rockymtn2

How were the crowds?  Did it seem like it was still mostly a Spring Break crowd?  We're considering a Mar. 8, 2025 cruise with our 7 & 5 year old grandsons and don't want toooo crazy of a college spring break feel.  How were the lines at Big Chicken and Coast Slice?  Thanks!

On 3/9/2024 at 9:11 AM, JGmf said:

Antigua: For this stop, given the early sail-away (4pm), we went with Princess’ Catamaran and Lobster tour thing.  It was a good excursion overall, including visits to two amazing beaches. Only regret: I wish we had enough time to go to what appeared like a vibrant shopping port, but we got back too late, with only about 20 minutes to spare for all-aboard.

 

Here's an amazing beach we visited.

Will be in Antigua in about a week!  What beach is in your picture?  It looks beautiful!  Was there a big drop off?

On 1/27/2024 at 6:49 PM, philv said:

Hi Trudy, We did not go to Trunk Bay. Taxi stopped at Trunk Bay and other beaches on the way to Maho Bay which was our destination. From what we heard Trunk Bay is very popular and sometimes they limit entry. The taxi was one of the many pickup truck style taxis that line up at ferry to scoop up arrivals. They put a dozen people in the back so a taxi may handle your group. Taxi stopped at many popular beach locations along the way to Maho Bay. Check out a map. There was 4 of us traveling together and we had no problem with transit.

Do you remember what the taxi fare was from the St. John ferry to the beach?

5 minutes ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Sorry, another question, do they wrap it for you for travel at all? I can just see me getting home and the head is off 😩 Otherwise guess I could bring some bubble wrap with me 🤔

They wrap it, but only in paper and then in a paper bag.  The turtle is actually quite substantial, but I don't think I would trust it in my checked luggage, especially at $200.  We wrapped it in some t-shirts and carried it on as a personal item in a beach bag!  I meant to bring bubble wrap, but forgot.

We just came off the Equinox and I can verify that there are two smoking areas on the port side.  One right outside the doors by the aft elevators and the other midship.  That one is directly below stateroom #7245 if you want to look at a deck plan for reference.  I would never book in either of those two areas again.  Not only do you smell the smoke (the cigar smoke was the worst!), but since many people congregated there, it was actually kind of loud since they tended to have loud conversations, especially at night.  I really missed my relaxing, quiet (non-smelly) evening time on my balcony listening to the waves.  There are also smoking sections on the port side of the Sunset Bar and Mast Bar, which were also not nice to walk through.

4 minutes ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Thanks for posting this…the turtle is what I’m hoping to make as well. Did you have to pay extra for it or was it included in the price you paid for the class? I understand some of the larger pieces are an up charge. 

The turtle is $200, so I had to pay an extra $80 over the $120 I paid online.  It was our souvenir for this cruise, so we didn't mind paying for exactly what we wanted.  I was surprised how much I was actually able to do, so it was worth it.

On 8/25/2022 at 3:39 PM, Eight_Paws said:

 

Super cute!

 

If you are making a small piece, is it cheaper to book onboard?  Online it is currently $114 I believe..  I have seen older posts that smaller pieces are cheaper than that.

 

Thanks!  Lisa

I believe if you pick a cheaper piece they'll refund the difference.  Not sure how it works if the online price is discounted from the usual $120.  Either way you can't reserve a day or time online, you must go to the Hot Glass Studio and sign up, regardless whether you've paid online or not.  Do it early because on our cruise they did sell out of time slots.

I just did this on the Equinox on Aug. 19.  How much involvement depends on the piece you make.  However with all of them you definitely have some hands on.  They even have an apparatus now for you to "blow" via a hand pump bulb.  I made the turtle paper weight and was involved in every step of the process (always guided).  I even got to rotate the glass in the oven.

Just off the Equinox on Sunday and we had the biodegradable ones that are great.  Feel pretty close to plastic and don't disintegrate at all like the paper ones.  

17 hours ago, davekathy said:

Did you both use the same device at the same time and test currently? 

