Tell me about your 9 day S. Caribbean Please

[ottergirl]

On either the Jewel or the Pearl. We will be going sometime after the new year. DH is not as excited as I am. He says that because he was in the Navy and on a ship for 4 years, he already knows what it is like to be on the ocean... LOL. I don't think the mess hall can measure up to dining on a cruise line, etc. I am hoping he is won over and becomes a lover of cruises because I know I will want to book another one as soon as we step off the ship.

 

Like many OP here, he and I are nervous about missing the ship after excursions, so we are thinking about mainly sticking with the excursions that NCL offer. I know I want to do the CL beach day while in Samana, and I definitely want to hit VG and the Baths while in Tortola. What did you do on the three other visits- Antigua, Barbados and St. Lucia? DH does not want to stray far from the ship, unless I can assure him that through NCL's planned excursions we are fine and we won't miss the ship! I am willing to do non-NCL excursions if due to feedback here it is what we want and we know we are safe to get back on time. I know- probably needless worries, but it is a hard worry to shake. I am most interested in spending time on the least busy beaches as possible, with some snorkeling. I've never snorkeled before, so something simple! We just want to relax and explore- some areas with some coves or areas to explore would be great. Oh! One other question, I noticed most of the days on land are 8 hours long, but many excursions are only 4- hours. What do we do with the other 3-4 hours? Hit another close by beach? We won't be doing a ton of shopping. Um, on shopping- is there a lot of unique hand-made type jewelry? What do you remember seeing? Jewelry (not expensive like jewels or anything, more rustic or silver, handmade and semi-precious stones kinda stuff) is the only thing I will be interested in shopping for.

 

Some silly questions- I don't need to know much about the food. I've read tons and tons about the food, and we are pretty easy to please with food. DH likes steak, and one OP told me that Carnival offers steak every night if you ask- my only question is does NCL do this same thing? If DH (we are from the Midwest and he loves his red meat) desires a steak and it is not on the menu, can he ask for it? It is not a big deal- I'm sure he will find something he likes- I am just asking. We are not very picky about food, which is why I am on a pre-cruise diet LOL OK- question, are there any nights, areas, beach excursions where they play Caribbean style music, like Calypso, steel drums, etc.? I would love that!

 

Credit card question! DH and I only have one CC, and it does not have a huge limit. We limit our credit to our mortgage, a few small store cards and one major card, but none have large limits. How in the heck do we manage the on board charges? If they want to put a hold of $2,000-$2,500.00 on our card... well, that just won't work for us. Aren't there some cruisers who don't have CC? Or are in the same boat (no pun intended) as us? Can we give them a cash deposit when we board? I am worried about this. I am saving, and I have almost $2,000 saved that will be for "extras" and I am not sure how we will handle this. Please enlighten me!

 

Where did you stay in Miami if you stayed overnight? How'd you enjoy the day in Miami? We might get there 2 nights before our trip just to play it safe with the flight from Chicago during the winter.

 

We most likely will sail on the Jewel to ave some $$. We will book a balcony cabin, and WOW am I absolutely confused about the different types, levels, decks, etc. What do you suggest?

 

And finally- tell me the highlights of your trip. I would love to read and see what we are looking forward to. What was your fave island? Excursion? Meal? What type of room did you have? Did you see any whales or dolphins? I would appreciate any information you would like to offer me.

 

Thanks so much for reading this long post! I am a total planner, and without that- I can't help but be a little nervous (and I have anxiety- so it is not something that I can easily control by simply trying to relax) so the more I know, the more I can relax and enjoy planning my trip.;)

[Stillfloatin']

Let's see, I'll try to help with some of these:

 

1. Don't be nervous about missing the ship. I NEVER take the ship excursions because they are cattle calls with tons of people and no opportunity to do your own thing like with a private tour. Maybe the baths because there isn't much time in port, but everything else, go to the ports of call board and read all the great recommendations. There's tons of info and I use it extensively to plan my excursions. As for not to be missed: Book the Silver Moon catamaran in Barbados. This is a wonderful yacht that limits the number of people and has a great crew and good food and yummy drinks. You will sail and snorkle two places: over a shipwreck, and then swimming with the turtles. Just amazing. It will give you a chance to really explore the coastline of Barbardos and feel totally pampered. We've done it twice, we like it that much. In Antigua, we did Eli's Eco tour. Fantastic. You can either do the catamaran, or the speed boat. Lunch included. Snorkeling. Plenty of info about it on the ports of call board.

