Cruisermom2nick

What's your preference and why? :D

I prefer the left (port) side as 75%+ of the time I have cruised that is where we have docked. :)

I have heard about some menu changes that have occurred recently as some posts have suggested. I am cruising on the Escape on August 30th. Would someone please post menus from their recent or upcoming cruises so myself and others can see what the current menus are. I have looked at beyondships2 page and the most recent menus are from 9/15 for the Escape. Thanks in advance for any reply.

I have posted several menus and specialty dining review from our cruise on the Pearl a month ago- here is one and if you search in the search box the others are up too! I also have a FB page you can like for updates posts, menus, etc. :)

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2017/04/specialty-dining-on-norwegian-moderno.html

Going on Carnival Breeze July 9th. Just myself and 7 and 12 year old daughters. Montego Bay, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Never cruised with my kids before. Not sure what options there are for my 7 year old in specific . Thinking Turtle farm in Cayman, dolphins in Cozumel. Maybe just beach hangout in Montego Bay. If anyone has found a cool thing to see with their younger kiddo please let me know. Thanks

Paradise Beach in Cozumel is inexpensive, fun and clean. I reviewed our visit there on my blog:

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/picturesque-paradise-beach-in-cozumel.html

Going on Carnival Breeze July 9th. Just myself and 7 and 12 year old daughters. Montego Bay, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Never cruised with my kids before. Not sure what options there are for my 7 year old in specific . Thinking Turtle farm in Cayman, dolphins in Cozumel. Maybe just beach hangout in Montego Bay. If anyone has found a cool thing to see with their younger kiddo please let me know. Thanks

The Turtle Farm is awesome and great for kids- I reviewed it on my blog here:

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/08/top-notch-trip-to-turtle-farm-in-grand.html

Hi, my wife and I will spend 7 hours in Nassau from noon to 7:00 PM and we like to know as much as possible.

What we must visit, beaches, places, restaurants, landmarks anything.

Rent a scoter, cab or take a tour.

Thanks

Visit the rum distillery! It is an easy walk from the port! I reviewed it here:

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/07/nifty-nassau-activity-visit-john.html

Hi, my wife and I will spend 10 hours in Saint Thomas and we like to know as much as possible.

What we must visit, beaches, places, restaurants, landmarks anything.

Rent a scoter, cab or take a tour.

Thanks

I reviewed our St Thomas excursions and how we got there on my blog-

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/spirited-st-thomas-sightseeing-tour.html

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/marvelous-magens-bay-beach.html

1) Is it in poor taste to take a refillable insulated drink bottle/container and put juice or flavoured water from Garden Cafe.

It is fine- just be sure to refill your bottle by pouring the drink in it from a cup for sanitary reasons! :) You can also get large plastic cups from any bar and fill them with juice, water ,etc. I always get a few cups (and lids) to bring back to the room of water with fruit slices.

2)Are there other drink stations on Escape where you can access something free for kids to drink? My daughter barely finishes a drink box so I see her wasting a lot of soda and juices if we are purchasing cups of them over and over again.

There are areas in the buffet with water, juice, no sugar fruit water, lemonade and ice tea. You can even ask at the dining room for any of these beverages for your child in a plastic cup with a lid!

3) If we buy the soda package for our teens does it only include pop and ice tea and lemonade or will they do fun drinks for the kids like shirley temple type drinks?

My son got fun drinks like a Shirley Temple and a Roy Rogers when he had the soda package. :)

4) LASTLY, is there a slushy type drink machine (like you see at resorts) on board for self serve drinks like virgin pina colada's or daiquiri's, etc.?

No machines are avail for self serve...

We have cruised other cruise lines but are sailing with friends who want to try NCL. None of us has ever sailed with NCL before,

I'm confused about dinning. We always did traditional on the other lines. Do we need reservations for the main dinning room? We will probably book this week with the free specialty dining promotion. Do we need reservations for these venues? Do we book ahead of time or on the ship. How do we link all 3 couples so we can dine together?

Do we also need reservations for nightly entertainment? I am worried because it sounds very different from the other ships we have been on.

 

Any information you can tell me about how NCL "works" will be so appreciated.

I reviewed Freestyle Dining here and explained it all! :)

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/what-is-freestyle-dining-on-norwegian.html

We have the UDP, which includes 3 nights of specialty dining. The options we're considering are Le Bistro, La Cucina, Teppenyaki and Cagney's. We are quite spoiled and have a hibachi restaurant that we love near our home so I'm not sure if it makes sense to book Teppenyaki, but we do love Japanese food. I know food preferences are very subjective, but would love to hear your opinions!

 

 

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If you have not been to Teppenyaki do try it~ the food is really good and the "show" is fun! We love Cagney's and Le Bistro- I reviewed them on my blog too!

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2017/04/specialty-dining-on-norwegian-cagneys.html

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2017/03/specialty-dining-on-norwegian-le-bistro.html

Hey thanks!!! I'm hoping the "impressive salad bar" is just as described on the Suns information. Appreciate the reply!!!!

