crayola1932

We are taking the NCL 16 day cruise from Santiago(Valparaiso) and would like to hear from anyone regarding hotels in either place. All help appreciated!

We like the Hotel San Francisco in Santiago. It fronts on a busy street, but our room wasn't noisy. The hotel is near a traffic light, so we could cross the busy street, and from there it's walking distance on a pedestrian only street to the main square.

The hotel has a huge old lobby (with a bar)--a good place to wait and people-watch. The concierge and bellmen were extremely helpful with storing luggage and calling a taxi to the airport. The taxi-ride to the airport was not long and the fare was reasonable.

Santiago has a truly great museum to Pre-Columbian art--just a couple of blocks from the main square. In addition to the main square, walk down the busy street in front of the hotel to the Capitol building and try to catch the changing of the guard if you can--it's quite spectacular. Behind the capitol is a statue to Salvador Allende.

How do you kill the annoying Amazon pop-up when accessing Cruise Critic from an iPhone and other platforms?

Lots of discussion about this on the Bugs and Glitches forum and also on the Royal Caribbean forum.

 

If you’re trying to avoid cancellations or potentially having a major portion of the sailing be charter groups (which can negatively affect your vacation) I think you can cut chances by canceling if you see availability going way down too far in advance. Certain times of year with Jewel class are also subject to charters and partial charters and Ncl is big on both.

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Could you explain a little bit more about what you mean in the above paragraph. What do you mean by seeing availability go down, and how do I find that? I really like the Jewel class but I would like to cut the likelihood of cruise cancellation. I've been cancelled twice by NCL which caused both inconvenience and a lot of extra expense.

I have had good luck with Travel Pro 2 wheeled luggage. I actually prefer the 2 wheeled to 4 wheeled - easier for me to handle. Travel Pro has both 21 inch and 22 inch carry on bags and they are pretty spacious. I have used them for years and have never had a problem with an airline (travel a lot internationally).

My husband also bought a Travel Pro 2 wheeler and is very happy with it. I bought an LL Bean 2 wheeler but I wish I had gotten the Travel Pro.

2-wheelers are much easier for walking on cobblestones and other challenging situations. But 2-wheelers are getting increasingly hard to find.

We bought these, too. It came off at the airport or on the airplane on our trip home. Had it screwed pretty tight so I feel like someone had to take it off. I do like them, though.

I had the same problem recently: a luggage tag I bought at Amazon with a metal cable that was screwed tight disappeared from my luggage in transit (I was using the tag on an airplane). I think people take them because they're so nice.

I knew better and I still didn't do it. Didn't want to bring Nyquil or Dayquil and risk having them leak in the suitcase. "If we need them, we'll buy them later."

 

When the ship's store opened the next day, we bought Nyquil and Dayquil tablet packages at $14.95 each, undoubtedly FAR more than I would have paid for the generics at Walmart ahead of time.

/quote]

 

Another reason to bring at least some meds: On a long cruise with a lot of sea days, we ALL got colds. Not everyone on the ship, but a large number of us, including crew and especially the theater performers. The store ran out of cough drops, Nyquil, and everything else. And there were no opportunities to buy them on shore. They talk about the dangers of Norovirus spreading on a ship, but a bad cold can spread very easily too no matter how careful you are to wash your hands all the time, avoid banisters, etc.

Ceiling outlet in bath is both 110 and 220 volts. Need more outlets, look down here and what's behind the panel. Packing cubes, perfect there..

In this post, you showed pictures of a storage cabinet with power outlets inside it. Where is that cabinet? Is it under the desk?

I had cabin number 11090 aboard the Jade, They also had grab bars inside the tub area I used to get in and out of the tub.

The grab bars must be new; they didn't have them a few years back (in the regular minisuites on the Pearl). That would have made a big difference for a short person like me. I probably could have made it into the tub without risking a fall.

My wife is 5' tall and in good shape. For her it was REALLY hard to get into the tub because of high walls. I am 6' and the edge of the tub came up to my knee. I would guess that many somewhat disabled or otherwise less fit persons would not be able to get in and out of the tub at all.

