sailor05

What is in the Thermal Spa Suites? And if it gets us free access to them, is there anything we wouldn't get access to? I know massages etc. would be additional charge. Also what is the age limit to use these? My DD is 15 and very much likes being pampered ;)

Thank you megacruiser for taking time away from your precious cruise on the Getaway! We are actually considering switching from a cruise on the Oasis to one on the Getaway. Having done them both, do you think we can have just as good of a time on the Getaway as we can on the Oasis?:confused: We can go from a Central Park Balcony to a Spa Mini Suite with a view of the ocean for the same price plus we would be gaining the UBP for the week which is considerable given that we do so enjoy trying lots of different frozen concoctions:D I am very concerned having not been on a Norwegian cruise for many years. We sailed on the Oasis once before and know what to expect there but I have been reading nothing but positive reviews about the Getaway. I really would appreciate your opinion:)

We are between these hotels for a pre-cruise.

 

Any suggestions or recommendations?

 

 

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We stayed at the Hyatt last time we sailed out of FLL and are staying there again this June. It's a very nice place with lots of shopping nearby and actually an Outback Steakhouse next door which was nice to start off our vacation:D I used valuetrips.com last time with no issues and have booked through them again this time.

You probably will not find one that will allow a "cancel for any reason" unless you buy the insurance within 21 days of purchasing the trip. Otherwise they leave themselves open for abuse....

This is great news to me! I really hadn't heard of DD until I booked our upcoming cruise on the Oasis in June, but I know I have not liked what I've been reading here on CC. I was concerned they may reinstate the program before/during our cruise. Especially since there was no choice for early or late traditional dining but only MTD which on my last cruise was the first option to be booked up.

There is no poolside grill like other lines if that is what you mean.

 

You can get them in the buffet, but we found that they sat in the steam table and were like hockey pucks.

Exactly! I think Carnival hands down has the best burgers. Fresh and hot off the grill. Yum yum:)

https://www.managerewardsonline.com/RMSapp/Ctl/entry?pid=grprwd&mc=RCCL

 

Just log in with your BoA ID

Thanks for that!

Anyone have the link to the website used to redeem? The last time I redeemed I went through the aforementioned laborious process:eek:

For all these battery operated suggestions make sure to bring extra batteries! These are super expensive on the ship.

Hand sanitizer--Lots of it

Travel size Lysol wipes-I wipe down hair dryer, cabin phone, bathroom door knobs. Anything really that the attendant doesn't clean/wipe down on a daily basis because you'd have to that everyday....

Small backpack/shoulder pack for men--Fanny packs a definite no no! :eek:

Binoculars--Cool to spot passing ships and look along the shorelines as you come into or leave ports

For those who have not sailed before or been overseas BE SURE to call your credit card company that you will be using. Most of the time if you haven't done this and use you card in another country it will cause a fraud alert to be initiated and your account frozen.

MOST IMPORTANT--bring a great attitude! You're on a freaking cruise! ENJOY!

Until this past Thursday I too was comparing the exact 3 same ships. They each have their perks and NCL's current free beverage package promotion was REAL tough to pass on but I figured with that kind of freedom I probably wouldn't remember much about the cruise :D. Lots of positive reviews about their newer ships and in fact I had a hard time finding anything negative at all. But having been on the Oasis I knew for sure I would get a great cruise.

Labadee has a ton to do and is perfectly safe, Cozumel has some beautiful water and we either snorkel or do some kind of intro-to-scuba kind of thing. Never been to Falmouth but in Ocho Rios we did probably the best zip line course we've ever done (and we've done plenty).

In the end I think you'll be happy with any choice. If it were just me I think I would've went on NCL just to check it out, but I have some more family going who love RCCL so that's ultimately why I decided to stick with them for this one.

many people prefer to thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water before eating instead. This is an option outside the buffet on the newest ships (NCL Breakaway had actual sinks at the entrance and I've read here that Quantum does as well).

I really like this idea. Have sinks outside the entrances and make it STRONG RECOMMENDATION that guests wash hands before the buffet areas in particular. It's when eating that we are most vulnerable with because it is hand-to-mouth. Sure there are many many other things that we touch on a cruise, but I'm always aware that I should not be touching my mouth or face when I'm out and about. When I go to the grocery store I'm the same way, once I touch the shopping cart I'm on red alert to try and keep from touching areas where a virus can enter like mouth, nose, and eyes until I can wash my hands. I'm a healthcare worker and we are constantly reminded of the necessity of washing our hands and use sanitizer as an added precaution.

You do know that hand sanitizer does virtually nothing to noro, right?

You nailed it. There's been some recent studies done that indicate that alcohol based sanitizers are ineffective at killing Norovirus, even when they used 95% pure alcohol.

I'll have a group of 6 to get to the ship. Any suggestions? Maybe a taxi mini-van?

