Jezo

If I do online check in does that cancel out my upgrade offer and lock me into my current room?

Well to comment on the cattle boat bit, that is why we booked our own tour.  Just the six of us on a boat and the two tour guides.  Didn't want to deal with dozens and dozens of people on a small ship.

Going on a small boat snorkel trip which provides fruit, drinks, and snacks.

A decade ago I had the worst sickness of my life in Cozumel from eating *something*, no idea what it was as we only went to the places recommended for tourists.  Spent two days with the worst stomach bug of my life.  Helped me lose some weight and look good in wedding pictures but I am not really wanting to go through that ever again.

Mexico is so well known for this they have it branded as Montezuma's Revenge.  I have never been to Roatan so I don't know if that's the case here or are things generally okay?  We are going with a local tour operator and this is their standard platter they serve guests.

So, OP here, just wanted to check in and say wow, I never expected this thread to end up being the largest and longest lived thing I have ever posted here on CC.

All I wanted to do was avoid some carbs and here we are three months later still debating it. To report on what I ended up doing, I never did get any wings on the trip. I did. however, fall totally off the wagon and ate whatever I felt like eating. I do not have the willpower to resist temptations at all for 14 days in a row, and quite frankly, enjoyed every moment of stupid cheesecake brownie that I had!

The Breakaway, 14 Day Eastern Caribbean, January - February 2017..

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"F*!K YOU!!!!!!!!!!!"

"OH MY GOD!!"

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!"

**walls get banged**

*doors slam*

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

She screamed as she ran down the hallway, this was 2 or 3 AM, I really don't remember as time doesn't exist when it's that early, or is that late? Security got called, security showed up, we ended up with free laundry, wine, and strawberries. Quite exciting.

Other nights there were parties and yelling, but nothing like that night described above.

I finally did see the guy, in a hot tub, I asked him what the heck happened, and like the jerk he was, denied the whole thing and said he had no idea what I was talking about.

"Is that why everyone on the floor looks at me with disgust and acts like they hate me?"

"Sure is, it was chaos that night, man."

We've never experienced anything like that on any of our trips. That room was completely out of control and no one will ever know what happened the night the woman ran screaming down the hallway. But hey, we got some free stuff out of it so it's all good.

So, who has a more exciting story than that?

Wow thanks for this thread. We're taking a 14 night cruise in Feb. Was getting seriously worried about the reviews coming in. I'm definitely one to take negative reviews on here with a pinch of salt, but honest to goodness there seemed so many!

Here's a "young" person's perspective on that cruise: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2457471

We were on the BA for a 14 day trip two days before February and had a ball, same deck as you, in a balcony, and really couldn't find much to complain about. Let us know if you have any questions.

There is a Margaritaville but outside of Breakfast on one of the last days we never ate there. We just sat at the Raw Bar and ate hundreds of dollars worth of oysters and clams instead. A much better use of our UDP over a $10 burger.

Yes, but why would you want to do this?

You dont need a week's worth of clothes the moment you get on board. Pack a small carry on with what you actually do need and let them deliver the big stuff later on.

You wont have to wait outside for anything, even if you arrive super duper early, at worst there is a waiting area inside the terminal before the security gate that they wont let you past.

As for getting a Vibe pass, that's all luck and if everyone ahead of you wants one, well then that sucks, but sometimes they have plenty. Getting there real early will get you an earlier number but it wont guarantee you'll be one of the first folks on the ship or get a pass.

The two 5s will be together and the 7 year old will be in the next group up, and no, you can't switch that around or get them all together. That's what everyone asks, and NCL wont allow it.

But, as for the 5 year old on the Breakaway, that's what my son did and he loved every moment of it. The kids team are all super active and seemingly "on" all the time. Tiny was my favorite, I hope he's still around for you. He's a huge Welsh dude, 6 foot something or another, and the kids love him.

Taxes stop when the casino opens.

So either stay sober for a bit or spend a few bucks to get loaded before your are out to sea. Either way, you can afford it.

thing i dont get is why someone would go on a cruise when people annoy them.. better off buying a boat or ship and sailing alone..

The thrill I get from getting a chair from a hog is the same some folks get from posting negative thoughts on message boards. They just enjoy the misery the way some of us enjoy being happy.

We all get our kicks one way or another.

How old are your kids?

There are different activities for the different age groups.

The choices you have at the NYC terminal are either show up early and walk right in with no line and then sit in the terminal for hours with nothing to do or show up "on time" and wait in line forever and then sit in the terminal for a shorter period of time.

You'll get on the ship no matter what, it just depends on if you want to stand in line and do nothing as you wait or get through the line and then do nothing as you sit.

I was on the January 29th 2 weeker and had a ball of a time, as stated in other spots. I can't remember seeing anyone who was sick and everyone was in high spirits all across the ship.