I'm with you--quite short and find it very difficult to get into the mini-suite tubs. All the Jewel class ships have them, and for that reason, I will never get a mini-suite again. They don't even have a grab bar, so there is nothing to hold onto while you make a very difficult step over into the tub.

seadog67, you are doing a wonderful job, thanks so much for sharing your experience with all of us, and especially for those amazingly prompt answer's to question's asked!(y)

I really, really appreciate this review. We are taking the Breakaway Transatlantic and we've managed to get to Platinum without ever going on one of the larger ships. Your pictures are providing detail and a preview for me that I have never gotten from reviews, etc.

You had a picture of an walking promenade next to the lifeboats. Is that on the 7th deck? What is its relationship to the Waterfront area? From what I've read, am I correct that you can't use it to walk all the way around the ship?

I'm pretty close to flipping the switch and booking a South America tour on the Sun.

My question is, how frequent do they have bathroom breaks on NCL excursions? I can go for about 2 hours before I need to hit the restroom.

I went on the Sun South American cruise. They always gave us one big bathroom break in the middle of the excursion. Then there were situations where I could make an opportunistic dash to a restroom while people walked slowly through a place taking photographs or shopping (the tour guide could usually help me figure out where). One important piece of advice: get some small change before you leave on the tour, because you will probably need it to use some of the public bathrooms.

This is my review of the Norwegian Breakaway on the September 17 – 24, 2017 sailing.

Thank you for your thorough review. I read it with great interest because we are going on Breakaway next spring, and although we are frequent NCL cruisers, this is our first time on one of the mega ships.

Unfortunately, there are two competing animated video ads connected to this thread--one at the beginning and one towards the end of the page . The thread kept bouncing back and forth from the beginning to the end of the page, and for the life of me, I couldn't read your entire review (my browser is Chrome). I finally figured out that if I started a reply, I could read your whole review in the quoted portion of my reply window without any bouncing back and forth. So, if others have this same experience, Cruise Critic is making it hard to read your review.

Thank you again for the review.

Hello!

I am looking for a little help. Maybe I am remembering incorrectly or am thinking of a different cruiseline (sorry but NCL remains my fave however I have cruised a lot of different ones). BUT if I am recalling right, there was a link to register as a cruisecritic with NCL and they put a note in your room on when the meeting is. I think I had to do this the last time I cruised with them (you give your name and booking# and then they tell you how many other people have registered as well.)

This sounds like Royal Caribbean for the Meet and Mingle.

I know, I have reported this under glitches and bugs but so far there are only about 10 posts. Anyone else on day 3 of Safari or Chrome only giving blank pages on the boards here?

 

NO response from CC on that page so far. IE works.

The RCCL forum also has a (short) thread about this. IslandLady posted that she DID get a response from CC Tech Support, and that she had to go into Advanced Settings in Chrome to clear the CC cookies individually.

I'd still take the ship, I'm the adventurous type :D

We were in Hurricane Bob on the Atlantic back in the 90s. A much smaller ship. We had 30 foot seas, and it was a bit frightening as we rocked and rolled. The waves came up to our port-hole. My DH quizzed me on all the state capitols, since neither of us could sleep, and I needed a distraction. All the glass and dishes broke in the dining room during the night, and the captain announced on the P.A. that all crew should assemble in the dining room. I was sure this was preparation for shepherding us all to the life-boats. But it was just broken crockery. All was sunny and calm in the morning.

That experience aside, I would still stay on the ship, albeit with a little trepidation. These big cruise ships are very stable.

t

My question is. . . . For those of you who cruise often, do you purchase the insurance? I'm thinking about cancelling it before we make our final payment.

We always buy trip insurance for these big trips. We buy it from a 3rd party company. It's not the cheapest on the market but I've had excellent customer and claim service from them so I always go back.

Although the plans always come with generous medical coverage, we buy it more for the trip cancellation risk rather than the medical risks (What if I break my leg just before the cruise, for example). To keep the costs down, we usually insure for only part of the cost--kind of like giving ourselves a big deductible.

If so, what were your thoughts? Thinking of doing this one with the little.

