WYTinman

How 'far' is the long walk I hear about to and from the ship

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

This should give you an idea of walk.

It also shows the shuttles that run back and forth down the pier

214gw2UykPA

Belize is a very beautiful place. Not Harvest Caye. NCL has created a beach where you spend the day. There are not enough chairs on the beach or by the pool.

I'm throwing the "BS" flag on this one.

If you couldn't find a chair at Harvest Caye. You didn't leave the ship!

Then I think you will have a fabulous cruise. We were also on the Island, and even with the remodel, it's still one of our favorite ships. My DH and I loved hanging out at Crooner's. Hopefully you will have a great piano player. Ours was Jim Long. He was fantastic. Since we had booked under a "sip and sail" promotion, we never did go to the Elite cocktail lounge. The martini's in Crooner's are the best. The bar supervisor, Darshaun, should be back from his shore leave. He makes the best key lime and raspberry creme brulee martini's. They aren't on the menu, so just ask. I'm so jealous! Don't miss the mint juleps and Cajun food at the Bayou Grill. There's also a great production show, "On the Bayou", that is a must see.

Thank You partybarbie,

You just made my day.

My pre-dinner Drink of choice:

Vodka....Filthy...Crooner's... My go to place.

If you are in good health, then travel now. You don't know what tomorrow will bring. Have a great cruise. The Panama Canal cruise is one of my favorites.

You have the same attitude we have.

We prefer longer cruises and have done numerous TransAtlantics. We are also in our 50's and are usually among the "younger" crowd on those cruises.

Sackat60, FirstCruiseBeth, & sippican

Thanks for your input.

I will go with the flow.

Only make tentative plans and adjust accordingly.

casofilia

Surely you read (or looked at the pictures of) my review of the Norwegian Dawn. To do a review like that requires planning. I know I can't preempt every hurdle. Hopefully I can plan my way around most.

If I hadn't ever cruised with Princess and had watched one of their idiotic TV shows I would likely never sail the line. In my opinion those shows would turn off just about anybody. I don't understand why they insist on highlighting any boorish behavior or any type of problem that can occur.

 

We sailed the Panama Canal not too long ago. We did the full transit from SF to FLL for 17 days. We had a great cruise and never had any issues with the type of thing those stupid TV shows like to highlight. We ported in LA (to pick up more passengers), Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Aruba. The only place where we had to tender was Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and there was no problem at all.

 

I think the Princess TV shows are about the worst advertising they could possibly have for their cruise line. It's kind of like having a show about Carnival Cruise Line and featuring people puking in the elevator and constantly using the "F" word. Why illustrate the most negative things possible?

Thank You Thrak,

I'm glad to hear that "The Cruise" is not the norm for Princess.

The words "over analysis" leaps to mind...

No. The words Post Count come to my mind.

Thanks for the informative response

My DW and I did the 10-day round trip out of FLL a few years ago--second Princess Cruise, and did not have any issues (our cabin was a balcony, but not a mini-suite). We did ATD, but we generally eat early so not an issue with lines (we too do not like the buffet). As for tendering, if you have an excursion booked through Princess, you will get off in plenty of time-most ports were not tendered.

 

I did not see anyone "Flouting" a black card.

 

Is there a chance you may have to wait a bit? perhaps.

 

As for embarkation, it is more dependent on when you arrive, as there will be a lot of other "non-status" cruisers on the ship. Disembarkation might be a bit later unless you do the walk off, which will get you off in plenty of time.

 

If the itinerary is one you like, and you are willing to relax on the cruise, you have not made a mistake. The Coral/Island are both good ships (In fact my father is currently on this cruise getting back tomorrow).

The Panama Canal was our first cruise of 20 days. A friend we where nuts to do such a long cruise the first one. We wanted to see the Canal and Florida. Enjoyed so much we haven't stopped yet .

intriguedkp & Kamloops50

Thank you for taking the time to answer some of my questions.

To the others.

This was not intended to project a negative attitude.

Simply questioning information that I've read here on the Princess Boards.

I've been reading everything I can find to learn the ins and outs of a Princess Cruise.

I've also seen the first episode of "The Cruise".

These are the takeaways from my research.

Panama Canal cruises usually have a high ratio of frequent Princess cruisers. Thus a high number of Platinum/Elite passengers.

Princess gives priority to these customers in almost every area where there is a possibility for a queue.

