jamiel03

Good morning! I'll be in sunny Antigua in one week and can't wait! I've been looking over the boards and need some advice. I want to do an all day beach day (on our own, no excursions). I'd like a beach that has chair and umbrella rentals, and food and drinks available for purchase. I've been to Antigua once before, and went to Valley Church beach. I really liked it, however, wanted to try something new, since Antigua is known for having 365 beaches! I'll be in a group of 4 adults, all in the mid-30s. I like nice sand, and clear blue water, snorkeling from the beach is a plus, but not necessary. I was interested in Darkwood, but know that is popular with cruise ships, and can get super crowded (there will be 3 ships in port that day). Was also interested in Deep Bay, but it looks like they might not have amenities available, since the resort that provides it is under renovation. Ffyres beach seems nice, but I read on TripAdvisor that the food is terrible there. I don't think Jacquie O's or Rum Bus Beach would work, since I plan to be there all day (9-4, I'm a serious beach bum), not just for a few hours to eat and relax. Dickenson's seems like it'll be too crowded, and too much going on. I prefer a beach that has fewer children, so figured I would stay away from there. 

Any suggestions? I know the beaches will be crowded just based on the number of ships in port, but has anyone been to any of the beaches listed above, or to another, that they absolutely loved? Thanks in advance!

Thanks everyone! I'll check all of these out!

Hi, I'm looking for suggestions for a land and sea tour for St. Lucia. I was planning on booking with Spencer Ambrose (will be in St. Lucia in early December), but am also curious about other tour operators that provide a similar experience. Some recent reviews for Spencer Ambrose have me worried. I may still book with them, but would like to look at other options. I'd prefer a smaller group, so not interested in the catamaran tours. Any suggestions? I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

Hi, I'm in Philly now, it just started to lightly snow. Based on weather reports, it will be windy with heavy snow during the day tomorrow (Wednesday). Based on my experience, the airport physically rarely ever shuts, however, they will cancel flights if it gets bad out. American has a habit of doing that very last minute too. I'm assuming you are already under the time frame to change your flight without penalty. I would call them now and see what they can do. Always better to reschedule than to have to wait it out and hope for the best. The snow isn't supposed to stick and get really heavy until tomorrow (should either melt, or change to freezing rain tonight). Good luck!

Yep, they do! Not there every night, I saw it maybe 3 nights, but didn't go up to the buffet during dinner time every night.

Hi, I was on the ship during the missile "crisis". They made an announcement saying that no one was allowed to debark until they received an update, but we weren't restricted from going anywhere on the ship. Once they found out it was a mistake, they made another announcement that it was a mistake, and there was no actual issue. My parents were already off and getting on a tour bus for the Pearl Harbor tour. They made everyone get off the bus and go back inside the cruise terminal and stand against an inside wall. They were probably more freaked out than people on the ship, who had no idea what was going on.

Rumaba Charters in St. Thomas is excellent for snorkeling. They only take a maximum of 6 people, so it's really private, and take you to less popular places to snorkel, so it won't be crowded. The food is great, service even better. I've snorkeled with them each time I've been to St. Thomas, and can't wait to go back again.

Thanks! Guess I didn't look clearly enough. Sucks that you have to purchase separately. I like taking water with me off the ship, but will invest in a Brita water bottle. Thanks for the idea!

Hi, I'm planning on taking an NCL cruise, first time on this cruise line. I know they have banned bringing on bottled waters now. If I get the Ultimate Drink package, does that include bottles of water? I've only cruised on Celebrity before, and know that it's included in that package, but it wasn't very clear for NCL. Sorry if this is a repeat question, I looked through the threads but didn't see anything. Thanks!

Jamie

Agreed, ship was in great condition. I was on the Summit in December 2014, and the bathroom in my room definitely had an old moldy smell to it. I didn't notice the smell in my room on the Connie.

Not sure about the change in chef or menu. I did notice that the menus between the Summit and the Connie were pretty much exactly the same on both of our cruises. Hopefully they will switch things up by next year.

I was just on the Connie on March 30th. We had the 123-Go and were in Concierge class. Our room attendant opened our mini bar and told us that we would be charged for anything we took out, however, if we didn't feel like getting up to get a soda, we could take one out of the fridge and just replace it later. We ended up not taking anything out, but I would talk to your room attendant about that. Makes it nice not to have to get up just for one drink. Frozen margaritas are included in the classic package.

The food in the MDR was fine, however, I don't eat red meat, so I can't really speak on that. My boyfriend ordered red meat every night, and was pretty happy with his meals. The only thing he ordered that he had a real problem with was the NY strip, that's on the every day menu. I think he ordered medium or medium rare each time, didn't seem to have a problem with the way it was cooked.

Overall, the food was pretty good. I like really spicy food, and think that generally the food can be pretty bland, but that's just my opinion. I literally put red pepper flakes on almost everything I eat.

CABIN #: 8100

DECK #: 8

CLASS: C2

AREA: Starboard Mid-ship

BED NEAR: Bathroom

QUIET?: Sometimes. I kept hearing noises from the balcony that sounded like people were moving chairs or tables above us, but they came at all times of the day/night, so I think it was actually sounds from below that maybe was related to some maintenance? When we were docked I noticed that there was a mechanical lift that was below our room that may have been making the noise. Wasn't horrible, and you couldn't hear it unless you had the balcony door open.

BALCONY VIEW: We were two rooms away from the mid-ship bump out, so if you stood at the railing, you could see into their balcony, and vice versa. Below was a view of the life boats, and of deck 4. Covered over head, so you won't have to worry about rain, and it provided shade until about 3 PM.

BALCONY SIZE: Small - fit two chairs (no footstools) and a small table.

WIND A PROBLEM?: No

SOOT A PROBLEM?: No

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: Very quiet, other than the noises I mentioned out on the balcony. About 4 rooms down from the stairs and elevators, so very convenient. Felt very little movement from the ship since you are right in the middle, which is nice.

SHIP: Summit

CABIN #: 8160

DECK #: 8

CLASS: Concierge

AREA: Aft

BED NEAR: Bath - facing inboard

QUIET?: Yes - other than adjoining room noise, such as TV and wake up calls.

BALCONY VIEW: Starboard side

BALCONY SIZE: Not bad, overhang covered even during rain.

WIND A PROBLEM?: Not at all - left clothing outside to dry and they barely moved, even when the ship was moving.

SOOT A PROBLEM?: No

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: The bathroom smelled like an old gym sneaker, and even when we tried to leave the door open to air it out, it still smelled pretty bad. Got used to it a little by the end of the week, but was really strong when you first walk in. Since it's in the back of the ship, you can really feel the movement back and forth while the ship is moving as well.

I was in Alaska last June 2013, and my family and I did a variety of excursions. My brother did the dog sledding and loved it. He got lucky, and there was a thunderstorm when they were scheduled to helicopter back down, so they had extra time up on the mountain with the dogs, and he was able to play with the puppies. It was very expensive though, and was the reason I didn't go. I did a halibut excursion, and it was great. We saw an orca whale and a ton of bald eagles while we were going out to our fishing site as well. Everyone on our boat (4 people) caught multiple fish too. I heard the people who went on the salmon fishing excursion didn't catch anything. And, an added perk, for a fee, they will clean the fish, flash freeze it and ship it back to you.

My sister did the whale watch excursion, and she enjoyed it, definitely saw some whales, so she thought it was worthwhile. We also did the catamaran tour of the Sawyer Glacier, where we saw humpback whales, and were able to get closer to the glaciers, which was really interesting. Overall, I thought the excursions were worth it, some more than others. Hope this helps!