klepton

It's not something that can be put into words really, most people really enjoy them. I had them for the first time earlier this month on the Glory. I really was expecting to the underwhelmed after reading all the hype about these burgers, but I have to say they were really good. I tried one of each kind on the menu, and finally settled in to my favorite (which I had at least one per day). Burger is fresh off the grill, good cheese, good sauces.

I didn't like the fries by themselves, but dipped in the Chipotle Mayo they were pretty good.

This really sounds like a spectacular itinerary. I'm considering this exact B2B Spring Break 2018 assuming the AoS is still going out of SJ. I think you'll have a great time!

I've been to all of these ports, so I'll answer your direct question about beaches to the best of my recollection, and also add in a few other tidbits as I think of them. I do recommend you check out the Port Of Call boards for each of these islands though, lots of good info about each specific place. See below:

 

ST. CROIX, U.S.V.I. There is a beach within walking distance, a very short walk directly from the pier. Basically just exit the pier, turn left, walk past the fort, and you're there. There's another close by beach which many claim is better (more facilities and water sports). I'm guessing you could walk the distance, but I have no idea how safe the walk is with sidewalks. Would be a short cab ride though. Check the St. Croix board, there's a local (Drake) who is great about helping people with answers)

BASSETERRE, ST KITTS & NEVIS Nothing within walking distance, but some really great beaches on the island. Best thing to do is figure out what you're looking for (snorkeling, sandy beach, jet skis, etc) and find the one that best suits your needs. Cab prices will vary, but shouldn't be too high regardless of the beach you choose.

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN Great bay beach is right next to the pier. You can walk there (we do) or take a quick and cheap water taxi. I'm pretty "meh" on this beach. Lots to do, lots of facilities, lots of bars, but there are so many better beaches on the island. Prices are flat per person to get to various beaches, and are posted at the port taxi stand. I would probably invest a bit and get to a better beach, but you can make it a game-day decision based on price and how everyone is feeling. Note that this island is where the famous Maho Beach is right next to the airport, where the big planes fly a couple dozen feet over the beach to land on the runway. Maho isn't the best beach (kinda rocky in spots) but the novelty of the airport might make it worth a trip.

ROSEAU, DOMINICA No great beaches anywhere on the island, at least not in the traditional sense. Mostly black sand beaches and mostly rocky with no facilities. The beauty of Dominica lies in the interior. I strongly recommend doing a tour here takes you to some of the better sites like Ti Tou Gorge, Hot Springs baths, various waterfalls, etc)

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS - The Boat Yard is probably your best bet. There's a cover charge, but the facilities available are worth it and perfect for kids. Short cab ride over and decently priced buckets of banks beer

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO Closest beaches aren't worth visiting. If you havent' been before, I'd spend the day visiting Old San Juan, there is a lot to do there. If you have done that, maybe take a day trip to El Yunke rainforest. If you must do a beach, Luquillo Beach is about 45 minutes away.

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS Nothing within walking distance, but the open air taxi trucks are reasonably priced. Lots of good beaches on this island, just pick one and enjoy the day. Transportation is very easy to all the major beaches.

ST. CROIX, U.S.V.I. - See above

ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA 365 beaches to choose from, I've only been to one and it was a cab ride away. I don't think there's anything within walking distance, but don't quote me on that. Best to check the port of call boards if no one else has better info here. I would possibly consider an island tour here. They can be had cheap ($20-$30pp) and include stops at various sites and a couple hours of beach time. Sometimes the island tour isn't much more expensive than just a cab ride to the beach.

CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA No beaches within walking distance. Beaches here are all public, but many beaches have the access guarded very tightly by resorts, meaning some are only accessible via the water. Some operators offer a water taxi to/from Jalouisie beach, which is what I would recommend. There are closer beaches, I'm not sure of cab prices.

ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA There's a cheap water taxi to a decent beach. You can see it from the ship, but it's not really walking distance because you have to go around a huge harbor that goes inland. It's probably a 10 minute car ride if that gives you an idea. The water taxi will get you there in about 5 minutes. Nice beach and water, lots of shade under trees.

As mentioned, loungers/umbrellas will cost maybe $20 at each place.

We had a boardwalk balcony, about the middle of the row on deck 14. Had a good view of the Aquatheater and even the ocean off the aft. You won't have as good of a view of the AT from all rooms, some rooms farther fwd will have a narrower view. Balcony was good for watching the shows and people-watching throughout the day. Was not good for relaxing on the balcony at any time. Noisy, and you could always be seen. Plus you have to remember to keep your blinds shut at night when your lights are on.

The doors did a pretty good job of blocking out the noise, but it was definitely noisy when you were out on the balcony.

