kylenyc

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. Ben's personal valet has had a bit of rough Saturday (will explain later in the blog). Now 1:20 am at the Maritime Hotel, Rotterdam trying to catch on the blog while waiting for the Breakaway to return from it's VIP cruise to nowhere.

Day -1, Friday, April 26, 2013

Two days until the Breakaway, Making his way from Amsterdam to Rotterdam

Ben spent the last of his 3 days in Amsterdam sightseeing and spending as much time as he could before leaving for Rotterdam and joining the Breakaway. Amsterdam is a beautiful and vibrant city. Our amarillo adventurer was wide-eyed and awestruck from the instant he arrived in the city by train and stepped outside of Amsterdam Centraal Station. He marveled at the steady streams of commuters, tourists, passing trams, and bicylists, and the magnificant buildings and canals.

In the afternoon, Ben took a free guided walking tour with Sandemans New Amsterdam tours. For a modest 3 euros per person, our guide Rob took the tour group throughout the city and gave us an in depth commentary on the city's rich history. The tour is amazing and highly recommended. However, you'll definitely need an excellent pair of comfortable walking shoes. The tour is 3 hours with lots of walking.

Here are some pictures from Ben's three days in Amsterdam.

Hustle and bustle of pedestrians as Ben exits Amsterdam Centraal Station (picture of the station itself later on)

Trams arriving and departing every minute from throughout the city

Some of the picturesque canals throughout the city

(5 am in Rotterdam and Ben's typist is starting to nod off. Will post more pics in the morning as he makes his way to Rotterdam... Thanks everyone for joining Ben on his latest adventure!)

Hi awesome cruise enthusiatists and bendable buddy fans!

Ben the Bendy Man is back! For the past week, our intrepid adventurer has left The Big Apple, crossing the Atlantic, and been having a fantastic journey trekking across Europe to join the new Norwegian Breakaway on her maiden voyage back home to the Breakaway's new home port of New York City!

Our flexible friend left on Sunday April 21st and has been blogging and photo journaling his most excellent adventure through Iceland and Netherlands. He's now blogging live aboard the intercity hispeed train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam where the Breakaway is waiting to board her first paying passengers tomorrow.

If you'd like to read and view pictures from the start of his journey, you can friend Ben on Facebook (link in signature)...

Otherwise, Ben will be doing his best to blog his journey aboard the Breakaway barring possible exhorbitant satellite wireless fees or technical difficulties. Would be nice if Norwegian gave their number one flexible figurine friend, 3 pts shy of platinum member, and amateur photo journalist some free minutes, ... hint hint nudge nudge.

I was on the Gem in Dec as well as having just returned again this Monday so the 2-for-1 specials have been on for months (except they'll be suspended for spring break).

Margarita madness $4.95 from 3-5 pm

2-for-1 Happy Hour was 4-6 pm

2-for-1 Designer Martini's from 8-10 pm

$3 tequilashot with purchase of a beer

Just got off the Gem and they had both 2-for-1 drink specials, 2-for-1 happy hour, and many tastings. HOWEVER ... the 2-for-1 drink specials (and the unlimited beverage packages) will be suspended during spring break.

Really appreciate everybodys advice.

 

Unfortunately we have starboard would of been nice seeing the skyline but thats ok.

 

Did I understand correctly that I am unable to get a cab upon exiting the terminal when I disembark and have to cross a street to flag down a cab?

Doesn't matter port or starboard, the best is if you can brave the weather and get to an open deck because the landmarks are on both sides of the ship and overhead. If you stay in the cabin you'll miss 1/2 the sights... NYC skyline, Ellis Island, Lady Liberty, passing under the Verazzano Narrows bridge. Likewise, the return is beautiful to see before sunrise if you can wake early.

If they don't let you hail a cab or get picked up inside in the terminal, you can catch them directly across the street where there is a no-standing area.

With both yellow taxis and black livery cars you can play hardball like a new yowka and agree to the fare BEFORE you get in the car "How much to the airport. No I don't want use the meter. Give me the flat rate." Not a correct rate? Move to the next. :p Manhattan to JFK flat fare of $52.00 + tolls. Other destinations use the metered rate.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/taxicab_rate.shtml

Brooklyn, currently no ships scheduled to call until Spring but the building as well as the two gangways were damaged.

