brookie848

Last year on our Epic Haven cruise, some Karen was complaining to the assistant concierge that they didn't get a personal tour of the Haven when they arrived. Really complaining. Loudly. We have them the side eye the rest of the cruise.

JimZim (he doesnt' seem to be cruising on NCL right now) was forthright in saying he paid for his cruises from his YouTube money. I think his videos were split between cruises and model trains. And let's be honest, if you've ever watched any of his videos, you keep watching because of his voice.

I think cab rides from both places were around 15-20 minutes. We have a tendency to arrive early at the port if possible. Last year they were still disembarking when we arrived (probably around 10-10:30) and we did have to wait awhile before embarkation started. Our goal, however, is to get on the ship and start vacation as soon as possible.

People do walk it from the hotels closest to the pier, but I wouldn't suggest it. There are no sidewalks on part of that road and the traffic can get really interesting. Plus, I don't want to start my vacation by being hot and sweaty. As I mentioned, Sheraton Old San Juan was an okay place to stay. If you do it, book the breakfast package -- it was pretty decent. We also liked it because there was a Walgreens on the first level and we are really good at forgetting things. We walked up the hill the night before for dinner. We didn't do any other exploring because I was between foot surgeries and didn't want to spend any more time on my feet that day. We're staying in Condado this year (we stayed there back in 2019 as well). Our hotel is the Condado Palm Inn -- it's a Hilton property. We stayed there is 2019 when it was a Best Western. Nothing really special about the hotel then, but the location was great. A lot of restaurants/shopping close by (CVS across one street and Walgreens across the other) and we walked over to the beach for a few minutes on embarkation day. I'll try to remember to report back on what the hotel is like now that it has been renovated.

Sorry...but numerous people mentioned this and you kept insisting being across the street. That's where it came from. Sheraton Old San Juan is definitely okay place to stay. Traffic at the pier can be bad. I would not make the trip twice. The Sheraton should be able to hold your luggage for you -- they did for us when our room was not ready when we arrived after check-in last year.

Hahahaha...no. Look up Pan American Pier. That is where you will embark the Viva. I stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan last year. I could easily walk to the pier where ships dock for the day. I could walk to the pier where Carnival boards. Yes...it was right across the street. However, that is NOT where the Viva docks to start cruises. It docks at the Pan American Pier, which is a good 15-minute, 3-mile taxi ride. That's a bit farther. Do some more research and then make your plans. I have sailed out of San Juan on NCL three times. PAN AMERICAN PIER.

There is NO hotel across the street. There is an airport across the street. And there are no sidewalks on the road to the port. You are not embarking in Old San Juan, you are embarking at the San Juan pier. And as @BirdTravels says the traffic can be really, really interesting. We've sailed out of this port three times and have two more planned.

Both are available. Sprite Zero should also be available.

I'm be really upset if I was changed from Ocho Rios to Falmouth. Like others, I prefer that last day to be a sea day -- or a port I hate. 😀

Oh cripes...I hope they don't re-use my photo from last year. I had a couple "decent" ones ready to go, but it kept getting rejected. So I ended up re-taking it at midnight as I was checking in -- nothing done with my hair or makeup. I was really hoping to have it re-taken at the pier, but that didn't happen. I was hoping for something better this year.

I knew that one. When we were doing this last year, the one photo my husband makes him look exactly like a cartoon villain. One eyebrow up, the other eyebrow down and a diabolical smile. I told him if we tried to use that one we would be banned forever.

I have seen those, but they aren't the most recent ones that are the same (or close) to our sailing.

Do you happen to have the Dailies for your sailing? I'm really curious when shows and other events are going to be with no sea days (things like tastings, Latitudes gatherings, etc.).

The Breakaway was designed as a NY ship -- there is a roof over the Haven. That's why I don't understand why they put the Getaway out of NYC. I mean, I do realize that people want to see different shows and that might be one reason for the switch, but this just doesn't make sense to me. I don't want to pay Haven prices to sail out of NYC in the winter and not have a roof over the Haven. Plus, I greatly disliked the Getaway's Haven. We're on the Viva next month. I'm really curious what we think of this ship. We have a port-heavy itinerary (no sea days and really good port times), so that in and of itself will make passenger flow interesting. We only have plans for three ports and plan on exploring the ship on those other days. I'm hoping we like her because we already have 2025 booked.