We did see one cranky guy (who of course I called out and didn't let him just walk away) who was so terribly annoyed my son was manning the elevator and pushing buttons for people who asked him. My son is in pre-school and all the retired folks loved it, except for Mr. Cranky who just shook his head and walked off the elevator annoyed. We all said "GOOD BYE MR CRANKY!" as he walked away. Folks like that are the ones on here saying it was a bad trip, everyone else had a ball.

Was the Noodles Bar open for lunch and dinner? What else besides noodles do they serve?

 

Did you need a reservation to see the Frankie Valli tribute show and where was it?

 

Thanks!

 

MARAPRINCE

Noodle Bar is only open for dinner, my son loved it once we finally figured out when to go, which was just around when they open. The place can get completely packed later at night, we were told a 45 minute wait once, we didn't wait, of course. We went earlier and always got a seat right away.

http://www.beyondships2.com/uploads/8/2/4/5/8245255/noodles.pdf

They serve dumplings, which my son scarfed down nightly, spring rolls, shrimp thingies, salad, and some pretty decent noodle soup bowls. It's a fun little place. Of course, if you are a crank and decide to go on and on about how bad the smoke is in the casino, you will come back on this message board and be furious and say you are never going to go on the ship again, but if you just relax, get a drink from the bar, and have a good time, you will enjoy some tasty dumplings and noodles and enjoy your meal.

Reservations for the Frankie show, I dont think so? Maybe for the good seats but we just wandered in, it was in the main theater, one night and watched.

It took 40 minutes to be served in both Savor and Taste for breakfast.

The smoke in the casino was unbearable.

The entertainment (with exception of Burn The Floor and Rock Of Ages was terrible.

Second City was so bad that I literally fell asleep.

The pool was the smallest of any ship I have been on.

The Atrium did not have enough chairs.

There were very few places to read .

People were coughing non stop in sea days going back to NY .I asked at Guest Services if they could make an announcement asking people to cough into their sleeves and not to cough into the air but I was told they cannot make announcements.

This is why I love this site, so many opinions on the same exact cruise, which I was on the same as Lenny here.

Meanwhite, my family loved Taste and went multiple times. Service was not McDonalds style quick but everyone was super friendly and we had lots of relaxing meals.

The casino smoke was no worse than being in Vegas or Atlantic City, you could smell it but oh well, it's smoke, big deal. This is including the Noodle Bar, which we ate at several times and were never disgusted by smoke.

We saw was the Frankie Valli tribute show and it was pretty good. The audience was losing their minds and everyone was having fun. And the guy in the Blues club, oh my goodness, Charlie and the Smooth something band I think? He was absolutely phenomenal and put on a show that really felt good to watch.

Yes the pool is tiny and that Market Place area splitting the two pools is a huge waste of space, that I can agree on, but, as a chair hog hunter we did manage to get a seat out there every single day after a little leg work and moving of towels.

We never went to the Atrium for anything other than to pass through as it seemed to be a senior citizen home with everyone simply sitting there and never moving for an entire day. That's just not our scene.

For quiet areas we always found a place to read, and in fact several times I felt like I was the only one on the boat, on one of the last sea days I went out to the front of the ship past The Vibe Club and was literally the only one there for the couple of hours I was sitting with my feet up reading my book, it was amazing.

No one was coughing anywhere where we were and all of us came off the boat healthy. A little tired, but healthy. Maybe it was because everyone just sat in the Atrium all day and never got any fresh sea air.

When we were on the ship two weeks ago the crew spoke of the spring break cruises and said it's no rest for them. They no actually bring on board uniformed off duty NYPD and the place is an all out party for the week long cruises. We were told you can't get into the Bliss Lounge, people are drinking from dawn till dusk, and anyone who is not on the cruise for spring break has a bad time.

So, yes, you will have a good time.

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People can visit the ship on the first day? We saw people walking around with visitor badges around their next and then an hour or so before sailaway the announcement came for all visitors to leave the ship.

What's this visitor thing all about? I have never heard or seen of that before.

Family pool area!

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Bring your own, the buffet will have milk and half&half. No fancy creamers. In your room you will have those little creamer thimble thingies you find at diners, but again, just the regular sort, no flavors.

Here's the video walkthrough of Screw's Spa in Dominica.

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I have it fully annotated so if that doesn't show up on the embedded video here is a link to the Youtube site:

Well we are off the ship (last weekend) after a 14 day cruise and loved the ship. Super friendly crew, great food, lots of choices of things to do, music everywhere, super attentive bar staff..

But, we were on a 14 day trip. From what the staff told us, those are the relaxing cruises. The ship is never full, the child count is maybe in the dozens compared to the usual 500 to 800, and there is never really a wait for anything.

We lucked out with our choice of trips. I don't know what it would be like on a packed ship but for us it was a superb time.

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What is a spa pass? What does it get you?

Access to the spa at the front of the ship on deck 15. Only a limited amount or sold and it's usually very quiet. It's open until 10pm each night.

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I am a savage who drinks water out of the taps in the stateroom bathrooms.

I even fill up water bottles with it before I go out on port days.

Such an animal...