 

As for shopping for local jewelry and crafts, that's best in St Lucia, in my opinion. There are several blocks of vendor stalls just outside the security gate. Lots and lots of choices and you can bargain. Probably 150 vendor within a 3-block radius.

 

As for snorkeling, you can't go wrong on any of the islands. The water is just amazing. All private tours provide the necessary equipment, plus plenty of instruction and help, if needed. And because there are less people than ship excursions, I always feel safer because of the crew to snorkeler ratio.

 

NCL used to offer steak every night if you asked, but often doesn't now. That said, I have asked for it when it wasn't on the menu and had no trouble getting it. Not as good as Carnival, but ok. If he's a real steak lover, spring for Cagney's Steakhouse. Yummy! And, if you go before 6:30, it's half price, so that's totally reasonable. Be sure to make resies, because it's popular.

 

Sorry, can't answer the CC question. I suggest you call NCL or start a thread with that specific question, and someone with experience can help you.

 

We stayed pre-cruise at the Hampton Inn Miami Airport South Blue Lagoon, and it was perfect. Very nice property, clean nice rooms, friendly staff, great pool area, really nice free morning continental breakfast (with hot food too!), transportation to the port, and conveniently located across the street from a liquor store, Walgreens, grocery store, and several fast food places as well as a yummy Chinese restaurant and a Cuban restaurant. We will stay there again. The best value we've experience to date.

 

We've sailed in regular balconies before but now we prefer the mini-suites because of the extra room, curtain that separates living from sleeping area, and the nice big tub in the bathroom. Really worth the additional cost to us, but the regular balconies are great too. Pricing is based on what deck. The higher the deck, the higher the price.

 

Favorite meal was in the Asian restaurant. Wonderful appetizers, soups, entrees, and deserts. We usually do it at least twice.

 

Also, if you like martinis or margaritas, be sure to go to the clinics. Lots of drinks, info, fun passengers, great bartenders, all all for $15. Plus, there's so much booze, you and your DH can share the drinks and only pay one fee.

 

The Jewel has my fave casino. Great staff, lots of fun machines, and I hit a jackpot on the slots. Doesn't get any better than that.:D

 

Ok, that's all I can think of for now. Hope this helps.

[GoNCruisnFamily]

We are booked on this cruise on the Jewel on January 4, 2008. I am interested in getting some views on shore excursions as well. I would suggest going to the Ports of Call board and check for each of the port cities. There is some great info on shore excursions there.

You usually are able to disembark about 2 hours after the ship docks and must be on board 1/2 hour before departure, so this cuts into your time in port. Most of these places are not too big so you should be able to find a beach nearby that you could go to if you had time after your excursion.

I always book my excursion through the cruise line. I am a chicken about booking outside and having something happen and getting stranded. I have ready horror stories about people missing their ship and paying up to $4000 to fly to the next port (having to go back through Miami by air to get there!).

Not sure in jewelry info.

As far as food, you can get steak every night at dinner, as well as salmon (my 11 year old eats that every night).

We were on the Jewel last year and I remember they had a calypso/steel drum band by the pool on sea days and I think they did a night or 2 as well.

As far as cabins, the balcony cabins that are available now are on decks 9 & 10. The category BA cabins on deck 10 are about 5 sq ft bigger than BB and BC and are the middle of the ship--not a noticable size difference. BB are the front and back of deck 10 and mid ship on deck 9. BC is front and back of deck 9. We ended up booking a BC category because we the only cabins in BA and BB available are right where the elevators are. We took a 'lesser' category to not be right by the elevators (it can be loud). We had a similar cabin on our previous cruise and it was fine.

Whatever you end up getting, have a great time. I am SO looking forward to this trip!

[watchdiva]

The Pearl is fantastic - we did the 9 day S. Caribbean in April. Eli's Eco Tour (we did the catamaran version) and Silvermoon (there are two catamarans and we went on Silvermoon I the smaller one) are awesome excursions and we would do them again in a heartbeat.

 

Pop on over to the Ports of Call boards for up-to-date reviews of all of the islands that you will be visiting. In St. Lucia we booked through a private company and had our own driver/new van for the day. The driver went where we wanted, when we wanted and we stayed as long as we wanted. We arrived at our stops "early" - in other words, we beat out the tour busses from all the cruise lines that were dropping off loads of people. At many photo op stops, our driver, husband and myself were the only ones there.

 

Remember, these private excursions make their living working with tourists and their reputation is of paramount importance to them so that LAST thing they want to do is return someone late to the port.

