atlantahopper

Yes that's what my husband & I do. We order one of each drink but we share. Otherwise neither of us can get up & walk! We've done this in the bars with martinis, beer and cocktails. 

Ohhh you are making my mouth water! We love the spring rolls and the shrimp burger served on the pretzel bun in the MDR for lunch. Beef carpaccio and fried calamari in the MDR for dinner appetizers. Wings! Wings! Wings! In O'Sheehan's. Also the spinach artichoke dip with nachos in O'Sheehan's. In the Asian, the noodle dishes and the dumplings are fantastic. So is the red bean and green tea ice cream. In the buffet there is a Muffalata sandwich that I really like in addition to the cheese burgers. And they will make you a turkey burger at the poolside grill if you ask for it. Enjoy! 

Typically twice day 3 or 4 and again on day 7 for a 10 day. I've used them on every cruise. Beats bringing home a mountain of laundry for a family of 4. Also they press everything so nicely! The only thing to watch out for is the ID tags every piece gets labelled with. The sooner you remove them the easier they come off. 

I've booked the Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach for my precruise stay, never stayed there before and actually have never sailed out of Port Canaveral. Just wondering if anyone else has stayed there or has any comments about the hotel. It seems to have pretty good ratings, comments and reviews at a reasonable price. Just hoping its a decent place for a 1 night precruise stay.

 

Thanks,

Stingray310

We've stayed at this Hampton Inn twice when sailing out of Port Canaveral. It's been consistently clean, safe, reasonably priced, near everything and right on the beach (path is along the other side of the fence at the far end of the pool.) We actually come and stay an extra full day before sailing because my kids love Cocoa Beach and the ability to run in and out of the pool, hot tub and ocean for the day. Breakfast is the typical Hampton Inn fare. And they have (or at least used to) a shuttle that takes you to/from the port. We'll be staying there this Dec when we sail the Epic from Port Canaveral. Good luck.

Thank-you so much for your very comprehensive cruise summary & opinions! This will be our third sailing on the Gem, third time doing the 10 day itinerary. (Clearly we love this sailing out of NYC.) Hoping to get smooth sailing down the Atlantic on the first sea day - the other two sailings we did left me in the cabin a bit queasy for a few hours - which was NOT fun.

Someone from my roll call posted the 10 am departure which is unusual since we've always walked off early to get the kids back to school so as to not miss the day. Hoping we still have that option even though our summary does state 10:00 departure.

Nice to hear that the service was excellent all around. Again, thank-you for your insight. Greatly appreciated!!!

Platinum gets boarding groups 1 & 2. They have a separate area to sit in so non-Platinum people don't try to jump in line with them and board earlier. (This happens more often than you think) The order that was called when I last sailed was: Suites & Haven, Casinos at Sea, then Platinum. I guess Casinos at Sea guests needed to get fed quickly so they could start spending $$ as soon as possible!! LOL :D

I've been reading this thread for my upcoming trip next week - wondering if anyone has an opinion about Kim Sha beach vs Dawn beach? And does Kim Sha require the crossing of the Simpson bridge or is it on the "right" side with proximity to the Phillipsburg port? For years we've gone to Great Bay right in downtown Phillipsburg but since reading about the issues with pollution I am very concerned! And now I have to find a new beach! Any and all suggestions helpful. Like the originator of this thread, we are a multi-generational family travelling with ages 9 - 69 so no nudity or craziness! Thanks in advance!!

We spent a 10 day on the Sun for Christmas & New Year's a few years back. My boys were 9 and 11. They had a fantastic time and didn't miss the slides or anything. I think the Activities staff did a tremendous job keeping them entertained and occupied so the extra amenities on the newer ships (which they had already experienced on other ships prior) were not a sore point. And the kids section in the front of the ship is delightful. Over any holiday period you will never be short of kid companions elementary - high school. Yes its an older ship but if you can overlook the age, missing water slides and rock walls and whatever else, you'll still enjoy your sailing. Good luck

Yes, I would go on a smoke free cruise since I am a loyal NCL past guest. However, been there, done that. On the Carnival Paradise like a million years ago. And guess what? Half the people on the sailing were sneaking smokes when they thought no one was looking or where they couldn't be seen by cameras. (Remember cameras and surveillance was not nearly as sophisticated as it is now.) And they smoked on the excursions we booked with the ship (another dumb thing to do back in the day but hey I was young and stupid) because the tour operators didn't care. So realistically I don't think it works even with the best of intentions. So to answer the second question, no I would not pay extra because the system is flawed. I'd rather spend the extra cash at the roulette table!!

I got the email today after lunch and nearly jumped out of my skin! Initially I was pretty excited at the prospect of bidding on the Garden Villa but the email listed us as currently having booked in a lower Haven category. (Which is not true btw) But I think there must be some sort of computer glitching going on or maybe they are surveying who, and how much people may be willing to pay? Because when I followed the link, the minimum bid I could put in was $750 pp for the Garden Villa. However, I didn't do it bc needed to talk to hubby. And at that time (4:30 pm est) our cruise wasn't listed on the NCL website or anyone else's for that matter. Like it literally did not exist. However, 3 hours later when I followed the link it now lists my correct cabin booking and NOW the minimum bid of the Garden villa is $1500 pp. AND get this - they listed my cabin (SC) now as an available upgrade to Cat HC (which doesn't exist on NCL website) with a $600 pp upgrade. So basically I would be able to stay in the cabin I booked but have access to the Haven for $2400 more. So I called our NCL inside sales person (who is a sweetheart and we've been working with him for years now) and he had no idea that all those cabins are available. According to him, there's no available inventory for him to even sell in those categories right now. So what is REALLY going on here??

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Keep in mind that the extra square footage in a mini-suite is all the bathroom.

If you are going for a mini suite you should look for a balcony. We have sailed on this ship 3 times. Twice in a mini suite, once in a balcony. The difference bw the balcony and the mini suite are the bathtub in the mini suite and the furnishings/ decorations are nicer. So if you have small children or have a need for a tubby (its small btw) then the mini suite otherwise keep your balcony and save your money!

Fond Memories of the NCL Leeward - this was my second cruise ever, and was my honeymoon. Loved, loved the Leeward. Still have our souvenir glasses with a picture of her. Kids are not allowed to touch them!!!

Wow, just stumbled on this page and a little sad & teary that they put the old girl down. This was my & DH first cruise back in the day. We sailed on her in 1994 out of NYC on a 3 day cruise to no where. It was our first experience with cruising and we were very nervous. Now cruising has been our vacation of choice and our kids. She was so grand and beautiful. I remember being completely overwhelmed at how beautiful she was, and how large! Can't believe she is gone! :(

Really great memories on her. I have a framed picture of us on my dresser - on the deck just as the son was setting. Wait until I tell my husband....

Hi,

We are embarking on the Dawn in 100 days! I really appreciate your honest opinions of the ship, excursions, food venues, etc. We booked a mini-suite so won't be able to get butler service, the expedited food in the cabin or the Lavazza coffee in room BUT still looking forward to the sailing! Many thanks for sharing your opinions -helps us with planning / timing. Thanks a bunch!