robinbtigger

We sailed NCL out of San Juan in December 2018.  The port and the airport are very far apart and (at time time) the taxis are regulated by how much they charge via a zone system.  IIRC, it was about $30-$35 to get from the airport to our hotel.  There was no Uber pickup from the airport, but we did take an Uber when we returned.  We stayed at the Doubletree which was a short Uber ride to Old San Juan or the port (we sailed out of the Pan American Pier).  There were nearby restaurants within walking distance.    The Sheraton in Old San Juan looked nice and it appears to be within walking distance of the San Juan Terminal.  I'm not sure which pier Carnival uses.

I also remember skeet shooting. It’s the only time I’ve ever handled a real gun and it was quite fun!  I was not, however, ready for the recoil and ended up with a big bruise on the front of my shoulder.  It did t bother me too much until formal night and I changed into my strappy gown. Rut-roh. I tried to cover it with make up the best I could. 

We sailed on the Norway for our first cruise. It was our honeymoon in the early 1990’s. 
 

My husband used our hurricane glasses over the weekend for dragonfruit margaritas. 
 

I thought about booking an Alaskan in August about cruise 2 weeks ago and did not.  That cruise is now $200 more with less perks (2 instead of 4) and a the classic beverage package instead of the premium package.  I think I'll wait for the prices to come back down.

Oh!   I just saw the other responses.  I'm sorry, I didn't get a notification.  I'll pass on the suggestion that his doctor sign off that he is healthy enough to dive just in case the tour operator asks for it.

On 11/23/2018 at 8:56 PM, zqvol said:

 

I suspect that it has more to do with equipment size than anything else.

Maybe, but he's never had a problem before.  Good news is that I double-checked with him and he's actually under the weight limit so everything is good!

We are cruising on the NCL Dawn in a few weeks.  My DH loves to dive, but it's been over a year since he's been in the water.  I think that he will take a refresher course in Curacao while I book something else on my own (I like to stay on the top of the water).  The next day we will be in Bonaire and I know that he'll want to dive again because I've heard it's *beautiful*.  The Dawn is only in port from 7-2 so I thought that a ship's excursion would be better since he would be guaranteed to get back in time.  The issue is that the excursion says there is a weight limit of 265lbs.  He weighs more than that but is otherwise in very good health.

Is there anyone we can contract about this?  Could he possibly bring a medical report from his doctor?  I'm open to booking a dive excursion on his own for him but I am a bit nervous about the early departure of our ship.

Thank you for your review and photos! We just got off the Empress on Saturday and it was fun to see the ship and crew in your review :).

Thank you so much dagunny! The Compasses really help a lot.

What kind of parties are there onboard at night? We are sailing in a week and my 16-year old (turning 17 (!) on the cruise) needs to know what to pack. She already has an outfit for the white party. Are there others she should plan for?

Hope the information helped! Yes, there were quite a few teenagers on board. We saw them in the dining room with their families and around the pool deck. We would also see groups of them together around the ship participating in the games and various activities. My sons tend to hang out together quite a bit at home, and they get along well, so the younger one was content to stay with his older brother (18- just graduated from high school). He also enjoyed doing some of the trivia and other activities with the adults. They would go to the movies at night together, and there were always big groups of kids there.

 

They had a schedule of activities for the teens at guest services on embarkation day. Since there isn't a specific spot for the teens, like there is for Adventure Ocean, they would meet in different locations for the activities. He would say he was going to participate in a certain game, but then he would change his mind at the last minute I think he would have done more if he would have attended the initial "meet and greet" time with them. I think he felt like he would be joining late after that poiint. I could be wrong, but that tends to be his MO.

Thank you! That does help. My DD is a bit of a social butterfly but I will encourage her to go to the initial meet and greet so she can meet kids from the get-go. She will also have her best friend sharing her cabin with her so if worst comes to worst it'll be like your two boys.

I want to thank you so much for your review! We sail in mid-August for my daughter's 17th birthday.

Were there a lot of teens on board? You said that your son didn't do any of the teen activities. Did he meet and hang out with other teens?

There are a couple of Empress menus on my thread asking about vegetarian options. I don't know if the first one is the first night menu. I think the second "Gala Chef's Menu" was from night 4 of a 5 day cruise.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2377565

TWO options :D.

And ... do I spy free lobster tail for me ?!?

Thanks for thinking about me and snapping the picture :).

I have done a ton of research on online TAs and have not found a single one that charges for booking. Some do charge a cancellation fee though.

Many vegetarians only avoid red meat and fowl. Seafood is acceptable. Or you can request it without the lobster. Besides that leaves out the 'always available' options and I am pretty sure a plain pasta is on that. I guess I just don't see eating the same thing twice in a week as a huge horror fest. Does no one eat leftovers any more?

No, eating the same thing twice a week is not a horror fest but I did not see a menu with a vegetarian option that wasn't the Vegetable Pot Pie. I think eating the same thing five times a week is a little much.

I used an online TA on my upcoming cruise. I linked through Ebates and got 10% my cruise price in cash back ... I'll definitely have a "big fat check" next time :). The only downside of the online TA is that I had to book my cabins separately. I called the agency after making the reservation and talked to a real person who was very helpful. She linked my cabins together and she put our C&A numbers in the system. The next day my cruise price dropped and I called her and she called RCCL to get an OBC for the difference (we're cruising next month) and to change cabins in the same category.

One caveat with online TAs is that some will charge a fee per cruise reservation and some will not. Some will offer higher OBC that covers the fee but you'll have to do your own back of the envelope math before booking.

Thank you so much Christina! My, that inside cabin looks ... cozy :p.

there will always be at least TWO options ( a pasta and a veggie entree) every night and as already been stated, with advance request, the chef can whip something up, usually an Indian Curry. ships only have so much room on board in their kitchens to cater to dietary prejudices. fresh produce goes bad very fast, so they never bring overly large amounts on board to just have on hand 'in case' someone wants to eat vegetarian.

There are not two options on the menu I saw here on WinksCruises' review:

The pasta has lobster. I saw another review with two MDR menus and the "Vegetable Pot Pie" was offered twice which is my main concern.

I don't think I want to bother Special Needs, I'll talk to the Maitre D' on our first night to let him know we have two vegetarians at our table. The girls will be perfectly happy with pasta and marinara or butter sauce :).

There is plenty for vegetarians to choose from. It's only vegans that get short shrift

My DD and her friend not a vegan, but it seems that the same vegetarian option is repeated for at least 2 nights on the Empress. Having one option per night is not a big deal, but I don't think that people should be forced to eat the same thing every night.

I guess I'll cover my bases with "Special Needs" but it seems odd to be "special" since in our neck of the woods being a vegetarian is on par with carnivores (like me).

Thank you! How far in advance do you recommend I contact them?

My daughter and her friend are both vegetarians. We're on the August 15th sailing of the Empress and I've seen two menus from two different days and there was only have one vegetarian option: the vegetable pot pie. I'm sure that will get old pretty quick. Will the chef in the MDR offer to cook them something else? What are the options at the buffet? Do they offer veggie burgers? I'm starting to get a bit worried.

Thanks so much for your report! I think I might consider Chops for the first night too if they offer the same deal. Our daughter and her friend will be off meeting other teens and will probably have no interest in eating in the MDR with us.

Thanks! We're sailing on the Empress in about 5 weeks. I can't wait to read your review :).

My sailing on the Empress next month has us in Key West as our second port of call :(. I didn't even consider having to clear customs but that make sense that we will have to.