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Cabin 7203 4J Vista

4J photos are hard to find so here are my photos and cabin thoughts

I booked 7203 and 7205.

7203 is slightly larger than 7205

The cabin is perfect for two people. It was clean and nothing in disrepair. No sofa just a stool for the dressing table. I even used Carnivals hair dryer over mine because of the convenience. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom was Carnivals standard. Yes, they still had a shower curtain and there was an odor with it. The cabin steward requested to speak to us per my sons in the next room. I never waited around for him, rather just left a post it with my morning cleaning preferred and a towel request. I do not like the once a day cleaning but it didn't affect my overall experience. For the first time, I did not tip extra. I kept the standard gratuity as I felt I received "standard" service. Nothing over the top. The fridge worked fine and kept our beverages cool. This deck is sandwiched with the bridge above and cabins below. No hall noise because of the forward location. Yes, it's a trek but well worth it to not have loud pax walking by during sleeping hours.

We encountered rougher than expected seas and therefore experienced noise. I heard a loud bang, crash repeatedly on several nights then it seemed to quiet down. Not sure if it was a door slamming or wave crashing on the front. I have stayed all over ships but the forward cabin provided us the most motion of all our locations. It could be a problem for someone prone to motion sickness, luckily no one in our family suffers from that.

The view was better than expected. You can see the walkway in front and over the railing out to the sea. We did hear footsteps on the bridge during stormy nights but hey, at least someone was up there;) You can not see in the window during the day. You should leave your drapes closed at night. Hope the photos help.

Uber xl from Hampton Brickell to POM was 24.18$ last week.

BOTH my husband and I have Cheers. Can he just take his and my S&S cards and go to the bar to get our drinks or do each of us have to wait at the bar? Hope my question makes sense. Thank you in advance for your helpful reply.

Question regarding ordering drinks for the husband and me. We both have cheers. Can one of us go up to the bar with both our S&S cards and order drinks for both of us or do each of us have to stand there? Thank you in advance.

Enjoy X! We love their all inclusive pricing. Best bar service yet!

So I should bring quarters? Or do they take Sail & Sign cards?

Question: When you rent a car from a MIA a/p location. Can all of your (say party/family of 4 with luggage) take the shuttle from POM to MIA rental desks? Or would only one from your party take the shuttle, pick up the car and then drive back to POM to pick up the rest of your party?

When you rent your vehicle for a day and your just killing time before an evening flight home from FLL, do you purchase some toll thing via the rental company? Are there tolls between MIA a/p, South Beach and FLL a/p?

Thank you in advance for any answers.

One word - Convenient.

Not a big drinker regularly but when I do, I want to not think twice and just order what I want. I like the all inclusive deals/pricing that are coming back to the cruising. All paid up, just show up for vacation. I don't do the frozen sugary drinks due to the taste and calories. I love the coffee, water, wine, and serious cocktails[emoji4]though.

Good luck OP and do what's right for you.

I have enjoyed your cruise review. Best one I've seen in a long time. My family enjoyed the NCL Getaway and the large balcony cabins on that ship. We are trying the Vista this June and are looking forward to the new ship. Thank you for taking the time to post oodles of pics and your thoughts.

I love NCL's new ships. BUT I've booked the Vista for June. Try them both! Doesn't matter which one you try first. NCL had excellent food choices and I like their all inclusive bookings that include Specialty dining, beverages, wifi and OBC's. I will say that the NCL bathrooms and cabins appeal to me more than CCL. Now with all that- I am excited to try CCL's newest ship!

NCL Getaway was the best cruise we have taken with our teens yet. But I too am open to trying CCL again, especially the new Vista ship. The timing, itinerary and price was right for a Vista booking.

Each cruise line I've tried has been good for one reason or another.

I feel your pain OP.

Trying to get everyone together for vacation is a challenge once they start college, have jobs etc.

If he really pushes back, then I would just go without him. That's a hard pill to swallow as a parent. But as some posters said before, he is essentially "breaking up with you" in preparation for college and making choices. I would however make arrangements for someone to check in on him. We all know the things we did when the parents were away. And no matter how good the boy is I would have an insurance plan...aka someone checking in. My house/My rules kind of thing and afterall it's the holidays, he could go to dinner over a friends house. .

Again, I feel your pain OP. Go with the others and order a strong drink when you start to feel quilty about leaving him.

Besides it's expensive taking ALL the kid's when your paying the adult rate.:D

Thank you Seabeelarry for the info and photo.

The photo of 7206 appeared quite cozy. We have 7203 and 7205 booked. I am going to survey which room may be a wee bit larger and then boot the kids into the other. A confirmation of no sofas is really helpful info- THANKS! Was there enough closet space? I haven't been in an inside for a while. Also I am glad we have a buffer deck from the liquid lounge late night noise. Did you hear noise from the bridge above?

