GlamorousGirl

If you sail on Princess or Carnival you may find yourself stopping at Princess' private island at Princess Cays. This video gives you an overview of the site and tour of the private cabanas (a.k.a. bungalows) that you can rent as an excursion. I hope this video will help you decide whether the cabanas are worth the cost and whether this is a destination you would like to visit. The site was beautiful and we had a very relaxing time, so we were glad we did! The cabana was expensive, but having enough food to avoid the long line at the buffet was a big plus, and we enjoyed the privacy and reserved loungers with umbrella. My video-game addicted son appreciated the electrical outlet and ac in the cabana!

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Coming soon to the forum...

 

"I refuse to sail NCL because they don't have Coke." will be replaced by "I refuse to sail NCL because they don't have straws.".

My response to that is "good luck with that." Several news outlets online are reporting that Royal Caribbean and Carnival are discontinuing straws as well.

I sailed on the Breakaway on April - and wasn't aware there would be no straws. It was near impossible to drink frozen drinks. When the glass was full, the only way to get the thick beverage out was to rudely slurp, and when I got to the bottom of the glass, I couldn't get the thick substance to slide down the glass into my mouth. I will be bringing straws on the next cruise (no matter what line!). I hope they don't start confiscating them before boarding.

I guess I better go buy a new power strip because mine has surge protector. I'm so glad you mentioned that. Also, is it the 2 prong or 3 prong plug? I was actually online looking up their beer selection. We love craft beer, especially IPAs but I dont think they have anything like that. Thanks for the tip about Los Lobos. We will definitely stop there for drinks. Thanks for all your tips. Take care

 

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That huge online retailer I don't think I have to mention by name has the non-surge power strips (I think we aren't supposed to name stores on here but I think you can guess!) I believe the Dawn has 3 prong outlets. No craft beer on NCL in my experience. A handful of lower-end American beers, Corona, and Heineken. I love craft beers too but find myself gravitating towards the wine bar on NCL instead because of the beer selection. Loved the bartender at Los Lobos - had my favorite drinks on the ship there. They also have something called a Tamarind Soda in there (non-alcoholic) that I'd never tried before but thought I'd give it a shot - and I loved it! Even though Los Lobos is specialty the Unlimited Beverage Plan works at the bar. Have a great time!

I sailed to Bermuda in April. It was VERY easy to find transportation to get around the island. The cheapest method is the public buses. There are also ferries to Hamilton from the cruise port. And many companies offer van transportation to various places on the island for people who have not booked any tour, and for a much lower cost than taxis. Don't worry - getting around Bermuda is a breeze!

Lucky you - I LOVE the Dawn! Great choice of ship! You can bring a power strip but it cannot be one with a surge protector - those are considered fire hazards and can be confiscated. I bring one without surge protection and never have a problem.

If I recall correctly there are a couple of outlets, but I recommend the power strip. Somehow electronics all have a way of losing battery power at the same time on trips, and the cruise lines do NOT want you to leave things plugged in when you leave the cabin - so you may find yourself charging everything at once while you sleep.

I rely on the internet heavily as a travel blogger, but I resist the urge to buy the ship packages. They are very expensive and very slow. On NCL, if an emergency comes up, you can pay by the minute on the ship instead of having purchased an expensive package ahead of time.

The drinks are excellent on the Dawn... and even better when they are free thanks to the "Free at Sea" promotion. They are delicious, not too weak, and bartenders can make your drink even if it's not on one of the menus. The wine bars also have some excellent wines. The only thing I am disappointed by is the beer selection. The bartender that made the best drinks in my opinion was in Los Lobos.

The shows were amazing on the Dawn! I can't remember the name of the show but there was a Ukranian couple, acrobats - absolute must see (and free!) The magician was also outstanding. I saw NO bad shows on the Dawn and they were all free.

I am certain you will have a great time on the Dawn - it is a wonderful ship that I look forward to returning to again and again (I have sailed on Dawn twice so far.)

