shoppgirl

Sailing the med, and my cruise has dropped almost $1000 per cabin since I booked last August,  plus I have OBC credit now too.

Hi!   I see that my original post over 2 years ago has been revived!   For all you lucky cruisers going to Labadee soon and managed to get a bungalow, congrats!  You won’t regret it!   I paid $327 CAD 2.5 years ago, so there are some good prices going around now for the bungalow!  Worth every penny!

We just returned from our Bliss cruise yesterday! We were able to reserve Teppanyaki prior to the cruise but couldn’t get anything else online. It was very stressful on embarkation day because we wanted to make sure we could get the remaining restaurants booked! We were early and had boarding group 1. As soon as we were called we went straight to the Social on deck 6 and inside there were four terminals/lines set up to make onboard restaurant bookings. I got there before any dining representatives even arrived! They started at 11:00,and I guess we were on a few minutes before that. I was able to book Cagneys and Le Bistro for the days/times we wanted. They hold about 70% of the tables for reservations on board. Of the three, we definitely enjoyed Le Bistro the most, then Cagneys, then Teppanyaki.

Great review of your cruise! Very insightful and informative! Thanks for sharing.

Absolutely!

We used Sabra Limo Services a/k/a Seattle Town Car (easy to Google)

We had booked an 11 person passenger van as we were concerned about having all the luggage. There were only 6 of us using this service, plus the luggage. After booking the Luggage Valet - we didn’t need half the room and made jokes at pier we could sell the extra seats for $10 (which we did not)

 

We split the $120 cost between 3 couples - prepaying.

(206) 229-7288.

 

New vehicle and Steve was a great driver who communicated well with us when’s we docked!

I highly recommend. And they have all size cars

/limos - price ranges etc.

Thank you for the information! Did you happen to notice if there were many taxis available? Two flat rate taxis would be cheaper than a private car service, but I would prefer to travel altogether as we are with grandparents and also two teenagers....

Would you be willing to share who you booked your transportation with to get to Sea-Tac after the cruise? Trying to find how to get our party of 7 to the airport....

These are beautiful photos!! I can’t wait to see more!

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Thank you so much for this amazing travelogue. Loved reading every word of it and seeing your fantastic photos!! Your pics and words caused me to change my Juneau excursion to the Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer from the Mendenhall/Salmon Bake excursion. I can hardly wait and am so glad you reported on it. I just hope we have as beautiful weather as you did when we go.

Thanks again for taking the time to do this.

Most definitely no wifi from the beach here!!!

We thought about looking for the attendants on golf carts but couldn't be bothered with hunting one down/waiting for one to see if they would take us to Columbus Cove. As I said before our timing was perfect because as soon as we walked off the ship and closed in on the ferry it was ready to leave!! Not many people used the ferry and I assume because they really did not know where it was going or how convenient it is. It docks just to the other side of Nellies Beach. And then it's a short walk to Columbus Cove. Ferry service is one way only as you do have to go through security check back at the pier prior to boarding the ship. Coming back there is a tram station at Columbus Cove that takes people but again we did not ask for private golf cart service! Depending on when you leave there can be a long line for the tram. We walked and got back to the ship A LOT faster than my parents who wanted a ride on the tram.

If I had two little ones the beach bungalows at Columbus Cove are definitely better than the over the water cabanas at Nellies. There's absolutely no shade there on the beach and you can only stay inside your cabana for so long when you're a toddler! There's more room to walk around and lay down by the bungalows for sure! More sand for the kiddies to play in and perfect calm waters at Columbus Cove.

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You will enjoy your bungalow for sure @groverdmg!! We did explore all the other beaches on Labadee and noticed how open and hot they were because there's absolutely no shade on the beach!! If you notice the photos there's tons of palm trees to hide under!! That's why we always gravitate to this beach even though it's the furthest beach from the pier. Shade, calm water, soft sand!

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Thanks everyone!

I personally think this is one of the better beaches especially for little ones because the sand is so soft, you don't need water shoes, and the water is super calm. You cannot keep an eye on the little ones from the bungalow, but certainly if you take one of the many loungers right by the waters edge you can keep a close eye on them. My husband was having too much fun bobbing in the water all day taking in the scenery that he barely spent any time in the bungalow. But it was greatly appreciated by our senior parents, and it made a nice retreat when we were all out of the water for lunch/breaks. We changed lounger locations within the reserved section all day because there were so many to choose from!

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It was not crowded at all because the reserved area is for bungalows only, and I believe there are 8 of them?? Each one holds up to 8 People too I believe. We had so much space on the beach and in the water. Your bungalow attendant is kept busy by bringing you drinks from the nearby bar! I brought my soda cup from the ship too and he will take that for you as well to fill up.

I did not know how to go about requesting a specific bungalow. I thought that if I got there first I could always convince them to switch the preassigned bungalow, but thankfully didn't have to as I loved the location of #3. I wouldn't want #1 as it's not as private being right by the public walking area, and I definitely wouldn't want #8 as it's right against the rock wall thing where a ferry dock is. They are all about the same distance to the water.

No freebies other than the 6 bottles of Evian which we brought back the extras to the ship!

I did not notice any diesel smell nor notice anything in the water this time. I was concerned about being so close to a ferry dock, and other shipping boats... if you looked to the left you saw some not very nice looking commercial boats, so I just tried to ignore that view and looked straight ahead at the Harmony! LOL. I love Columbus Cove because it seems quieter and the sand is nicer. It is the furthest from the ship. But my parents waited for the tram service to get back and it wasn't too bad a walk for us back to the pier.

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We recently returned from a cruise on Harmony and spent a day on Labadee. I thought I would share our experience in one of their beach bungalows. I made a reservation for a bungalow on Columbus Cove about 6 months before our cruise. They are pricey, but not as much as the over the water cabanas on Nellies Beach which we had on our previous cruise. My family all proclaimed they felt the bungalow experience on Columbus Cove was far superior to our cabana experience.

