Manbo

Evertime we have been on NCL during the NFL playoffs, they have shown the games at a couple of the bars.

During Superbowl, they put on quite a party and used the big Wii projection screen to show the game.

We are taking our first Alaska cruise in early May. My wife wears ear muffs as opposed to hats, i am concerned that she will be cold and that a hat should be purcahsed for this trip.

I guess i would like some input....hat or ear muffs?

You can book on line before the cruise, or as soon as you board. But when we did the POA, the specialty restaurants were always available except the Japanese grill place.

The two are pretty comparable. The main difference that I see is the "Free Style" of Norwegian and Royal Caribbean is still hanging onto Formal nights. I also believe that RCI tends to be a bit more mature age group than Norwegian. Not as mature as Holland American but a bit higher average age. Food, entertainment, cabins, etc. are about the same. Just my opinion.

Freestyle dining is the number one difference.

We took this cruise last June and loved it. I would highly recommend.

can any one tell us about the waves where the ship cruises? I understand that the onshore waves are largest in December/January and that is when we plan to go in a year or two, but are wondering if it makes for rough cruising between the islands?

we were on POA in Oct. and it was smooth as glass!

Can't wait to do it again!

I just was given 3 NCL gift cards for Christmas. I hope to use them toward excursions on our upcoming cruise in May.

Any problems, concerns with redemption?

The NCL web site is not very helpful.

Thanks

We spend very little time in our cabin, so for us, the answer would be no. Even our Hawaii cruise saw little balcony use.

We did the PoA in Oct. 2013. Awesome!

Pearl Harbor has timed tickets, we went on the website and got them ahead of time.

We stayed a few extra days before flying home and saw all those sites on our own. Super easy, rent a car with GPS. Make sure to visit the Military Cemetery of the Pacific and climb Diamond Head.

We bought a small diamond and setting at DI in Cancun, About 5 years ago we went to a DI in St. John and we upgraded to a larger stone (1.15 ct). after we agreed on price, i told them i wanted a credit for the full price of the first stone, and they said not problem.

So, our limited experience was fine. Saved a ton of money and the ring looks great.

I have been watching a cruise on the Breakaway, from NY Jan, 31, 2016 that was posted on NCL site. Now, NCL has removed it from the site, but other cruise booking sites, still list it.

What is the deal? I searched by ship and the are some big holes in the calendar.

Thanks!

We just returned from the NCL Gem. We were going to do the Blue Lagoon but the weather was looking like rain, so we walked to Junkanoo Beach.

It was about a 10 minute walk and the beach was nice. We rented 4 chairs, with 4 free beers and 4 shots for $40!

Grab a map on the way off the pier. They are all around.

The beach wasn't crowded at all. Our kids (9 & 7) had a blast swimming and exploring the sea life.

We bought drinks served in coconuts and had a great time.

No, i will say, it is not a super classy beach, but I would do it again. Others on the ship did the same and we all agreed, good choice!

BTW...it turned into a really nice sunny day!

We just returned from the NCL Gem. We were going to do the Blue Lagoon but the weather was looking like rain, so we walked to Junkanoo Beach.

It was about a 10 minute walk and the beach was nice. We rented 4 chairs, with 4 free beers and 4 shots for $40!

Grab a map on the way off the pier. They are all around.

The beach wasn't crowded at all. Our kids (9 & 7) had a blast swimming and exploring the sea life.

We bought drinks served in coconuts and had a great time.

No, i will say, it is not a super classy beach, but I would do it again. Others on the ship did the same and we all agreed, good choice!

BTW...it turned into a really nice sunny day!

We loved this cruise & plan on doing it again soon. The ship is great, but since the main attraction is Hawaii, there is not as much cruise ship things. We agree about not needing a balcony in the Caribbean, but loved our balcony on P of A.

We rented a car in Maui and kept it overnight. I recommend self touring there. We did in Hilo, and in Kona just walked to the beach.

Do some research, it will be your be awesome!

We stayed at the Hyatt. The price was great! An awesome breakfast as well. We highly recommend.

We are planning our Alaska cruise for 2015. We also are cruising this June. Should we book our 2015 cruise while on board this summer? What about pre-purchased credits?

Thanks for any help you can offer!