Does anyone know if the airport shuttles do indeed stop at 10pm? 5 of us are coming down and landing at 6:15 but my wife will be landing at 11:40 pm. So would a taxi be her best bet? About how much would that be?

Thanks!

We're seriously considering booking the Getaway for this June due to free beverage package currently being offered, and the desire to try something diiferent. We have done several cruises on RCCL and Carnival and the ONE THING we love most is sitting down in the main dining rooms and having a somewhat formal dinner together as a family plus the very formal dinners on the selected nights. It seems like from what I'm reading that NCL isn't as formal and in my mind I see people eating in the main dining rooms dressed however casual hey wish. Am I wrong in this perception? I want these types of dinners/setting without paying additional fees too. :rolleyes:

Anyone who's been on the other cruise lines able to compare so I know what to expect? Thanks a bunch!

Thanks everyone for all the great information and opinions! Definitely some food for thought. We've got our choices narrowed down to this ship/itinerary and the Independence Eastern, both in June this year. I'm sure we'll have a great time on either! :D

Anyone done this cruise before? It goes to St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Johns, St. Lucia, and Barbados. This is a very port intensive cruise and I'm more of a sea day kind of guy so I'm on the fence but my wife and kids want to do this one. In my thoughts I just see us going into these ports and the ship basically being "shut down" for the most part until 5 or 6 in the evening each day. Then by the time dinner is over we only have a short time each night to really enjoy the ship and all it has to offer. I can honestly say I've never stayed on a ship while in a port before so I really do not know what it's like.

So I guess what I want to know from someone who has done this one or something similar is does the ship close everything in all of these ports or do they leave more things open like the casino and shops because this one is so port intensive? Did you come away the feeling of having been on a nice cruise or were you wore out from being in all the ports and doing activities?

I appreciate any thoughts!!

Why do you say to avoid Central Park or Boardwalk balcony? Don't think we would do Boardwalk because I don't think they are midship anyway, but was contemplating between CP or outside.

I'm not sure what the price difference is between CP and an OV balcony but we were in the CP on the Oasis and while we loved the ship, we did not like the CP balcony. There's really not much to look at once you're past the first day as it doesn't change. When we were out on the balcony we ALWAYS had people looking at us either from people walking in Central Park or from the balconies on the other side of the ship. I LIKE PRIVACY so it just was not for me and from day 2 on didn't find myself out there very much at all. So I wouldn't pay extra for it ever again. But that's just my opinion....

I too would love know the answer. My son is taking a couple of online college courses this summer and are hoping the internet is good enough to take an online quiz or test if needed. I would hope there is no issue with dropping internet in the middle of something as well:eek:

So I'm going to go ahead and attempt to be "wowed" and book a cruise on either the Liberty or Adventure for this June (will decide this weekend). I have definitely noticed the HUGE increase in the fare for the first person so I know I'm not getting the deal of the century. However, I feel I cant really go wrong with booking now because if after this sale the price goes down I can have mine adjusted.

Does anyone see anything wrong with doing it this way? As far as I can tell there are not anything in the terms that will prevent me from doing this. I am ok with the current pricing and if it stays the same then so be it. We're ready to cruise and want this one to be on RCCL.:D

Anybody know where I can find out what shows(theater) and movies(big screen outside) are currently playing? Thanks!

Port Canaveral votes to stop issuing permits to park-and-rides

I am curious to see what this means for us that are already booked in a hotel with shuttle service to the pier and parking at the hotel.....

 

PORT CANAVERAL — The Canaveral Port Authority board voted today to stop issuing new permits to operators of park-and-ride services to the port.

Commissioners see this as a way to help stop the erosion of port parking revenue, which is a major source of profit for Port Canaveral.

 

In addition, commissioners approved a new $50-per-trip fee on current providers of such park-and-ride operations, including local hotels and owners of parking lots.

 

The vote was 3-2, with Vice Chairman Tom Weinberg and Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Allender voting no. They felt they should have had more time to consider the options, which they first received during the meeting.

 

The commission stopped short of its parking consultant's recommendation to revoke all permits for current parking providers

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Maybe it's just new ones as stated so maybe the ones that already have a permit will be able to bypass the fees.

I don't know how much that is in dollars, but the JS is 317 sq. ft. and the D1 is 214 sq. ft. You're losing about a third of the size. We squeeze 4 people into a D1, so with 2, you should be fine. But noticeable.

I'm not sure that you would miss anything from just 3 decks down. I'm coming up on my 3rd cruise with RCCL, and I specifically ask for deck 6. It's about about mid-ways in the ship, which allows using the stairways more, thus avoiding the overcrowded elevators.

When we were on the Freedom, we could not open the dividers between balconies, so unless it's different now or on the Liberty that may not even be a consideration. I think what you may miss the most is going from a JS to a D category. They are considerably smaller.

I thought it meant "Dumb Husband" or "Dumb Wife":D