This is perfect -- thank you! She's just tied to our credit card since we always have a ton of OBC to go through before we even think about paying anything. Plus, it just keeps things simple.

Since we generally only cruise once a year, that means I only do check-in once a year and I can never remember what information I need. We cruise with a third person in our cabin and I'm the person who will check all of us in. I know I'll need her picture and emergency contact information. Do I need her passport number (I'm thinking no)? Anything else weird that I might not be thinking of? One reason this matters more this time is I'm pretty sure she'll be on another cruise during our check-in, so I won't be able to get in touch with her to ask for anything. Thanks!

We've sailed out of San Juan on NCL three times and are about to do our fourth. The first time was 2017 and we went straight from the airport -- it was NCL's first cruise out of San Juan that season and this was after the island go slammed with hurricanes. Our hotel was canceled because it was only housing relief workers. At that point, there was no AC in the port. We waited outside to get through security and then pretty much went directly on the ship. The other two sailings we got to the port pretty early -- 10:30ish. We had to wait awhile, but we starting boarding (Haven) around 11:00-11:30. I plan on getting there early this year, too. We had zero issues with the AC this past February -- I don't remember being hot at all. I do know that if the initial waiting area fills up, they won't let anyone else into it, so you would be stuck waiting outside. Traffic can also be a bit of a nightmare, which is one reason we arrive early. I wouldn't suggest walking to the port. The sidewalks end and then you are stuck dragging your luggage on the side of a very busy road. Plus, it can get hot and this is not the way I'd prefer to begin my vacation. We like getting on the ship as soon as possible to start our vacation. Enjoy your cruise!

Vibe is now sold before you board. There might be some passes left to buy at boarding, but if this is something you want, buy it before you get on board.

I hope she can make it! Just a question, though. Is she already on your reservation? We always make sure a potential extra person is on our initial reservation just to ensure them a life boat spot.

Why not the Viva out of San Juan? This is now our preferred port. Like you, I'm curious to try out the new ship. Even though we have no sea days, we only plan on getting off the ship in three ports. The other three days we plan on exploring the ship and relaxing on what will hopefully be a not-too-crowded Haven sundeck.

From what I'm reading, it seems your father is going to clinic for dialysis. Is there a reason why hemo was chosen as opposed to peritoneal? If he could switch over, that would be much better. My husband did dialysis on one trip and was scheduled to do it on a second when we got a call about his transplant. Arranging for dialysis on board was a bit of a pain, but overall everything worked out smoothly. Has he looked into doing hemo dialysis at home? Definitely search the disabled cruising board. I remember reading a post about someone who had arranged for dialysis at different clinics on their trip in the Caribbean. As @ontheweb mentioned, be aware that there is always a chance that your itinerary might change. Good luck planning the trip!

Thank you! I searched for baggage service, but it came to a different page. This is definitely helpful.

I've thought about this, but we tend to freak out a bit and what to be in our departure city the day before -- even if it is only a couple of hours away. I will check to see if they offer one-way trips for the day of debarkation or just see if this is something we are willing to let go and do. We've taken a trip with Yankee Trails before and it was okay.

According to the website, most trains from ALB to NYC don't offer luggage service. The only one that does is Lake Shore Limited.

We live in Albany, NY and are considering taking Amtrak to either NYC or Boston to cruise. Our issue is luggage -- most trains (especially to NYC) don't offer luggage service. Are we just out of luck or severely limited in what will work for us? For those of you who have checked baggage on Amtrak, did it work well for you? Unfortunately, a single carry-on is not possible for us -- we have some medical things that take up space. We are also interested in any good suggestions for hotels out of the cities where we could park our car and then get to the port via another method. There don't seem to be many good options for Boston -- I wasn't sure about hotels in New Jersey for the NYC port. We would be cruising NCL, so it would be the port in the city proper. Thanks!