Add to that there is priority given to people booked in Suites and Club Class Mini Suites.

All these priority/status passengers are allowed to jump or join an existing queue whenever they like.

As a first time cruiser I will be easily identified by staff and other passengers by my blue room key.

Was it a mistake to book Panama Canal as my first Princess Cruise?

It appears that I will be the last asked to board. Behind everyone with Status.

I will be the last on any Tender to port.

When calling the DINE line I have a high probability of being put on hold, hung up on, or being told no reservations are available.

I am not a fan of cruise ship buffets. (Pick your own reason, they all apply here)

I like to eat when I'm hungry not when I'm assigned.

With everyone else having priority at ATD. It looks like if I want to eat at all, I have to be wait-listed in Traditional Dining.

Do Princess passengers actually go out of their way to flout their Status (Black Cards) as depicted on "The Cruise"?

Do I have to book a Suite just to be on equal standing with the rest of the passengers?

Or will I still be by-passed by all the Platinum/Elites/Ruby/Golds and end up at the back of the bus?

I'm looking forward to my First Princess Cruise.

Should I have waited a few years for Panama Canal, at least until I have the Status to be "on par" with everyone else?

Spring of 2012. I met my future Wife on the Norwegian Spirit TransAtlantic

Spring of 2016. I married Her on the Norwegian Spirit and used the TransAtlantic as our Honeymoon.

Mark and Lori

 

And, with the day starting to fade, in Miraflores

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

Thank You for posting these pics.

I'm taking my first non-NCL cruise through the Canal on the Island in October.

I had worried about my cabin selection until now.

We booked the Port Side Aft Suite on Deck 12 . (The one even with the Lock Tower walkway in this picture)

I was worried that the balcony didn't wrap around the Aft. It does.

Thanks Again

Mark

Someone posted the following in a review:

 

 

I am admittedly a new Pax on NCL (A Frequent Princess Cruiser here), so I have only been able to glean that "Vibe" is a "Private Access" pool area.

 

 

Thanks for any info...and forgive my "newbie-ness". I know a ton about Princess, but this NCL stuff is a mystery to me. :-)

I think this explanation will help clear it up for you.

Vibe on the NCL "Away" class ships is very similar to the sanctuary on Princess ships. Limited seats sold first come, first served. Although, as far as I know you can't get Vibe" Day Passes" like the Sanctuary.

Princess doesn't have anything on any ship that compares to the Haven on NCL ships.

I know this may be a dumb question...but...since I see that Vibe is next to the Haven (although one floor up), are Vibe Pass-holders allowed to use the Haven pool?

You said you were leaving from NYC so I'm assuming you're on the Breakaway.

The Vibe Sundeck is just aft of the Haven sundeck, one deck above the Haven pool. A vibe pass does not allow access to any of the Haven areas. They are just adjacent to each other.

Mark,

Great review and fantastic pictures! Loved reading it.

Thanks for posting.

Thanks Mark :) We are just 6 weeks out now so will start to try in a couple of weeks if the Villa is still there.

Thank You for reading Arzeena. Comments like yours make it worth the time to post reviews.

Good luck Lisa!!!

The Garden Villa is worth it!

Mark

Curious - was this booked more than 9 months prior to sail? I'm wondering if that's how they're handling the transition - assigning each of those bookings that code in order to get the extra point.

 

Edit: doesn't seem to be the case for my bookings - not seeing it listed.

I searched and could not find and answer, I think it means Latitudes Rewards, but not sure what that exactly means. The booking is for an Alaskan cruise so I so no "inside offer" or on board credit special. This has me perplexed.

 

Thank you for your assistance.

We just booked another Cruise Saturday.

The PCC we worked with informed us that code LATREW is the NEW internet minutes for Plat. and above.

Sure enough there is an additional 30 minutes on our amenity invoice.

I just want to say Thank You :) Mark, Your review was amazing as well as the videos and pictures. I cannot believe I missed this till last night when I found it. It has been three years since we sailed out of New Orleans on the Jewel and Darn I do not remember the walk being that far to board the ship. Everything else about the terminal looked the same including the Suite reception area. Your review has really gotten both my husband and I excited. Just 6 weeks from tonight we will be in New Orleans.

