MJC

We're taking our first NCL cruise soon and would like to know too!

RIU includes towels too, so you don't need to bring them from the ship.

You can save time hunting around using Resorts for a Day. We just booked the RIU through them for January.

OMG the grilled grouper. Yes Yes Yes. So funny you posted that orange Chicos dress, Laurie. I got the sale email and that's one that I was seriously thinking about! I just haven't been to Chicos in a while so I don't know which size to order. Sometimes things from there run really big on me depending on the cut. Sometimes with the pants, there is room for hips that I just don't have. 🙂 I'm very straight up and down. I don't really have a favorite for you, Laurie. I truly love the formal green dress. So elegant and so interesting, and the color is divine, and it fits you beautifully. Surprisingly for me (because I can't imagine myself in a pantsuit) I really liked you in your red one. I imagine it could dress up or down really easily, and it was a good color for you. The ivory was just classic and elegant, which you know I like. You know, when you originally posted the tropical one, I was really wondering about the color. But it really suits you and the fit is perfect. I really like that one a lot. The trick with that shirt in your embarkation photo (that is loose in the front) is that you need to pose straight on in those (and cross your legs a bit). I have learned that the hard way. If you tuck yourself close to hubby, and drape your outside arm just so, you can hide the fullness of the fabric and look more like yourself. 🙂

Nice jacket!

Laurie, I'm enjoying your pictures so much! You both look relaxed and happy. Your outfits are beautiful. Did you have a favorite? Your hair looks lovely too. We noticed on QM2 that some of the photographers were waaaay better than others. We had our favorite and her pictures were always the best. We don't do all the poses, sitting ones especially, so after a while they got used to us saying, no, that's enough, thank you very much. 🙂 How did you like Chacchoben? We had a good guide and even the ride there was interesting. How did the sloth feel? Hairy or furry? I must say, I am a bit afraid of monkeys! No monkey pictures for me. I definitely felt like my packing could have been better. I relied on my memory of what I had already done earlier, so by the time I did my final pack I was not as diligent as I could have been. Like, I took the wrong hairbrush, so I had funky hair issues when I blew it dry. I didn't think to check that my pencil makeup items were sharp. I had changed my dress selection and hadn't revisited my jewelry selections. Not a tragedy, for sure, but just so annoying sometimes. Did I say I lost my glasses on the last day of the cruise? Grrr. I had some contacts and my prescription sunglasses, so I managed. Then, because I had covid when I got home, I had to wait to go in for new ones. Finally my new glasses will be in next week!

Thank you!

Our stated time to be in Nassau is noon. Is that when we'll be able to go ashore? If not, what time can we expect to be off the ship? Newby to NCL. TYIA

Also Lands End: https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-insulated-reversible-barn-coat/id_357465?attributes=44967,39555&source=GS&currency=USD&geo=US&skumv=5880092&promotion-code=IIWAJ30&promotion-pin=0&cm_mmc=139971612&SC=pla_non-brand&CMPGN=11383290717&ADGRP=114185176929&KYW=&MT=&DV=m&PID=5880092&TRGT=pla-821726894815&gclid=CjwKCAiA9qKbBhAzEiwAS4yeDd_qVKYE1NjDmOMXa1alf_whRUHmSD7Tzcf_v4haeYJCpicktS-EQBoCQP8QAvD_BwE&gclid=CjwKCAiA9qKbBhAzEiwAS4yeDd_qVKYE1NjDmOMXa1alf_whRUHmSD7Tzcf_v4haeYJCpicktS-EQBoCQP8QAvD_BwE&CH=Google AdWords&_cclid=Google_CjwKCAiA9qKbBhAzEiwAS4yeDd_qVKYE1NjDmOMXa1alf_whRUHmSD7Tzcf_v4haeYJCpicktS-EQBoCQP8QAvD_BwE

Those coats are all very different. I think the Ralph Lauren is very much your style because it's so tailored. I couldn't see the color you mentioned though. I think it's green? The CC one has a hood, and I don't like those if I expect to wear it while driving. Hoods mostly just bother me. I like the color a lot but I'm not happy with some of the reviews (though they are from last year). I would think about that though because CC charges shipping for returns, which can be both pricey and annoying. I do miss having a store here where I could try things on. I am a fan of that jjill coat. I have a similar furry coat (shorter, more like a jacket) that I bought last year at TJMaxx and I love it because it is fun. I call it my muppet coat. It's like a blue spruce green that looks good with my eyes, too. If I didn't already have that one, I'd be seriously considering the jjill one.

