IWannaGetAway

Thanks everyone for your responses!  I am so glad I decided to sleep on this for awhile.  Things seem to get worse by the day and it sounds a little too risky to me.  While I have friends in both Alaska and B.C. that could likely help us out if necessary, I wouldn't dream of putting them at risk, too. I think I'll just hang in there a little bit longer.

Had some time to kill while staying in today and thought I'd check out prices for a dream cruise for late summer, assuming all will be more "normal " then.  Found a 9 day cruise to Alaska on the Sun, obstructed porthole deck 6, with all free at sea perks and reduced airfare for 2 for $4640 total.  Its not always easy to read the cancellation policies, but it appears the 48 hour policy applies to this sailing.  I haven't priced these sailings much before, but it sounds pretty good to me. Anyone have any thoughts/advice?  Greatly appreciate your input.

Wow.  Do they still sell ovaltine?  Haven't shopped for it lately.  Good question!

Just off the Breakaway from 1/27/19 cruise.  Great ship, I met wonderful people, but I just had to comment about a couple of observations that do not make sense to me.

Ice Bar

Don't get it.   Why would I pay so much money to get away from the cold in order to sit in a bar made of ice in an overcoat to drink in the cold?  If I wanted to drink in the cold, I would have stayed in my back yard! 

Paper Straws

I like the fat paper straws.  I am all for getting rid of as much disposable plastic as possible.  But why paper straws in plastic cups?  Don't plastic cups add to the problem too?  Why not paper cups?

Okay. its off my chest now.  Go ahead and flame me.

Great information from everyone!  Thank you!

We've heard very good things about Machu Picchu parking on this board, and their website and tripadvisor reviews look positive.  We are currently booked at Fulton Street roof level for an upcoming cruise in January.  We have parked at Fulton Street before and found it tight and a bit confusing.  We are also concerned about the street construction going on around Fulton that may make it more difficult to park.  We have also parked at the Julia Street whale lot.  We are traveling with a person who has some issues with mobility, and he had some difficulties at Julia Street when we parked there last time. 

My question is this - Should we attempt to cancel our Fulton Street reservation and book at Machu Picchu instead?  Would it meet our needs better?  It appears the price is near the same.  We are driving in from Biloxi, MS the morning of the cruise.  I've looked at all my documents from Fulton and do not see a cancellation policy so it may not be easy.  I would need to call them to see.

I would love to hear from some folks who have had experience with both lots.

Thanks so much in advance!

Thanks so much for your reply!  This eases my mind.

Hello Everyone!

We are scheduled to tender in George Town from the Breakaway on 01/31/2019.  I checked the schedule on Cruise TT and saw we are one of seven ships scheduled for the same date!  Wow!  Approximately 21,000 people!  We were hoping to catch a cab to seven mile beach/ Calico Jacks.  I am concerned with this many people there may be a back up of traffic that could prevent us from getting to and from just about anywhere when we want or need to go.  I have pretty much decided to just go ashore when we feel like it and decide when we get there what we want to do.  Does anyone else have any experience with this heavy of a schedule?  What did you decide to do?  I  have yet to see a ship sponsored shore excursion that sparks much interest.  Been to stingray city.  Loved it, but would prefer something different.  They want too much money for turtles, lava rocks, and rum cakes.

Thanks so much for your input!

I haven't been there for a couple of years, but the last time we went the shuttle pick up was right at the entrance.  You drive past it when you enter the garage.  It was pretty obvious because of all of the people standing around with their luggage. There were separate lines for Carnival and NCL that day. You shouldn't have any problems!

Thanks for the heads up, Plumbjim!  We are driving in from Biloxi, so this is great to know ahead of time!

I'm curious about the iconcierge app for phone calls. Everything I have read so far says "nominal" rates to make a call to someone off the ship. Do you know what NCL considers "nominal"?

