Kenlorz

Trying to plan my time accordingly w/ the Splash Academy schedule!

 

Thanks =)

 

I heard it's around and hour and forty five minutes. We're sailing on the same cruise! Can't wait! Join us on the Roll Call thread if you want to chat with others on the same sailing :)

I have a hard time believing that this is the one and only permanent bar menu that will be used fleet wide. There are just too many specialty bars for that to be true. How does one sit down at a Mojito or Martini bar and have this be the only menu? I do understand you can still order whatever regardless of the printed menu, but having this be THE printed menu for such establishments just doesn't jibe. Surely they are just reworking, reprinting and repricing all the old menus. Right?!

I have it DVR'd and watch it at least once or twice a week in anticipation of our upcoming BA cruise. My thoughts? I really enjoy seeing the ship and like the behind the scenes look at how they skirted the storm. OTOH, I felt they focussed too much on what was going wrong or what had to be fixed on the ship. It sort of felt like it was giving a negative vibe in that regard. I would have liked it if they would have also given some insight into what WAS working well.

[quote name='JugeePartyofFour']Hi. My husband and I and our two kids (ages 6 and 9) will be sailing on the Breakaway May 31 to Bermuda. I have a few questions for someone that has done this cruise before.

1. Any tips on doing shore excursions "on our own" (rather than through NCL)? I like to the idea of just getting off the boat and exploring.

2. Is the Burn the Floor show suitable to kids?

3. Do the kids really want to go to the kids' club? On our Disney cruise, our kids never wanted to go to the kids' club. I think a big part of that was because there were soooo many kids and they weren't able to do many of the activities because it was always so packed...

Thanks in advance! :)[/QUOTE]

First, welcome to Cruise Critic! Second, we are also sailing on the same cruise. Consider joining the Roll Call thread where you can talk with other people on this cruise. You can find the Roll Call by following the link in the box near the top of the page. Third, to answer some of your questions, we are doing all of our excursions outside of NCL. We found all of our information either through the Bermuda Threads (located in the Port of Call boards) or through Tripadvisor or through Go To Bermuda Dot Com. I can't answer about the kids as our children are late teens and young adults. As for Burn the Floor, we haven't seen it yet, but hear it is a lot like Dancing with the Stars. Again, welcome!

A picture of Gene Hackman with the words (printed upside-down) "If you can read this, follow me to the hull!"

 

Now that's funny....

How late is the Thermal Suite open? And do they kick you out right at closing time or is it more like a hotel where as long as you are in the area before closing, you can kind of take your time to get out?

Can someone tell me how long it takes for the ferry ride from Hamilton to the Dock Yard? I was thinking about walking around Harbor Nights for 30-45 mins on a Wednesday then head back to ship. I'm trying to book my dining on board that evening and don't know what time to expect for a return time. TIA!

None for the May 31st BA sailing either. Which surprised me, because I have seen reviews advising to book it prior because of it's popularity. Maybe they are doing away with taking reservations for it?

After spending the last upteen weeks in the frozen northeast US, the idea of entering ANYTHING frozen on my vacation just makes me CRINGE. I am SO tired of being outright frozen at any given moment of the day, that the thought of PAYING someone to let me be cold just gives me the shivers. Now if they had a Bermuda Sun bar complete with sand beaches, ocean waves lapping and a warm breeze you wouldn't be able to pry me away :D.

The only thing that makes any sense at all is a short term limited menu while the computers are updated.

 

Short term as in this should be fixed by tomorrow morning.

 

Nothing else makes sense. They're not going to stop selling booze so they can print menus.

 

ITA! I was thinking fixed by Sunday, March 1st when the changes are supposed to be taking place. That's a 48 hour limited menu. Longer doesn't seem logical and across the fleet seems impossible. I think it would only effect ships that would be at sea in the middle of the transition.

SUPPOSING that what the OP is stating is true and not a huge misunderstanding, then we can summarize the following:

 

* Starting today, on at least the Gem, their is only ONE menu of bar drinks available for order regardless of the bar or the bartender visited.

* Of the drinks available on this menu, roughly half of them are under $10, the others are over $10 (constituting only 50-60% being elligible for the UBP)

* Bartenders are unable to make you a drink off of the menu because "they don't know what to charge".

 

The ONLY thing that makes ANY of this seem even SLIGHTLY POSSIBLE is if they are in the middle of a major adjustment to their bar system. Which does line up with the announcement that they are upping their liquour prices by 6% as of March 1st. This adjustment would entail new menus being printed and all of the bar computers being updated with the new prices... and this particuar Gem sailing would fall right smack in the middle of this transition.