My husband and I tested concurrently during the same testing session.  The proctor verified our information and verified both tests at the same time.

We used the online form within the last week and received our onboard credit within days.  Don't know exactly how long it took, because we didn't get any kind of email notification, but I saw it on my account the last time I logged in.

Looks like the MSC Seashore docked at Taino Bay Puerto Plata!

https://cruiseradio.net/new-caribbean-port-welcomes-first-cruise-ship/

Looking forward to hearing how complete the port is, especially if the trolley service to the city center is running.

Has anyone done the JunNk Dinner & Show on the Getaway?  We might have some extra OBC to use and were wondering if this was enjoyable or worth it.  Where is it held?

1 hour ago, Native Floridian 26 said:

Yes, it's opening on December 15th.  We'll be on the MSC Seashore which will be there on it's opening day. Should be nice!

Please come back and let us know how it was!  We're supposed to be there on the NCL Getaway on Jan. 3.

Has anyone done a Power Snorkel excursion around Coconut Cove?  It seems that several cruise lines have very similar excursions.  On the Carnival site there were some not so good reviews.  Any comments on Coconut Cove?  Are the beach and amenities nice?  Is the off road trip to get there really rough?

We were on the Encore in August in Aft Facing #9324.  The balcony was very deep, but being just one deck above the Waterfront and in the middle the view straight down was blocked by the overhang (first picture).  I would suggest booking something on a higher deck and/or more to the sides.  You don't really need a super deep balcony being that they only give you the standard chairs. Also we felt a significant amount of engine vibration whenever the ship was going around 20 knots.

We had a lovely aft facing cabin (#9978) on the Joy with two loungers!  Still was slightly obstructed by the Waterfront overhang (second pic), but not as much.  Even though on the same deck as the Encore, we don't recall much engine vibration at all.

My husband laminated his original CDC vaccination card and there was no problem showing that in Seattle when checking in for testing for the Encore on 8/21.

The CruiseNext staff on the Aug. 21 sailing of the Encore also had no idea what I was talking about.

Ship - Encore

Deck - 9

Stateroom # - 9324

Stateroom Category – B1

Starboard or Port Side - Aft Facing

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Very quiet from hallway and other staterooms noise.  However, there was a significant amount of engine noise, vibration, and shudder whenever the ship was going 20 knots or over.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Aft view straight down slightly obstructed from overhang over Waterfront.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Very deep, even for an aft facing.

Was wind a problem? - No!

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - Very, very minimal close to the railing.

Any specific problems with this cabin? - Other than engine noise, no.

Any other comments? -

My B1 Aft-Facing Balcony is now also listed as OX.  For me I'm assuming it's the change from Bliss to Encore still being worked out.

4 hours ago, AlexCherie said:

Any reason not to make the reservation now - especially since you are looking at only a few excursions?

It seems unlikely to me that your other onboard costs will be less than any OBC. At the least you will have roughly $160 per person in gratuities alone. I suppose if you pre-paid everything ...

We knew of several people that for instance couldn't go horseback riding in HMC because they were completely booked before the ship left port. 

We did pre-book for the "must have" shore excursions and we do have pre-paid gratuities.  We're not big drinkers, so using up our OBC on at least one shore excursion is the best bet for us.  Thanks for all the ideas from everyone!

We will be boarding the Eurodam on Dec. 11 for a Panama Canal partial transit.  We have been waiting to book our Puerto Limón shore excursion on board to use our OBC.  There are only a couple of excursions that interest us, so what is the fastest, most efficient way to book?  Go to the shore excursion desk, book from TV in cabin, or use Signature Suite Concierge?

We will also be making our specialty dining reservations.  What's the best way to do that?  Not as worried about that since we have many more options.

Thanks!

There are no umbrellas, only the clamshells.  The clamshells are not movable and are lined up along the last row of the loungers against the trees and bushes.  If you're on a HAL ship, I recommend you book online before you sail.  We were there last March and all the clamshells were reserved by the time we got there.