CoconutJD

I have a Panasonic TS20 (a few years old now, I think the newest in this line is the TS30). Not the most rugged or waterproof, but it suits my needs and it's not too expensive if it should ever need to be replaced.

On Tortola, the NCL excursion on a catamaran to the Soggy Dollar Bar/White Bay was a highlight of our trip, and well worth it, even with the short port times.

Getting ready to sail Saturday!!! Woo-Hoo!!!

 

Wondering if there were any updates on crowds, hours, etc. for Margaritaville.

Not planning many trips there with the a la carte pricing, but am interested in their drink menu, as well as breakfast there.

 

There have been conflicting reports about whether or not they are open for breakfast at all...

 

Any recent-cruiser first-hand updates?

 

I will post what we see when we return...

Last week, they were open from about 11 am to 5 pm or so. No breakfast whatsoever. Was mainly empty the times I walked by. Was a little busier the last sea day, but I wouldn't call it crowded by any means.

The stuff in the shower is conditioning shampoo, which is not as effective as a 2-in1 shampoo/conditioner combo. If you need any sort of conditioning, byob.

We were on this sailing as well, and as far as the entertainment goes, both The Brat Pack dinner show and Million Dollar Quartet had cast members with injuries (from what I understand they were both ankle sprains or similar).

We had tried to reschedule the dinner show, but the cast member re-injured themselves and was cancelled a second time. Was not able to reschedule Million Dollar Quartet as all the other shows were fully booked.

Didn't sound like the injuries were severe enough to keep the shows off for a long period. It might impact the current sailing, but I don't imagine it will be anything further.

Go to dinner after the shows maybe?

Google, Vudu, and iTunes links are on the show page too.

http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/mighty-ships/norwegian-breakaway---the-build/809/3410126

As far as I know, the $300 is just a guideline, and not a requirement. You can put as much (or as little) as you'd like, but if you run out of "credit" you won't be able to charge anything to your room until you deposit more.

Use the "private" browsing feature of your internet browser, and they won't know it's you. Much easier than clearing cookies.

Try the Florida Departures section. Tons of info there.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

The way I am seeing it at this point is that the itineraries with overnight port stops and distance are affected. There is little point in decreasing to save fuel on a little island hop, but for distances it does matter.

 

My greater concern is this move as an indicator. If NCL is taking these steps, they are surely cutting back in other areas that can have an even greater affect on my experience. Food quality and staffing levels come to mind.

They are cutting times on short island hops. The Escape has changed from leaving St. Thomas at 3 (from 6), and the next stop is Tortola. It does get in to St. Thomas an hour earlier, so in reality it's a 2 hour difference, but this doesn't make any sense.

I believe it is across the fleet. Huge fuel savings to be enjoyed. Millions of $. I have confirmed changes of 2 hours on the Breakaway, Gem, and Dawn as well.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

This doesn't make sense on the Escape itinerary, as the next stop is Tortola, which is only 25 miles away. The trip can be done easily in 2 hours. They'd save fuel money by staying in port. The port charges must outweigh the fuel costs.

Thanks for the quick reply Demonyte!

 

Yes, I am thinking the UBP will also be the best value as well. One of the guests don't drink any alcohol, so I was thinking of 2 getting the UBP and maybe the last one can get the 100min internet package?

 

How are the UBP like in NCL? I can get a drink at one bar and go to the next one and get another one? or is there a time limit before I am able to get another drink? I was thinking 2 people with the UBP and split and get non-alcoholic beverages for the 3rd guest?

With the UBP, only guests 1 and 2 get the package, any additional guests get the soda package, I believe.

Actually, fuel prices might be the reason prices are higher. With lower fuel prices, people have more "fun money" which makes demand higher, and supply less, leading to higher cruise prices.

Just a thought.

I believe the terms and conditions state that room service is not included, so I imagine you would have to get them and bring them back to your room.

I am not sure that the sample menus are still available on the NCL website.

I saw them before but now I cannot find them.

I am looking for the menus for the specialty restaurants on the Jewel.

TIA

After you click on that link, you can just change "getaway" to whatever ship you're looking for, in your browser's address bar. It might not work for all the ships, but it did work for the jewel.

i recently signed up for NCL's email cruise deal from their webpage but never receive them. Has anyone signed up for NCL's email cruise deals from their webpage and received them?

I signed up for them a while back, in the little pop-up box that greets you on their site. I didn't receive any emails from them until I actually signed up for an account on their website. Now I get emails from them.

Where on NCL's website is the option to choose the stateroom of my choice? I would like to choose the exact stateroom I want and not only have the options that are shown. I've cruised another line before and that is an option on their website.

It appears they only show a certain amount at a time. If you want a specific stateroom, you will probably have to call.

I gotta say, I kinda like the idea, but it doesn't look like you can take somebody with you. Would be nice if they were 2-seaters, so you can enjoy it with someone else.

If you absolutely have to book deck 6, the far forward or far aft balconies are your best bet. The promenade tapers toward the bow and stern, so the privacy concerns are alleviated a bit.

I took a 1L bottle of margarita mix the last cruise I went on, nobody batted an eye. Although it might depend on how strict the security people are feeling that particular day.

Seems like Costa Maya or Progreso would be the only nearby ports to substitute logistically, without a dramatic re-route.

I didn't read through the entire thread, so forgive me if this has been asked, but do these count as "promotional" gift cards, and have an expiration date?

You can always anticipate the price drops and book ES.

If they play Frozen, I'm jumping overboard.

Let it go.... :D