sportscruiser

I was on the Viva a week ago in the Studio lounge, no cookies. Only the same pound cake every day! No one was really eating the pound cake but bet the cookies would've run out.

I definitely don't expect them to list every drink, but water is pretty is pretty general; they could just say "all water" instead of singling out, "sparkling water".

Yeah, I saw that too but it does say "sparkling" water. I was hoping to bring on regular water in cartons. Hoping maybe I can get away with it by saying it's "sparkling" if I can't find the actual answer, lol. Thanks

Thanks @mz-s! I had poured over that page but it only mentions "bottled" water; nothing about cartons of water(any liquid would have to be under 12oz; most of the cartons look like they come in 11.2 oz). Thinking it should be allowed...but one never knows. 😁 I

I know you can no longer bring plastic water bottles onboard, but can you bring the carton packaged water in either your carry on or checked luggage? If not, my friend will just have to play the ice-water-ice water game. 😂

@SugarStar00Their website stated that they opened at noon but it looked like it was already open when I was on my horseback ride and that was around 10-11am. Hope you have a great time and don't have to cut your visit short!😆

I just returned from a cruise and visited the Kon Tiki bar! There were no signs on the beach about where to wait so I wasn't sure where to stand and wave. I ended up just watching the boat when it was left the bar and headed toward the part of the beach where it landed(a little to the right of the bar when looking from shore). The boats seemed to come and go fairly quickly, I didn't have to wait long. It was a cash only bar. I had a "death" shot and a beer and came to about $9 (+tip). Wanted to stay longer but a squall came through and everyone bolted for the boat to return to the shore. Hope to go back someday though!!

OP, I just returned from my first solo cruise on NCL Viva last Sunday. First sailing was on RCL(old ship), then 4 with Carnival and my last two on NCL. I booked a solo studio cabin for this Southern Caribbean itinerary. I never sailed solo on Carnival but not sure that they could do any better than NCL in this area. Overall, I have mixed feelings between the two lines though. NCL does some things better and CCL does others better. All is subjective but these were my my impressions of the differences between the two lines ITINERARY: edge to NCL I sail mostly for the itinerary since I haven't been to a lot of the places both lines sail. That's why I switched to NCL for the last two cruises. In July, I went to Bermuda and they did an extra overnight than Carnival. On the So. Caribbean itinerary out of San Juan, Carnival stopped sailings to this area during COVID, but I think the islands NCL sails to were better than what Carnival was visiting anyway. DRINKS: edge to NCL I'm not a big drinker but I do like the "Free at Sea" beverage package since it also includes soda (which I drink alot) and I could have alcohol without having to worry about the cost. I've never had the CHEERS package on CCL since both people in the room have to purchase and even if I was a solo, it's still more costly for me than NCL since I'm just paying gratuity. I wouldn't drink 15 alcoholic drinks a day so the Carnival plan doesn't work. FOOD(Availability/Taste): overall edge to Carnival TASTE: I sailed on the Joy last July and Viva this time. I had some of the same meals and taste was better on the Joy. I ate at Indulge, The Local, Palomar(Speciality), Food Republic(Specialty), and both main dining rooms(Hudson,Commodore). Main Dining rooms on Carnival had better choices and better taste than any main dining room on NCL. Did the steakhouse on both lines and edge was to Carnival; steak was the same, both good, sides on NCL had good taste but they were teeny tiny(sides and desserts) compared to the same sides on CCL. Best meal I had this last trip was at Palomar. Love the soft serve ice cream but on both ships they would pull the cones whenever the buffet closed which seemed always to be early. On Carnival, I've gone fairly late at night to get it and it would be available. Although that may have changed since 2022. AVAILABILITY: This was where NCL lacked, big time. This trip was port intensive and when you'd get back from port, maybe around 2pm-3pm, there were only two places to get food, The Local and the little Surfside Grill(the buffet portion would close around 2pm). The wait lines for both were ridiculous. I really just wanted something quick to hold me over to dinner. On CCL they have Guy's, Blue Iguana, Shaq's Chicken, Pizza, Deli, and possibly the buffet(I don't remember Carnival's buffet closing as early as the one on the VIVA). MANY people were complaining about the lack of food availability when returning from ports! Only late night food is at the Local which is a sit down restaurant, and they don't even have pizza slices. ROOMS: edge to NCL I like the bathrooms better on NCL with actual shower doors as opposed to curtains, and more modern looking than CCL bathrooms. Carnival's rooms are probably a little bigger and I like their OV better than NCL since the window on NCL was BEHIND the bed. On Carnival they're on the side and you can look out at the view while still in bed. But what really gives the edge to NCL is that they have automatic closing doors so there was no being woken up at all hours by door bangs!! No towel animals on NCL and though that isn't a deal breaker for me, I do enjoy them. OVERALL ENTERTAINMENT: edge to Carnival I'm not a raucous party person by any means, but do enjoy some fun. Broadway type shows are better than Carnival's; Syd Norman's on was good. Comedians were ok; NCL didn't have a true sailaway party; thought the comedy, trivia, game type shows better on Carnival. The bars on the Viva seemed to close really early, only a few stayed open later, in main atrium. Pool bar would close by 9pm, didn't really have any "pool contests"(I don't participate but they can be fun to watch sometimes). This all might be because there were no sea days, all port days but even on the Joy I don't remember seeing anything going on at the main pool. SOLO: edge to NCL Since I never sailed solo on Carnival since they don't have studio cabins. I loved being in the solo studio area, secure entry to the area(as long as people fully closed the door on their way in/out), in the lounge they had quiet places to relax if you wanted, an area to play games or to socialize(there were 3 different areas), they had pre-mixed drinks and wine in dispensers, soda dispenser(when it worked), and coffee dispenser(when it had milk). Loved not having to wait in bar lines to get a soda to take back to the room. Small pastries in the morning, pound cakes in the afternoon(used to be cookies; I can confirm there are NO cookies on Viva. Only time they were available was at the CC meet & greet, which I missed, but heard they were provided). NCL also has a solo host that organizes meet times, group activities, dinner reservations, etc. Alot of solos in the studio area were actually there with others. I'd say maybe the whole area was 1/2 and 1/2 between the two groups. So if the solo price is better or one or the other than go with that line but don't be afraid to try to NCL as a solo! My next trip in July is with a friend and back on Carnival but the solo trip was a great experience and I'll probably try another solo sometime but would probably only do it on NCL....unless Carnival or Royal has a better itinerary and not too pricy for a solo.

