caligirl1960

8 hours ago, CruisinKJ said:

 

 

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but thinking about using Payless Airport Shuttle. Can you comment on your experiences with them if you used them for your transportation? Thanks

They were great. They were on time, the vehicle was clean, and we felt secure. We were the only ones in the van so it was a quick trip to our hotel. Once we returned to Long Beach, we decided we wanted to get picked up earlier and they were responsive to our request and kept in contact with us regarding an earlier time (we had to wait for one with a car seat). 

8 hours ago, Robkat said:

Thanks for the info.

 

Since you weren't  departing out of LA, I'm still wondering and concerned that the CA ban on little plastic bottles might apply to cruise ships as well as hotels.  Hopefully I'm wrong and this new law hasn't been implemented.  

Anybody stay in a CA hotel recently?

 

Do you think your room steward would have restocked with another lotion if you hadn't asked?  

The bill to ban the bottles has just been introduced--it's not law at this point. 

1 hour ago, CruisingNole said:

Every other cruiseline "absorbs" the taxes and do not charge passengers.

 

But of course, NCL does charge the passengers...

That is not correct, I was charged tax on Carnival last June. 

I'm cruising solo, actually first ever solo trip, on April 21 on the Breakaway and while I'm apprehensive about taking this step I'm also excited. I'm 58 and am usually surrounded by friends and family but I have found that I need time to recharge my batteries. The past 14-16 months have been tough for me personally and I've spent that time taking care of others and forgot about taking care of me. My family has encouraged me on this decision to take a solo trip, even if that means finding someone to watch my two grandkids (I'm their daycare). 

I have signed up for things through my roll call but I'm also realizing that this trip is about ME. I think if maybe you remember that you're worth the investment it might help you as you strike out on your own. Good luck!

On 3/2/2019 at 8:01 AM, papa B me said:

We rented cars in Honolulu, Maui, and Kauai.  The logistics are really quite easy.  You will want to make sure on Maui and Kauai that you choose a company that provides a shuttle back and forth from the dock.  On both of these islands it is about a 10 minute or less shuttle ride to pick up the car and drop it back off.  We didn't keep ours over night in Maui and Kauai but if you do the shuttle driver can tell you what your options for over night parking will be.

 

I used Discount Hawaii Rentals for all of my bookings.  They offer all the different rental companies and all of the islands.  It was really easy.  Below is a link to their website

 

http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/

 

You will have cell service all of the time you are in port and most of the time for hours before you get to port and after leaving.  You will not have service at times in between islands when at sea.  All of my posts have been on my IPad utilizing my Verizon cell.  So I did not purchase the internet package.  

 

You can also use your phone the whole trip for Navigation when you rent cars.  Never had any issues.

 

Hope this helps

 

Brian

Thanks for the link on Discount Hawaii Rentals, I just used them for a land-based trip and they were the cheapest of three sites I've been checking. 

I'm on the Breakaway in 41 days (not like I'm looking at the countdown calendar every day) and I'm enjoying your review. This will be my 2nd cruise, 1st on NCL. I'll be out of Miami which sounds like a good idea as I've read several stories about confusion at NO terminal. As a solo cruiser I don't want confusion as I'm embarking. Have a blast and thanks for doing this review @jakeawhite.

Going on the Breakaway end of April in a studio cabin so interested to hear what they think of the cabins. Have a fun vacation!

2 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

 

Also, I want to try and plan something special for Tuesday after work. This will mark five years since one of the worst days of my life. It also marked the beginning of my obsession with cruising and travel in general. I think I'm going to go to her favorite Italian restaurant and order her favorite dish. Maybe even a drink or two...

 

 

 

The anniversaries of those we've loved that are no longer here are always tough. Celebrating them in whatever way works for you is the BEST way to do it. I'm at the 15.5 year mark and still think about the day that changed me forever. Hitting my first solo trip, on the Breakaway, in 8 weeks--excited for the adventure especially after reading your review. 

5 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I’ve stayed in many Hampton Inns, though not either of these.  But they pretty much are cookie cutters: similar rooms, same breakfast buffet.  The locations of these look convenient to I-95, which you’ll be taking to Miami in the morning.  

 

In the photos, though, the North seems a bit fresher, and the Trip Advisor comments on the South include references to it as dated and worn, which might explain the $50 difference.

 

 I suppose one difference for you might be the dinner options, since Hampton Inns don’t have their own restaurants, so you might want to find out what those options are.  (Call the hotels and ask what’s around. )

 

I wouldn't overthink this.  🙂

 

Enjoy your  Cruise!