 

If you book off-ship, make sure that the private operators have back-up plans in case of car trouble (do they have multiple drivers, etc), insurance and are licensed.

 

We loved the Pearl and the 9 day Southern so much that we're thinking of going again next year - same cruise, same ship, same cabin!

[garycarla]

A few suggestions to get more out of these boards.

 

Go to the REVIEW section and read as many reviews as you can. People will share their real life experiences.

 

Scroll back through old messages here. Some of your topics come up frm time to time and provide insight from posters who may no longer be active on the boards.

 

Visit some ROLL CALLS of people taking the same or similar cruise to yours.

 

Look under PORTS OF CALL section to get more information about tours.

 

 

Some general commments. I was in the Navy for 4 years. Cruising is totally different. Hey, they even have bars and casinos that the Navy did not have.

 

Re: 4 hour tour and what else do you do? You do NOT have to fill every waking moment with tours and shopping. This is, after all, a vacation. We have been to ports where we do not even go ashore. After all, how many T-shirts do you need.

 

Credit Card - if a credit card and not a debit card, the hold is minimal.

[SPman00]

I'm not an expert on much of this, but go ahead and get your Credit Card limit increased.

 

Part of your credit score is determined by the % of your available credit that you use. From what you're telling me, the co. will probably be happy to increase your limit to $5,000 or $7,500.

 

It's good safety to have if say...you miss your boat and have to book expensive plane trips back.

[garycarla]

I'm not an expert on much of this, but go ahead and get your Credit Card limit increased.

 

Part of your credit score is determined by the % of your available credit that you use. From what you're telling me, the co. will probably be happy to increase your limit to $5,000 or $7,500.

 

It's good safety to have if say...you miss your boat and have to book expensive plane trips back.

 

 

Very good advice. We always travel with at least TWO credit cards. It is the cheapest insurance possible. It provides emergency money if you need it. And the cost is ZERO to be available. As the first posted mentioned, your credit score is tied to the % of available credit you use. So, higher limit is good. Also, in case something happens with one card, the other is available.

 

Credit cards are never a problem. Overuse of them is the problem.

[ottergirl]

Thanks for the great information, suggestions, etc. I really appreciate it. I will be spending a lot of time on the ports of call boards that's for sure.

 

Stillfloatin'- thanks for the detailed explanation. My fears are somewhat alleviated about missing the ship. I will definitely look into the excursions you mentioned because they sound like what I am looking for. Like I said, I'm not interested too much in shopping (we won't have tons of money for purchases anyway) but I really want to spend time enjoying the tropical locations.

 

Thanks to everyone else about the credit card info, food, and all the rest. I think we will try Cagney's while on the ship- it sounds like what we would like. I have a headache today so I need to get off the computer to rest my eyes. I will be doing more investigating later ;)

[Stillfloatin']

I really want to spend time enjoying the tropical locations.

 

This itinerary is PERFECT for fantastic tropical locations. My favorite so far, and I've done the Western twice, the Eastern twice, and the Southern twice. These are such beautiful islands with the most amazing water. The only water prettier, in my opinion, is Grand Cayman and Belize, but Barbados is pretty dang close! I believe the Southern Carib is the best route if you're looking for "tropical." Ok, I imagine the South Pacific is the best of all, and someday I hope to find out, but for the Caribbean, the southern itinerary provides so much diversity.

[flgirl]

As for not to be missed: Book the Silver Moon catamaran in Barbados. This is a wonderful yacht that limits the number of people and has a great crew and good food and yummy drinks. You will sail and snorkle two places: over a shipwreck' date=' and then swimming with the turtles. Just amazing. It will give you a chance to really explore the coastline of Barbardos and feel totally pampered. We've done it twice, we like it that much. [/quote']

 

Stillfloatin....where would I find info on the Silver Moon? In the excursion area of NCL they just list "catamaran" but not silver moon. I would love to take this based on your review.

 

Thanks.

[watchdiva]

Silvermoon is NOT an NCL excursion - it's private. Go over to the Ports of Call Board, select Barbados and you will find lots of posts about Silvermoon. We did this catamaran trip this year (April 07) and it was fantastic. There are two catamarans (Silvermoon I and Silvermoon II) with the only difference being the number of passengers accommodated. Max on Silvermoon I was 12 and max on II is (I believe 18).

 

Fantastic excursion and well worth the money!

