big al

Hi all- Four of us will be arriving in Colon at 6 am, leaving at 4 pm on the NCL Joy...we are NOT going thru the Panama Canal...does anybody know a way of going thru the canal on an excursion? I 've read Roberto E. Whitaker H does some tours...any suggestions? I'm calling NCL to see what excursions possibly do a separate tour of going thru the locks...thanks!

Big Al

$79.00 plus taxes...like I said, a bit $$, but it's very nice..you get lounge chairs & towels..

12 hours ago, 1interpreter said:

What are the fees to get into Margaritaville?  Can you go there just to eat if you want and if so, is there an extra fee for that or just pay for the meal? I've never been to one that is a resort before, so not sure how it works there. Might be interested in going while we are in Nassau.

You must book thru Day Pass..read posts # 16 & 17...you can eat there, but if you want to use their pool & beach facilities, you must pay..

10 hours ago, beachlovergirl said:

Just booked Day Pass for Margaritaville.  Can you tell me where you go to check in?  Have heard you don't go to the Front Desk but another location.  Thanks

Correct-..go outside at the pool area and find the place where you get the towels..NOT the front desk...

1 hour ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

It depends on what you are looking for.
The lawn club is good. We are probably on cruise 9 or 10 on Silhouette and we always go there. There are a number of fish dishes - scallops and shrimp and Salmon plus excellent steaks.

 

Tuscan always leaves me in a mix. The food is either great or poor and you really don’t know which you are going to get and that is our opinion over a 22 cruise 10 year experience. It should be so much more consistent but we have continued to be disappointed. They keep asking us to go back and they will get it right next time but they have run out of chances for us.

 

Murano has always been very good food but at times the staff are a shade pretentious for our liking but we have never had a bad meal there.

 

We have never done the Petite Chef but as far as we are concerned it is a one done and over experience.

 

Sushi on 5 we have no experience of but I am sure that I would enjoy it but my wife not meaning we have not been there. 

 

The Porch we like but we would only use it if it was included in the room because we feel if is overpriced for what you get especially if Luminae is open as we usually travel in a suite.

 

 

Thanks..BTW, my ex wife id from Brechin!!

Hi guys & gals..DW & I are doing the 5 night NYE Silhouette cruise to Cozumel & Key West..we are probably going to do 2 specialty dining venues..Le Petit Chef sounds like fun, even though most say the food is only "OK"..question is about one of the other 3 I want to book: Tuscan Grill, The Porch, and the Club Grill..FYI my wife & I love steaks, she likes fish, while I also like lobster, shrimp...I know food is very subjective, but we never been on the Silhouette , and actually it's been 25 years since we cruised on Celebrity..any advice, opinions, thoughts would be great! Thanks!

Big Al

P.S.- is there a lobster tail night usually?

Just got back from our cruise..Margaritaville was super nice..lazy river was very cool...4-5 waterfalls as you swim or go in a doughnut raft..beach nice..didn't eat or drink, but prices were normal for a hotel..yes, a bit $$, but all hotel food & drinks are pricey..would go again in a heartbeat...

Big Al

13 minutes ago, tzeb said:

What are the food/drink prices like?  Looking to go during our September trip.

I am going Aug. 26th...will let you know here...

6 minutes ago, coaster said:

NCL was great in the 90's when I first starting cruising. I agree. Getting rid of traditional dining for poor freestyle service  after 2000 or so made us leave.

The new ships are much better..those older, smaller ships stunk, I agree...new ones are fabulous..and the Freestyle service is not poor, it is superb IMO...have you dined outside on deck 8 with a table over looking the sunset at sea eating steak & lobster on the new ships?? It is something only a recent NCL cruiser will know and an RCI cruiser cannot understand..I keep telling RCI to put some venues outside but they want you inside where you can spend more $$..the new trend is outside dining with MSC also now following NCL and so is Disney..the Local where you can 24 hour free food in an Irish Pub setting also is fantastic..Reuben sandwich killer along with wings..all free...

48 minutes ago, rolloman said:

Lots of NCL loyalist hanging out on the Royal forum. Probably because no one hangs out on the NCL forum. This whole idea of NCL freestyle is a joke. Nothing free about it. Drinks included... lol yeah right. You pay upfront gratuity for drinks you probably will never drink. As for dining, you have a small window to "try" and get a reservation each night. The "no further charge" restaurants have the same menu every night, literally forcing you to book specialty dining. Not sure if anyone remembers the no more taking food from the buffet back to your room attempt, they unsuccessfully tried. Always trying some major cost saving measure to see if they can make it stick... that is NCL.