Laurie, good to hear from you. I knew you were back and was wondering when we will get some pictures. 🙂 We enjoyed the Queen Mary 2 very much. It is the only one of its kind, so it would be hard to know if the QE and QV cruise ships would be a similar experience. The ship is wonderful, but I would describe the whole experience as a bit more quiet and elegant than anything else we have done, and skewed older (which we expected). The activities are more on the enrichment side with no game shows or things like that. Trivia was VERY popular. Ballroom dancing in the Queens Room was VERY popular. The small gym was busy in the mornings.The disco where we hung out was sparsely attended most nights even though the band was amazing. We went almost every night. Then again, it was a two week cruise and those can draw an older crowd (like us!) and timing-wise it was not child friendly with regard to the school year. We didn't see any children until some got on in Quebec City. There was a family with little ones and a family with tween girls, and another I think with one teen boy, and that was all we saw. There is a kids club, but there wasn't a lot to attract children IMO with it being too cold to use the pools. The shows were mostly ok, but on the second week there was a lot of coughing, and plenty of stories of people who had been on the TA before us being in quarantine, so we stopped going. In fact, two days after we got home I wasn't feeling well so we tested. I was positive and DH was not. I was pretty sick for about a week and am just now past the fatigue. It may be just the current price of cruising for some folks, but it is not something to take lightly. We had a tiny M&G so we did have some friendly faces to see along the way. One couple from Brooklyn had done the TA and the Caribbean on QM2 and were very helpful. We wanted to see if we would enjoy a TA after a week in London or something like that, and I think the answer is yes. If we were running around in England as we like to do, relaxing on a ship all the way home instead of flying is definitely appealing. We had a similar balcony back in the day on the Dawn Princess, when all balconies were made that way. I really did think carefully about it, and we were very happy that we were able to be out there almost every day. We often had our afternoon snack and cocktail out there, and I sat out reading quite a few times. We could prop the door open and get fresh air whenever we wanted to, and run out to see what the weather was like. If we do take a TA eventually, I would get it again. One of the issues with QM2 imo is that you have to jump up several categories from ours to get a balcony that isn't looking at lifeboats or way forward/aft where you rock and roll a lot more.

Christmas ornaments from different ports. I got my first one on our honeymoon to Mexico and now we have a bunch on our tree that remind me of our travels.

We are arriving in Nassau at noon and my question is, what are the hours of the lunch buffet at the RIU? I don't want to go for the afternoon and then miss lunch since that is the only meal we will get and we're paying for it in the pass. I sent them an email with this very specific question, and they replied with a very detailed explanation of every dining option they offer but didn't actually answer my question about LUNCH BUFFET HOURS. grrr. Also tried to call several times and it's always busy. Would greatly appreciate it if anyone has been there recently and knows the answer.

Home sweet home.

Our balcony sometimes felt like a picture frame. One day I decided to take a morning, afternoon, and evening picture to show how changeable the weather was. This was the day there were porpoises playing in the bow wave after lunch. So fun.

You will learn a lot about ships, shipping, shipbuilding, navies, navy yards, ordinance... you get the picture. It is most noteworthy from a tourism perspective because of its Titanic exhibit, but there is a lot of interest here. There is even a section on model ship building. These are some of the finest examples anywhere, and they even have a display about their workshop. I enjoyed some of the advertising materials about the Titantic, and how the ship was designed and marketed to appeal to different classes. We had also intended to visit the public gardens and citadel after the day had warmed up. But we were so tired from our expedition in Sept-Iles that we didn't want to climb the hill, and we just went back to the ship. The terminal has a large marketplace for souvenirs, which is handy. Even though it was a nice weather day, it really began to feel like fall.

Our last stop was Halifax. We learned that a person from Halifax is called a Haligonian from Mr. Cunard himself. There is a very nice boardwalk along the harbor with restaurants, bars, and shops. Some interesting art installations as well. It is also home to the HMSC Sackville, the last remaining corvette from WWII. She protected convoys crossing the Atlantic. Our destination was the Maritime Museum. This is actually the back.

Some people have fishing camps on the islands. There is tight regulation of the lobster business to protect them from being overfished, or captured when they have molted and their shells are still soft. We got a close-up look at one (not on a plate with butter, though) and now I know more about lobster anatomy than I need to. We sped through the bay back to the dock. Boy was that cold! We walked back along the shore to the dock area. Inside the white tent they had set up a local crafts fair, which was really fun. There were beautiful things there, and I bought a hand-turned wood Christmas ornament. They even had a wifi hotspot with couches and chairs so we could all check in back home. So hospitable and nice. We reboarded just at tea time. We really enjoyed tea! Since we had late dining, we always took a break between 4 and 5 for tea and snack. The buffet even had hours for tea time between lunch and dinner. The Corinthia Lounge had some amazing donuts at tea time, so sometimes I popped in there to see what the flavor of the day was. Dark chocolate toffee was my favorite! Oreo wasn't too shabby either.