I am actually a bit more interested in calling in about an Upsell to the Villas. We are traveling with two other that are singles. One is in one of the Suites you gave up and we are in one of the aft facing suite on deck 10 while another is in a regular balcony. There is a Villa available for our sailing and this would be perfect for the 4 of us to move up to. Especially since during this cruise is the actual day of our 40 year wedding anniversary.

Lisa,

First off, Thank You. I'm glad you enjoyed the review.

On the Villa upsell. I contacted the upsell department about 3 weeks prior to sailing.

Don't accept their first offer. Mine was about a full price upsell.

The next time I called they quoted me the same price as the first.

I then pointedly asked what they would offer me to upsell. She put me on hold and came back with a new figure that I could live with.

Keep trying until the price is right or someone else books the cabin.

Mark

Thank you so much for your great review! We will be on the Dawn in 2 weeks and your photos and videos have just added to the anticipation!

 

I'm glad you had a wonderful time!

This picture size is great. Appreciate the shared photos.

Thank You CatwomanS and Sherrica.

I agree, the wait for a cruise is always "nerve wracking"

The Spirit is right up there too in my mind as one of my favourite ships. I'm hoping the Dawn becomes our new #1.

 

Great job on the review and the photos once again. I just picked up a D7100 and am looking forward to taking it on the ship to try to capture some of what you did.

Thank You. I'm glad you enjoyed the review.

If you want, check out the Photo review I did of the Spirit.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2360524&highlight=spirit

It is shot entirely with a D7200.

The D7200 and D7100 are so close in capabilities that you won't notice a difference. I know you will enjoy that camera.

Have Fun.

Mark

Great review with some beautiful photos. Glad you enjoyed the new and improved Dawn. We will be on the Pearl next year out of NOLA and hope she looks as good. How did you enjoy Maya Chan? One of our favorite spots in the Caribbean. How was the seaweed? I know Mark does his best to keep the beach free of debris, but it was the only thing that made Maya Chan less than perfect. Thanks again for the review.

I thought Maya Chan was the best beach day we had on the entire cruise.

Yes there is seaweed.

They have a man that walks the beach all day raking up the grass that does comes ashore.

For me, the presence of seaweed didn't detract from my enjoyment of Maya Chan.

Mark

Great review. Some of the best photography I have ever seen for a cruise review! Sorry if this has been asked already, what camera do you use?

Thank you Mumblez.

Most of the Stills were shot with a NIKON D810 using TAMRON 28-300mm or TAMRON SP 24-70mm lenses.

I used a Rokinon 14mm for the wide shots. (A great cheap lens)

I did shoot a few with my NIKON D7200.

The Videos and Timelapses were shot with a GoPro Hero 5.

Mark

My final thoughts on the Norwegian Dawn.

I can only compare the New Dawn to the Norwegian Star, her sister ship.

Overall I think NCL has done an excellent job renewing the Dawn. She feels like a new ship.

Of the Norwegian ships I've sailed on the Dawn is now my Number 2.

I still count the Norwegian Spirit as my Number 1 but the Dawn is close.

I Would like to thank everyone for following.

I will still entertain questions as they pop up.

Mark

Sorry it has taken so long to get back.

Work has been occupying my time.

Gotta pay for that sweet Suite.

We arrived back in New Orleans on time. Departure was easy and the city was waiting.

We decided to stay in town an extra day. With the early morning arrival our plan was to leave our bags at the hotel and check out the WWII museum.

I couldn't get a room in our go-to Embassy Suites. I decided on the Residence Inn on St. Peters St.

At around 6:00am that morning I checked the RI mobile app to check-in. They allowed me to set a check-in time for 10:00 that morning. It worked. The hotel had a room ready for us when we arrived.

Nice.

If you want to see pictures from the museum click on the picture below to go to my Album.

National WWII Museum by Mark Davis, on Flickr

450 days from now, will we even remember the "GV Hot Tub" thread??

Was the cellars wine bar mainly empty? It was on our cruise on the Dawn last fall. It seemed like such a waste of space. It used to be hopping when it was the pearly king pub.

No.

Cellars was crowded from about 5:00pm until the last dinner seating. most people were there for pre-dinner drinks.

Late night the crowd was much thinner. Most everyone moved to Gatsby's or Bliss for late night entertainment.

At Costa Maya, are there options for people with limited mobility on the pier like there are in Cozumel (punta langosta) and Harvest Cay?

Yes there is.

The Red Trolley in the back of this picture runs up and down the pier