I find I only spend more on NCL because there is more to do that I'm actually interested in doing, and I've felt it was worth paying for or I would have passed on it. Thanks to the "Free at Sea" promotion alcohol is MUCH cheaper on NCL so in the end I actually save money, even when I book a specialty restaurant package, the thermal suite, and paid shows. I'd rather spend my money on that than an alcohol package on another line where it was not complimentary through any promotions. I have never been bored on an NCL ship either... which I cannot say for some other lines...

I just returned from sailing on the Breakway in the Baltic Sea, and I had a studio. The studio lounge is a nice, quiet area to escape the crowds of the ship's public areas. There is a coffee machine where you can make specialty coffee drinks for free so you don't need to drink that awful "default" coffee on the ship or pay for them at the coffee shop (especially since the Ultimate Beverage Package does not cover them.) I enjoyed cappuccinos several times a day at no cost.

The only thing I didn't like was that I thought the lounge could have used more attention from the cleaning staff. There was often an unsightly tray of used cups and plates (pastries are served in there too), and the small garbage containers would overflow. There was a bar in there as well, but I was never in there at a time the bartender was there. I did speak up to housekeeping about the problem - maybe it will be resolved now.

There was a solo travelers' coordinator on board that schedules events for solo travelers. I went to the meeting on embarkation day, but didn't have time for any solo traveler activities after that because the itinerary was so excursion intensive (12 hours in Berlin, 2 in one day in St. Petersburg, etc.)... When I got back from excursions I was so tired all I wanted to do was go to the thermal suite and go to bed early!

The studio cabin was really nice, with trendy decor and lots of outlets.

I recommend it, particularly at more popular venues like Cagney's. These restaurants fill up fast. Most of them you can probably get reservations same day if you are not picky about the time. Premium times have been much harder in my experience (6pm, 7pm, etc.). NCL ships have screens displaying dining room availability throughout the ship, so you can see where you've got a chance. If you want to go to Cagney's or Teppanyaki I strongly urge you to book before the cruise or on embarkation day.

I must travel with a laptop because I am a travel blogger and YouTube creator, and I have never had a problem despite the fact that my laptop, a MacBook Air which is very thin and small, does not fit in any of the safes. I just stow it out of sight when I leave the room.

The cabin stewards are the only ones who ever go in my cabin, and I think it is extremely unlikely any of them would think it was worth risking losing their job, with consistent, regular income, by stealing electronics from a guest to sell them. I do not worry when I leave my laptop, iPad, iPhone, jewelry, or anything else in the cabin.

I use my laptop for writing and photo/video editing. I do not use ship internet because it is expensive and slow.

I was just on the phone with NCL and asked if the Haven had priority disembarking while in SPB, they do not, this is very helpful info to me! Thank you:)

 

We are also looking at SilverSeas. Even though they do not have a dedicated kids area, they will have a counselor on board (summer months) to do activities with the kids, if needed. It's not much of a price difference between them and NCL Haven.

I was concerned about lines in St. Petersburg after receiving a notice on the ship that getting through security in Russia can be "challenging." My concerns were completely unfounded. I was on a pretty big ship - the Breakaway - and the Russian passport/security checkpoint was a breeze every time but one. You just need to get off the ship early. The one time there was a long line was when I returned from a night time excursion after 11:00pm when there was only one officer working because of the late time. But, frankly, in my opinion, dealing with Russian security was far easier than dealing with U.S. and other European security checkpoints! They seemed better prepared, more efficient, and more amply staffed.

As for Stockholm, I had a Stockholm excursion and the bus ride from where the ship docked was no problem at all. It took less than an hour and the Swedish countryside was beautiful. It would have been a shame to have docked in Stockholm and missed it. And despite the bus ride, I had plenty of time to enjoy Stockholm. I was also at the Vasa in the afternoon and it wasn't too crowded.

