Please answer my cruise questions :)

[decemberbride]

My fiance and I are going on our first cruise December 18th. Here are a list of questions that we have.

 

1.) If we don't want to book our shore excursions with the cruise line, will individual businesses that do tours take cash?

 

2.) Are the specialty restaurants really worth the surcharge?

 

3.) Where do we go to make reservations for the places that we'd like to eat at during our cruise?

 

4.) Does it feel really crowded on cruise ships, or can you actually breath? :)

 

I'm sure I have more, but that's all I can think of for now. Any help with answering these questions is greatly appreciated

[Zeno]

My fiance and I are going on our first cruise December 18th. Here are a list of questions that we have.

 

1.) If we don't want to book our shore excursions with the cruise line, will individual businesses that do tours take cash?

 

2.) Are the specialty restaurants really worth the surcharge?

 

3.) Where do we go to make reservations for the places that we'd like to eat at during our cruise?

 

4.) Does it feel really crowded on cruise ships, or can you actually breath? :)

 

I'm sure I have more, but that's all I can think of for now. Any help with answering these questions is greatly appreciated

 

1. yes

2. It is worth it to try one. I don't think you have to try them all.

3. You only have to make reservations for the specialty restaurants. You can do that by telephone or there is usually a reservations desk (on the Sun it was in the atrium lobby area)

4. No - unless you like to be crowded into the area immediatley around the pool. We always found areas that were virtually empty.

Tell us which ship you will be on and we can give you more specific info.

[decemberbride]

1. yes

2. It is worth it to try one. I don't think you have to try them all.

3. You only have to make reservations for the specialty restaurants. You can do that by telephone or there is usually a reservations desk (on the Sun it was in the atrium lobby area)

4. No - unless you like to be crowded into the area immediatley around the pool. We always found areas that were virtually empty.

Tell us which ship you will be on and we can give you more specific info.

 

We will be on the Jewel :). We're very excited, and I think we picked a great ship.

[Zeno]

We will be on the Jewel :). We're very excited, and I think we picked a great ship.

It's a brand new ship - so it should be in great condition. I have not been on it myself - so hopefully someone who has will give you more info. You might want to do a search on it - I believe their are a couple of reviews from people who have been on it.

[trish1c]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding & cruise.

 

1.) If we don't want to book our shore excursions with the cruise line, will individual businesses that do tours take cash?

Absolutely. If you haven't already check the port of call boards for your individual stops & do an internet search for the islands. Most have tourism boards that will help you.

 

2.) Are the specialty restaurants really worth the surcharge?

This is a subjective question. Given that I live so close to NYC where I know I can get an outstanding meal anytime, I tend to assume the food on a cruise ship will be adequate but not spectacular. For that reason I have never gone to a speciality restaurant. People do rave about them. For a honeymoon, to increase the romance factor, I'd probably give it a shot.

 

3.) Where do we go to make reservations for the places that we'd like to eat at during our cruise?

Gp to those restaurants, unless your cabin has access to the concierge. Then you get that person to make the reservations.

 

4.) Does it feel really crowded on cruise ships, or can you actually breath?

:)

It feels crowded, like you're one of a heard of cattle, at embarkation/disembarkation, waiting to disembark at the ports if you have to be the 1st ones off & by the pool on sea days. That said, you can always find a quiet nook to be alone if you put some effort into it. :)

 

If you have more Qs we'll try to get you more answers.

[Cruise_More_Often]

December, Zeno was right about making the reservations. You can do it either by phoning the restaurant (the numbers are in the Freestyle Daily) or you can go to the desk that they will set up in the lobby. If you go to the lobby, you can see all the various restaurants' menus. I would suggest Le Bistro for a romantic dinner. Have fun!

[Mekamax]

If booking your own, research it first - some tour operators you should be warned about. Or hook up on ship with someone else that has a tour on their own planned.. :) We have done this and had others hook up with us.. :) Have a wonderful time! Debbie

[kataiga]

4; We were also worried about "locked up" or feeling claustrofobic on the shipthe first time .