Wow. That's too bad. Thanks for the update.

Manhattan Passenger Cruise Terminal

Embarkation

Cars and taxis take a ramp at 56th Street up to the first floor of the terminal where you'll be dropped off and unload your luggage. Porters are there to assist with luggage and you'll be directed into the terminal to pass through security screening and then in line for check-in. This all takes place on the first floor.

Buses arrive on the ground floor or if you arrive by foot, there is a large passenger/freight elevator to take you to the first floor. Click on my 9/23/2012 review for what it looks like arriving by foot. It's 3/4 mile walk from the nearest subway which is doable but not recommended with large suitcases in tow. There are MTA buses that drop you nearby but it could be a hassle getting on/off (I've never tried). Arriving by taxi easiest. Never parked at the terminal because it's $35 a day.

Disembarkation

Disembarkation at this time is very stressful and frustrating at least on the Norwegian Gem November to date because the customs officials have been setting up inside the ship. This is attributed to damage to the terminal by Superstorm Sandy. I highly suggest passengers find a comfortable place away from Deck 7 (such as have breakfast in the main dining room, buffet, or lounge in Deck 6) to wait out the initial rush of easy walk-offs and arrange flights for mid-afternoon). If/When the terminal is back to normal operations, disembarkation is fairly uneventful. Special needs, VIP, priority, easy walk-off (those who can carry ALL of their luggage themselves) are called first to disembark followed by colored luggage tags. Once in the terminal they take an escalator down to the ground floor to queue in line for customs. Once through customs, you exit at 12th Ave. You can then cross the street to hail a cab where there is an unsheltered no-standing area. This could be a problem during bad weather. Friends/relatives/car service may or may not be allowed into the terminal to pick you up. If not, you can cross the street to the no-standing area. Besides being very careful of crossing vehicular traffic, you first have to cross bike paths. Heed all traffic signals or a bike may run into you.

Brooklyn Cruise Terminal

Sorry can't shed any recent light on this. My one cruise departing this terminal was during Sandy and the ship was rediverted to Manhattan Cruise Terminal because the Brooklyn terminal was damaged. I assume it's functioning now but don't know to what degree.

The terminal is plenty big. Passenger drop-off and check-in all take place on the ground-floor. After that's taken care of, you take escalators to the second floor and gangway.

If arriving by MTA subway to MTA bus, the bus could drop you off I'd say 15 mins walk to the terminal. However, the time I took the bus, the driver dropped me off at the car/bus entrance which was 30 minutes walk. If you have large suitcases, you should arrange car service, taxi, or bus transfer instead.

CD Sinan Ulucay said he'd be back on the Gem starting Feb 14th (from his Facebook page).

Wooohooo! I'll be on the Gem in 10 days and so ready to do the single digit happy dance. Sinan is a blast and sure to make my cruise virgin friends smile and crack up laughing at the last show. I can hear him now... "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's bingo time!" :D.

Great Review,

Here we are safe and sound in Boston Caribbean Princess

 

Tugs x2 plus 21 lines and 6 Thrustors all night

 

Royal Caribbean Ship (unknown) docked behind us, then NCL Dawn behind her.

Nice pics. Thanks for the memories!

Yeah I'm queezy too reading this review.

I can't wait to see Sinan again in 11 days. Favorite CD ever and hoping for a smooth sailing! I won't be complaining about any measly 5-10 ft swells. :p

Great review. Love the pictures and sorry you got caught up in Sandy. Can't believe they didn't let you into NY but can't blame them for not wanting the ship docked there when Sandy made landfall. I'm guessing we were one of the ships already safe harbored in Boston so you couldn't escape there in time. I still feel bad for those seriously affected by Sandy. I heard about the trip from Terry from Tour Samana wih Terry who was on your cruise. I was on this itinerary in December and repeating it 12 days.

... Lots of ships came into Boston harbor to ride out the storm. One Princess ship spent her whole cruise here in Boston instead of heading to Bermuda. The cruise season usually ends by that time for Cruiseport Boston but they worked tirelessly to accommodate any and all stranded vessels at sea who wanted to come in! :)...