I wouldn't book another one, we prefer the ocean. However, the privacy concerns are the same with CP balcony you have booked now. With a CP balcony you'll get a little quieter, much less breeze (it can get warm), and no view of the ocean or AT. I'd probably prefer a boardwalk balcony to a CP balcony.

Something else to note, some decks have public spaces at the far aft of the hallways (ours did). So we were just steps away from a large aft deck with great views of the ocean, AT, etc. Very few people used these... So if you go for a boardwalk balcony I'd suggest choosing a deck that has one of these and not the AT suites at the end of the hallway.

To anyone interested, a nice cabin video of Aft H6 9318 was posted this morning, not sure if this is related to the other review someone mentioned, but I found the video very helpful as we have this exact cabin booked.

I've (mostly) been a silent lurker waiting for H6 info, specifically deck 9.

Maybe someone will finally take my word on the fact that all of the aft penthouse balconies on Escape are considerably smaller than the ones on the earlier Breakaway and Getaway class. Oh well :p

It's not that people didn't believe you, but saying that something is *smaller* than "HUGE" doesn't really give a lot of definition on "how big". :D I knew the balconies would be smaller, but I was waiting with a lot of anticipation to see the deck 9 H6 because we'll be travelling with a large group and I wanted to see how/if we'd all fit out there. This video was the first I'd seen for deck 9 H6.

I don't get the continued confusion. I've posted pics of our balcony more than once, in 10914 (H6)

I saw your pics, thanks for those. There's so much variation among the decks that it's nice to get a visual on each one.

I'd have to look back for your specific room, but it may originally have been only for two. NCL made some changes back around 2010 when they made quite a few of the suites with only a capacity of two to now allow 3 or 4 to the same room.

Don't get me wrong... it accommodated us *very* well. :) We had more room to spread out than any room we've ever had previously. It just wasn't set up well for young kids. Naptime on the couch made the main room unusable (so DS took naps on the big bed). We had family come and hang out with us a few nights, so the kids had to start out on the big bed and then we moved them when we were going to bed. It's a huge room though, by any standard, let alone cruising standards.

Thanks klepton for the info. We sail in 12006 in May and can't wait. Looking forward to the big balcony and hot tub. Disappointed about no bottle of liquor in our suite but will get used to drinking the 3 bottles of wine. Did you get a bottle of champagne in your suite too?

Yes, we had a bottle of champagne on embarkation day which was ok, not great but not bad. No choice on that, though it's possible I could have exchanged it if I asked. Then Peter (our butler) brought me a menu to make wine bottle selections.

The suite really is amazing. In many ways I'm a little disappointed I used our "splurge" on this trip, as we were in port every day and didn't really enjoy the suite as much as I would have liked. But it worked very well for us with two kids. While it accommodated a family of 4, I really think the suite was designed for 2 guests to live very comfortably rather than a family, but it still worked great for us.

We did very little around the ship, we were either in port or enjoying our suite.

Just off POA today. Sitting in HNL right now waiting for my flight.

The Grand Suite (12006) was absolutely spectacular! It was a palace compared to any room we've ever stayed in before. We used the hot tub on the balcony every day, and there was more than enough room for us to spread out in. The bathroom was great! Jacuzzi tub that DW loved, double sinks, great shower with many modes, and large closet. Butler service was good, and our room steward was amazing.

Anyway, back to the topics at hand:

1) I could not find out which specific Hawaiian law restricts the giving of liquor bottles. I asked the Butler, Concierge, and Hotel Director, and none of them knew the specifics, they just knew that it was Hawaiian law. Tony, the HD, directed me to ask the F&B manager, which I never got a chance to do. I will say that the Hawaiian laws did seen weird on many occasions. We ran into it all over the islands where we couldn't do certain things because of Hawaiian law. I asked if there was any possible way to get a bottle of Liquor in our room, even purchased at inflated prices, and was told no. I will say the three bottles of wine we selected were very good.

2) I talked to our room steward about what would be happening at drydock. He said he had only heard rumor about the upgrades around the ship, but that he was personally in the Grand Suite (12006) when FDR went in and personally gave direction about what should be done. He did say that it was just the walkthrough, and that those things could be changed, but apparently these were talked about:

1) Bigger TV, this was apparently the first thing FDR stated when walking in the room.

2) Change the upholstery on the furniture to a lighter (almost white) color

3) Upgrades to the bathroom

Also the suites on the 13th floor are different (and more recent) than the 12th. Much heavier furniture, no hot tubs, etc). Don't be surprised if more of those "upgrades" don't find their way to OS on the 12th floor.

If anyone has any specific questions I'm happy to try to answer them.

