CCJack

I would guess yes... because they sell SB gift cards at least on the Joy SB they did. Note, you can not use non refundable OBC to purchase SB gift cards on board, however, you can use NR OBC to purchase SB drinks and food. So there is some special rules concerning the gift cards and NCL / SB business deal. So I am not 100% sure, but I would guess if they sell them there, you could use them there even if you are bringing the SB GC from elsewhere.

we did a walking tour..."Historic Halifax by Foot" by TayMac tours... We were pleased it was a great tour.

Do you know if airlines will allow re-booking on a different airline if they changed our flight to an unworkable time? We are booked on American and they changed our flight from 1 pm to 11:30.

We are on an NCL cruise ending 9/10/24 in Athens. We booked a flight out at 1 pm. Unfortunately, the airline has moved us to a 11:30 am flight. That is tight but I am thinking we could make it. Ship shows 7 am arrival, our last NCL cruise we self carried off but they didn't let people off until about 7:45. Is transportation readily available at port? Would be be faster to pre book a transfer? Airline is giving us the option of changing flights, but there really are no good options for later that day and the next day options aren't that good either. Anyone have experience with time to airport? thank you.

We did hear music from the theater below only one time on our cruise. It wasn't enough to bother us however, it was pretty subtle. Plus, I would guess the big Theatre is typically done by about 10 pm most nights unlike the casino or clubs. It may make a difference on which of those cabins you are in. Guessing further forward may be closer to the stage noise...

We stayed at the Holiday Inn and were pleased. Breakfast good, and we walked with luggage to ship. One busy street to cross but otherwise an easy walk.

for sure the colosseum would be a nice stop... big and open and kids would love it. I am also thinking to make a stop into St. Peters in the Vatican. Kids may not be that interested, but you could make a quick stop of it and see this beautiful structure at your own pace from the inside and leave when you want. The Vatican museum may be a different story. That is more of a half day commitment, very crowded and I am not sure kids that age will appreciate it. Not necessarily an easy place to exit the flow of people as you walk through,.... Have fun....

We were on a Club Balcony Suite on the joy. As others have stated, you are going to get a larger bathroom, 2 sinks, a nicer shower, and the ability to book dining reservations 5 days before others. That is about it, the other perks like cookies delivered to room aren't that valuable to me. That said, $200 is not much and may be worth the upgrade. Note that we were on Joy, Deck 8 Club Balcony Suite with the large balconies. Personally I would not book those large balconies again. They are very large but deep and skinny. That means that when you are in your cabin looking out the glass door you have tunnel vision and greatly restricted view of the ocean (of course at the balcony railing you do not have restricted view). They do have club balcony suites with normal balconies which I would prefer.

a couple things to consider.... We took ships excursion and it really is just transportation there. We were one of the first buses there and we got in line to go up Blarney Castle and the wait was only 15 minutes. However, 10 minutes after we got in line, the line grew to well over 1.5 hour wait. Point is, getting there later in the morning probably isn't good, even a few minutes later. Your plan of train then bus may get you there but probably later than the cruise bus. That said, even if you don't climb the castle, it is a nice place to visit, the grounds are very nice. Also, note that shortly before our cruise we were notified that our ship was being moved from Cobh to Ringaskiddy. From what I can tell, nearly every cruiseline advertises they are stopping at Cobh but many are changed to Ringaskiddy (less desirable) ... Not sure who or when or why these decisions are made, but that would complicate your train and bus plan. Perhaps a ships excursion is a safer bet.

We have sailed both cruiselines and i agree. On the NCL Joy, as an example, there is a ton of real estate on top decks used up by kid's activities (go carts, laser tag, water slides.) This leaves much less area available for common areas (pools, tracks, etc.) We were on a Canada N.E. cruise in September on Joy and there were very few kids, that left those kid's areas mostly entirely unused, and the remaining pool outdoor areas very crowded with adults. It is almost better to have the kids on board to use those areas and having slightly fewer adults on board than on an adult only cruise. Plus, having kid's on board has never bothered us.... Go Big Red.

