yocrui5e

The NCL version of "Best of Roatan" presented to me was actually not by Bodden Tours, but by another company called Total Gusto. The latter had a well organized tour that featured the following: Macaw Market (a sampling of local chocolate and iced coffee) French Key boat ride, to see mangroves up-close A view of the second largest barrier reef in the world (pictured) Las Palmas (Garifuna music and dance performance with a beach break afterwards, featuring also a ROATAN sign) The tour took about 3-4 hours. There were about 20 of us in a small, tight but air-conditioned bus. The guide was well spoken, narrating Roatan's history and culture in a way that made the bus rides much shorter. When we got out of the bus, there was never too much walking, but you could walk as much as you wanted during the beach break. The guide even offered a couple of Honduran lempira banknotes for anyone who answered Roatan trivia questions correctly! Contrary to some negative review(s) on NCL's website, the tour turned out to be satisfying (and not too expensive compared to the price of other excursions) and I would recommend.

It seems to be working well - $12 for "roam like home" today ain't bad considering NCL's "free at sea" gives about only 20 minutes a day of wifi in 2023 😁 Well, off to enjoy the Joy!

Hi, When you turn airplane mode on, you turn phone calling, data and wi-fi off. However, you can turn wi-fi back on and still be on airplane mode (that means, wifi but no phone, no data). When you come back to Canada, then you can turn airplane mode off. It's best not to use "roam like home" (i.e. turning airplane mode OFF during a cruise) unless you are confident you know what you're doing. It's also good to check that airplane mode is ON before you do anything on a cruise! I hope that helps @LHT28! === Thanks again to everybody here too for the insights! I figured that Port of Miami is quite far away from the main city of Miami, so cell service on port would be spotty. Best bet would be moving to upper decks. I checked Fido's "Roam-like-Home" and it's an affordable C$10 a day for US roaming. Turning airplane mode back ON before sail away could be a nice rule of thumb :)

Just wondering if anyone tried mobile roaming with Fido (or any Canadian cell provider) while aboard the ship (but before sail away) at the Port of Miami? Would like to know by the end of day Friday. If not, I will try and report my findings after :)

Cheers to the wine and music Come to think of it, I used to be midway of last-minute and weeks-ahead. I think years of no travel is just making me more eager about everything!

"But the last-minute rush when packing for a holiday has led to three quarters of men forgetting something important. And more than half of men find the packing process stressful compared to just 31 per cent of women." https://travgear.com/2017/08/29/why-men-dont-pack-until-the-last-minute/ I'm a straight guy but I like prepping for a trip weeks in advance for exactly the reasons above: forgetting/stressing!

Has anyone ever taken this "Best of Roatan" excursion through NCL? Any insights on what to expect and what you found were highlights? (At the risk of sounding like "advertising", I welcome the harshest of criticisms so that I can prepare!)

A few weeks from cruise time, my travel partner and I are just watching YouTube videos about cruise ships and the nuances of the cruise ship we are going on! Some channels like La Lido Loca and Cruise Radio have daily news so we stay abreast on the goings-on every evening. I bet by the time we go on the cruise, we'll feel like we've already been there for weeks!

I start packing a month before but not everything: I put in the luggage what I won't need for the next month, then slowly pack week by week. The weekend before the trip, I check my list to see if I have everything in the house. What I don't have, I can go out and buy. Two nights before the trip is when I make sure everything's in. If I really need to get something, I can still go out and buy it. After that, I can then just relax and feel like on vacation rather than working overtime!

Itinerary and the ship should both be important! For those who like itineraries, a change in ports is like a new-ship-lover booking for Norwegian Prima but ending up on the Norwegian Sun (it's not the end of the world but it's just ... kind of annoying!)

You're right actually ... why is this thread so attractive? There are "roll calls" threads that would be better suited for countdowns. I think this kind of thread is still a good thread to get new users more comfortable with posting. I personally don't care if nobody cares when I'm sailing :)

21 to Joy! It's check-in day!

Thanks, nice to know it is as simple as asking :) - it would be something else if they only used US dollars on that island!

I collect small bits of foreign currency as souvenirs. I was wondering if anyone, with a similar hobby, had the experience of exchanging small amounts of US dollars in Roatan with Honduran lempira? Where would be the best place to do so and/or do the port shops offer the local currency as change? Thanks!

Grayline bus from Keflavik to Reykjavik is 24 euros ($25) per person Taxis can be $207 for 4 people (2023 as listed on Icelandair), so still twice as much per person! That said, I'd spend twice as much for the speed, availability, comfort and drop-off location (right in front of hotel) if travelling with at least 3 other people