Back to the zodiac ride. You know, the problem with cold weather cruising is we're wearing the same outerwear every day. Except for the special red parkas, that is. 🙂 We were in the smaller of the two boats. Our guide for the day was Claude, who had worked with the Coast Guard, and had a long stint there assisting a research vessel. So he was extremely knowledgeable about the ecology and environment of Sept Iles, the fishing industry, the St. Lawrence, and aquatic migrations, all kinds of things. The scenery was beautiful in a spare and vast kind of way. We visited a cormorant nesting site but they were gone. Up close to the rocks we could see urchins down below, but most of the lobsters and other shellfish are gone by now too. Too cold for them.

I'm going to jump on the thank-you bandwagon for this thread. We just booked our first NCL cruise and before we did, I read every single page of it. We will be sailing on the Gem in 2023. While we considered The Haven initially, the things I learned here helped us to choose an Aft Penthouse Suite with large balcony on that particular ship. Knowing what we were getting along with how we like to cruise, and considering all the things included in our fare plus our AmEx perks, we feel we are getting a lot for the price we paid in a cabin we are excited about. We have not ruled out The Haven for future NCL cruises after learning what we have. To the contrary, though we generally prefer smaller ships, it has us considering one with all the bells and whistles if we book in The Haven. Go-Karts, anyone? 🙂

Another fashion interlude... Great colors from Coldwater Creek this fall. Spice, Coastal Teal, Green Grove, Desert Blush. Boatneck, Tunic, Standneck (mock turtle), V-neck: https://www.coldwatercreek.com/%23bestcotton-boatneck-tee/21519.html?q=21519&dwvar_21519_config=M Mocha: https://www.coldwatercreek.com/embroidered-vintage-wash-long-sleeve-henley/22196.html?q=22196&dwvar_22196_config=M Almost any one of these would work for me, but I like Bronze best. The colors don't look right on my monitor, but the catalog colors are very EARTH: https://www.coldwatercreek.com/tops/leaf-embroidered-tee/20985.html?dwvar_20985_color=2252&dwvar_20985_config=M&q=bronze harvest#q=bronze%2Bharvest&start=6&cgid=

We are thinking of going to the RIU. Our Itinerary says Nassau noon - 8pm. Does that mean we can leave the ship at noon? Can we assume that we can get lunch at the RIU as late as 1pm, or is lunch only available at certain times? Trying to decide how much time we will have if we have to be out by 6pm and whether its worth it. TYIA

Our next stop was Sept-Iles (seven islands) which is a fishing and mining area. We were excited for our zodiac tour! A group of seniors came out to welcome us. The "terminal" was the white tent, and behind that was a mix of town and school buses that were for excursions. We got to ride one of the buses to our zodiac dock. Most fishing boats were put away for the winter. We were given special coats for the zodiac that had flotation built into them.

We changed our minds and decided to take the tender and just walk around. I quickly realized why we couldn't find a private hiking guide... it was Sunday and 65 degrees, and it seemed that the entire town came out to see the ships and wander around too because of all the special events taking place. Food festival, craft fair, bars with their doors thrown open with live music playing into the street. It was like a whole town party. People with their kids and dogs and grandmas. Classic cars cruising by. Between the locals and the probably 5000 people from the two ships, it was a madhouse. It was hard to walk down the sidewalk at times. We eventually made our way to the pretty church which was open to visitors. Wandered over to the boardwalk along the harbor to the rocky beach, where kids were running around among the geese and dogs were chasing both. Wound our way back to the small cruise terminal. Whew. Back to the ship for lunch!

Our next port was Saguenay, and we got up at dawn to watch the sail in through the fjord. It was beautiful but very cold! I had all my outerwear on, including gloves and a hat, and a deck blanket wrapped around it all. It was too early still for much fall color, but there was some. We came in slowly, and it was so calm and peaceful. We only saw a handful of other people on the promenade, it was like we were all sharing a secret. We followed the Caribbean Princess into port. She had the dock, which meant QM2 had to tender us in. We didn't have plans to go ashore at all because we had wanted to go hiking but couldn't find a guide to take us. It's a very small town and this area is very remote to the rest of Quebec, but there is iron ore so they built a port here.