@Spencer71 Thanks! There is another recent CC thread titled "Single best Tortola recommendation for 50 year olds" that has some different options for getting to/from the Baths if you want to check that out too.

I usually book 6-8 months out but in Feb. '22 I booked the Viva for 3/24....down to 30 days now!! Seems like I just booked it 6-8 months ago!! I did do a Bermuda cruise in the summer though so maybe that helped the time fly!

@Spencer71 you'll be embarking the same day I'll be disembarking!! I'm a little older than you and the other couple but I'm planning on doing the Baths excursion as well. You should watch some YouTube videos of the Baths first, to make sure all persons will be physically able to maneuver the boulders. Viva does offer an excursion to the Baths. I'm currently booked on the excursion but I really want to take my time so I'm still trying to decide if I want to cancel and go on my own. Unfortunately, both ferry companies don't have ferry times that work well with our arrival and all aboard times but am thinking about taking Speedy's to VG and Sensations ferry back. Both offer packages but Speedy's return times would have you either having to leave really early or not until 3:30 which gets you back at around 4 could be a few minutes later and then you have to walk back to the ship with an all aboard time of 4:30. Sensations leaves to early and they have a 1:45 return time so I'm thinking about using both. The only disadvantage of that is that you don't get the package price from either company but would still probably be less than ship excursion price. I paid $69 after my $50 "free" shore excursion and I think that's still more than the one-way ferry and taxi's to/from the Baths would cost. Part of me just wants to do ship excursion so I don't have to "worry" about it but part of me doesn't I really want to explore. May be a last minute decision to cancel the ship excursion or not. Whatever you do, have a great cruise!

I went on my first NCL cruise last July on the Joy and wondered why @schmoopie17 thought it was so inedible. Maybe the Joy's is better. I'll be on the Viva in March so hoping it's not as bad as Prima's; I was excited that they had added another machine but now, it sounds like I might not be using either of them!

Also going in March and although the inside venues do seem much too small for the amount of passengers, I think most of the "too crowded" reviews came from the first sailings when it was cold outside and everyone stayed in. Check for newer reviews from the Caribbean cruises to see if the complaints about seating are as bad as those first sailings. Except for the comedy and Syd's shows; I think there will always be people complaining about those venues....and I might be one of them, we'll see! 🤣

Thanks @blue_water , @CruisingFun2023! Good to know that there are independent drivers I could use. @CruisingFun2023, you should definitely do it on your own if there'll be that many people in port that day....you can get there and maybe even be done with the Baths portion before the ship tours come! Plus, I think it's let's than 1/2 of the cost of the NCL excursion! I noticed that they updated their ferry times in late January of 2023 so I'm going to make sure I check back to see if they update them again this year before my cruise in March.