We disembarked the ship relatively early and took the ferry across from the pier to just past Nellie's Beach. It was so convenient!!! View from the ferry at the pier:

We had a short walk to Columbus Cove where the bungalows are. Upon arriving to the "entrance" of the bungalows (roped off reserved area), I checked in with the attendant. He had a list of the guests with reservations with pre assigned bungalows. He gave us each a red wrist band to identify us as being able to come and go within the reserved area. We were assigned to bungalow 3. Here is a photo of our bungalow:

As you can see, it comes with two floating mats, comfy padded patio type furniture, a large cooler with 6 large bottles of Evian water. We closed the curtains for privacy from neighbouring bungalows. Right in front of the bungalow are two comfy padded loungers.

The bungalow just had 2 towels, and we did not sign any towels out assuming the bungalows came with towels. So I asked our attendant to get us more towels and he brought in plenty of towels for us to use the rest of the day.

Here are more views:

You can see there is a private beach area with plenty of loungers and shade just for the bungalow guests. We did see a few people sneak into the reserved area (which are prime spots with lots of shade!) only to be asked to leave.

The bungalows are super close to the buffet area. We walked over and got our lunch from the buffet to bring back to our bungalow to eat. The attendants were busy filling drink orders, and clearing our lunch plates!

They were also convenient to the restrooms. I remember last time we were in the cabanas and we didn't even bother bringing our food back to the cabana because it was too far a walk!

I highly recommend the lower priced bungalows to the over the water cabanas! We had the option of relaxing in the bungalow or out front the padded loungers, or on beach loungers right by the waters edge! The water at Columbus Cove was super calm and perfect for hanging out. The sand is incredibly soft here too.

If you have any more specific questions, I'll be happy to answer!

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Which August sailing? we are on the 8/18 sailing

August 4!!! Enjoy your cruise!

Looking forward to following this thread. We have always wanted to cruise Alaska but couldn't find the right ship to do it on until I saw a Facebook post advertising the new Bliss!! We booked three balconies for a mulitgenerational cruise in August 2018 and we can't wait!! We have been loyal RCCL and Disney cruisers but really looking forward to trying NCL now.

I really enjoyed the start of your review and look forward to the rest! We will be on Harmony on the 19th!!! Your review is getting me even more excited for our cruise adventure!

We have two boardwalk balcony staterooms booked for our family of 5. my 12 year old would prefer a Pullman, but these rooms only have a sofa bed. I found a thread with a photo of the boardwalk cabin with the bed opened up at night, and then back to the sofa during the day.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=49503626&postcount=19

I'm glad that your review got bumped enough for me to find it and be able to read it. I loved every post and photo. I admire your courage and sense of adventure to travel the world solo. My family and I travelled to Phuket and Hong Kong two summers ago and seeing your posts from that portion of your trip was even more exciting. We went to Tiger Kingdom and saw the baby tigers. It was a highlight for us too and a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you for taking the time to write this report. I am off now to read your other adventures!

You will have a bigger room with the CP view room 199 sq ft as compared to 172 sq ft.

Exactly why I booked this cabin category on our Oasis cruise. Cabin was spacious, loved the window seat too. Family members enjoyed lying on the window seat reading our books/iPads in the nice cool air conditioning! (Versus seating on a hot balcony). Privacy was not an issue, just remembered to keep the sheer curtains closed. We heard the piano music at night, otherwise nothing. i wouldn't hesitate to book this category cabin again.

Yes, I appreciated being able to dry my hair in the main room in front of the desk mirror, but the part I hated most was holding down the ON button! My finger/hand got tired after a while because you are constantly applying pressure on the small button!!

The hair dryers on oasis are very small and not very powerful. It took me a long time to dry my mid length thick coarse hair, but the dryer did the job. There are two settings....cool and warm! They are stored in the desk drawer and you plug it in the outlet on the desk so at least you can blow dry in comfort and not in the small bath! I say if you have room in your suitcase, bring your own, but if not, then it just takes a little longer to dry and style!

My family uses iPads, iPhones and iPods. We had no issues using iMessage between all the devices all week on Oasis. I bought the two devices unlimited plan. Best $ spent. I also iMessage friends at home, and it was nice to be able to stay in touch with them so easily.

On Oasis right now! We got a call saying to arrive at the port around 1:30 I think? Anyways I ignored it and we arrived around 11:15 and literally walked right on. A minute at the security check point, walked right up to an agent to get our sea pass cards and photos taken, walked right up to take our embarkation photo, took the escalators up and this is where we had to wait a FEW minutes for my daughter to get her muster ID band since she is 12 and under. As soon as she got her band on, we boarded the ship! Fastest embarkation ever!

I am on Oasis right now and one of the first things I did was purchase the Internet package. I saw a long line of people in the promenade at a table advertising Internet packages. You do not need to line up anywhere to purchase this, you can simply do this yourself on your own device! Two devices can be logged on simultaneously. the speed is excellent. If you are a Gold member you get 10% off $140, as a Platinum, I know the discount is 15%.

I will be boarding the Oasis on Saturday into two connecting Central Park view rooms!! I chose these rooms over a boardwalk balcony because the interior space is the largest and we value more interior than a balcony that we barely use! There are only limited number of connecting CP view rooms. My girls were 5 and 7 the first time we did this in connecting promenade rooms on the Liberty and we would never consider all cramming into one room. The two baths were welcomed, as were the two TVs, and two sitting areas. Your kids will probably go to bed earlier than you and without a balcony to escape to, you might appreciate the connecting room if the budget allows.

I will most likely do a trip report when I get back and I will comment on our cabins for sure!