I guess I don't get the problem with the size of the aft Penthouse balconies. We have an Escape aft PH deck 11, the version with the bath and shower by the balcony. The balcony size and depth appears fine. What does one need ? I don't plan on having a cocktail party or reception out there. What are your other choices ? Forward PHs have a very small side balcony, same with most of the Havens. The only other larger balconies unless I am mistaken are the Owners and Deluxe Owners Suites. Also with an aft PH you have aft and side views. Not a big deal to me about aft PH balcony size. :) Gerry

Different strokes I guess... I don't know that you'd ever find one thing that people universally cared about or universally didn't. Different things are important to different people. I have an Aft PH booked on the BA in May, and then on the Escape in Dec, so I'll be able to compare first hand. I also wasn't able to fall in love with the BA Aft PH before finding out about the Escape. :D

One thing, I specifically booked the deck 9 Aft PH on the Escape because of the overhang. I was hoping that almost regardless of the angle of the sun, we'd have shaded areas on our balcony since we all prefer the shade. Seeing many of the pictures out there it doesn't look like we'll get that.

I sail on POA in 2 days in the Deluxe Owner's Suite, so I will see if I can get an answer on the wine vs. liquor offer for this sailing and post back. I was told that bar setups are not available for this sailing, which was a bummer. Just means I'll need to use the Butler more to bring me drinks. :D

I agree with you on this. My wife tends to do the same thing when we return to our stateroom in the evening. No to mention I like to sit out on the balcony with her and have a night cap. Omitting balcony lights doesn't make much sense.

Amazon must have paid NCL to do it, now everyone needs a backlit Kindle. :D FDR is great at finding those new revenue streams!

I do frequently hear complaints about neighbors leaving their lights on all night. It did bother me on my last cruise. I like to keep the curtains open to get the sunlight early in morning, but our neighbor never turned the balcony light off so it made the room too bright at night. I'm not saying NCL should have denied everyone else lights just to accommodate my routine, but feedback may have been a factor.

I think more likely when you add up the cost of lights, installation, and electricity to power those lights the decision to omit them was pretty easy. It was just an easy line-item to cut off the build specs.

It looks like one of the smaller ones. Possibly 14 or 15.

Forgive me if I missed it, I thought I had read this entire thread, but have we already established the H6 balcony sizes will somewhat match the *away ships? Largest to smallest:

9,12,11,10,14,13 (and then 15 is somewhere in there)?

Here is the exact wording of the email for the Legend of the Seas last December:

My email:

...

Also, is there any way to purchase bottles of liquor for my room? I will have the ultimate drink package, but would prefer to have some in my room so I don't have to constantly walk to the bar.

...

Response (from Luca):

...

Unfortunately for safety reason is not possible to purchase bottles of alcohol.

...

So I guess you are not in favor of some clarifying and consistency in policy?

 

I don´t think they Need me as a CC spy, but hey if they want to pay me for it, sure let the Money come.

 

BTW, yeah I´d be happy to Report any bartender giving out free Drinks for good tips. Lets face it, it´s stealing from the Company and the Company will have to raise the Price I as a customer have to pay, so ultimately it´s stealing from me.

Yeah, I´ve complained about the short and ball cap stuff before. In some cases even succesful in regards of the People being asked to leave and Change in appropriate clothing:cool:

I knew your first post would draw ire, but I'm happy you wrote RCI to get clarification. I don't like these conflicting reports any more than the next guy, and if I'm eligible to buy bottle of liquor for my suite I absolutely want to know that and that be consistent across ships. I'm waitlisted for a star class suite on Harmony for this very reason.

I specifically ask our concierge via email before we sailed about this, it was Luca on the Legend of the Seas. I asked for any way to have a bottle of liquor in our suite, and he told us this wasn't possible.

Hopefully you have better luck!

When they made the DSC more for suites it causes one to wonder if the butler and concierge are now included, or what does the increased amount cover?

I think an answer to this question would clear up at least some of the confusion. Why is there an increased DSC for suites if it doesn't include butlers and concierge? Perhaps someone has been given this info, I haven't seen it though.

I can speculate... suites are bigger and take longer to clean. As a result, a room steward (given the same amount of time) will clean fewer suite staterooms than smaller staterooms. So the DSC needed to be adjusted for the stewards who only clean 8 instead of 12 rooms.

That's just a guess on my part, but it makes sense.

A photo of the H-6 stern corner balconies would be greatly appreciated.:D

I agree! I have one of these booked (deck 9 currently) but others are still available. Any and all information abou these cabins/balconies would be awesome so I know whether or not to switch cabins. :D

I've always heard the $1-$2 per bag guideline. I generally tip $5 for 3 or 4 bags (never had fewer than 3) and $10 for 5 or more bags (never had more than 8).

