mackfam

Getting ready to leave on the Splendor next week. Just wondering if any recent returnees can comment on the temperature in the MDR and theatre/bars. I always tend to find it cool inside any ship when in the Caribbean, just wondering if the AC is still cranked up when leaving from NYC in cold weather.

I've been trying to find out what the difference is between a cloud 9 spa balcony and a regular balcony? What amenities do you get with a spa balcony?

What is the likelihood of being able to change cabin categories (at no charge) after final payment if there is a price drop to less than we paid for current cabin?

Also, if prices drop after final payment, are you only able to get OBC if you booked the ES rate?

Hi

I'm looking at booking a Med cruise on the Jade leaving May 3,2014. The final payment date is just over a week away on feb7th.

For those with experience in these matters, is it likely that I would be better to wait until after the final payment date to book? Do prices usually drop then if the ship isn't selling well?

Right now I have a quote for an obstructed OV gty for around $1000 per person taxes in and a $50 OBC.

Thanks.

Thanks for the replies.

I know there is also an option to board the Epic in Barcelona but I really want to have extra time in Rome, hence picking Citavecchia as the departure port. I have heard Barcelona is a beautiful city and would love to visit there too.

I have heard about the Epic's bathroom configuration being less than ideal, and also have seen comments that the overall cabin size is smaller than on other NCL ships. This also makes me lean toward the Jade.

Just waiting on quotes for the two cruises. If one is significantly cheaper than the other, price might be the deciding factor.

This will be our first time cruising in Europe and first time with NCL (which I'm choosing because the cost is significantly less than Celebrity or RCCL who we have cruised with before). I'm trying to decide between two 7 night Mediterranean cruises for this May.

The first is the Epic round trip from Citavecchia visiting Naples,Livorno, Cannes, Palma de Majorca and Barcelona.

The other is the Jade leaving from Citavecchia visiting Naples, Messina, Kotor, Split, Koper and ending in Venice.

At this point I'm leaning toward the Jade mainly because of the extra Italian port and with the cruise ending in Venice we would plan on staying an extra day to see the sights. I'm just worried that Kotor and Koter might not be as interesting as the French and Spanish ports on the other itinerary.

Any advice/opinions would be welcomed.

Our group of 10 had Colin Jennings and his friend Donny booked for a tour of the island on August 3rd. We split our group between the two cars. I was with Colin and found him to be friendly and somewhat informative. We saw pretty much the whole island which was great. After we were all dropped off in Hamilton at the end of the tour, the group who had been with Colin's friend commented that their driver had hardly said a word the whole time and hadn't pointed out any landmarks. He had basically just followed our car. I was somewhat disappointed as I had heard so many good things about Colin and expected his friend to be equally good. The other group were the younger members of our party so weren't too upset about the lack of info but felt they didn't get their value for money. I have to admit that even Colin was not as informative as I had expected from reading this thread. The taxi driver who drove us from the ferry in St. George to Tobacco Bay the next day, told us more about the area in that ten minutes than Colin had the day before. So to anyone disappointed that they can't book Colin Jennings for their tour, he's not the be all and end all.

Caves are stunning, allow 45 mins for one or 1.5 hrs for both (cheaper) but be forewarned it is very hot and muggy in the caves, not cool like at home (or at least here); if you can make it up view from Gibbes Hill is amazing 360 degree; Horseshoe Bay-Warwick; St George's. We just had snack lunch at Temptations in St George's - small place, not sure you'd get seating for 12 at one time though.

Just wondering what time you got to the caves and if there was much of a wait to get in? I've heard they can get very crowded in the afternoon.

We have Colin booked for a 4-5 hours in August. Would you mind outlining what you saw with him? I have no idea what to expect. Thanks.

I think that if you just wanted a tour by taxi, with no real stops for sightseeing at an actual local destination (Gibb's Hill Lighthouse, Somerset Bridge, Crystal Caves, BMAZ etc), meals or shopping, you could do both Hamilton and St. George in one day.

 

That being said, I don't think that's the best way to spend your day. It would be a frantic pace, asways looking at your watch. I'm not sure how much time you will be on the island. If you have more than 1 day/1night, then I would save Hamilton or St. George for the 2nd day, and do it by ferry. I would spend the first day seeing what I decided to be the "can't miss" spots and travel to those by taxi. It's not the distance between locations that takes up so much time, it's the traffic and the speed limits that keep things going at a slower pace. It's wonderful to be in a taxi and see something that catches your eye and be able to tell Colin to pull over and have him explain what you are seeing and the history behind it, and perhaps jump out to take a few pictures.

 

Hamilton is a very nice city, but unless you are dying to shop (no real bargains in Bermuda), then I would skip it and concentrate on things that are unique to Bermuda, or at least make it only a very brief part of your time there. The shopping that you can do at Dockyard is very varied and much easier to get to. Just a 5 minute walk from the ship. The shops are usually open to 9 pm, so you can have dinner and walk over to shop when you are done.

 

Hope this helps! - Clancy

Thanks for the suggestions Clancy. We will have 3 days in Bermuda so I think we will take your advice and leave either St. George and/or Hamilton for day 2 by ferry. We are not interested in shopping with the exception of maybe picking up a few souvenirs along the way.

We are a group of 10 so Colin is arranging for a friend of his to split the group and tour with us. The age range is from 12 to 85 so I want to try and keep everyone happy and interested. Would you recommend visiting the Crystal caves while with Colin or on our own? What would you consider the "must see" places to be for first time visitors and would you say Hamilton Harbor Nights is a "must see" experience? Thanks for your help.

We have Colin booked for a 4-5 hour tour in August. I am just wondering if someone can give me an example of what they were able to see in that time frame. For example, will we have time to go all the way to St. George and look around and still visit Gibb's lighthouse and Hamilton? From what I've read elsewhere it takes an hour by taxi just to get to St. George.

Thanks for replying. I emailed Colin Jennings about a week ago but haven't heard back yet. I will wait and see if I hear from him over the next few weeks and if not I will try and contact him again then. It would be ideal to have him or one of the other guides recommended on this board booked, but I'm glad to hear that if that doesn't pan out there are other taxi guides available at the Dockyard.

If you have a beverage package can you get a bucket of beer or are you limited to getting them one at a time?

Is it best to book a private tour ahead of time or are there plenty of blue flag taxis available at the dock?

I recently took a small kettle with me on our last cruise (RCI not X) and didn't have it confiscated. It was one that shuts off automatically when it boils so there was no danger of it overheating or boiling dry. I left it in plain sight of the cabin steward and she never mentioned them not being allowed. I actually didn't end up using it more than once as room service would bring a large thermos of boiling water to the cabin. I did take and use my own teabags as I really don't like the brands most ships carry.