We were on the Joy last September QC to NY, it was a great cruise. If you have not been to QC that should be a don't miss port for you. We stayed 2 nights pre cruise in QC. Our 2nd favorite port was Saguenay, particularly the national park there. Saguenay is a deep fjord ...perfect for cruising into. Our ship didn't stop in Maine or Boston, but of course those are great places too.... will likely do land based vacation to Maine soon. Have fun.

When we were there I do not remember seeing any waiting taxis in Dunmore East. You may want to pre arrange a taxi to pick you up and take you for a ride.. You can spend a little time in Dunmore East. It is a small seaside village and ... you can walk from tenders along sidewalk near the coast, a couple of ice cream shops a local park, etc. It is nice, but probably not more than an hour there.

Congratulations.... and Vancouver is a great embarkation city... Have fun.

No. the parliament building is on the SE side I believe, although that is a great view as well, some may prefer that. The parliament building is very close to the Hilton and you see the building from above with the corresponding park and fountains. The old town is on the NE side of Hilton and you don't see any buildings as close as the parliament, but you see the wall and then all the roofs in the old town, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and of course the cruise ships. We requested nothing and were upgraded to a corner room which has floor to ceiling windows on both NE and SE walls so we saw both. You can't go wrong with either, probably choose old town (NE) or corner over parliament if you get the choice, but both are very nice.

Yes, you could easily get a cab, however the Hilton is only a block away from old town. The front door is on the opposite side of the hotel, so more like a 2 block walk to get to hotel entrance. If you are a Hilton Honors member request a room with a view of the old town, the higher the better. Plus the executive lounge on the top floor has outstanding views.

Just received a similar offer in the mail. Is there a catch or is this really a free cruise....? Thanks

I posted a number of photos and more details of our bike ride down in this thread below. You need to scroll through the responses to find those that apply to the bike ride. let me know if you have other questions about it.

thank you for posting, I am interested in booking this. Also, did this tour take you to the terrace houses? thanks.

We took the train up and biked down. Booked the bike and train on our own but an excursion would be the same I suspect. The bicycle ride down is spectacular scenery, we had great weather. It is all down hill, there are no endurance / aerobic issues here. The only thing to be aware of is the first 1 km or so is very rocky and tight turns. Almost everyone walked their bikes for that part (maybe 30 min) - even experienced bikers. It gets much easier after that and ends up a smooth packed trail or asphalt for the remainder of the trail.

Saguenay was my favorite port (next to our embarkation point of Quebec City). The sail into the Fjord at Saguenay was beautiful. The Ship docks in a smaller city (there are several cities close to each other.) We took the excursion to the Saguenay National Park and hiked up the fjord with a park guide. We really enjoyed it. I think Quebec City would also be a do not miss port if you are traveling to this part of North America.

I like your plan. Note on our GC independent tour we were 2 hours late returning to Reykjavik due to a traffic jam (I wasn't expecting that in Iceland) - however these tours have a lot of 2 lane highway driving and one problem can cause a long backup. I am sure most tours are not late, but for embarkation day I think a big tour might be cutting it close. Reykjavik downtown is a great way to spend 1/2 day. Especially if you like to shop for expensive outerwear ! You can buy a $2k winter coat on every corner shop it seemed to me. The store clerks told us you could get your sales tax returned only at the airport and that cruise passengers can not get a refund. That was not true, on our ship, guest relations refunded sales tax but you needed to stop there immediately when you return to ship (before the ship leaves port.) Might be different on different ships.

there is a similar thread asking same question. I agree with others, don't count on it, but it may be possible. I would talk to CD or staff at very beginning of cruise and see what they can do.

You are correct, Norway is a beautiful cruising destination - very scenic. I found even the most touristy ports in Norway were less touristy than all Alaska or Caribbean ports. Of the 20+ ships we have been on our favorite is Celebrity Apex. Really beautiful ship. Loved the infinite veranda - can be used as a normal balcony if you want. Have fun planning !

We had similar problem, non refundable is harder to spend than it seems with FAS drinks etc already included. Yes, we prebook excursions too for same reason. I hate buying things i don't want just to spend it. I did find phone charger cables in the gift store for $10. They pack easily and we go through those things like candy at our house so i bought 10.

Agree. QC is a North American gem... under-appreciated by many U.S. folks. Great place to spend a weekend.