I went to the butterfly farm about 3 years ago, while cruising NCL. I bet it's the same excursion even though it was a different cruise line. We all enjoyed it very much. The guide at the site was low-key and very knowledgeable. She arranged it so each of us could have a butterfly sitting on our head or our arm for a few minutes. There were many beautiful butterflies and beautiful plants, as well as a little butterfly "nursery." The site is outdoors, with a wire enclosure.

They give away a little punch at the end(can't remember if it was alcoholic or not) and they had a very nice gift shop.

The guide in the bus (or perhaps the bus driver?) gave an interesting commentary about St. Maarten during the bus ride (which was about a half hour?), about the French side vs the Dutch side of the island, about the history, about what we were seeing as we drove. I really appreciated the chance to get out into the country-side.

I believe there is another forum on Cruise Critic that covers ports and shore excursions. You may find more information there.

Carola

I have searched the forum and read many confusing things about electrical outlets. I would really like to avoid bringing a power strip, because we pack very lightly. What I gather is that there are least two outlets in the Radiance Class balcony cabins (not counting the one in the bathroom), but some of the posts suggested that in at least some kinds of cabins, the electrical outlets are in places that are extremely hard to use. Can someone straighten me out on this?

We are sailing the Brilliance on a Baltics cruise, and we are new to RCI.

I have not flown with either of these 2 carriers. Would you say they are both comparable?

k.

We always fly Alaska when we can. They are excellent in every way. That said, I have heard good things from friends about Jet Blue and since I have never traveled with them, I can't compare the two airlines. I think you are faced with two good choices.

I think Crayola means, is it safe to assume that they would have enough time to get from Brighton to Gatwick by train to catch a midday flight.

Caryola, remember to factor in enough time to get through security at Gatwick.

http://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/upgrade-your-airport-experience/

You are right. I was just asking if I could get there in time. I would allow time for security, but the unknown factor is the train. DH is always optimistic that everything will run on time and I always want to allow for the worst. I understand that the rail link between Brighton and Gatwick is not the same company as the southern railway company that is having a lot of problems right now. Is that correct?

Do our onboard costs hit our credit card each day as we incur the costs, or only at the end of the cruise?

PS

I just answered my own question, by searching the forum. I would have deleted this thread, but couldn't figure out how to delete it. Evidently they put a big hold on your card at the beginning (e.g. $300) and then increase it as your daily costs go beyond that amount. So bottom line, yes, our credit card incurs the costs right away.

My apologies for not thinking to search the forum before I posted the thread.

We are new to RCI (have cruised NCL a lot). Are we correct to assume that we can purchase airport transportation from RCI for when we disembark in Amsterdam? Can we buy the transportation ahead of time or do we wait until we are on board ship. Does disembarkation go pretty fast (depending on Customs & immigration of course). We are on Brilliance of the Seas. We have a 2 pm flight.

For about the last month or two, it takes about 1-2 minutes to go from page to page on Cruise Critic. I just sit there and wait. This does not happen on any other of my favorites.

 

I did a google search and some said to use a different browser (I use Firefox). Some said it was security websites fault (I d/c'd all except Norton). I tried Chrome and Edge and it still happens. Any other suggestions?

Yes, I am having big problems. I emailed Cruise Critic, but never got a response or an improvement. If I use Firefox, it's just too darn slow and plays audio ads. If I use Chrome, the speed is fine, but I can't seem to get rid of the audio ads. If I use Internet Explorer, I get numerous error messages about problems with the Security Certificate (which is what I wrote to CruiseCritic about). If I proceed in spite of all the error messages in IE, the site becomes impossibly slow--probably busy blocking all those audio ads.

We are thinking of staying in Brighton after a cruise, taking a morning train to Gatwick, before our flight to Amsterdam. From the Web it looks as if that is a realistic plan, because there are frequent trains from Brighton to Gatwick. Do you agree? Do you think we are safe taking a mid-day flight out of Gatwick?

We are thinking of staying in Brighton after a cruise, taking a morning train to Gatwick, before our flight to Amsterdam. From the Web it looks as if that is a realistic plan, because there are frequent trains from Brighton to Gatwick. Do you agree? Do you think we are safe taking a mid-day flight out of Gatwick?