mikeyd

Great report! We did this cruise about a month ago and also noticed the line cutters. The popular move was for one person to join a group in front of us and to me, it's no big deal. But then another and another and another would join and it was very frustrating. They obviously knew what they were doing and it was a game and really pretty pathetic they felt the need to do this. I just brushed it off. This happened mostly on the lines to get back on the ship.

We really didn't experience many more line cutters on the ship - but as you said there were actually very few lines.

We did purchase a simm card from LycaMobile in the CPH airport. They have many, many stores selling them too. It worked very, very well for me. It worked while at sea quite often and worked perfect in every port but Russia - go figure. I think I paid about $15 for a 4 gig sim. I was surprised how much data I got, but I was also careful to never leave the data turned on my phone.

If you do purchase one, when you get to Russia you will likely get an error saying that you used all your data. I switched to my second fresh simm card and got the same message. Once we sailed away from Russia the service resumed perfectly. So, don't freak if you see the message.

Perhaps if you compared apples to apples?

Compare Windstar to Paul Gauguin or Oceania (all lines that do Polynesia with small ships regularly). Using Carnival pricing only gets you a Carnival experience (wherever they sail).

And, again: fares on some lines (like Oceania) include the airfare (even to Papeete from Miami).

Good thing the OP did not ask for advice on getting their first car, I am guessing a nice late model Bentley would have been your advice. What part are you not understanding? They live in Miami. They are a young couple and want advice on a practical cruise in the Carib. Why do you insist on standing your ground when you are offering a very impractical answer? Let it go Bro!

To the OP - many locations you can and will visit on an east or west cruise will be really nice. You'll have lots of opportunities to see some really nice beaches on either route. If your looking for a secluded experience on the beach you should be able to find excursions which take you away from the massive cruise crowds.

My advice - find a nice Norwegian cruise offering. Just my advice but stay away from Jamaica and DR. There are some nice beaches in Grand Turk, Roatan, heck even in the Bahamas they have nice beaches.

Good luck!

I LOVED Rock of Ages. I saw it on Broadway and saw it on the Breakaway 4 years ago. Going on the Breakaway in June and super excited to see it again. I love 80’s rock and I’m in my 40’s so it’s music I grew up with so maybe that makes a difference? We have a port side balcony. I’m sure the views will still be beautiful and I’m glad I won’t have to deal with the smoking side.

Interesting, I am the same way and love 80's rock but it was just not good this time. I can't put my finger on the specific reason - perhaps a bit over the top and too cheesy is the closest I can get.

Hi SClakeliving!!

You'll love the cruise and the tours you selected! Just be prepared to be zonked by the time you hit Sweden :)

For your questions:

For Alla tour, how did you pay tips? Euros or US$? US currency for tips.

Did you tip for "Friends of Dave"? We did. I am kinda set on giving tips when the service is good. I actually watched the people leave the bus at the end of the tour to see how many greased the palm of Christian (?) and it was about 70% of people who did tip. We did $30 USD.

Regarding currency in the ports, I am hoping to use credit cards mostly and some euros. I don't want to deal with the Danish or Swedish kroners:

For sure don't get Swedish Kroners. We charged all souvenirs and never needed kroners. For DK in Copenhagen, I suggest you hit an ATM in Copenhagen. My wife advised our bank we would be traveling and we were only charged $2.95 for the ATM fee - cheaper than in the US. The ATM machines will make it VERY easy to use - they offer English and provide a simple step by step process for withdrawing. If you plan to use the public transit you will need smaller DK. If you find it beneficial consider the Copenhagen City card - it covers all public transit and many tours (aquarium - which was very cool, Tivoli and many museums). We did not purchase one so perhaps do some research.

We will be in Copenhagen one day prior and one day post cruise...did you do a tour in Copenhagen? Any suggestions of what to see/do?

We did a castle tour with Grey Line. It was very good - a solid 7.5 :) It takes you way outside the city so you not only see the castles you get to see the country side. We also did the canal tour which is only about $10. Well worth it. We also just walked a lot.

Again, have fun! Be sure to hit the Pour House for the band. Lots of 70's, 80's rock.

Expect to be the second group to be dismissed. We were the second group let off and we got off the ship at 8.30am and by the time we got thru customs it was 9.45am. Our Alla bus of 15 waited for another 3 groups and we left the port about 10.10am.