I just returned from a Baltic cruise on Norwegian Breakaway. Although I sailed on a different ship, I felt Norwegian did an outstanding job providing an excellent itinerary and enjoyable excursions. It was a 9 day with 2 sea days - and even with the 2 sea days it felt very port intensive because the excursions I took were very long, with 2 the first day of St. Petersburg (a day and a night one) and a 12 hour Berlin excursion, for example. Didn't have time to do much on the ship being so busy at port and tired afterwards! Spent most of my time in the thermal suite and going to bed early! So I'm not really even sure if the ship matters that much with a Baltic itinerary... I did get to see 3 incredible shows on the ship too.

I can't vouch for the other cruise line because I haven't tried it, but in my experience NCL does the Baltic very, very well.

The electric Hummer tour in Grand Turk was one of the most fun excursions I have ever been on! Highly recommended!

This video is from my cruise on the Carnival Pride in April. I will have Princess Cays and Freeport, Bahamas from the same cruise up within the next couple of weeks, followed by videos from my Baltic Sea sailing on Norwegian Breakaway (with new camera and stabilizer!) I hope you enjoy this video and it helps you decide whether this is an excursion you would like to take!

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After 2 overnights and 3 days in Bermuda on the Carnival Pride I had so much port and excursion footage I had to divide it into 2 videos. Excursion attractions I filmed included: Crystal Caves, Aquarium and Zoo, Pink Sand Beach, Night-time Glass Bottom Boat, Lighthouse, Hamilton, St. George's, and drive around the island. Both videos are posted below.

More videos are coming soon from this back-to-back cruise in April. And after that I will have the Norwegian Breakaway Baltic Cruise I just disembarked from, complete with all new camera equipment (including a replacement for my broken stabilizer!) I will post those as soon as I have available. In the meantime, I hope these Bermuda videos will help you decide what tours you may want to take there, or whether you want to cruise to Bermuda instead of somewhere else. Thank you for watching!

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I recently returned from a back-to-back cruise on Carnival Pride out of Baltimore going to Bermuda the first week and Grand Turk, Princess Cays, and Freeport (Bahamas) the second week and wanted to share my experience for others who may be considering booking the Pride.

My first recommendation would be to avoid early Spring out of Baltimore, as it was very chilly for us until we got out of the Baltimore area in April. It seemed as though no one was expecting it to be that cold up on deck - shawls and sweatshirts were hot sellers in the shops! Summer would have been fine.

I had an interior cabin for this cruise, and it was substantially bigger than the other interior cabins I have had on Carnival ships. Size-wise, the cabin was extremely comfortable. There was also plenty of storage space, and the bathroom was large as well, comparatively. I would also note this cabin had a refrigerator, which is something that has been missing from other Carnival interior cabins I have stayed in. If having a roomy cabin is a priority for you, you may want to check out the Pride. The steward took excellent care of the room.

The ship public areas had their share of cosmetic wear-and-tear, something which has not been unusual in my experience on older Carnival ships. There is rust here and there, and some chips and scrapes on decor elements. There is a renaissance "theme" in public areas that may strike some as "tacky." There is definitely room for updates and improvements in the ship maintenance area. There are two Lido decks - one covered by a sunroof and one open-air.

The food in the main dining room was good. There was only one night we did not like the food, but waitstaff was happy to replace our meals with alternatives. Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana were always great. We were not thrilled with the buffet, but I admit I typically am not a fan of the buffets on any ship, any line, so your results may vary. We had anytime dining and usually didn't have to wait more than a few minutes to be seated. The bars provided very good drinks. All of the hospitality segments provided excellent customer service. Several staff members remembered us from the previous week.

The Serenity deck was always packed... except when it was raining, despite the fact that it was huge. I think I really would have enjoyed it if I had ever been able to find a spot in good weather - there were many clamshell loungers and even hammocks along with the adults only pool and jacuzzi.

I had a wonderful experience in the spa. I returned 3 times to the same masseuse who provided the best massages I have ever had on a cruise ship.

The entertainment didn't offer spectacular special effects the calibre I have seen on other ships, but the performers in the showroom were very talented. I enjoyed most of the shows. The steel drum duo and strings trio on deck and in the atrium were great. The comedians on this ship, however.... not so much.

