TrekkerPA

We enjoyed the Summer Palace for breakfast as a change from the buffet. The french toast and pancakes are much better there! Favorite foods at the MDR for dinner were salads and tomato soup, and apple pie and warm chocolate volcano for dessert!

A good spot to go when you're coming into a port or in a scenic area is the front of the ship on Deck 14 (accessible from the an outside stairway just behind the foreward stair/elevator shaft outside on Deck 13, behind the Sky High Bar). At the very front of the ship on this outside deck, you can get a good look at the navigational equipment on top of the ship and also look down to see the forward facing balconies off Deck 11 (I think?) that probably belong to the captain and crew.

We are just off the Pearl about a week ago. We did not find it necessary to go to any of the specialty restaurants. Buffet is good enough and food is plentiful. We enjoyed the Summer Palace MDR for breakfast as a change (and slightly better food). Favorite foods in the MDR were the salads, tomato soup, apple pie and the warm chocolate volcano dessert! Kids loved the mozzerella sticks at O'Sheehans.

A great spot that is relatively unknown and under-used is all the way forward on Deck 14. Go to the fore of Deck 13 to find the stairs to the "Sundeck" and then go to the front of the ship. It's the only outdoor deck area at the front of the ship, and a great spot when you're coming into a port, and to see the navigational equipment, and to peak down on the forward-facing cabins/balconies that I assume belong to the captain and his crew.

We were just there last weekend. We agree with the previous poster that there is a good, uncrowded snorkeling spot in a little cove to the left of the main beach (as you are standing on the beach facing the ocean). The best snorkeling, however, is between the rocks at the far end of the island near the main beach (to the far right as you are on the beach). You have to walk over some sharp rocks and then the water can be choppy out there, but my husband and others saw some amazing fish there, and a local woman who works for NCL and lives on the island told me that's the best spot. We ended up renting the full snorkel gear ($30) - two sets - because we had only brought two masks and had 4 people who wanted to snorkel. Will definitely bring our own equipment next time! We did not see anyone enforcing a vest-wearing policy. Fins and vest only is $15.00 (kids $10.00). The island was not full when we were there (just our ship) and we felt perfectly safe leaving our belongings on the beach unattended at several locations.

We brought a plastic water bottle and just filled it from the tap in the room and then asked our steward to open the mini-fridge and put the water bottle in there (took out some of the drinks in there to make room). We also took some Mio and packets of lemonade mix to make flavors, but since lemonade and some flavored waters are free, we didn't end up using them. My boys made the mistake of opening the Aquafina bottle from the mini-fridge and it cost $5!

If you want to go to a lovely little beach, try going just north of Orient Beach and taking the short ferry ride to Pinel Island.

They had fresh-squeezed juices on the buffet on the Pearl, but they were an extra charge (I think around $3.50).

Just off the Pearl on Saturday also. One of the staff told us at the CC review meeting that there are still some changes to be made to O 'Sheehan's before it is considered fully changed. They will be adding some ledges around the top balcony rail, for instance, to make it easier to have a drink and face the atrium below or watch sports on the atrium TV.

We were on GSC last weekend, and for my family (teenagers), a cabana would not have been worth the money since they wanted to be exploring around the island and snorkeling, etc. But we were thinking that if you didn't want to be walking around much, wanted guaranteed shade and didn't care about being right on the water - or had either really young kids who needed a nap, or older people with you, the cabanas might be nice. The smaller ones looked nicer to me - a slightly more pretty area.

Yes, you can use your key card at the casino. They just add a 3% fee.

Do we need to take our passports along with us when we disembark in St. Maarten?

If one of the people in my group doesn't have a passport, should they have a birth certificate on hand?

There are lots of reviews of GSC on TripAdvisor, with over 200 photos: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g499396-d2096559-Reviews-Great_Stirrup_Cay-Berry_Islands_Out_Islands_Bahamas.html

Looks really nice. Can't wait to go there in January!

Mr. Ismay - After seeing Titanic, I just hope you weren't involved in any way with financing construction of the Norwegian ships!

Our family of 6 will be docking in Old San Juan on the Norwegian Pearl in January. We're trying to find the best tour operator to take us to "off the beaten path," less crowded places of the rainforest (but yet not too rugged), and for someone with the best local knowledge and ability to show us the best and most beautiful and unique aspects of PR.

Have checked lots of information on TA and on websites, and we're currently torn between using Roberto of Sunset Tours, Eliot of Eliot Tours, Albert Aguirre (Surfcabs), or Natural Wonders. Also thinking about Javier R. from Tours by Locals. We'd like someone who will be flexible, interesting, and show us both natural beauty and also some other PR sights and orientation to OSJ, all in maybe a 5-6 hour tour.

Has anyone done tours with more than one of these, and can anyone recommend one of these tour operators over another?