josephmz

Currently booked on Escape in Deck 15 angled balcony Spa cabin.

Presumably, I may get chance at upgrade bid.

Is it worth it to try to upgrade to a Spa mini-suite?

Ever have a kid in college? To hear them tell it the food is horrible.

Anyone ever hear of the "Freshman 15."

We first went to Bermuda back in the mid-70s. A lot has changed since then. In those days there were a couple of large, very nice department stores in downtown Hamilton. They have either down-sized or closed. There used to be several beautiful liquor stores on Front St. Changes by U.S. Customs has killed those.

The biggest change seems to be the traffic. In the 70s Bermuda was pretty laid back.We rented a pedal to start moped and rode it all over the island. Easy-peasey!

On a much later visit the mopeds had been upgraded to scooters. Heavier, more speed and different controls. Tried one at the rental place and decided against it.

DON'T DO IT!! The hospital makes a killing, so to speak, from crash victims.

On our first trip we went into the hotel bar one evening before dinner. There was a tall, nice looking woman in a long white dress with a crutch and bruised up face.

She had gotten within 100 yards of the hotel when a truck passed her. She ran off the side of the road and hit a large rock.

I am a little surprised that anyone who is confused about the process would automatically assume that NCL is lying to them.

The dining package has nothing to do with the OBC. You will have the requisite number of specialty restaurants. The various restaurants are shown on the NCL website and can be booked in advance. You can also do a search and find the menus for these restaurants to help decide which ones.

Just did a blind booking on one of the hotels websites.

One of them offers king room with breakfast for $238.00 including taxes.

5 minute walk to port, free shuttle to port and $14.00/ night extended parking

I wouldn't rush to judgment on your decision. Obviously the facility is smaller. It is after all a smaller ship. Someone mentioned Spice H2O, Unless they've recently added it,

there is none. Don't know where they would have put it.

We always book thermal suite. It is a quiet place to relax. The water features are great place to unwind, particularly after a day of sightseeing.

Hey klfhngr: What could possibly go wrong? You are sailing with me.LOL

We have only sailed NCL and RCCI and much prefer the former.

Prefer smaller ships, but thought we would try Escape especially for the Canada itinerary.

We have always found the food excellent. I think I may have waited 10 minutes once for a table in the MDR. Love the choice of specialty restaurants. Suggest you book them in advance to guarantee seating times.

One thing we really enjoy is the thermal spa pass. You can book it in advance. Great place to rejuvenate these "old bones" after a long day ashore.

Looking forward to meeting you.

JOE

Depending on how much you eat on the cruise, she may have to use it to alter your clothes.

Don't contact NCL about meet & greet until a few weeks before sailing. They will need to know how many attending.

Sometimes responses to roll calls can be a little slow coming. All you can really do at this point is wait for folks to join.

There are plenty of posts about activities at these events.

I put together a tour with Winsome Tours (winsometransport.com) a couple of years ago. We did it the first day (Sunday).

We had 16 people from our meet & greet. The owner, Ralph Richardson, knows everything about Bermuda.

Their Signature Tour lasts 5 hours and covers the island. There is a presentation at the oldest church on the island, extended stop at Gibbs Hill Light and a walking tour of St. George. They also advertise a kid's tailored version. The price for 1-3 is $320.00. If you have 7 or more it is $60.00 per.

If you are looking for less expensive option, I would consider riding the bus.

Bus service is excellent and it's a good way to see everything. Plus, you can get off where you want and catch a later bus.

Yes to all three questions.

Family is considering Alaska cruise aboard Oosterdam June 2019 to celebrate our 50th anniversary.

Any info concerning Neptune Veranda Suites? Specifically, are their any privacy curtains to separate main bed from rest of suite? DD and husband would be sharing one suite with us.

Any other reports would be appreciated.

I am sure they do, but I am sure you could buy just about anything at a reasonable (or unreasonable) price without one.