 

I guess it could be a logical explanation that during this brief transition period, they are limiting their sales to a small fixed price menu while all the changes are being made. I used to be in the restaurant industry and it would be standard practice to have a special limited menu during special occassion where you could only order off a specific temporary menu (i.e. Valentines Day, New Years Eve). Limited menus do happen, but on a very limited basis and for very specific reasons.

 

HOWEVER, I could only see this mini-menu option lasting for no more than one, possibly two sailings. Just think of all that top shelf booze collecting dust! No way, no how it could last for more than an extremely brief transition period.

Since there is a HUGE amount of people that order drinks and DON'T have the UBP, I agree with the other poster who said that there is just NO WAY NCL would limit all of those guests to just a few drink selections and hence cut their alcohol sales across the board. SO...

 

This is my guess...just an educated guess... but here goes:

 

1. NCL is raising drink prices by 6% (fact)

2. NCL is raising ceiling on UBP to $11 (fact)

3. NCL is in a short interval period of raising all the prices and changing all the menus and updating all of the computers, hence none of the bartenders know what the new charge for drinks will be so they are limited to this interum menu while the changes are made. (supposition)

The only "public" covered pool area that is usable when it's cold is in the Spa. We bought Spa passes in the terminal before boarding in order to use it. It's not your typical pool, you don't swim in it. It's heated and has jets that you can turn on.

 

Wow! You were able to buy spa passes in the Breakway Terminal???? The question on whether or not that is even possible has been raised multiple times and almost without exception people have reported that there was no place in the terminal to buy them. May I ask WHERE in the terminal you found to purchase them? It must be a very secret location :p;) that is very easily missed. As we plan to purchase a pass, we would LOVE to know where to be looking for the opportunity to purchase before boarding. Please and thank you :D

We are doing the May 31st Breakaway to Bermuda cruise and couldn't be more stoked. Have I ever cruised NCL before? No. We have only cruised RCCL before. I am nervous? No. Perhaps I wear rose colored glasses to often, LOL, but I believe you have to take most complaints with a giant grain of salt. Remember, most people have a great time someplace and go home and tell their friends and family about it. OTOH, when people have a BAD time, they get home and tell THE WORLD about it... and will find the anyplace on the internet to do it. Have we read the many bad reviews? Yes. What are our thoughts? We looked at the top 4 most mentioned complaints and decided to make a plan ahead of time on how to overcome it.

 

Most mentioned complaints:

1. Smoke wafting out of the casino. Plan? Having worked as a server for years in my younger years when smoking was legit in restaurants, I'm pretty sure it won't bother me. If it does, I won't be hanging out near the casino. There are so many other places on the ship to enjoy.

 

2. Food in MDR lower quality or cold. Plan? We bought the UDP. Technically, we would have bought it regardless because we enjoy a smaller, quieter venue than the MDR. But, we figure either way, now we don't care what the food quality in the MDR is, LOL.

 

3. Pools are crowded. Plan? We don't plan on using the pool. We have Bermuda beaches to enjoy for half of the trip where we will do most of our swimming and sunbathing.

 

4. Atrium and other areas of the ship are crowded. Plan? Find places to be quiet and relax. We will buy the spa passes and relax there. If we weren't spending so much time on land, we would have bought the VIBE passes. And we made sure to secure a big balcony in our cabin where we will spend a good deal of our time.

 

So, don't worry about the debbie downers. There is SO much about this ship to enjoy and celebrate... great shows, great venues, great restaurants, great slides, great sports complex, great spa, great waterfront. Look at the complaints that seem to repeat and decide if they would affect you. If they would, come up with a plan to counteract it.

HTH

 

ETA; Please notice the deckplan error offering up cat BD 8738 and 8740 as angled balconies (and their mirrors portside). These are secret angled balconies.

 

Secret balconies for sure... and not to mention GINORMIOUS! Much thanks to another poster posting the following picture of cabin 8738, we scored it on our upcoming cruise.

 

We purchased the UDP. Do we still have to prepay in order to reserve at the 90 day mark?

YES!!! No questions asked, no doubt about it, without reservation.... YES!!:D:D:D

There seems to be conflicting reports, but there are three or four items on the menu at Le Bistro that have a $10 surcharge (Fruits De Mer, Lobster, and more). These are NOT included and you will be charged the $10. Some staff don't know this and are including it. The answer, as always, is to ask before you order.

 

Extra entrees are charged at $10, but more appetizers, desserts or sides are included.