I've been debating the DIY and ship excursion as well. The ship is in port from 8am-5pm(assuming all aboard will be 4:30). I could make the 9am Speedy's but would their 3:30 still be cutting it too close? I've read in some reviews that it takes 30 minutes and others that it takes 45 min. I've booked the ship excursion already so it won't get sold out but I'd really rather do it DIY. If I took the 2 different companies ferries, are there taxi's at the ferry dock and at the baths that can take me to/from without using the ferry taxis?

Thanks @psuboater! That sounds like the perfect place to go when I'm in a hurry on the port days in Bermuda!!

Is the breakfast in American Diner continental only or is there basic hot food too, like eggs, bacon, etc.? Thanks for the review, hoping it still won't be crowded at AD on port days!

@Charles4515 Yeah, I was hoping to take the bus and the ferry around that whole day but the schedules don't seem to line up with the times that I'll need to use them so it looks like I'll be taking more taxis and be more expensive than I had originally planned. Thanks for all the info.

@Charles4515 Thank you! Yes, very ambitious but doable? Wish I could've kept my original plans. Horseback rides have to be done early a.m. in the summer so was going to start w/that on day 2 and then go to St. George from there and do Horseshoe trail/lighthouse on departure day(ship leaves at 3). Mike Watson had no availability that day ☹️ so now it's Plan B....I should be back from horseback ride around 11am but also wanted to check out some shops at Dockyard before leaving. I'm not young or athletic 🤣but do walk alot so hoping that will help. I just wanted to look at the sea glass beach at Alexandra(I know there's one closer to Dockyard but wanted to see St. George too) and walk around St. George. I've heard the triangle excursion is cheesy but I like cheesy sometimes and used my shore excursion credit for it. If time, I'll eat when I get back to Dockyard while waiting for St. George ferry and when I return at the buffet. Do you know how early the taxis start lining up at the Dockyard and about how much it would cost to go to Warwick Bay beach?

I'm headed to Bermuda in July on NCL Joy; first time on NCL and in Bermuda. I had all 3 days planned, but then my horseback ride wasn't available on day 2 like planned, so I had to switch that to day 3, departure day. That means a few of the things I'd originally planned to do over 2 days, now needs to be done in one. Arrival day I'm doing the Hidden Gems tour that takes all day so can't use that day for anything else. For 2nd full day this is what I'm planning.... walk the South Shore beach trail starting as early as possible(taxi, public bus..what would be earliest/fastest way?) and making a few quick stops at those beaches to take pics and maybe a quick dip at one of them, then end at Horseshoe Bay. Then go from Horseshoe to Gibbs Hill lighthouse(would walking or public bus be faster?) and walk to the top. Then back to the Dockyard on public bus to take ferry to St. George(either NCL or public, depending on times). Once in St. George, to save on time, take a taxi to Alexandra Battery Park and then walk back to ferry to see Tobacco Bay Beach(not stopping) and the Unfinished Church. Take the ferry back to ship for dinner(again public or NCL depending on last ferry time) before heading out for a Bermuda Triangle Tour that meets at 7:30. I'd appreciate any suggestions on the best way to save time to fit it all in or to tell me if it's even possible. Does anyone have the 2023 NCL ferry schedule that you receive once on the ship?

Thanks @RocketMan275! I'm going to check for a price drop now on my cruise for this July 😁

Can you apply the FCC towards payment on a future cruise that's already booked?

I think you can swim in the caves if you're with a tour from what that description states. If you can't, I'll want my money back😜

I just booked that tour through NCL as well but I knew that ITC also offered the same excursion. I only booked through NCL to use my shore excursion credit. @Charles4515 is correct. Same with the Hidden Gems tour(although I believe both NCL & ITC use basically the same name for that tour), the NCL tour is about $49 more than booking through NCL but if you need to use your shore excursion credit you're only spending about $19 more by booking through NCL.

I think a "sunrise" ride is about the only time you can go during the summer. I just booked with Mike Watson's stable to ride in July. He mentioned that they have to go early due to Bermuda's summer rules and to protect the horses from the heat later in the day, so I had to book a 7:30 a.m. ride.