You will enjoy it I am sure! :)

Looking at the deck plans it looks as though it's inside Moderno?

 

If so, do people still use it as a go to bar or is it mainly used by people dining in Moderno?

 

We loved The Mojito bar on The Escape.

 

 

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It is in Moderno off to the side.It is only open in the evenings and is not really busy since it is out of the way. The mojitos are yummy though!

Caribbean on the Divina.

It is $45 per person per day. Everyone in the cabin age 21 + needs to get it. It is actually a good deal compared to other cruise lines! :) Or you can buy voucher packs (18 for about $72) and you can use them for cocktails and beer/wine/specialty coffee, etc up to $8. Hope this helps!:cool:

Gearing up for 7 day Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Sun. My family is less than 90 days away!!! I have a question for anyone that has cruised on the Norwegian Sun before regarding the specialty dining. Which specialty dining did you enjoy? Least enjoy? Was a good value for the money? Actually I'd take any review you give me. My husband is a foodie...I need to be prepared! LOL

Thanks for reading!

I just reviewed Moderno-

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2017/04/specialty-dining-on-norwegian-moderno.html

I was already given the cabin #s. ( 8110 and 8112)

and now of course I will spend all my time researching it to make myself paranoid, lol. :eek: :D

 

I read one review on here regarding the noise right under that cabin (crew workers). Im more concerned with wind/swaying in rough seas...

I chose 8710 on the Getaway and LOVED it!!!!! It is huge! Here is my review-

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/norwegian-getaway-review.html

We just got off the Breakaway last Sunday. I bought 2 Cruise Nexts. The showed the withdraw of $500 on my account when we left the ship, but I received no paper or email confirmation since leaving. Should I have received something?

My PVP said it can take 4-5 days to show up online sometimes... :)

What is the least busiest time for embarkation on the Divina? Thank you!

We got to the port at 11 and ended up waiting until 12:15-but we were in group 1 for boarding! :)

Or the non-Haven suites! I'd love to see the non-Haven 2br suite since the upgrade.

I reviewed the Pearl for our cruise a few weeks ago-right after the drydock- as well as our suite! The new decor is relaxing and beautiful!

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-norwegian-pearl-post-dry-dock.html

We have reserved some dinners. I found this odd that we have to reserve shows. We have only used Carnival and never had to do this. Have heard mixed reviews. Anyone feel like a quick review with suggestions?? having hard time picking excursions as well.

I went from Carnival to NCL and have not looked back! :) If you want to be sure to get a good seat reserve the show you want online-I am one of those cruisers who likes to reserve seating! :) I reviewed the Getaway here-http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/norwegian-getaway-review.html and a blog post about the freestyle dining concept here-http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/what-is-freestyle-dining-on-norwegian.html from our cruises on the Getaway!

I just got an email to put in a bid to upgrade my room. I have only cruised a couple times before and am unfamiliar with this. I am currently in a balcony room with my 17 y.o. daughter heading to Bermuda in June. Should we upgrade to a mini-suite? Haven? Can you put in a minimum bid and get accepted? Is the bid per person per night? Do you get all access to haven amenities? Any advice appreciated!

A minimum bid may be accepted- depending on the amount of cruisers who bid. :) A minisuite will give you a bit more room and a bathtub-that is it. A Haven cabin will give you use of the private pool, dining room, concierge and butler but you will not get all the freestyle perks-only the ones you currently have with your balcony.

Has anyone received a free bottle of sparking wine? What is it like? Do you get to choose red/white? Thanks!

We really liked it! :) It was on the sweet side but had a decent % of alcohol. Plus no headaches afterward! :)

We are going on the Star at the end of May and wish to book 3 meals in speciality restaurants. We have been in La Cucina and Moderna recently on Getaway and really enjoyed both. Can anyone recommend them on Star - and which other is definitely worth booking? Not sure between Le Bistro and Cagney's.

We love Le Bistro- I just reviewed it here:

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2017/03/specialty-dining-on-norwegian-le-bistro.html

My family is booked for the April 23 cruise on the Jade. We are staying in one of the penthouse suites so I will be sure to post lots of pics!

Please share your photos! We will be on the Jade next DEC in 10164!

On the 3-day cruise on the Sky, what times are the shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings?

 

Thank you in advance. I'm looking to make reservations at the specialty restaurants and would like to finish dinner prior to shows.

I am curious about this too! :)

Has anyone seen any reports of what was done during the Pearl's recent refurbishment last month? Was this just a light touch-up or were there major items upgraded?

I just reviewed our amazing trip post dry dock! Check it out here-

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-norwegian-pearl-post-dry-dock.html

i didn't see shanghai noodle bar. this is comp? is this near the casino? do you know what time buffet closes. tx

Shanghai is near the casino and it is complimentary. :) The buffet is open until 9/10 but there is also a late night buffet of lots of snacks, hot dogs, desserts, etc from 9-11 ish. :)