 

I definitely agree about their having been conflicting reports, but the 3 or 4 items you referred to are listed in NCL terms as "INCLUDED" and therefore diners should NOT be charged. If staff is charging, then I would suggest that the following term be presented:

 

UDP Terms & Conditions:

"The Ultimate Dining Package is available via pre-sell or onboard purchase on days 1-2 of the voyage only. On 3-day sailings, the package is only for sale on day 1. No refunds are available if fewer restaurants are visited. The Ultimate Dining Package is non transferable. A la carte priced restaurants and Ocean Blue are not included in the Ultimate Dining Package, but will be discounted 20% for those purchasing the package. Carlo’s Bakery items, Ice Cream Bar, Gelato, 24/7 Pizza Chef’s Table is not included in the Ultimate Dining Package. The UDP does not include beverages. No Kids pricing, package available for guest 13 and older. Excludes all 1- and 2-day sailings. Includes add-ons in Le Bistro such as Fruit de Mer, Lobster and Cote De Boeuf. The package does not apply to Special Occasion/Holiday menus (New Year’s, Christmas, etc). Latitudes Platinum Guests will receive a $20 discount on the Ultimate Dining Package (as they receive 1 complimentary dinner in Le Bistro). Additional main courses in Cagney’s and Le Bistro will be charged at $10.00."

Maybe a wierd question, but does anyone else get concerned about lice from everyone sharing those parkas? Maybe it's just me and my old days as a stylist and knowing that sharing hats/hoods is a good way to transfer.... but.... just saying.....

First suggestion... join your roll call for you sailing. There you will find others cruising on the same ship and date who will be equally excited.

 

Second suggestion... RESEARCH all you can about the ship and others experiences about it. Don't be discouraged by any debbie downers that post horrendous experiences, just take those with a large grain of salt and learn from them what you can and move on. You will learn best times to hit the slides, gyms, clubs, etc. You will learn what things you do and don't want to do on board. And research your ports too.

 

As for my first experience. AWESOME!!! Became instantly hooked on cruising. You will love it :D

My little sister, who is traveling with me, gets extremely carsick. Will she most likely be seasick too? And can I give her the medicine you guys are suggesting too? She's 13

 

As another poster mentioned. If a person is prone to motion sickness, start taking the Bonine 4-7 days before your trip. It does have a cumulative effect. My poor dh found that out the hard way during a trip to Disney. First few days, the pills did him no good and he was uber green after every ride, yet by the end of the week (once the meds had built up) he was doing the most aggressive of rides with ease. On a later trip to an amusement park, he started taking it 3 days before we left to let it build up and was fine from day one. We always start our Bonine at least 48 hours before a cruise.

Like you, my first cruise was on a Mega-Ship. I, too, was worried about getting sick and experiencing rough seas. As for being safe.... remind yourself that you never ever hear of a breaking news report in regards to a cruise ship sinking in high seas; yet you will almost weekly hear about a local car accident that has killed someone. It is FAR FAR more dangerous for you to get in your car and drive to work than to travel on a cruise ship. And also keep in mind that the captain and his crew are keeping a vigilant eye on radar, storms, weather patterns, etc., and will make adjustments to their course if they feel there is ANY danger to ship, passengers or crew. They aren't taken by surprise by the waves or weather. They know exactly what their ship can handle (which is A LOT by the way). It's a ship....it's meant to float and it's meant to bob up and down and sway side to side. Enjoy it :).

 

As for movement on the ship and getting sick, PLEASE take with you Bonine (non-drowsy motion sickness med) and Dramamine (will make you sleepy, great to take at night to ensure you will sleep well). You WILL feel the ship move. Sometimes you may even feel the ship swell up and down with the waves, but it is a slow movement, not drastic and jarring like turbulence on a plane. If you are anything like me, then once you realize that the meds ARE going to work and that you aren't going to spend your week at the commode, you will start to LOVE the gentle rock and sway of the ship. I SWEAR TO YOU.... best sleep of my life is always on a ship!!!!!!!! I keep saying to my DH... "There better be some waves on our upcoming cruise or I'm not going to be a happy camper!"

Does anyone have any idea what happened to the proposed and approved Zipline that was supposed to get erected in the Dockyard back in 2013? There were 2 articles about it in the Royal Gazette (one stating it was proposed and the other stating it was approved), and then NOTHING. I'm guessing the whole idea was nixed, but can't find anything saying it was :confused:.

 

http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120706/NEWS/707069995

 

http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120927/NEWS/709279929

On the getaway on deck 8 Balcony room 8138 and 8738 have a larger balcony than the typical balcony room. It is the room closest to the Large balcony Mini suites and the deck starts getting wider for the Lg balcony mini suites. There is bonus balcony in these rooms.

 

Which is exactly why we booked this cabin ;)

On the first night, the desserts in Le Bistro look like this. They are more casual on the other nights.

 

 

HILARIOUS!!!!! Spit my tea on my screen when I saw it :D:D:D:D