E46M3

We booked shows too late and the aquatic show on Oasis is booked full already. We were lucky to have found seats for Cats and Frozen in Time.  But I'd hate to miss that aquatic show. Thanks!

is there's an statistics on cruise passengers contracting covid that are relatively recent? Just wondering what the average % that people are catching Covid on cruises. 

girls are 6 and 10 and have no problem walking. After researching for things to do here, I've settled on doing some self guided walking tours for both food and sightseeing. I'd like to see some castles, historical sites, culture and food. Any good self guided maps I can just download that are good for us? And is it safe and use common sense kinda thing? Thanks! 

We'll be sailing on the Oasis this April. Oasis was our first cruise back in 2010. What's the typical cruise like nowadays? I assume hardly anyone masks up indoors, elevators? If there's an outbreak or positive cases, are passengers notifies? What happends if someone if your party gets Covid? Thanks!  

appreciate everyone's input! fares went down to $3450 this morning for a family of 4 with non-refundable deposit of $1000. The way I'm looking at it is like this.. refundable fares are $4250 so $800 more. If bookiing a refundable, I'd lose $800 if I go on this cruise. But on the contrary, I"d lose $1000 if I don't go on this cruise given if RCCL doesn't extend its Covid refund policy. The only reason I might lose more is if fares come down. But looking at this April spring break, fares are very similar... So I guess maybe it's a  good bet to book now... still deciding, I have two more days to lock in this fare. 

I have a booking on hold for April 2023 when my kids are on spring break. I booked it thru a TA and we're sailing on the Oasis from Miami. My concern is covid for obvious reasons and also pricing. Total cost came out to roughly $3500(ocean view balcony guarantee) which I thought was a decent price as I know how RC cruises can go north of $6k for a family of 4. This includes gratuity for two as well. Should I lock it or wait? And for what reasons do you base your recommendation on?

Thanks,

Jimmy

Is a green card without a valid passport enough for this trip?

my in-law is a Chinese citizen but her passport has expired already and lives in the States. Thanks!

Thanks for all the info! Did you find information prior to your cruise about this self excursion, or did you just figure it out when you got off the boat? I'll be traveling with 3 kids: 5, 3, and 2 and I really want to go to the Baths as well. i think my older 2 will be fine, and my husband can hold our 2 year old if need be. I would rather do the self excursion to save time and money as well. Any extra info would be greatly appreciated!

Yes, I researched quite a bit before deciding on the self excursion. I'd not want to play by ear as ship excursion could get full in case you decide to take that route. You definitely have to carry the 2 year old more and maybe the 3 year old as well but probably not as much. If we had 3 kids same age, I'd still do the self excursion. I forget what the cutoff age was for free ferry ride, maybe 3? But for sure you'll save over $100 compare to ship excursion.

Anyway, after about 20 minutes the drill was over and we were free to talk and drink to our heart’s content. We decided to check out the waterfront area on deck 8, as I’d been looking forward to enjoying some food and drink outside on the water.

 

The waterfront was one of my few disappointments on this trip. The available seating near each of the outside bars seemed far too small to handle the demand of such a large ship. We spent almost no time there the entire week because seating was at such a premium.

We were on the same cruise and our experience with the waterfront is quite the opposite. Although we did not go there after the drill as we thought it might get crowded. But when we did go, seats were always plentiful and we enjoyed hanging out at the sugarcane bar.

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Yes thanks for your report E. It is indeed a very easy and safe self-excursion and well worth the effort. Anyone without mobility issues will enjoy all of the experience.

 

>> The hike down was about 10 minutes to the top of the Baths where you start going through the rocks <<

One note so folks aren't confused, you probably meant the hike down from the Top of the Baths to the beach...is about 10 min. The Top of the Baths is where you are dropped by the taxi, there is a restaurant there (the Top of the Baths) and a wading pool. Just to clarify!

 

But thanks for posting the details for folks who have any concerns about going on their own! :)

I could have sworn I saw a signage that says "Top of the Baths" by the entrance of the caves. Maybe I remembered wrong. In any event, from the drop off to the entrance/beach is about a 10 min hike. And the pool by the restaurant no longer has water in it when we were there.

E46M3,

 

Glad to see you did the Baths yourself. I actually signed up and replied to this thread to provide information for your trip, so I hope you found my information useful.

 

I normally don't do this, but since you seem to be an avid car enthusiast I made the effort to do so :p

Yes, you helped out a lot, much appreciate it! Unfortunately, I no longer drive this car after a mortgage and a family. Hopefully one day I can afford to enjoy this hobby again. For now, watching motorsports on TV will do! :)

Awesome, thank you! We will be doing same thing in April with our 9 and 13 year olds. Were there a lot of taxis waiting to take you to and and from the Baths? Were these the free taxis that come with the ferry fare?

Your kids will love it! When we arrived at VG, there was only one 'taxi' but it's an open safari type that carries probably 20-25 people. We got off the ferry late so it was full, but the lady quickly got us another car to take us. Coming back, there are taxis' one after another. Have fun!

