PreciousCruiser

I ran across this link from 2013, and it mentions the Star Bar as being a piano bar. Hope this helps.

http://1boyuso.com/ncl-dawn-bars/

My 1st NCL cruise was on the Spirit! We had fun & I'm sure y'all will too! :)

Wow... I must have been tired when I read the OP's post. I didn't read it closely. Cruise started 9/13 & in PR in evening! Will read posts closer in future. Hope OP has a great cruise! As far as evening in PR, we just walked around Old SJ, ate at a restaurant (not sure which one), and went to 2 different festivals that were going on when there (2 diff. trips).

This is a great way to tour around San Juan free! Hope this helps! :)

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/free-trolley-old-san-juan/

I always do my own research... look for the cruise I want to go on, pick out a few cabin options, etc. then I call my PVP to book it. So glad I did so on my upcoming cruise rather than booking it myself online. When I called her, she quoted me a MUCH lower rate than what I saw online. I luv my PVP and will always book thru her. However, I will continue to do my research 1st. That's just my preference and the way I roll!!! lol! :)

Glad u went for it!!! I too got an offer on the Elation from an inside to an ocean view that I couldn't pass up and went for it... from the main deck to the upper deck... and glad i did. I told them they can now call me for an upgrade from an ocean view to a suite anytime!!!! :)

This is AWESOME! Sure hope to see this again in 2014! :)

Someone might have mentioned this already, but if you are interested in hiring a driver for the day, don't wait as late as I did to contact the one you are interested in using. I emailed them about 2 wks. in advance and they were already booked for the day I needed one. However, I was lucky to find something else that will work for us... :)

JTB is the Jamaican Tourist Board.

OK. Thanks! :)

My bf and I just traveled to Montego Bay on carnival conquest 2 weeks ago...I must admit, we were most nervous about this port because of the reviews We read on this site. We decided to get off the ship and check it out anyway..we both agreed that if we felt unsafe we would return to the ship immediately.

 

Well, I have to tell you that Montego Bay ended up being our favorite port of call. We went to doctors cave beach and had incredible Caribbean jerk chicken at the restaurant there. While laying on the beach we decided we wanted to do something that was not so Americanized but we didn't know what to do. We decided just to find a taxi back to the ship. To our surprise when we walked to the gate of doctors cave we were greeted by a taxi driver named Winston who agreed to take us to the ship. He then told us it would cost $20 for the ride...$15 more than it cost to get to the beach! We agreed to wait for other people headed to the ship to get our cost to go down.

 

To our surprise the per people wanted to go on a tour of Montego Bay. Winston agreed to take all 6 of us on a 1 hour tour (up in the hills, thru downtown, to a sugar plantation,etc.) and a ride back to the ship for $12 pp! It was the best deal of the whole trip. Winston stopped wherever we wanted and let us take as many pics as we wanted. He also explained the Jamaican culture to us.

 

After our great experience on the island, I will recommend this to anyone. I never once felt threatened. We were offered many things but once you said no they left you alone. I HIGHLY recommend Winston from JTB....sorry this was long, but I wanted to help since you got many negative responses about Montego Bay

Thanks for posting the positive thoughts. I might have missed it, but you stated "Winston from JTB". What is "JTB"?

OK, definitely a test of memory. :o

 

Cher, Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis and Gloria Gaynor.

 

I think that was everyone. A little fuzzy on whether or not Gloria Gaynor was one.

Yes, I believe all of those performed, as well as Michael Jackson. I remember he definitely did because he was really good. But there was no Madonna. One of our favorites was Beyonce and her two "single ladies". I thought the show was good, entertaining and funny .... :)

sounds like they might be a better substitute for the escargot than the ceviche they are "substituting"!

Are they still serving Escargot?

Pretty much all of the above... :)

NCL Spirit - 9106, balcony, starboard side. Great location, midship. So convenient to everything. Absolutely loved this cabin. Plenty of room and had no issues with any noise.

