ship automatically charges is shared by the whole crew. We have always interacted with our room steward and have gotten excellent service on every cruise we have been on. I can't say for sure it's because of the extra money we leave but it might help. The $5/ea for the two of us a day is a small charge when you consider what you pay for the cruise and excursions and I'm sure is appreciated by the hard working steward. But understand that this is just my opinion....I'm sure there are others who would disagree with me. So there really isn't a right or wrong answer to this one ... enjoy your travels and be safe...

We did the Deadliest Catch Crab boat excursion when we did Alaska on Holland America in 2014 and it was one of our favorite excursions. The crew was awesome, very entertaining, and very hands on.