davy jones

We enjoyed the entertainment.

In the main theater, there were three production shows and the production cast was good. The stand up comedian was Jeff Harms. His comedy is clean and he has a lot of interaction with the audience. There was a comic magician named Chip Romero and a juggler named Charles Peachock. A Second City troupe was also on board.

The production singersSecond City and Chip Romero also performed in the Spinnaker.

With contracts, the performer may be different next October. The production cast's contracts are expiring this month and new performers will board.

The CD was Julie. She is personable and was out and about, but was primarily a hostess / MC. Her sidekick Dan Dan was the funny guy. There was the usual assortment of musicians, the orchestra, and a cover band. There was a themed party most nights.

There were also the usual "audience interaction" shows like the Newlywed Game, Perfect Couple, Liars Club, etc. that we did not attend.

Two extra days and better ports. I would pick the Gem.

We went to Cayo Levantado beach. It was a nice day. If you like private islands like GSC, you will like it. Food and drink are from local enterprises. Drink prices are low.

Very good cruise. Happy to answer any questions.

Just off the 9 day. Overall, a very good cruise. Good food and entertainment. Very few misteps.

Just off the 9 day cruise today.

I don't get the San Juan stop. Old San Juan is a good port, but arriving at 3PM is too late to go to the forts that close at 5 or 6 PM. We've been there before, so we just walked around town and returned to the ship for dinner.

St. Thomas - We were the only ship in port (big bonus). We also avoided the crowds and took a taxi to Emerald Beach, an underrated beach close to town.

St. Martin - Used Bernards SXM tour. I recommend them highly if it's your first time at SXM.

Samana - Went to Cayo Levantado beach. A good day.

Walk off debarkation started at just before 8AM today. They may say 10AM because the ship is running all our pretty much all the way back from Samana and weather could slow it down a bit.

I went with Bernard Tours and was very satisfied.

1. Horseshoe Bay beach - take the number 7 bus from the dockyard.

2. St. George - the best and fastest way to get there is to take the ferry from the dockyard.

3. Visit Hamilton. Again, the best way to get there is to take the ferry.

We like to take the early ferry to St. George and spend the morning there. Then, we get the number 11 from St. George to Hamilton and spend the afternoon there. There are some great views on this bus ride. We then return to the ship on the ferry.

There are a number of in between places too. There is lots of information on the Bermuda board.

As others have said, you can carry water onboard a debarkation. If you are running low, you can also restock while in port.

Their tours look identical.

Why should I choose one over the other?

On my Glory cruise in July, they did check IDs.

NCL help resurrect the cruise industry in the 70s by offering one class cruising. You paid by the cabin category and after that everyone had equal access to the ship and the same level of service and cuisine. With the exception of drinks, additional charges were minimal.

The model was that if you wanted more luxury, you moved up to a cruise line with a higher level of service and amenities. It was similar to moving from Chevy to Cadillac or Toyota to Lexus.

Freestyle started as a concept where a more casual air was introduced and fixed dining times were eliminated. This made tipping a mandatory charge instead of a reward for exceptional service. They also introduced two upcharge restaurants. Freestyle has morphed from that into a combination of a class system and pay as you go. Other cruise lines have picked up on this and are implementing the same aspects into their revenue model. New builds by mainstreal lines increase the number of upcharge options at the expense of the standard, with prices that are approaching the cost of a similar dinner on land in many US areas.

Mainstream lines now have special restaurants, spas, pools, and lounges for passengers based on accommodations or the number of prior cruises. It has caused some on these boards to post comments that are degrade new cruisers or those in standard accommodations. It's not the Titantic yet, but definitely headed in that direction, and NCL is leading the way.

You can't be all things to everybody, so these lines are heading down a potentially dangerous path. Eventually the divide between luxury and mainstream will become so large that disgruntled passengers on both ends of the spectrum will move on to other lines.

We sailed the Seaward on that itinerary in May 1989. I think we had the same brochure.

Thanks for the review. I was on the same sailing we had a similar experience. We did not need the children's and teen programs though. We also did not use Cheers.

I'm late to the dance here, but I don't believe that NCL is significantly different than the other lines in their market segment. They do have more upcharge restaurants because of freestyle, but that is part of the concept and it must work because Royal and Carnival are adding more upcharge facilities on their new mega ships.

As far as waiting for tables goes, some complain about long waits on the other lines that offer any time dining as an option. It doesn't seem any different on NCL. If everyone wants to have dinner at the same time, there will be lines. I guess it depends on the time you go to dinner and chance.

Most upcharges don't bother me, but a couple do. Here they are:

1. Charges to use the locker room at the gym. (I think NCL is the only one here.)

2. Charges for plain black coffee at the coffee bars. You should be able to find plain coffee (not lattes or coffee drinks) on lower decks and not have to go to the buffet, which may not even be open to get coffee. (problem on most, except Royal, who does have coffee and iced tea available in the Cafe Promenade)

What does concern me is the trend toward a return to the class system of cruising, where your accommodations get you access to private areas, better complementary food, etc. It's like a return to the Titantic.

Take an old gift card with you. The safe needs a card with a magnetic stripe and you don't want to be using a credit card or some other important card.

I have never seen a thread from an inside cabin dweller complaining about their neighbors leaving the lights on, smoking, making whoopee, talking at 2 AM, etc. on their balcony.

Cheaper? Maybe. But with a little booking strategy (when and where) and the C&A balcony discount, we have actually come out better on a few of our balcony cruises than if we had booked an inside. Just sayin....one more reason to pursue status with RCCL. And then add in the Diamond lounge drinks and you have saved around $500 to $600 in our case...and we are not huge drinkers, just a couple or so per day.

When I reach the C&A balcony discount level, I may very well agree.

We have booked a South Pacific cruise on Rhapsody in February 2014, and we will be on the bottom deck, inside cabins, 2537 and 2539. I know the cabins will be small, they are basically the cheapest cabins on the ship.

 

But I would really love to know if I'm the only one who actually likes the idea of an inside cabin: no sunshine streaming in during the early hours, a bit quieter (hopefully), and no looking at the swell (I'm very prone to sea-sickness).

 

Love to hear what others think.

 

We often book inside cabins because:

1. More cruises because of lower costs. Two cruises are worth more to us than one with suite perks.

2. Low midship cabin = less motion and noise.

3. Better for sleeping. You can use bridge cam channel if you want to see if sun is up, or get a wake up call.

4. Sailing from NYC or Bayonne = less balcony days depending on time of year or itinerary. If you can't use the balcony, why buy it?

5. Can get separate cabin for us when traveling with DDs. :) (they don't want to share a cabin with us either)

If it's just the two of us, sometimes we'll splurge on a balcony, but only on warm weather cruises.

Inside users aren't the line's favorite customers, but they take our money anyway. :)

Thank you for the review. Great pictures too.

I received an upgrade from an inside to 4141 on the Legend. I found it to be very nice. It was a cabin between two lifeboats.

They need one like princess offers....premium Unlimited Soda & more Package, unlimited soda plus any mocktails, juices, shakes, floats and complimentary hot chocolate.....

exactly!

The pictures of 4141 are mine. It was a great cabin, our view was awesome, never any noise, location was also good. Not sure about any of the others.

We also sailed in 4141. I agree completely.

Sorry double post

Does NCL charge to use the showers and locker room?