I'm glad I read this thread, I need to look into the porter situation at Manhattan a little closer. I didn't know the porters weren't right at the curb where we'd get dropped off. We travel somewhat heavy with two young kids. I can move all the bags myself by strapping them together, but that doesn't do well in crowds or on elevators. I might need to go get a porter and bring them back like others have mentioned.

Or just stop cruising 'til my kids are old enough to carry their own bags, and we can ditch the stroller. :D

Are we going to beat her up sitting behind a keyboard? If the child was better by sailing, she could have said so.

Maybe she wasn't scared of getting beat up... perhaps she just didn't want to deal with the childishness that ensued after her first question. I don't blame her either.

I would tell them to bring:

1. A good attitude
   
2. me
   

:D

What people will need varies greatly by the type of person/traveler they are. If they have a balcony, and will be around scenic areas, I'll tell them to take binoculars. If they get anxious about not knowing what time it is, maybe a small travel clock. etc...

Ours was incredibly as well when in the sun, we had about a 2 foot overhang that provided very little shade. Also aft you get very little breeze. That can be good if you enjoy your balcony at night but get cold. I did sleep on a lounger on my balcony one night, which I probably couldn't have done if the breeze was hitting me.

That's a lot of work that probably does not need to be done. Each time you quote a post it contains a link back to the full post.

It's really not a lot of work, at least I don't think so, it's one quick copy/paste. But like I said it's just a suggestion.

If there are a number of images in one post, and you're referencing one particular image, a link back to the original post might not be as helpful as a link to image you're referencing.

This thread will get some more and larger sized pictures the coming days and weeks so just a general question cq service announcement:

 

Could everybody refrain from quoting the actual pictures?

It's easy to edit the tags into some random describing text "two gym pics" or only quote the written post.

 

I think everyone would be thankful to see the pictures just once. Or maybe twice, at most. ;)

 

Thanks!

I've heard you have to see something 10 times before it's committed to memory... so maybe repetition is the key. :D

Gym:

 

Fitness center Image 1

 

Fitness Center Image 2

 

If you must reference an image, perhaps changing the image to a link instead is best. (example above) That way people who want to look at the image for reference can click the link, but it doesn't add another copy of the image to the post every time it's quoted. Just a suggestion. I generally don't think it's a big deal on cc to have images in the quotes, but on threads like this where there are so many images, and so many comments about them, a few simple techniques can keep the thread a lot more tidy.

Perhaps I am missing something. What if a cabin technically only had room for 2 people? You could not have a third person. My family has sailed many times with everyone in the family have the same class of room- 3 cabins all in a row. My husband and I have only 2 in the room. My parents have only 2 in the room. My brother and SIL have 4. So, it seems that neither my parents nor my husband and I should have been able to book our cabins because they could potentially hold 4 people. Should the cruise line have made us book one room for two couples?

 

So what happens if you have double occupancy, or the next occupancy is 4 people? If you have three people, you can't cruise? What about parents who have an only child? They can't cruise? By this poster's logic- that seems to be the case. That sounds a little weird to me.

This will vary by cruise, and there are a few factors.

First, not all of the same category room have the same occupancy. You can absolute have three 8B balcony cabins in a row, two of those are double occupancy and one is quad occupancy. Other's may hold three, some more rare rooms might hold 5. It has to do with the number of beds in the room. So one room might have a non-convertible sofa. Another might have a sofa that converts to a twin bed (one extra person), and yet another room might have a sofa sleeper that folds out to a queen size bed, which would make the room quad occupancy. Other rooms may have a murphy bed (folds down from the wall), others still have pullman (pulls down from the ceiling).

Secondly, if the line doesn't believe they'll be able to sell all rooms at their allotted occupancy they may open up higher occupancy rooms for all bookings. So a couple could book a room with additional beds, and those additional beds would likely never be opened or made up. This is common on cruises which won't be popular for families, like in the fall, Jan-Feb, Early May, etc. During times and itineraries where the cruise line thinks they can sail completely full, they'll only let you book into a cabin where the passengers meet the occupancy.

Just something to verify, you might know this already, but for the cabin with two people booked but 4 people sleeping there, make sure it has the capacity to sleep that many. Many times the cruise line will only book the number of people that the room can sleep.

That is amazing how precise they are. Thanks for posting the video.

 

I hope the woman that was airlifted is okay.

I agree... I was thoroughly impressed with the pilot's flying, and I'm sure the captain/officers on the BA played their part as well.

I'm also a little surprised a ship the size of the BA doesn't have an actual landing pad.