With 4 of you space will be at a premium. We get one of theose hang-up clear shoe bag things (with the little pockets for shoes and you hang in your closet) Hang it in the bathroom and put all of your toiletries/lotions/band-aids/etc. in the pockets. This clears the vanity off and everything in in sight.

 

BTW.....No matter how many times you cruise or how careful you pack..You will forget something...Don't worry, just enjoy.:)

I totally agree with bringing one of these. I pack everything I could possibly need (I'm an overpacker!). I loved having everything I needed showing through the clear pockets of the over the door shoe holder. It made it so easy the find things and keep thing organized. Will never go on a cruise without one.

Some things I'm glad I packed were: a night light for the bathroom (kept the bathroon door closed, but not latched, so we had a sliver of light, but I wished I would have had the cover over the bulb of the night light) a small led alarm clock (to see when dark), a small surge strip (definitely used that for extra plugs), extra sd card for camera (for all those pics), extra battery(s) for camera (or make sure you charge it everynight, believe me I learned that), bug spray for the islands that others suggest it's needed, air freshener for the bathroom (small spray fabreeze, found in the miniture items in WalMart), and so many others, but I'll finish with clothes pins, especially if you're staying in a balcony cabin (for attaching towels, or anything you want to get dry to the balcony chairs)... I could go on and on, I'm sure I posted some repeats. :)

Thanks for posting. Great pics of everything! I sure am hungry now! Look forward to meeting Steve soon. Ours loungers have been reserved for quite awhile now!

Did either of you get a massage? Also, is there a need for bug spray there? Thanks...

AWESOME pics!!! Thanks so much for posting. Even though I'm cruising on The Spirit in March, I was thinking that The Star might be in my future since it's replacing The Spirit. I'll just plan on doing different things on the same itinerary. I'm definitely saving this thread to my favorites, or any other file I can save it in! :)

Thanks for posting the positive notes and the pics. Now I'm torn between Bannister and Caye Caulker. Decisions, decisions.... :confused:

Thanks for posting. Sounds like we need to re-think going there. Glad we have up to 2 days prior to cancel.

Thanks for this info. Have a question:

As we sail down the river it will get dark. After it gets dark won't it be hard to determine exactly where some of these landmarks are even if there are lots of lights? (not so much right in N.O., if u are familiar with that area, but further down the river). I assume there will be lots of lights on the port side? Will some of these landmarks be on the starboard side at some point and will there be lots of lights on the starboard side?

I love all animals and I think the monkeys are sooo cute. I would love to hold one or pet one, but I will not take that chance. I'll just settle for looking at them and taking pics of them...

carolv712: So sorry to hear about your bad experience. That's awful! Guess I need to see how many ships will be in the Belize port on the day I'll be there and maybe ask NCL if we could run into any problems like yours. Glad you got a refund. Thanks for posting...

I assume the private island mentioned here is Bannister Island? NCL offers a Beach Break excursion and when I inquired, NCL said it is Bannister Island. I usually do excursions on my own, but was thinking about doing this one through the ship because you go straight from the ship to the Island and back, rather than tender from the ship to the port, then take an excursion with a tour company to the island, then back to the port, then tender back to the ship. NCL's cost is $44 pp (food on your own). I guess one negative of doing it through the ship would be that you don't get to tour any part of the port (for shopping, etc.). But I believe the island has a gift shop (might be pricey though?).

Any thoughts on that from anyone??? :confused:

It was hard for me to decide which one. Finally decided on The Tropicante. I emailed Steve at Tropicante to reserve 2 chairs for us in March and we are all set. We don't drink that much during the day, so I'm not sure if Maya Chan would be money well spent as far as that aspect of the all inclusive. However, it does sound like an awesome place (have seen the pics and read reviews). Decided we'd try Tropicante this time, hoping to go back on another cruise one day and try Maya Chan. I use to think if I go on a cruise, I want to go to different islands on each cruise and never go back to the same island. Then I realized there is so much to see and do on many of the islands, that you can't ever do it all in one visit. So Tropicante this time and Maya Chan the next!!! :)

Thanks for sharing. I'm sure you will love cruising... :) I know I do! Enjoy your cruise...