I plan on using the Travel Pass. I like the idea of not getting charged unless I use it. If I understood Verizon correctly, though, whenever we are on the ship we are charged the ship's roaming charge of $2.99 per minute. Ouch. Hope I won't have to use that!

Thanks to all of you for your responses!

I hate the idea of having to check my cellphone while on vacation, but this time I think I will have to. I've contacted Verizon for rates at all the ports on our itinerary, including Belize. But I got to wondering whether Harvest Caye may still be considered on NCL since it is a private island owned by NCL. Has anyone had any experience with this?

Thank you in advance!

My husband and I booked this cabin a couple of years ago because it was close to the casino. This was important to him too. We loved it! It was perfect for us. I am a smoker, but my husband is not. He did not mention the smell of smoke and I certainly did not notice. A neighbor of ours who was not a smoker also said she loved it. She was assigned the cabin as a gty. Best of all, in the mornings there is absolutely no one around! I would book the room again in a heartbeat! So, I guess it just depends on what is important to you!

Hello everyone! I searched the forums but did not find anything on this subject. We are traveling with a friend who has some difficulties walking long distances due to a stroke about ten years back.We are sailing out of NOLA and considering Fulton Place. Are there handicapped spaces in the garage? We do not need a van accessible spot, but it would be helpful to be close to elevators.

Thanks much!

Cindy

Hello again ricruise! Not sure when your cruise was scheduled, but I was hoping to hear how you liked the room. Did you enjoy it?

I always sleep well on the ship - I think because of the movement. Like rocking to sleep. But no, I did not notice any more movement until the last sea day. There were 11 1/2 foot swells. The drain in the shower was slow (surely they have fixed that by now). It was no big deal the previous six days, but on that day we had to close the shower door after we got out so the water wouldn't slosh out onto the floor! The water was pretty rough in the pool, too. But they didn't close it! Sure hope we can go on the Dawn again in the same cabin!

We booked this exact same cabin on our most recent cruise out of New Orleans in February 2017. I loved it! It was perfect for us. I was so disappointed when the Dawn left New Orleans because the Pearl or whatever it is that is sailing from there does not have the same set up.

The room actually seemed more private than any others we have stayed in. Our steward, Rhandy (yes, spelled with an h), was the best. No idea if he is still there. We were never disturbed by noise. We never experienced traffic going up and down the halls.

I must tell you that I am a smoker, so I wouldn't notice much if smoke was an issue. My husband, though, is not. He did not mention any issues. On one of the sea days I ran into a neighbor who asked me how I liked the cabin. She said she got it as a guarantee and was pleasantly surprised and extremely happy with it. I do not believe she was a smoker as I never saw her in any of the usual smoking hangouts.

One of the best things is the feeling of privacy. We are morning people. There is no one around the area that time of day except cleaning staff.

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures. I can tell you it is no different than the pictures you see on NCL. Small, but with adequate storage. It was kind of nice to be able to spot our cabin from the pier since there were so few of them like ours.

I hope you enjoy your stay there as much as we did. I worried some before we got on board for some of the same reasons you mentioned, but it turned out to be the best decision for us. I would love to do it again!

Thanks for your responses, everyone! NOLALADY, I am not familiar with staggered check in. How does that work?

Thank you very much!

Hello everyone!

We are booked on NCL out of New Orleans on May 1, 2016. We just booked in the last couple of weeks without checking any event schedules for New Orleans. Then, when I tried to find a hotel, I found out most hotels near the port were either booked or very expensive! It's the last weekend of the jazz festival! We could have found a hotel just for the night with little to do or see around it, but after spending time in New Orleans before, I just could not get enthused.

Since we are driving and it looked like we would be 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours away from the port anyway, I decided to look into Biloxi. We were able to get a free room at Harrah's and it looks like about a 1 1/2 hour drive to the port. This way, we get to experience some place new and hopefully enjoyable, but also get to the port in plenty of time to park and cruise. Has anyone else done this? Is this workable?

Thanks for your input!

Cindy