ednabcr

Ship - Breakaway

Deck - 5

Stateroom # - 5790 and 5792

Stateroom Category – OB Family Ocean View

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) –Nope. Constant dragging, mechanical noise. Possibly from bowling alley in decks above. Loud enough to keep light sleepers awake and distract those who struggle to fall asleep.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – None.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - N/A

Was wind a problem? - N/A

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? - Just noise.

Any other comments? -

11 minutes ago, Visigoth said:

You caught me there.  I must admit that nearly everything I say is, indeed, my opinion.  Unlike your factual characterization  that hotel away from the port are noisy, stinky, and old.  Does that factual evaluation include the Roosevelt, the Monteleone, the Astor Crown Plaza, the Sheraton New Orleans, the Ritz Carlton, and the Royal Sonesta?  

I, sir, a humble lower-middle class cog, can't afford any of those hotels and so my options in the more culturally and culinary-rich, exciting blocks of the city are, indeed, decrepit, stinky, and loud. I wish you continued blessings in this promising new year. 

21 minutes ago, ednabcr said:

*Personally* is the key word here. I personally hate the noise, stink, and old buildings in the older parts of the city.

Edit for clarification: love the older parts of the city but don't like sleeping there. 

48 minutes ago, Visigoth said:

Why is it important to walk to the port?  It is only about $10 for a taxi or Uber ride from just about anywhere in the quarter.   Your hotel will schedule it for you if you ask.  New Orleans will be the most interesting port on the itinerary so why not book nearer to the great restaurants and bars on Bourbon or the shops on Royal or the street performers in Jackson Square, or the music in the Marigny.  Enjoy New Orleans a little.  Personally I think lugging suitcases several blocks is not a good way to save $10 bucks.

*Personally* is the key word here. I personally hate the noise, stink, and old buildings in the older parts of the city.

10 minutes ago, km3045 said:

Hi 

cruising on NCL next weekend.  does the closing of the Julia Street station mean you can access that overhead walkway any more?  Although, I believe I understood for NCL, you can walk across the tracks there (even though it's posted not to) and walk on the street down to the terminal?

 

I'm trying to book a hotel and looking at the Marriott at the Convention Center or Hyatt Place.  I figured I can walk over to Julia from there.

 

Or - the Omni or Courtyard?

 

I'm using hotel points, so I can stay at any of those.  I'm looking for the closest hotel, with the easiest way to walk to the ship.  

 

thanks for the help!  

We just returned from the NCL Breakaway. We stayed at the Embassy Suites and just walked south on Julia Street, made a slight right at the elevator that takes you up to the shops, continued walking on the street, and across the tracks. There, we were met by porters who made sure our checked bags were tagged correctly. Check-in is in the terminal to the right. We didn't need to take the overhead walkway and we weren't the only ones crossing the tracks. Same thing at disembark - rolled our own luggage off the ship, walked back to the Embassy, where they stored our bags for the afternoon. 

Haven't been to NOLA in about ten years but I do know the French Quarter is safe. Our family (including teen, preteen, and grandparents) is spending a day in town before and after our Breakaway cruise in December. We plan on walking everywhere (French Quarter, Treme, Garden District) during the day and Lyfting  at night. I do have concerns about walking my kids through Bourbon Street, not because it's unsafe, but because you see aaaaaallll kinds of nonsense there. If anything, it'll be a cautionary tale for them. Ha! We expect to pay around $30-$40 for a Lyft ride from MSY to our hotel near the convention center.

Here's a great list of bars featured in HBO's Tremé. If you have time, watch the series to get hyped up about your trip!

50 minutes ago, clyde3 said:

That's correct. Go across the tracks and through the portal that says RCCL, NCL and the terminal door is on the right.

Perfect! Thanks so much for replying. We're staying at the Embassy Suites just up the street so this is going to be super convenient.

So, just to make sure: If I'm walking on Julia Street and boarding a NCL ship, I don't need to take the escalators up to where Nordstrom Rack is right? I can just keep walking past the elevator on the sidewalk, over the streetcar tracks, and into the terminal?

Jorge Ramos, a well-respected journalist, recently vacationed in Quintana Roo and published this article today. He describes the changes he's noticed along Quintana Roo beaches (unbelievable amounts of sargassum), what they're attributed to (climate change, basically), and actions the Mexican government might take to mitigate the problem (set up a plastic barrier offshore).

Hacienda Antigua is the one we watched a video of. Is it actually made onsite? I heard it is then heard it is not.

It's not. It's made in Jalisco. However, the owners of Hacienda Antigua are real distillers in Jalisco and the hacienda on the island is a replica of their facility back home. The tour does appear to offer a thorough lesson on the history of tequila but the props are just for show:) :)

I've never been to Cozumel but I travel to Mexico often as my parents are from central Mexico. Cozumel isn't a place where I'd devote any time to a tequila tasting because it's just not an authentic part of that region. It would be like docking in San Diego and going on a bourbon tasting tour. Honestly, we've made it a habit to sample tequilas at Duty Free shops because the offerings are plentiful and the bottles are priced well. I would instead consider a food tour, as food from the Yucatan peninsula (cochinita pibil, panuchos, sopa de lima) is uniquely regional and tasty.

Thanks!

We'll be in Cozumel on a 7-ship day and I'm trying to find the best beach club option for us. I know Nachi is the only one that has a limit on guests but admission is steep. Has anyone been to Chankanaab, Paradise, or Palancar on a 7-ship day? What was your experience like? Is getting of the ship early and rushing to the beach enough to get a good spot?

Does anyone know if any of the beach clubs in Costa Maya have those floating water slides/bouncers like at Mr. Sancho in Cozumel?

Has anyone stayed in cabins 5180-5208 on Breakaway? I imagine music and noise from Headliners make their way to these cabins but was it tolerable? What time did it end? Similarly, do cabins 5770-5790 on the opposite side of the ship get noise from the galley/kitchen?

Thanks in advance!

We just visited Alaska for the first time in June and booked the 615 am the Wonder Lake bus in Denali. It was nice having plenty of space to stretch out on the way into the park, as most people seem to take the later buses. Eilson seemed like a good place to turn back and maybe we should've done that. The view of Denali from Wonder Lake was nice but we shot our best pictures from Eilson and prior. Once at Wonder Lake, you have to hike a little bit to get to Reflection Point or wherever it is photographers capture the mountain reflected in the lake. You won't get that shot from the Wonder Lake rest stop. We went rafting with Denali Raft Adventures and, with this being our first time attempting such an activity, went with the McKinley Scenic Run. But, we could've totally handled the next level up.

I'm on the fence between two car services in Juneau: Tours in Alaska's Self-Drive and Juneau Car Rentals. A minivan from Juneau Car Rentals costs about half as much as Tours in Alaska but you have to walk to their office to pick-up and drop-off. Tours in Alaska will drop off at the dock. Can anyone offer info on either service/company?