Data point for future cruisers. We got off the NCL Breakaway in Copenhagen at 7.30am and got right into a taxi. Was about 30 dollars to a hotel near the City center. Airport would be about 20 bucks if I had to guess.

For Germany, I strongly recommend booking Friends of Dave tour. The train ride to Berlin consume so much time I don't think it's worth it. We just did Friends of Dave (Google it) and absolutely loved it. You see the smaller quaint towns that are really impressive. The guide was incredible too.

I am sailing on the August 27 cruise. I am using Alla for St Petersburg- Grand Tour and Stockholm. DIY for Talllin and Helsinki, "Friends of Dave" tour for Warnemunde, Wismar and Schwerin.

Elaine

We just got off and you are doing almost everything we did. I strongly suggest denruss (?) for Finland. it's a new company and we were the only 2 for our walking tour. Friends of Dave in Germany was our favorite. I would never suggest the long train ride to Berlin. Again, fantastic tour! Alla in St. Pete was also really good. As said many times, customs in Russia was nearly an hour. Alla needs to update their info since they claim they will leave after 8:45 which was false. You'll be on a bus with 15 others, so they fill a bus and go and continue this.

Maybe it was because it's the last stop but no one we spoke to enjoyed Sweden. Lots and lots of people.

Also for future cruisers if you have a balcony, try to get on the right or starboard side of the ship you'll see lots more land but you'll have to contend with the smoking side of the oceanfront area.

We also loved the band in St Normans pour house. It was billed as something like Nina and the guilty pleasures. They absolutely rocked the house. Hands down the best ship band we ever heard. Get their early since they packed the house. Rock of ages sucked. 20th 30 percent of the crowd walked out, but we stayed to the end and they had some people give a standing ovation.

Enjoy!!

Wow, what a thread this is. We just got off the Breakaway and dang there was always the smell of smoke .One idiot had to out-idiot the others and smoked a cigar. We were on the port side so it was not from the outside smoking area . I do think there is accountability on the stewards. There is no way the steward didn't enter the smokers room and NOT smell cigar smoke.

I have 2 great solutions.

1. If a steward reports a smoker they receive $100 paid for by the offender.

2. Without a doubt NCL needs to state clearly (and enforce) if your caught smoking you'll be kicked off at the next stop.

Smokers know darn well they are hard to catch and if, in the very unlikely event they are caught, they will get a slap on the wrist and a warning. Screw that, make it clear that they will be kicked off the ship. This alone will be a strong deterrent.

It's so sickening that asshats know their selfish actions affect many cabins around them and have no regard for others . They are pathetic people .

Deff not for kids. Btw, we saw them early May 2018 and gosh, it was not good. I would say nearly 20-30% of the people walked out .

Thanks! Our excursion started around 9:30am and we got back around 2:00 / 2:30.

Most companies offer various stops to suit your time frame. The Gibbs Caye was REALLY cool but when combined with snorkeling some good reefs does add a bit of time overall since it's a 15-20 minute boat ride to Gibbs.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Lots of people use magnets to post things on the doors.

Without the metal door they need to have a back up plan for posting door decorations or notes for others in their group.

Perhaps the OP should have stated that up front:D It's so bizarre seeing the craziest questions on CC - most are not explained either so thanks!

What were they supposed to "say"? The cruise line is NOT responsible for you getting to the ship. Didn't you figure out how you were getting there before you booked?

No kidding. I am still not sure what his exact and over-blown gripe is?

As mentioned, NCL has NO responsibility to get you to your port. You seem rather indignant and honestly you're coming across like a child. I really hope you can calm down and get this sorted out.

We just went on the Sensation.

Here are my answers:

1. I am flying into FLL. How long is the travel time from airport to terminal. Flight lands at 9:05 a.m.

FLL to Port of Miami is about 45 mins. Take Uber or Lyft. We paid about $50 for a Lyft.

2. About what time was your cabin ready? 1:30pm for us

3. How long did you wait to get on the ship from your check in time (mine check in is 11:00 - 11:30)?

This was a cluster for our trip. They have people reserve a time to embark and then at the terminal they let anyone in. We had the 11.30am to noon time slot and the waiting room was PACKED at 11:45. We sat a good 30-40 minutes before we lined up to get on the ship. Note, for our ship you go from passing security, getting an assigned group to enter the ship on and then you enter the ship. You do NOT go up to the desk to get your pic taken and provide a credit card.

