whenderson

Suggest that you check the tide tables as part of decision making. If the tides are high at the times that you can get to St. Martin or Hopewell, that might make those options less appealing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Forums mobile app

Thanks and keep the pictures/reports coming. We've been on Splendor three times this year and always enjoy her. Have a piece of dulce for me in Saint John. (It's dried seaweed they sell at the City Market and elsewhere in SJ, and is, as they say, an acquired taste.)

We're also cruising vicariously through you, as we had booked this week's Canada/New England cruise on Norwegian Gem, but they oversold and offered us a refund plus a future cruise credit equal to the fare we paid. Since we had some other issues to deal with, we reluctantly took the offer, but we really want to be on a ship.

Bill

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Forums mobile app

Looks like a nice place, although being local I have no direct experience with the Country Inn. You should know that you will be at the Newark airport, which is a few miles from Downtown and Newark Penn Station. If you use the hotel Shuttle to the train, you'll go to the airport monorail that will take you to a NJ Transit train to New York Penn Station. All easy to do, but you won't just walk onto a train to NYC.

The train fare is $12.50 or $8.75 senior/disabled and Penn Station is a good place to start in the City. I would use the train/subways to get around as it's really the best way to move around Manhattan. Many of the busier stations (Times Square, Fulton Street near Ground Zero, etc) are accessible. You can check out maps at http://www.mta.info.

One thing you should know is that it's a substantial cab fare fom the Newark airport area to the cruiseport, around $50 each way. There's not many lodging options near the cruiseport, but you ought to be prepared for the taxi sticker shock.

Bill

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Forums mobile app

As Marco said, better to be early. With your cruise history, you should be first on board as Platinum/Diamond cruisers. The worst that happens is that you sit in the priority lounge for awhile, which isn't bad. I spent a couple of hours there in 2012 while they bleached the ship after a norovirus outbreak.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Forums mobile app

They are at the dockyard. There's a trailer that sells them on the path between the ship amd ferry dock.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Forums mobile app

After she (CCH) opens the doors to Normandie in the morning she is not there. She will come and speak to me because I've made a habit of talking to her. I don't think she has the self-confidence to approach the tables and start a conversation. She doesn't circulate at cocktail hour either although she is usually at the door.

 

I've encountered a lot of negative thoughts about the NEW Elite Breakfast. Most think once the bean counters from corporate put it in fleet wide it's here to stay. I prefer to think they might care enough about their most frequent cruisers to actually listen to what we have to say. Less and less people everyday and a good number are bringing food from the buffet.

 

And yogurt is available if you ask. Have seen no smoothies served.

 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

A tip for B2B'ers: They will email your comment card about two days after the first cruise ends. Then you will only have a few days to reply or your chance goes away. I actually ate up some minutes on here to give my opinion because mine expired 5/3. I don't get off till 5/4 and not home till 5/5.

We just got off Summit this morning and have seen the comment card email. You have until 5/11 to respond.

Bill and Vicki

Hi all, This is our itinerary on the Liberty. Any clue as to which nights are likely to be the formal nights? {I'm hoping it's not on Sunday, because that's the Superbowl which is not exactly conducive to a formal atmosphere. Especially as kick off is at 6:30 pm }

 

Sat. - Embarkation

Sunday _ Half Moon Cay

Monday - Sea day

Tues. - St. Thomas

Wed.- San Juan

Thurs. Grand Turk

Friday.- Sea day

Sat - Debarkation

 

What do you think?

Gayle:

The first formal or "cruise elegant" night should be on Monday and the second "cruise elegant" night should be on the night of the Grand Turk port call. It was this way on this itinerary in Super Bowl week last year. The key is that, although ideally the formal nights are on sea days, formal nights aren't scheduled on the last night before disembarking, since luggage needs to be packed and in the halls that evening.

We're going to be on Splendor on the way home to NYC from Freeport on Super Bowl evening. If you see the Splendor, we'll be the specks on deck who are waving. Carnival does a party on its ships for Super Bowl evening with the game on the big screen and some appropriate munchies.

Bill