Yup. I was on Caribbean Princess. Princess and Boston took good care of us. I woke in the night a few times as the ship was vibrating while they had tugs pushing up against the hull all night to keep the ship against the dock. Unfortunately many people were stressed with their loved ones and homes in the storm path . Many people were from the area anyway and already been to Boston and so weren't exactly thrilled to be in Boston in the rain either. We had no chance to go to Halifax or other ports because they were closed for the season, but at least not stuck in 20-30 ft swells :eek:

Pictures of the CP parked in front another ship safe harbored in Boston and calm before the storm.

Thanks to everyone here in CC and posts like this one, I've been checking prices periodically and able to upsell myself when I saw a price drop for higher categories but not the one I was in. One day I saw a balcony price drop and called my TA to upgrade me from an OA ocean view to a BC balcony for $9 a day and I was able to pick room (not a GTY). Checked again recently and price went back up.

Bummed. Booked my cruise on the Pride of America almost a year ago, now I found out the same accomodations are 350.00 less than what we paid. Hardly seems fair, what is the point of booking so far ahead? While I understand cruise lines want to fill

cabins, but they should never lower the prices below what guests paid who booked so far in advance to get the best rates and perks. Pretty much told "deal with it". Never again, NCL!

My family is regretting we even booked this cruise with NCL. It is unfortunate that guests who make reservations well ahead of time to ensure the best rates, are not honored accordingly. I can understand if a cruise line wants to reduce the rates as incentive to increase business - but never should the rates be lower than the advanced bookings where after guests having paid in full, can not do anything about it - and any refunding regarding partial cancellation is left up to the discretion of a NCL supervisor. In essence we have been told that's the breaks, deal with it. Really? Poor business practice all the way around. So sorry your company and NCL can not see the unfairness of this situation.

You seem to be on a mission to post the same complaint on all the forums when there is a clear and simple explaination and resolution to this posted by many people. I hope you actually read the suggestions. (duplicate posts in 4 forums)

This is common to many cruise lines. If it's 1) before final payment due, then you can call either the agent you booked with (either NCL or your travel agent) and ask them to rebook you at the lower rate. Just be aware that you will be rebooked under the new terms which may change any on board credit or amenities on your original reservation. Example: If your original reservation has $200 on board credit, and the new rate is $100 less without OBC, then it's not worth a change. Also, check you TA for any fees for rebooking. 2) after final payment then you won't be rebooked at the new rate but you might be able to persuade them to offer an upgrade, amenities, or future credit. Ask nicely and if denied, ask someone else higher on the food chain.

It's common business practice to lower prices over time to sell inventory. The advantage of booking early is to get the room and location you want. Just think if this was economy airfare, you would have no such option!

Hope you have a good trip and don't let the little things bring you down.

in november im taking my wife as a surprise aniversary to the Epic, and we will be traveling the day before the cruise. Im renting a car with Sixt rent a car because they are cheaper and ive had very good expiriences with them.

 

i was looking on transport to/from rental car lot from the airport ive found 2 available options

1. Taxi at a fixed cost of 25$

2. Super Shuttle at 15.99 pp

 

I was wondering if there was a third option maybe a free shuttle from rental car agencies in the airport?

 

also, are cabs readily available when leaving the ship back to the airport?

 

thanks in advance

There are plenty of cabs when arriving back to Port of Miami. They are staged in a holding lot like cattle and allowed to enter the passenger pickup area single file. Note as you head towards the taxi stand, there will be people trying to guide you to awaiting airport shuttles. You'll save maybe $10/pp for this but only do it if you have plenty of time (and patience). The shuttle will go around in circles until they fill with enough passengers for the trip because they aren't allowed to idle at the passenger pick-up/drop-off. It added maybe 1/2 hour to my own trip but I was in no rush.

Someone managed to revive the post again, which can be misleading if people read from the beginning...

For instance, NCL's program is no longer based on number of cruises, but rather based on a several factors including number of cruise days and you get additional "points" for booking 9 months in advance, booking certain cruise offers for repeat passengers, and booking a suite.

IMO what hasn't changed is the Bronze, Silver, and Gold level benefits are worthless to me, and it takes far too long cruises to reach Platinum and get any meaningful perks. That said after having sailed 7 cruises in a row with NCL I'm now trying out Carnival and Princess. I choose a cruise based on itinerary, value, and service and willing to try out other lines. NCL's "loyalty" program is structured so poorly it's weighing against them in my future cruises.