We like to snorkel and also like smaller groups for ourexcursions. Especially with snorkeling,small groups are a must – I don’t like paying $100 per day to get kicked in thehead by someone’s flipper the entire time.

We searched around a bit and found good reviews on WhiteSands snorkeling.

They had fair pricesand had many great reviews. We did the Majesticpackage and loved it. The boats onlyhandle about 15 people or so and do have shade under a canopy. They are just big fiberglass skiffs and havea boarding ladder on the rear of the boat.

The 2 guides (McKenzie and Key) were really good and patientwith our group. The gear offered on theboat is fantastic. I love how theyoffered anti-fog spray and good equipment. I normally bring my own gear buttheir stuff worked perfectly.

Our first stop was a 5 min boat ride to a reef which was inabout 15 feet of water. GREAT visibilityand a wonderful variety of fish.

Second stop was the wall – this was also very cool and aguide came out with us. Incredibleexperience! I was so glad we only hadabout 12 people on our boat when I saw the catamaran roll in with nearly one hundredpeople onboard.

Third stop was to dive for conch shells – this was a nicearea and some people preferred to stay on the boat. We collected about 5 shells and headed out toGibbs Caye – a short hop away.

Gibbs Caye was FANTASTIC! Really pretty desert island with a beautiful beach……and stingrays. Our guide explained the stingrays and thenlet us hold one too. Really awesomeexperience. Then we could hang out for20 mins while the crew prepared the conch salad and rum punch. It was honestly the highlight of our entirecruise – both the entire trip and more specifically the stop at Gibbs Caye.

We then headed back with plenty of time to go to Jacks forJerk Chicken and drinks. I would not hesitateto do this tour again. Great staff andvery good equipment made for a great trip!

If you’re looking for a smaller group snorkeling experiencethat is reasonably priced, check-out White Sands!

We just returned and paid $70 for 3 people to have a 3-ish hour tour of the city. We made sure to get an English speaking driver.

I think I figured out why it's called Amber cove - the water is......well Amber colored:):). All the water I saw near the Amber cover was brown, clouded water. I doubt the snorkeling would be good but see what others have said.

I'm looking for some good suggestions to get away from the crowds on embarkation day. I recall there was a pizzeria/Italian restaurant tucked away in a quiet corner somewhere.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Was he in the Yacht Club or did he book a different "experience"?

No, just basic cruise in one of their balcony's.

Used JnJ Tours in January 2018. Stanley Grainger was a fantastic tour guide. He is a wealth of knowledge about his Island, and as a US Army veteran and former inhabitant of the USA speaks perfect English. Stan has a newer top of the line van that will seat 7 max, our group was 6, ourselves and 2 other couples. He is a gentleman in every way, he pulls that van over, and waves the other traffic past, at many places to show interesting things and explain what you are looking at. You make all the normal stops for Grenada, waterfall, spice shop, crater lake, Ft Fredrik, and then a stop at Grand Anse beach. He will pick you up at the beach and return you to the ship at whatever time you tell him, and no worry he will be there since you don’t pay him till your dropped back off at port.

 

Highly Recommend this tour – contact info – email:grainger.stan@gmail.com or web site:www.jnjtours.com – I had great response with email

Out thoughts and experience exactly. Stan is the Man!

Maybe I am missing it but where specifically is this? Margaritaville? I didn't realize Carnival had chairs on the beach in GT for cruisers.

We were in Costa Maya 2 weeks ago. When we arrived at the first tram stop a salesperson came to the trolley to announce the specials at Krazy Lobster. I don't know if this is always going to happen but it made it easy since they were directing people to their establishment.

Adding to this MSC is a lot less money for a similar experience.

I don't have to be a suite guest every time I cant stand being in the same places everyday eating off the same menu. But I do understand when folk say they love it.

My brother competed a MSC cruise out of Miami and he was not impressed. Just one persons opinion but he's done many cruises and simply was not impressed. He is a fan of Carnival and said MSC didn't even meet the Carnival standards.

P.S. The lions stink - go Wings ;)(from a Detroiter)

Please Google Harvest Caye - it will answer many questions you have once you see it. The short answer to your questions is an absolute YES. Shopping, food, beaches are all there - and many other activities too such as snorkeling, zip lines, pool, etc. Again, do a bit of research (even on NCL's site) to see the pics and descriptions.