And RCI charges $80-100 PP for a drink package and that's better?? I am going on the Mariner next week and they want $92 pp PER DAY and you think NCL is bad because they charge gratuities up front? In case you are bad at math, that's between $1120 and  about $1300 for a 7 night cruise for 2 people, vs $237.50 pp for NCL and you get much better beer choices..You don't have to take the "Free at Sea " package if you don't want it..I paid $ 9.65 for a Stella on the Anthem of the Seas 3 years ago..ridiculous... ..no matter how you look at it, the deal at NCL is better UNLESS you don't drink much at all, in that case you are at fault..NCL in my 7 cruises has never given me anything other great food, great service, OUTDOOR dining ( something RCI needs badly..), great entertainment ( Beatle's show super..)..I cruise royal because I like their Oasis class ships & shows...beverage plans suck , no free specialty dining, no WIFI, no nothing included..they need to get with it- even Celebrity, their other cruise line, I have free beverage package with them & free WIFI for my NYE cruise in December......

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We have a pair of studio cabins. I think 2 restaurants require a balcony

You are correct!!

15 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We sail Escape next spring and only get 1 special dining experience 

We are on the Escape next Dec '23 & have 2 free specialty dining meals plus we bought 2 more...check w/ NCL about that...

On 8/10/2022 at 8:39 AM, tx121 said:

NCL has revolutionized the cruise industry in the freestyle concept and most of the maintstrean cruise lines have adapted it in some way in their business model. It seems like most of NCL's practices are just a cash grab and in the past has had the reputation of the "nickel and diming" cruise line. Thanks to NCL, some of the cruise lines over the years have downgraded the quality of food in the main dining room so people would rather spend money on the specialty restaurants to get better quality food. Now NCL is rolling out on their newest ships and soon after their entire fleet where the main dining room is going to have the same menu every day and smaller buffet options. I really hope Royal doesn't follow this change. I enjoy going in to the MDR and seeing a different menu every night and having many different options in the Windjammer. Would you second guess cruising on Royal if they made this change?

 This is both incorrect & illogical...I have cruised RCI 19x and NCL 7x and much prefer NCL for dining...first they give you TWO specialty dining restaurants included in your fare- RCI gives you nothing..Second, NCL has 6 restaurants where you can dine outside over looking the sea..we dined twice outside on the NCL Encore in January and it was fantastic..Third, NCL has as many as 16 dining venues on board and newer ships have 4 free venues- Taste, Savor & Manhattan Room..the latter sometimes has a dancing area and have a band playing music- also fantastic..we loved it..IMO, they are the best for specialty dining and have it down to a system that works..also, their buffet area called the Garden Cafe IMO is much better than the Windjammer, which I always have felt is mediocre at best..don't get me started on the beer..RCI has the worst beer & choices of drafts on the Seven Seas..the District Brew House on deck 8 on the NCL Encore, Bliss , Joy & Escape all have 26 beers on draft..amazing..RCI has 4-5 in Playmakers and maybe 3 in the British Pub..don't forget The Local or O'Sheehan's  , the Irish Pub where you can get food 24/7..their Reuben, wings, fries, burgers are sooooo good...and BTW, IMO, the MDR food in 95% of all cruises I've been on are fair to OK at best..kinda like wedding food...Disney was pretty good..Celebrity is pretty good also for MDR..The NCL Encore we cruised in January had the best food in 42 cruises we have taken...dining outside at sunset eating Tiger Shrimp ( best I ever had on any cruise..), lobster, and Key Lime Pie  was superb..I almost called the medics it was so good, lol... I wish RCI was as good as NCL for dining...JMHO

Big Al

1 hour ago, 1025cruise said:

That depends.

If you are there on a Sunday, the locals all go to the beach.

We are there on a Thursday...

Hi all..we are going on the Mariner in 9 days and DW & I were wondering what is the current items included in the bathroom? Specifically : 1) It looked like on a YouTube video that in the shower was "bath wash & shampoo" container ( no conditioner? ) and also I am interested in the soap- is it just facial soap near the sink, or is there one in the shower too? Thanks...