Oh my gosh, you are so right....I'm way overthinking this. I've booked the South Port hotel and then seconded guessed myself on the cost. Thank you for bringing me back to reality, I appreciate it!

3 minutes ago, Husky61 said:

Why not check with TripAdvisor and yelp?😃

I've looked at Trip Advisor already and they are similar in ratings. 

Hello folks!

I will be staying in FLL the night before my cruise and have found that the Hampton Inn--South Port is about $50/night cheaper than the North Port location. Can anyone tell me if they've stayed at either or both locations and if there is much difference. This is only for me to put my head on a pillow as my flight doesn't arrive until 6:30 pm and I'll be up early the next day to head to POM for my cruise. Thanks in advance for any insight. 

Thanks for doing the blog--I sail on Breakaway on April 21 so I'm interested in hearing about your trip.

I'm taking my first solo cruise next April and can't wait...if it wasn't for a new grandson arriving in November I may have left earlier. I have one BFF that I travel with a lot but I want, and need, a chance to focus on me after my Mom's passing a couple of months ago. My BFF and I are both comfortable to go off and do things on our own during our travels, we don't feel the need to spend every waking moment together, but she refuses to cruise and I really want some warm water and beaches. I too have done the trip where I shared a room with someone I casually knew and that was a complete failure as they wanted to do everything together. 

My thought is that a cruise is a perfect way to branch out into solo vacations. I can be as social as I want or decide to find a nice quiet area of the ship to just read my books or nap. The opportunity to explore is also there once I hit port and go out on a tour, again not alone but can decide to keep to myself if I'm so inclined. I'm optimistic that I'll love it and will be doing more of this in the future. 

There is luggage storage available at FLL for a fee, giving you lots of options to explore without having to drag your bags around.

That is great information!! Thanks so much!

We are staying at the one on North 26th Avenue, is it the same one you were at? If so, I may check it out, Thx!

Hi,

I'm checking to see if you were able to verify if the hotel had a shuttle arrangement to POM, trying to determine if I need to book separately. Thanks in advance.

I lost my husband 15 years ago and have traveled with friends or family since then. I recently realized that I can't depend on having a friend or family available to travel with me. As a result, I've booked my first solo trip on NCL Breakaway for April 2019. While I'm apprehensive about traveling solo I also realized that a cruise is the perfect opportunity to be on a vacation while not actually being on my own. Thanks to everyone for great words of advice on this thread, it makes me feel more comfortable about this adventure.

Just want to report back. Went to Coki Beach in St. Thomas. Walked up to the cab area and said I wanted a cab to Coki, was told oh, this family does too, just wait with them, got in the cab with them and a bunch of other people (I guess it was more of a bus) , and at Coki kind of attached myself to this family - shared an umbrella and a couple of lounges - and had my money and ship card attached to me in a waterproof case and enjoyed a couple of hours of snorkelling. Worked out great.

What type of waterproof case did you buy?

Thanks for such great information. I'm looking at what to do on my April 2019 cruise and this thread has been super helpful, now I just need to make a decision. Do I tour the island and get the culture or have the chance to snorkel out to the reef in clear water?

This is my first trip to the Caribbean and I want to ensure that I make the most of my time.

First time solo traveler here...NCL Breakaway April 21-28. Definitely stepping out of my comfort zone; however, excited about what lies ahead.

Thanks for the feedback--trying to stay for around $200 or less for the one night. Also, any recommendations for a place to stay in Napa? Again looking to stay around $200. We'd like to use our money to taste some great wines and eat at a couple of good restaurants. We're not looking for a fancy hotel to hang out, just a decent place to sleep!

 

Thanks

You should be able to get a room for less than $200 at the Cow Hollow Motor Inn.

The Cow Hollow Motor Lodge, not the fanciest of hotels but it is always clean, great staff, and in a nice area and fairly inexpensive for a SF hotel. I've stayed there multiple times for business and have never had a bad experience. It's in the Marina District which has several restaurants that are within walking distance.

Near the port would be the Hyatt Embarcadero.

Can someone confirm the name of the app in the iphone app store? Pretty please, with sugar on top, thank you!

Mine shows as "Allstate Mobile"

Allstate has gift cards back on their website. I only noticed mailed cards, no e-cards.

The link is now active!

 

www.americanexpress.com/wlcl

Oh my gosh, thank you so much!! I just added it to my card.

Anyone have luck getting AMX to add the offer to their card if not there? Mine not there on Delta AMX and as stated, the link does not work this time.

I called AMEX twice and did an online chat and they indicated they could not add it to my card, it has to be one of the offers already shown. They looked and didn't see it on my Hilton Honors AMEX card.