[bob c]

I am going on a Southern Carribean cruise in Jan. and was wondering how I can get to the Ports of Call review board?

[garycarla]

I am going on a Southern Carribean cruise in Jan. and was wondering how I can get to the Ports of Call review board?

 

Towards the top left of this page, it says BOARDS.... click there.

 

The scroll down till you see PORTS OF CALL.

 

You will also find the ROLL CALLS there as well.

 

By the way, at the top right you will see REVIEWS. That will take your to cruise and ship reviews.

 

Enjoy.

[starfamily]

We are taking the Jewel nine day starting 12/21 so I would be happy to answer any questions you have, we have spent a week in st. lucia, lots to do there, check out the volcano, go ziplining, do an island tour etc, I have tons of photos of st. lucia, as for barbados snorkeling with the turtles is very cool, go with a private vender to save money,I know a great guy but you can't post names here. before you decide to do the bath's check how many ships will be in port when you sail, if there are too many it will be a cattle call and not worth it.

The southern is my favorite itinerary you will love it!

Ann

[Grandpaul]

Sorry Ann, we're beating you to the Jewel as we're heading out on the 7th. But we'll keep it sort of clean for you. St. Lucia is a beautiful island with the volcano and the twin peaks. That's one island you should tour.

 

You can put cash down instead of a credit card but do as mentioned and use your card. A lot easier and don't get drunk and run up a bunch of alcohol related charges. LOL. You can see I cruised with my boys a couple times.

 

You also mentioned you will probably book another cruise as soon as you get off the ship. NCL has a program whereby if you book your next cruise while on board your present cruise they give you a $100 OBC for your existing cruise. And you have a long time to book your next one. Worth checking into.

 

Have a great cruise.

[CrusinAgain]

Luckily you can take a private excursion to the baths now since the Jewel and the Pearl changed itineraries from earlier this year and now they stay longer at the Ports including Tortola which was the main problem with those that traveled earlier before the summer break as it was a short stop and not enough time. All the stops are nice long stops as we are leaving this coming week.

[starfamily]

I still would check the schedule as to how many ships are in port, even if you take a private excursion over to the baths if six ships are in port it isn't going to matter it will be a zoo, you are better off enjoying tortolla itself.

GP at least they have a few weeks to clean it up after you for me LOL did you recieve any mail this week btw?

 

The credit card hold they put down usually is like 500.00, we go down every few days and pay cash on it, so it never even makes it to our credit card, it's a good idea to do also that way you can compare the slips you signed to what the folio says, more than once I have been double charged for a bottle of wine at dinner. Granted I DO like my wine but I usually keep track how many bottles I go through LOL

[starfamily]

You also mentioned you will probably book another cruise as soon as you get off the ship. NCL has a program whereby if you book your next cruise while on board your present cruise they give you a $100 OBC for your existing cruise. And you have a long time to book your next one. Worth checking into.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

and find a good travel agent to transfer it to...they probably would throw an extra shipboard credit your way;)

[bob c]

Thanks for the info GaryCarla. It was easy getting to the boards once you explained how. Now I have some reading to do.

[Grandpaul]

and find a good travel agent to transfer it to...they probably would throw an extra shipboard credit your way;)

 

Very true. Cheaper price probably too.

[TTown Traveler]

Just wanted to add a note about the credit card:

 

If you do decide to increase your credit limit just for the cruise, you can always call the credit card company when you get back to reduce your credit limit back down to where you want it. Just call the customer service number and tell them the amount you want them to set as your limit.

[bcs819]

Otter girl -

 

try to get an American Express card. We got rid of all our cards except for American Express and one Visa we use for emergencies only. American Express must be paid off each month, so there are no interest charges to pay. The rewards from the card are amazing - we bill everything to our AMEX - car insurance, cell phone bills, cable bill, doctor visits, groceries - then write one check each month. It's all stuff we would have had to pay for anyway, but now we get miles/points for it. We used our points to get a free week in MGM in Vegas last year - this year we've earned enough points to get almost $1000 off our cruise.

 

It's a great card to have for emergencies, then if you decide not to use it till your next vacation, leave it in a drawer - that's what we do with the Visa.

[bluesea777]

We took the NCL's Virgin Gorda Baths and Snorkel excursion in Tortola and enjoyed it. We're taking it again next NCL cruise. I recommend it (by boat) over the Gorda Highlights (steep slope to beach).

 

As for CC - pay off the CC balance and more before going on cruise. Don't forget the excursions are charged to cruisecard account as are the gratitudes.