sunny2runner

We are going next week on the NCL Breakaway to Bermuda. Does anyone know if NCL ferry is operating?

Noise machine :-) In case you have noisy neighbors :-)

We have successfully brought on a small fan on both Disney and Princess cruise lines. While we love the white noise it provides it also it very helpful to move air around when you have 4 people in a cabin.

We sailed out of Port Canaveral on the Epic. I am pretty sure we didn't have to pay sales tax. Is this just a port of Miami thing?

We were wondering the same thing as we were either looking to book a Christmas cruise on Royal or Regal.

Anyone have any experience on Royal or Regal?

Also we have a have a 11 yr and 14 yr old.

Thanks for all your input on if other children would be on the 60 day cruise. Our schooling system allows for on-line schooling for extended periods of time. There are lots of US schools who are offering this option as well as many parents in the States moving towards home schooling to allow for opportunities in travel as well as get out from under the current state of schools.

Yes looking to maybe sail on the Jade in December so appreciate all the photos and updates from those sailing.

The Jade just came out of a major refurbishment like 2 weeks ago, so at this point I think it's probably looking newer than the Epic and the Escape…

 

The biggest difference is the size of the ship (number of passengers, number of venues, etc.) and you might want to consider that more than the decor. The Jade will not offer you the same megaship experience as the other two. Some people strongly prefer one type of ship over the other, some people enjoy both.

 

Personally, I say if you are seeing an amazing deal for a Christmas cruise you should jump on it!

We have been on the mid size ship on other cruiselines and liked them equally as much. I was mostly concerned about the eye popping decor that I was seeing when looking up the ship on youtube. I just saw the pics of the refub which look really great in another thread. WOW!! That is quite an update. This deal is hard to pass up especially with the refub!

I wonder if the room decor was redone?

We are looking an amazing deal on the Jade for Dec 18th to 28th (3&4th sail free). Concerned about the decor and age of the ship.

Anyone who has been Epic and Escape try the Jade and was happy with their experience?

We have been on both Epic and Escape and enjoyed them a lot.

This is weird as we have sailed every ship the in Disney fleet and cabins in many locations (aft and forward) and never experienced any of this. 13 times overall with 2 on Wonder 2 on Magic. Only once did we have a rocky night on the Dream but it was due to high winds/rough seas. We have always slept like babies on our cruises.

I'm thrilled! I love that ship. Maybe we'll go to Hawaii after all.....

Woot Woot! I would love to do a long cruise to the South Pacific or Hawaii on Royal. We heart that ship :hearteyes:

I understand that if you book with a travel agent you will get a cabin credit from the travel agent. Is this on most cruise lines? Are there any reputable travel agents that give more perks?

Was this a private charter?

Just off the Compass in Bonaire!! They were fabulous! Only wish our excursion was longer. Lovely sailing and they take you to an amazing reef! They were very kind, fun and made you feel very comfortable!

Try these guys

 

http://www.champagnereef.com/rates

 

Have pickups

We just arrived back from Dominica and went through Champagne reef company above. It went very well. Can't say enough nice things about them. They sent a very good driver to meet us at the port. They also had a very nice facility to get gear/dressed and changed as well as a beach bar for post snorkel drinks. They also had provided us with 2 guides to navigate in and out of the reef.

We are thinking about doing this with our 11 and 14 yr old. Anyone ever done this cruise? Are there other kids on the cruise?

With long thick hair it'll take an hour to get it dry with any Princess dryer.;)

Good to know! I don't have time for that ;p

I will bring my own.

 

Overall, I would sail either ship again, if itinerary wasn't a factor. If we were going without our daughter, I think we would lean towards the Epic purely for Spice H20 as we spent ALL DAY there on sea days.

Oh yeah we loved Spice H2o as well for the same reasons - pool, spacing of chairs, gorgeous view and quick access to yummy eats without having to leave.

Tell me about the hairdryer in the room. Is it good quality or do I need to bring one? I have long thick hair and definitely need a hair dryer :D

We went on the Epic last year for Christmas! Loved it!

Only problem was the room. The balcony cabin was way too small and awkward with the wave wall set up and the bathroom lay out. When the 4th bed/bunk was out it was very difficult to get ready in the AM and PM.

Given we loved the Epic, if we go again we will only go if we can get a mini suite.

Going on the Escape this summer and going with a balcony room. Very excited to experience the Escape after trying the Epic.

We have done Epic once and are going to be trying Escape this summer.

We loved our Epic experience but that room set up for a family of four was very difficult.

Only one person could be getting ready in the AM or PM when the bed was down. It was quite a fiasco space wise and that bathroom situation was awkward. If we do the Epic again we will most definitely be getting a Mini suite as the balcony was just to awkward with the wave wall.

With the Escape will can do a balcony no problem :-)

We were looking to book this cruise and trying to decide if we are going to chose the UDP or $50 per excursion per person.

We will be doing an excursion in each port.

We want to know if we can use the $50 on the NCL's new port in Belize.

We are less than 7 days to our 10 night Southern Caribbean sailing on Royal Princess. It hits Aruba, Bonaire, Dominca, Grenada and St. Thomas. Princess has lots of Southern Caribbean itineraries on newer and older ships.

I am with you on not considering Carnival or RCCL. We were looking for quieter cruise experience.

we're going in May, our ship does not get in until 1pm and stays there until 9pm We booked a 1 night stay for 4 people at the hotel. We figured it would be sold out so this is our guarantee to get to see the flamingos. Has anyone else ever done this? I'm nervous but the hotel allows 1 day stays, I've heard of people doing this in Nassau. I'd love to see if someone else has done this. The one night stay ends up being only $65 per person :)[/quote

 

Lots of people book one night to get to use the island. You should be fine. You mentioned that you have four people. Does this include children? Just so you know - the flamingos are on the adult side. They have recently put up a sign that says that children are allowed to come over to the adult side to see the flamingos between 9 and 10 am. I don't know how strictly they are enforcing that. We have stayed at Renn. for the last two years. This year, there was some damage on the adult side, due to a storm, and we sat on the family side. Everything is fixed now. Last year, we spent a week on the adult side. We would see families venture over to the adult side to see the flamingos throughout the day. Security would only allow them to stay for a minute. Just so you know, flamingos are not native to Aruba. Renn. has six flamingos that they have imported. They have their wings clipped. If the primary purpose of your visit is to show your kids the flamingos, you might want to rethink your plans. Since you are arriving so late, they might not be allowed on the adult side at all. There are often topless women, sunbathing, and security is tight.

 

I am so glad I just read this as we were thinking of paying the $99 per person for a visit to the island and we have two kids. It wouldn't be worth it to get there and find out that Flamingos on the adult side of the island only. Very happy to have read that.