Big Al

8 hours ago, Suntanz said:

Just got back from Bermuda. Chairs & umbrella are $15/each at Horseshoe Bay. Canopy is $40.

Thanks..we will be the only ship that day, so it shouldn't be too crowded...👌

Big Al

39 minutes ago, Surfguyxxx said:

I liked going to the M&M, especially on longer trips like a TA or a TP.  But, my gut tells me that they're gone for good.  

I think they will be back, but you can put your own M & M together yourself..I have one on the Mariner Of the Seas for our Bermuda cruise in 16 days..we will meet in the Viking Crown Lounge the first sea day at 11 am..I also put together one on NCL in January..it was great...just takes someone to set it up...

Big Al

On 8/1/2022 at 10:02 AM, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Here are copies of the Compass in case anyone wants to see what they look like.  Room attendant left them in our room every night with no prompting.

 

 

Mariner of the Seas

8 Days (Sun-Mon)

Eastern Caribbean

 

Compass Day002.pdf 3.5 MB · 12 downloads Compass Day003.pdf 3.37 MB · 7 downloads Compass Day004.pdf 3.4 MB · 5 downloads Compass Day005.pdf 3.36 MB · 4 downloads Compass Day006.pdf 3.39 MB · 4 downloads Compass Day007.pdf 3.31 MB · 3 downloads Compass Day008.pdf 3.43 MB · 2 downloads

 Thanks for posting!  Do you remember if on the 2nd formal night there were lobster tails? It's usually that night...Thanks!

Big Al

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

If the excursion price includes chairs and an umbrella take the excursion . If not a taxi would cost a couple of dollars less, except  on Sunday when it would  cost a couple of dollars more than the excursion.

Does NOT include anything...just transportation...will take the bus for $7...thanks to both!!

Big Al

DW & I will be in Bermuda in 3 weeks and RCI is offering a $39.00 excursion RT for Horseshoe Beach...does this sound fair or better off taking a cab?.. stay is up to 4 hours...ship leaves at 3 pm...thanks..

Big Al

3 minutes ago, meglet said:

It is VERY steep on Burnaby St in Hamilton to get to the Hog Penny. I would also recommend Flanagan's on Front St. It's only 2 or 3 storefronts away from where you'd take the turn onto Burnaby St in the Emporium Building. Elevator up to 2nd floor and it features outside dining too!

Thanks for the tip!!

7 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

i have the feeling that you may mistakenly believe that Kings Wharf is in Hamilton. It isn't, it's in the Royal Naval Dockyard.

 

Of the three pubs you've named, only Hog Penny is in Hamilton. It also happens to be our favorite lunch spot and pub in Bermuda. To get there take the Blue Route ferry from the Dockyard to Hamilton and then it's a short walk to the Hog Penny, although you have to walk up a steep but short incline at the end.

 

The Frog and Onion is in the Royal Naval Dockyard , where you'll be docked. It's also a good pub and lunch spot. It's a short walk  from Kings Wharf.

 

Hammerheads is part of the Snorkel Park beach complex that is also located in the Dockyard, but it's not someplace you would go unless you were going to Snorkel park beach, which has an admission fee.

 

 

Thanks!!!

Hi guys & gals...my wife & I will be in Bermuda docking at King's Wharf arriving Tuesday, 8/23/22 at 3 pm on the Mariner Of The Seas..we want to get off & see a bit of Hamilton and go to one of the pubs there..I have 3 in mind: Frog & Onion Pub Brewing, Hammerheads Bar & Grill, and my current front runner, Hog Penny's..the latter has escargots, a fav of mine and an Amber Ale, also a fav...any opinions on these or perhaps recommend another place with quick bites & pub atmosphere not too far away from the dock? Also, we are seniors and walking far can be an issue...a bit of a walk there, or should we take a taxi, bus, etc.? Thanks! 😎

Big Al

Do they take credit cards at Horseshoe Bch for chairs or just cash? Thanks...BTW, is King's Wharf the same as the Naval Docks?

On 7/23/2022 at 9:26 PM, KayRaeRae said:

None.  Their beer program is atrocious. 

Agree 100% ..and the bar tenders have told me that RCI has the worst beer program & choices on the 7 seas...NCL ( on their newer, bigger ships ) has the best- the District Brew House has 26 beers on draft, 80 in bottles, plus 12 TV's for sports and appetizers for a bit $$...fabulous place...