Michthebeech

3 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

NCL hits you with a mandatory service charge on their so-called free beverage and dining packages.  Plus, make sure you're pricing the right room category.  Usually, the lowest price in each category does not include those perks. 

Thanks for the info.  I will definitely pay close attention.  

1 hour ago, luckyinpa said:

 

did you factor in the 350 in fees for the free things? if one doesnt need those things one can save money. 

What 350 in fees.   I’m not sure where that is listed.  Help.  I’m just starting out with my shopping and I am not familiar at all wit NCL 

5 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

no kids

 

the cold weather is definitely something i want to plan for since we definitely have it. and now i see some sales on TA sites that give some decent perks this week on anthem. 

 

if you can give me a short rundown of why anthem is better for the cold cruise id appreciate it. its about 900 cheaper than NCL now as well. 

What sites have deals on the Anthem.  Right now, I found Bliss to be cheaper...it has free drinks, specialty dining, wifi and something else (maybe excursion discount).

I’m considering the same 

We were there on Monday as well!!! I found it to be very nice and I don't regret it at all. It was the same strip of land you would pay for at the Hilton. There were a few rocks but nothing major (remember you get what you pay for). There was a little shack for drinks run but "Barry". He was friendly and kept the beer coming!! There was music playing which was nice too. The drinks were priced better than the ship. I didn't eat there and had intended to go to Fish Fry but lost track of time and I wasn't sure how much further the walk would be and then to get back timely so we ate at a place on the way back called "Conch Fritters". Don't stop there!!! Otherwise it was a great day. I've been to Nassau about 5 times now and it was the best day I had there.

Thanks Barry!

Be careful. You can't bring snow globe on your return flight. Must be in checked luggage. I bought a beautiful one in Disney and I could board the plane with it

I used disposable underwater cameras last year and the pictures weren't even worth what it cost to develope them and the price of the camera. They came out TERRIBLE!!! If I got one decent picture for my scrapbook I'm lucky and they were quite expensive to develope as well.

Mitchthebeech: the T3i is a great camera, odd that the pics are not coming that good. Maybe a better lens would help? I am not sure Ill do Quantum when it is going to Bahamas, I think I will wait for it to start traveling to Bermuda and try it then =). The ship looks impressive!

..

Believe it or not they had several itineraries and lengths of cruises. The travel agent that contacted me spoke so fast I could barely keep up with taking the notes (and I do shorthand). But it appears they ranged from 7-12 days and initially it looked like it was only doing Bahamas and CoCo Kay then later in the year, in the winter, it was doing a Southern Carribean itinerary.

I think I'm going to pass on it despite the fact that I didn't think the price was that bad for two adjacent Balcony cabins. I really haven't researched it at all and I'm not sure there is even that much info out to research it. LOL

Michthebeech: Yeah this trip was definitely not cheap, but that is the price you pay for being in the inaugural season. I am glad to know that you're reading other reviews and not just RCCL, it really puzzles me how some folks can be so loyal to some lines. In all honesty I think I have found something to like about every line that I have sailed. Oh my cameras, please don't get me started. It is not just the camera, it is also about the lens. which canon did you buy? For the Silli I did tons of editing, but for this one I plan to do much less, maybe a little sharpening and color boosting. That is pretty much what I did for the Allure one and I see how much people liked my work. But I can tell you, that even if I did not edit them, the results would be very close to what I have not. She is a very powerful camera!

I purchased the Canon Rebel T3i I got a kit with the basic lense (18-55) and the telephoto which is 55-250 and some frivolous accessories for about $1000. (a crappy bag, a cleaning kit, memory card, and some junk) My pictures of my Oasis cruise look nothing like yours. Actually the girl at Best Buy was trying to steer me to the Sony. I hadn't researched the Sony at all so I ignored her. I had researched the Canon T3i and Nikon 5100. I probably should have listened to her but that would have meant another week of on-line research. LOL Shoulda, woulda, coulda.... :(

BTW, I called for the heck of it yesterday to price out the Quantum. Actually considering I priced Christmas week, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I asked for connecting balcony rooms and they were already sold out!!!! They only had adjacents left but not connecting. And they were on the 6th floor. We are on the 8th on the Oasis.

Im so jealous. I have been reading your review "real time" I keep refreshing. I too get nervous and plan extensively like you. So because of that I booked to Oasis again this year. Same ship, same month, same islands. ("If it ain't broke, don't fix it" was what my children said) And I'm still researching anyway. LOL I seriously considered Breakaway because we would not have had to fly. We are in Massachusetts. But even with the flight Oasis was still cheaper for August :( I booked two adjacent Balcony rooms and I can't believe the price I got. I was too good to pass up. We paid almost as much for 4 in one room last year. I've been following the prices and they have gone up, not down (except for my flight) which I now have $100 credit.

I assume we are not allowed to post prices on here because I never see anyone say what they paid.

Your review is coming out great. I've been reading silhouette while I've been waiting for this one even though I'm loyal to Royal. LOL Really they should give you some perks for writing this stuff. I'm sure they sell cruises based on your reviews.

I wrote a review on trip advisor about an excursion, and he gave me a great discount this year to go again.

I purchased a Canon last year for the trip. Now I regret not having found you sooner because your pictures are amazing. I polled the audience on facebook about which camera to buy and researched that for days too. LOL My pictures are clearly not as good as yours and I spend a month reading books and playing with it before the trip too. That Sony is great. do they take much editting? I don't have Photoshop yet and I really don't edit them at all.

I am new to this cruise critics board. I am really enjoying your review but is there a method that I can just see your posts and not all the comments so that I can get through it faster? I really enjoy your photos and comments but I've spent 2 hours already and I'm only on Labadee. LOL

Ok Mr. Jdm. Your pictures pushed me to go out and get myself a Canon t3i for my Oasis trip in August. Can you teach me how to use it?? LOL

;) Thanks for all the effort you've put into this. If I doing the tour solo, will it be safe; some areas look a bit deserted.

Where is the website? Why does it say *******.com?

Dave

I picked cabin 8662 I was told it's Ok. I wonder if your cabin was near it as this one close to the stair. It is next to a JS so I think it can't be bad.

I'm in that stateroom too. How was it???

The Boardwalk Segway tour in St. Maarten just replaced all of their Segways with the new off-road version of the Segway. These Segways have bigger tires and because of this they have added a very neat ride right on the beach to their tour route. We had a blast on the tour!

Did you book it through the ship or do it yourself? Was it hard to get to the Segway shop? How long was the experience? Can kids do it too?? Did you go to Maho too???