DW usually buys at least one piece of jewelry on every cruise and has always been able to haggle the price down. Money talks and nobody walks.

I was on the Pearl two years ago. Asked the entertainment director about getting games at the meet & greet. She was unsure about availability due to contractural issues.

Sure enough, come Thursday they were broadcast. Maybe not all of them, but enough to keep me happy.

She later told me that as a result of my question the broadcasts went fleetwide. Don't know if she was just making me feel good but it was nice to know.

Well, you can just go to Hell.

Literally, there is a place there called Hell. Interesting and included in most island tours.

I highly recommend excursion to the turtle farm, particularly if you have kids with you. They allow time to eat and their is an enclosed lagoon where you can swim.

We've sailed RCCI on several occasions. We have become loyal NCL fans, not to say we wouldn't ever do RCCI again.

Depending on stateroom booked you can get three nights specialty dining and drink package included. You have to pay the gratuities with reservation, but I still consider it a bargain.

I think you will find a wider array of choices for specialty dining with NCL, and I have never had a bad meal in the included dining rooms. RCCI has "anytime dining" but it looked very disjointed on the last cruise we were on. Lots of people waiting to be seated. NCL invented freestyle dining and we have never had an issue with getting a table.

I thought the RCCI big ship entertainment was great, but so is NCL's. Other than that, it's a ship with rooms, no matter who you sail with.

Highly recommend you try taking the bus from downtown Hamilton back to port.

Great way to see the island.

It is unnecessary to tip bartenders or waiters.

You might consider giving bartenders and extra buck. Sometimes get you recognized and swifter service, but not at all necessary.

I generally don't tip MDR waiters, but usually give something extra in the for-pay restaurants, especially if they are very personable and take an interest when serving you.

I think it is called a "round tuit".

There are only NCL sponsored excursions from the Canal.

We just stayed on board for the return trip. Most of the trip in is darkness, even though the Canal is well lit. It was, after all, the primary reason for taking the trip.

If memory serves, I believe excursion transfers began around 9:00

I second the Embassy Suites. Stayed there before cruise on Dawn. As said before, just two block walk to port. There's a good Cajun restaurant/bar one block toward the port.

If you have interest in WW II history or had a relative on D-Day (my father-in-law @ Utah Beach) the museum is first class.

Glad to see some folks coming to the defense of La Cucina.

We eat there once, if not twice, on every cruise. Never had a bad meal. I agree that the steak entrée is excellent. Also enjoy the osso bucco.

I guess due to the poor reviews we never find it crowded and the service has been outstanding. Hope too many decide to start going there. Might be hard to find a table next time.

You will find a tone of threads about duties of the butler on C.C., but to summarize:

The butler is responsible for everything in the suite. Don't know of anyone doing this, but he will unpack your bags and put away you clothes.

He will make sure the coffee machine is well stocked. He will remove items from cabin refrigerator. If you would like a pitcher of iced tea or juice in fridge, he will provide. If you want to dine in your suite, he will deliver and serve and clean up afterward. He will deliver afternoon snacks ( want something out of ordinary? He can provide if available on ship.) Don't like the pillows? He can bring different ones.

He will give you list of available movies and bring them to you. Problem in the cabin, call him.

You will have a cabin steward to clean and make beds each day.

The concierge handles things outside the suite such as dinner and show reservations. They usually have a few things in their back pocket and can get you in when you want.

Remember the cabin steward is paid through the service charge, but tips are appreciated. The concierge and butler are not included in that. You will find posts all over the place regarding amount given to them. It's a matter of how much they do for you. On a seven day cruise I would start at $140.00 for butler and $75.00 for the concierge. Add more or lower it depending on your experience and demands.

We would not leave home without it. Provides nice atmosphere to relax without crowds. Never found Star/Dawn suites to be overly crowded. Maybe ten people at most. I enjoy just walking laps in the pool.

I guess my only complaint would be how awkward it is to get into the hot tub, especially for someone with a bad hip. Not as agile as I once was.