I agree with posts that say "cash is king". The $100 OBC offer is nice but beyond that, there are better reward card (even from Bank of America itself). BoA Worldpoints has a sliding scale to get cash back. For example, at 2,500 points, you only get $12.50 cash back (0.5%). You need to redeem 25,000 to get $250 (1% back). There are other cards that offer 1% back without the sliding scale (even from BoA itself).

The double points from NCL is not unique either. With BoA and other banks, you can get extra points when you log into the bank's site before proceeding to a participating retailer. Example: Log in to BoA Worldpoints and you get 1 or more bonus points for shopping with participating retailers including some travel sites. So you can shop at an online travel site and get double points no matter who you book with (all things being equal for cards without the sliding scale).

The BoA card I have is Upromise World Mastercard which puts 1% on net purchases into an education 529 plan and more for dining, gas, etc. If I were to get the NCL card, I'd probably use it exclusively for NCL charges. Another card that I have gives 1% cash back but it also has higher late penalty fees and interest rate which can easily wipe out the benefits of any rewards points you've been earning.

There are so many factors that go into choosing the best card for you.

The minimum purchase and how/when you'll get your bonus points is described in the fine print. http://www2.ncl.com/world-points#tab2

I do not yet have the card. Can anyone tell me what the current offer is when you apply on board the ship? I still have my old flyer from the last time we cruised and it was for 10,000 pts and 2 for 1 dinner. We are cruising 9-30 and trying to decide if there is any advantage to applying onboard. Is there currently an OBC being offered in addition to the points?

 

Also, if both my DH and I apply for a card, would be get 2 OBCs applied to our cabin if still offered?

I'm curious too. Has anyone applied for the MC onboard recently and what did you receive (points, dinner, etc)?

Wow, that's some advanced planning and quite an adventure. I saw the "tour plus transfer" excursion that would make the trip to Panama City easier but the $600+ R/T airfare for me would be a bummer.

I almost booked it until I realized it's a one way to Panama. :eek:

22-Nov Miami, Florida Depart 4:00 PM

23-Nov Cruising

24-Nov Cruising

25-Nov Colon, Panama Arrive 8:00 AM

Are you going to stay there a few days or try to fly back on Thanksgiving Day? :eek:

Thank you so much for the review. Great pictures. I just got off the Sky Monday but I much enjoy reading reviews and I'm terrible at taking pictures. :o

Right on about the martinis. I had them at the Atrium Bar and they seem pretty strong and the bartender very friendly (not a big drinker myself). Every ship I've been on, the froen tropical drinks like pina colada and frozen daiquiris are weak. I think they add a sweet cheap rum. But I have a way to spike them or make sure always to order from the same bartender so I can complain when they are weak and tip when they do it right :cool:

Btw did you notice them use the blue dot? I didn't see any.

I have to wait till Jan. --- I'm a chocolate-martini-holic - hoping they are good and strong for that price!

The chocolatinis are YUM. Had a melontini too.

A link to your post popped up in another thread...Just wanted to say thanks for the wonderful review and sharing your experiences and pictures. It brought back fond memories of my cruise on the Epic. I had also intentionally passed on some activities preferring to take things slow rather than try everything. With your review I don't feel I missed out on anything. I'm fond of the smaller NCL ships but I'm looking forward to the maiden voyage of the Breakaway with a fresh enthusiasm.

P.S. Other cruise lines have Bacon Police?!?! :eek:

I support the Blue Dot and Freebacon Cruising!!!

Can someone now please provide schematics for electrifying the dividers and sliding door.

I am fond of the peanut butter cookies, but apparently, so is everyone else, as they go fast. My least favorite people are the ones who stand in front of a food and take huge portions of it. I have seen people take a dozen cookies at once!

Was he blue, furry, singing "C is for Cookie"? :p Take pictures and we'll put up wanted posters!

Mmm vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and the chocolate mousse cake with raspberry sauce in MDR, and the white chocolate cookies in the buffet. I got to stop reading this thread <stomach grumbles> :p

Sinan and Fountains! :p Sinan was entertaining throughout cruise and I'm laughing now just thinking about him in Fountains. I believe it's only on the last night of the cruise so don't miss if you cruise the Gem. I was lucky to see the show on two different cruises and laughed my socks off.