All of the excursions I took booked through Carnival exceeded my expectations. The Hummer tour on Grand Turk may have been my favorite cruise excursion yet.

The back-to-back experience was a pleasant surprise. I felt pampered like a VIP. I was personally escorted off and back on the ship (per customs regulations), and received complimentary mimosas and a back-to-back group photo. I was frequently acknowledged as back-to-back by staff members.

The Pride is a smaller, older ship that doesn't offer all of the bells and whistles and extravagance of a lot of other ships, but we had a great time nonetheless. The Pride's greatest strength, in my opinion, is cabin size.

I filmed a video tour of the ship:

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Please find below 2 videos: the first a tour of the Carnival Pride, and the second a review and tour of the Holiday Inn Express Baltimore Cruise Package.

Next week I'm sailing on Norwegian Breakaway to the Baltics and Russia with a new gimbal to replace my broken one, and brand new camera and I look forward to posting what will hopefully be amazing videos after that trip!

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Had an amazing experience on the Dolphin Encounter! Am happy to report that this company releases the dolphins out into open water and they return. I believe in humane treatment. This is discussed by the trainer in the video. This particular dolphin excursion also allows you to take your own photographs - not all of them do.The port shown here is the NCL port - there is more than one in Roatan. Thank you for watching!

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Excursion turned out to be more "bore" than "tour" for us, but the port was beautiful!

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This video will show you the Segway shore excursion in Costa Maya, Mexico and a tour of the port. Loved both the excursion and the port and both are highly recommended. Thank you for watching

Thank you for posting this. I am in the same "boat" (no pun intended.) My husband passed away 2 days ago, and we loved cruising together. My fondest memories of our time together were when we were travelling. I am devastated now; we were inseparable. We were supposed to cruise in a week together. Not only did I not cancel it, I booked another cruise next month, because it is absolutely unbearable for me to be in this house where he died. I am absolutely desperate to get away from here. I am sure I won't be able to have "fun" the way I used to, and it won't erase my pain. But I'm hoping the cruises will provide enough distraction to give me at least a little bit of relief. I wonder if it has helped others? I'm also a little worried about people being judgmental - but I don't think they understand the agony of being in the house where your cherished spouse died just dwelling and crying and the need to escape.

My name is Heather and I am sailing alone on the Norwegian Breakaway to 9-day Scandinavia and Russia on May 29, 2018. I am sailing alone because my husband, who also loved cruising, just passed away on March 31. I am dying to get out of this house where it happened and find some source of distraction to (hopefully) provide at least some relief from this tragedy. I am staying in a studio. I know this cruise cannot erase my pain but I am hoping I may be distracted enough for it to help, if only a little.

I don’t unpack! I’m always ready for the next cruise! (Both mentally and physically!) It keeps my spirits up. I only take out laundry (to wash and put back) and souvenirs I’m not bringing next time and leave everything else packed. Added bonus - I don’t have to worry about packing again!

What’s worse is that most people don’t leave discretely, by being quiet and crouching to help avoid blocking people’s view. Instead, a lot of people are disruptive as possible when they leave.

The shows are incredible and not to be missed! And we enjoyed all of the specialty restaurants (we’ve tried all but one.)

Harvest Caye was a beautiful port, and huge! I regret booking the excursion I booked - the Mangrove Estuary wildlife tour, but the port was wonderful. I wish I’d just stayed on port! Huge beaches, plenty of free loungers, swim up bar and pool, and beautifully landscaped. I didn’t get to try the zip line or parasailing because I had the other excursion, but they sure looked fun! (I watched other people try them from the beach.) But I recommend skipping the excursion I took. Didn’t see the manatees that were advertised, and actually only saw birds and jellyfish. That was a big disappointment, but I’d love to return to Harvest Caye and stay on port next time!

I completed this excursion on the Norwegian Dawn's Western Caribbean itinerary. I wanted to post to give people a sense of what they can expect on the tour, to help them decide whether it may be a good tour for them to take or not. Also, for those who just enjoy watching travel videos! I will be posting the rest of my excursions from this cruise in the coming weeks. Thank you for watching!

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