10 am flight - nope too early

Patiently waiting for the 4J review under the bridge deck 7 from someone above who had sailed. :)

Thank you so much for sharing. Love your photos.

Awesome choice. We have sailed the Pride once and I have booked the Vista for 2017. With regards to flights, does your cruise leave from Miami? If so, remember SWA flies into FLL. Just remember to budget for transport for FLL to POM. Also Southwest Credit Cards do 50K points offer for signing up. I flew a family of four all on those points to FLL last year. That saved me $1200. So the Southwest card was totally worth the annual fee. Husband just signed up at the a/p for his card and we will have enough points to fly all four for free for our Vista cruise next year. Another $1200 saved!

Good Luck and enjoy the new ship.

There truly is no comparison to the Pride and the newest cruise ships IMO.

Have fun!

Just got off a Celebrity cruise 2 days ago. I noticed some children but really NOT a huge amount. I saw some teens hanging out in the egg chair things but that was really it. So either Celebrity hid them really well or there weren't a terrible amount to begin with.:rolleyes:

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Dania last weekend prior to my cruise embarkation on a Sunday. The hotel provided an airport shuttle and arrived about 10 minutes after we called from the baggage claim area. The driver was courteous. The check in staff was polite and provided info on restaurants within walking distance. There are not a lot of choices within a couple blocks or so. We ended up at Belles because it was busy so the food must be decent. Indeed we were able to get a french canadian curd and fries as well as good ice cream. The little walk up dive is bilingual french/english. I didn't feel like I could walk around this area after dark though. The hotel is remodeled and provides a key carded entrance off the street. The room was clean and large. The pool is very small on the roof but provides a quiet safe respite to enjoy a morning coffee outdoors. Continental breakfast was provided. My husband booked the hotel shuttle for Sunday morning. There were about 60 people waiting in the lobby. The shuttle only held about 10 persons and all of there luggage. We waited almost two hours when we were told traffic was in gridlock by the port with 7-8 ships in on a Sunday. I was unsuccessful at hailing a cab. I called a cab company and was #29 in the telephone queue. Finally a shuttle arrived and the cruisers rushed outside quickly overwelming the driver. A cab happened to pull in behind and I quickly asked him if he already had a fare. He replied no and I said we would be his fare. He took us a back way to the port gate and did not get stuck in the long line up off the main highway. Our less than 4 mile trip took about 30 minutes. We were very appreciative and tipped well for his service and knowledge of alternate routes.

All in all the hotel was fine. Still overpriced at $360 a night for a $240 hotel night here on the east coast. Great for overnight. But don't take their port transportation.

Hampton Inn Brickell. Check out their reviews. Grab a cab in the morning to POM. Loved the Getaway. Have a great time.

If you want relaxing, calm time then you will like celebrity. Indeed our cruise was just that and adult oriented even during Spring Break. While I like the southern itineraries, having so many ports of call wouldn't give me the down time I crave on vacation. Being a first timer on the islands, I wouldn't have the courage to skip the ships excursions for fear of island delays and missing the ship. Now that I am a more experienced cruiser, I feel more comfortable hiring island drivers on my own. I love the newer ships and really enjoyed the "go best" deals with drink packages, wifi, gratuities and OBCs. It reminds me of the old cruising days and I didn't feel nickeled and dimed to death like some other cruise lines. Balcony cabins are great and I book them when I travel sans kids.

P.S. We like the Hampton Inn on Brickell in Miami. They get good reviews and are an inexpensive cab ride to POM.

Good Luck with your decision.

We too recieved the email warning us of the MusicFest this weekend. There were Seven or Eight Ships in FLL this past Sunday. Traffic was lined up waiting to get through the security gates. Our cabins were ready about 130pm

Here in the Carribean on Silhouette this week. Lots of formal dresses and some tuxedos in Chic nights.

Booked June 2017! Never booked on a ship still in sea trials. I am looking forward to trying Vista.

NCL on the Getaway does reservations for some shows. You can do this ahead of time. Reserving ahead of time reminded me of my Disney vacations. I like CCL website better. NCL was quirky and not as user friendly. NCL food in specialty restaurants was better (very subjective JMO)and lots of restaurant choices. Both lines cabins were comparable except the insides. Be very careful and do research on the sleeping layouts. Getaway was LOUD on the pool deck so I think CCL may do their pool decks better. I am very impressed with the amount of outdoor space on CCL Vista according to the web. CCL is still priced better for loyal VIP/repeat/ and families I think. Service was great on NCL. You feel like you are in a resort hotel. Overall a nice product for the $$$$ I paid. I am looking forward to the CCL Vista as I think they are going to be much more competative with NCL newer ships.

I can only give you a comparison on the NCL Getaway. Epic was cheaper but the bathroom set up was a deal breaker.