Almost to our surprise we absolutly loved every minute of our first cruise on the Sun.

Of course everything was not "perfect"(I dont think such a thing exsist) and ,yes once a while we had to wait a little ,but that was OK, after all there were over 2000 people on board, for that everything went very smooth!!

I'm sure you will enjoy yourself!!:D

We are going on the Jewel on nov 27 for two weeks :D :D :D :D

[sjbdtz]

We sailed on the Jewel recently for 12 days, and are returning next year for another 12 days.

 

Your questions:

 

1. Already answered

 

2. Absolutely worth the surcharge. I look at it this way: Normally the quality of food is about equivalent to an East Side Mario's (or other middle-of-the-road restaurant). The specialty restaurants are equivalent to a 5 star restaurant.

 

The math: East Side: $40/person. 5-star $ 100 per person.

Price for the specialty restaurant: $10 per person.

 

So, if I take the $40 meal I was entitled to with my cruise fare, pay an extra $10, I get a $100 value meal, I'm ahead of the game...significantly.

 

3. To the right side of the Front Desk, there is a Restaurant Reservations counter (part of the Front Desk, just around the right side).

 

4. The Jewel is HUGE. There are usually people around, but it's far from crowded. It reminds me (please don't do this) of the Newlywed Game they played on the Dawn last year...

 

One of the questions was "where's the strangest place you've made whoopie?". One couple's answers matched perfectly when they each replied "Last night, in the hot tub".

 

The 6 hot tubs on the ship remained practically unused for the remainder of the cruise!

 

Enjoy.

[GoHuskies!]

It feels crowded, like you're one of a heard of cattle, at embarkation/disembarkation, waiting to disembark at the ports if you have to be the 1st ones off & by the pool on sea days. That said, you can always find a quiet nook to be alone if you put some effort into it. :)

Here's a way to at least stun two birds with one stone. When we cruised on the POAm in Hawaii in late August, we really didn't prefer to 1) pack up everything the night before, necessitating carrying everything needed overnight in briefcases and purses, or 2) searching for our luggage on the pier when our station was called the next morning.

 

NCL has an early disembarkation option ("Express Disembarkation") which will get you off the ship easily and quickly, assuming you are able to roll your own luggage with you. We ignored the pack-the-suitcases-and-leave-them-outside-the-stateroom directive, and just used them as if we were in a motel. The next morning, when the Express Disembarkation time came along (first off, it turned out), we rolled our luggage with us, down the elevator and to the atrium. There were maybe 30 people there when we got there, and we easily and quickly disembarked with our luggage, directly down to the airport transfer bus.

 

Didn't have to search for luggage; didn't have to wait for the big cattle call for disembarkation; and didn't have to pack early.

 

I recommend it highly.

[GoHuskies!]

---and then again, in the ports, waiting just a short period lets the crowd thin greatly. There is usually enough scenery from the ship to let you enjoy the wait.

[eyzwdeshut]

We went on the jewel for our honeymoon (nov 6th). There were signs on the ship saying it was at full capacity & even then there were very few times when i felt crowded (tendering on GSC was one of them!). We tried the majority of the restaurants b/c we wanted to see what it was like, if they were really all that different. We liked LeBistro & Tango's the best. Cagney's was good as well, but we didn't think much of Mama's Italian or Chin Chin (the service in both was lacking). we made most of our reservations the first night. The last night we left open & still were able to go that same day & get what we wanted.

[oLEEander]

My fiance and I are going on our first cruise December 18th. Here are a list of questions that we have.

 

1.) If we don't want to book our shore excursions with the cruise line, will individual businesses that do tours take cash?

 

While everyone seems to agree that they'll take cash I've had two instances where the operators requested either Traveler's Checks or credit card payments. I was made aware of the request via email prior to our arrival, both operators stated there was a current problem with counterfeit US currency in their area which caused them to change their payment options. If you're making arrangements privately before hand I'm sure you'll know what payment to expect. If you're making on site arrangements I'm sure cash will be fine, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared either.:rolleyes: