pr0pel

The walk from the front to the back isn't that bad. It may look really long on the visual but when you're on board, it's a very short distance.

Was there any shopping in the port area in Roatan? If you took the tender back around 2, you had about 2 hours to look around. Is there anything good?

Thanks for the review! I will be on in 2 weeks. You're lucky the "entitled" suite people haven't jumped in here yet to criticize you for jumping in the priority :)

Yes they called the taxi and it took about 5 minutes. The League City Hertz is open on Saturdays until Noon.

 

I used Expedia.ca to book the car. This Hertz offers drop off service hence why the $25 off in Lieu of drop off service.

I called IAH but it got transferred to national reservations which had no idea about the extra discount. When I drop off at League City, I'll talk to them there. Hopefully they take the discount off. I got a mid size for $19 but after taxes and fees, it's $43.

I rented a car from Hertz at IAH and dropped it at League City and they credited my bill $25 in lieu of dropping us off at the port. Call ahead and ask for this. It cost me a total of $14 for the car rental from IAH pick up and drop off at League city and a $35 taxi fare. So under $50 for both my wife and I and we had a car to use for the day. Far cheaper then the NCL or supper shuttle cost for two.

Thanks for this. We actually got a rental at IAH and was going to uber it after I dropped it back off at the airport. Did the Hertz at League city call the taxi? How long did it take?

Maybe they suspect you're smuggling booze aboard?

Sorry, I misread the post. I thought comcox was referring to bringing the water in to the Roatan port, not in to the pier during embarkation. Yes, I agree that security might stop you cause people love their vodka in the AM.

Thanks comcox. How was the $66 priced out? Was there a per passenger charge? We have a flight out of IAH at 1 and there are 4 of us.

Also, why wouldn't they allow filled water bottles out in to the pier? That makes no sense!

Nice! We are actually on the 4th. Will get tickets for the first time to be safe but I'll give it a shot :)

Oh and PM me for a secret for getting tender tickets!

 

Any questions ask!

PM's aren't enabled on CC so you need to share here or send me an email below :)

Can you take a (waterproof) camera with you when you go tubing?

Yes, of course.

I know I'll be chewed out for my comment but the porters at the pier are already paid a nice salary. Tipping excessively if you have over 2 bags is not going to make a difference. Or is tipping them a lot because you're sneaking in stuff is not going to help -- they are not ship security. They don't care how many bags you have or what you have in the bag. They are solely responsible for getting your bag in to the pier. Heck, they are not even responsible if your bag gets lost or stolen. I've seen many unattended luggage carts all over the pier during embarkation/debarkation days. Anyone can just walk by and take a bag and leave.

They literally walk less than 10 feet, place your luggage in a cart, and someone else moves the cart in to the pier. When I was cruising on the BA in 2014, I decided to place the luggage on the cart myself since I'm perfectly able to carry and lift my own bag. The porter yelled at me saying I can't do that since they have a "system." Yeah right, they just want to touch my bag so I can give tip them. So as I stood there, waiting for the rest of my family to arrive, everyone getting dropped off just had their bag placed on the cart and when it was full, a empty cart took its place, and more bags placed on top -- no "system."

Sure, tip them a buck or 2 per bag drop or per bag if that makes you feel better. If they helped you unload your trunk and dragged it to the cart, sure, a tip is appreciated. If they literally have to lift your bag 6" off the ground from the front of the cart to the top of the cart, tip at your discretion. Your bag WILL still make it to your room, unless of course it goes missing (see first paragraph).

Now when we left the BA, we got a porter and utilized his cart and we tipped generously since we felt that was deserved. He helped us locate our bags, put our bags on top, waited for us while we went through customs, then dragged all our stuff upstairs to the arrival hall.

We've got a $75 per port shore excursion credit which makes the NCL tour almost the same price as doing it on their own. Price being equal is there any benefit to doing the ship's tour?

Are you sure it's not a $50 port credit? And it's per port, not per person.

If you have more than 1 person, you're already paying more to NCL even with the $50 credit than doing it separately.

What is UDP?

Ultimate Dining Package.. which has been replaced by SDP, Specialty Dining Package. With UDP, you got a specialty each night. With SDP given as a perk, you get less. For example, on a 7 nighter, you get specialty on any 4 nights.

Belize City is all tender.

How much time did you have at the pier before the last tender? What kind of shops are available there? Is it like Nassau where they have a bunch of cruise line shops or locals? Nassau has a lot of shops like Columbian Emeralds, Cariloha, etc.. (which I am trying to avoid)

I just tried it again. Same thing--on vacation.

Are you accessing via a bookmark? Go directly to http://www.ncl.com and log in.

I wonder... They are both still listed on TripAdvisor, and I have been unable to get any replies from cavetubing.bz. If they don't reply soon I will have to go with a different company.

 

Which ones have the best lunch?

 

And do they all use the same zip line system?

 

Thanks in advance.

Cavetubing.bz replied almost instantly a few days ago for me. We had a few back and forth exchanges and they have been nothing but pleasant. We're booking with them next month. As for food, I think they are the only ones to offer a buffet, meaning all you can eat, while the others give you a styrofoam box that's already packed. This is what I gathered from reading multiple reviews.

I know that there was this whole thread about NCL building its private island etc and it appears that it won't be ready as my NCL reservation online now shows Belize City (vs Harvest Key when i originally booked).

 

So what are some iniexpensive things to do there with two tweens?

 

Thanks!

I would say cave tubing which costs about $50/person. That's what we decided to do next month in Belize City since they delayed HC.

Who did you book your river cruise/zoo excursion with? BTW--your photos are very nice--what type of camera do you use? Thanks!

Nikon D5000

Sailing in less than a month and my exact stateroom dropped by close to $400 for the same cabin/pax. Called NCL and I got turned down for an upgrade or OBC. Nothing I can do, and not even mad. Such is life .. will still enjoy my cruise anyway.

How far is the drive with cave tubing dot bz? Is it scary in any way- mountains, bad vehicles, careless drivers? I would like to do this, but don't want any unnecessary risks.

We booked with them for our cruise next month that was supposed to go to Harvest Caye. Check out the site, they use nice vans and buses. I think the ride is 45 min to an hr long.

I know it gets a priority tender, probably for the cabin. You have to book onboard, and I think they go sell out.

Yes, they do sell out. Be sure to book it early on the cruise.

we board next week and i will do a photo review when i return we have reservations at La cocina and the french restaurant mainly. i have a folder set aside to bring back all the dailies as well. In my book the only bad cruise is one i am not on.... if anyone has anything they would like to request that i bring back please e mail me at laredotupperware@gmail.com

 

cheryl

Can't wait for your review.. we'll be on next month.

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We've been on 2 cruises before - one on Royal Caribbean's Allure and the other on NCL Breakaway....Both went to the same ports of call...We're looking to take another weeklong cruise March 12- 19 (give or take a few days here or there) and would love any suggestions as to which cruise line and ship would be the best for our family of 2 daughters aged 9 and 6 that would not go to Nassau, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas....They love hanging out at the kids club in the evening after we visit the port and eat dinner as a family....We prefer a variety of restaurants with no set times, and we love a variety of entertainment - we almost always see every show the ship has to offer....Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can offer in helping us pick a cruise line and ship that might offer us a different experience than before.

I'm assuming you are able to fly? Your choices will be wide open if you are able to fly to another departure port such as Port Canaveral, Miami, NOLA, Houston, or even the west coast. We usually cruise out of NYC and been to Bermuda and the FL/GSC/Nassau port a ton of times but since we want to change things up, we will be flying to Houston this Feb to take a Western Caribbean cruise on the Jade.

We like NCL due to the kids club as well as freestyle dining so it works for us. We've been on the gamut of ships from one of the former smaller ships, the Crown to the Breakaway and like them all.