I came back from the Baths this past weekend and we did the self excursion and to me it was a great decision! Keep in mind I'm 41, my wife is 33 and our little one is just over 3. We're both in good shape but I really don't see anyone having issues even if you're out of shape as long as you're not too out of shape. We left the ship at 7:15. The walk to the ferry is about 10-15min. We took the 7:45 Speedy's and got to VG at 8:30. Cab ride to the Baths drop off area was no more than 5-10 min. The hike down was about 10 minutes to the top of the Baths where you start going through the rocks. The 10 min hike is really not that hard at all and I carried my 3 year old 80% of the way down. She doesn't like to walk on dirt... Going through the caves/rocks had more obstacles as you need to climb some steep stairs and go over some boulders but not that many, and still pretty easy. My 3 year old had a blast in the caves! I'm highly opposed to going through the Baths from Devil's Bay as everyone you encounter in the caves will hate you unless you're going on a slow day. The walk in the caves is only about 10-15min if you don't stop much. But we took our time and explored the less traveled areas as well and we were in it for a good 30min. We came out to Devil's Bay around 9:30 and the beach was gorgeous! The water was really fun to wade in but be careful, waves could knock you down and probably has strong riptides. My wife who never wades in saltwater did this time as she had so much fun. We left Devil's Bay at 11:40ish and went up the trail from Devil's bay. This trail has no steps unlike the trail coming down. It's slightly longer because of it. Again, I carried my 3 year old going back up. We got to the top just before 12 and rested a bit at the restaurant. Got on the cab around 12:30 and made it to the 12:45 ferry no problem. Ferry coming back dropped us off next to the ship, not sure why, but that was a treat!

Overall, it was a trip well worth going. The beach is gorgeous, the caves are a must see. And I'd recommend doing a self excursion to maximize time and money. We saved over $110 compare to ship excursion!

Could you give us an update if you took your 3 1/2 yr old? We have a 4 1/2 yr old and a 9year old - we'd love to take the kids but would like to hear from those who have been. Thanks

I came back from the Baths this past weekend and we did the self excursion and to me it was a great decision! Keep in mind I'm 41, my wife is 33 and our little one is just over 3. We're both in good shape but I really don't see anyone having issues even if you're out of shape as long as you're not too out of shape. We left the ship at 7:15. The walk to the ferry is about 10-15min. We took the 7:45 Speedy's and got to VG at 8:30. Cab ride to the Baths drop off area was no more than 5-10 min. The hike down was about 10 minutes to the top of the Baths where you start going through the rocks. The 10 min hike is really not that hard at all and I carried my 3 year old 80% of the way down. She doesn't like to walk on dirt... Going through the caves/rocks had more obstacles as you need to climb some steep stairs and go over some boulders but not that many, and still pretty easy. My 3 year old had a blast in the caves! I'm highly opposed to going through the Baths from Devil's Bay as everyone you encounter in the caves will hate you unless you're going on a slow day. The walk in the caves is only about 10-15min if you don't stop much. But we took our time and explored the less traveled areas as well and we were in it for a good 30min. We came out to Devil's Bay around 9:30 and the beach was gorgeous! The water was really fun to wade in but be careful, waves could knock you down and probably has strong riptides. My wife who never wades in saltwater did this time as she had so much fun. We left Devil's Bay at 11:40ish and went up the trail from Devil's bay. This trail has no steps unlike the trail coming down. It's slightly longer because of it. Again, I carried my 3 year old going back up. We got to the top just before 12 and rested a bit at the restaurant. Got on the cab around 12:30 and made it to the 12:45 ferry no problem. Ferry coming back dropped us off next to the ship, not sure why, but that was a treat!

Overall, it was a trip well worth going. The beach is gorgeous, the caves are a must see. And I'd recommend doing a self excursion to maximize time and money. We saved over $110 compare to ship excursion!

great review, thanks!

How do you think a 3.5 year old would do in Baths? Regardless, we're going, I'm just not sure if I should bring a baby carrier as I'm packing light.

Yes, that price includes the tips. It is actually $59 + 18% = $69.62

If you look at the NCL site, not logged in, you see the non-gratuity price list:

http://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/dining-packages

Thanks, just booked!

I'm looking to book the 3 meal pkg for our Getaway cruise. The price per person is $69.62. Does this include gratuities? The FAQ says it doesn't include tips and says an 18% gratuity and specialty service charge will be automatically added to the cost of your package. But when I go to check out, the total is still $69.62. I'm confused.. :confused:

Anyone tried uber?

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We might be able to help. Please contact me wendyjwolf. Yahoo. Dot com. We have comfort suites Rez with 2 extra spots!!! Same cruise

Appreciate the offer. However, we already booked a room in comfort suite and found another couple to join in as well.. Have a great cruise!

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Here is the post that Ryansmom posted with pictures of the path -

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2083445

Much appreciated!

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Could you give us an update if you took your 3 1/2 yr old? We have a 4 1/2 yr old and a 9year old - we'd love to take the kids but would like to hear from those who have been. Thanks

Sure, I'll report back after the trip. But since your youngest one is 4.5, I'm sure you'd be fine.

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just curious, what did you pay total?

Nevermind, saw your post about the total you paid, great price!

have the bars got better now after a few days?

how's the bar service after a couple days? We have the UBP package as well and we're very concerned with the wait time. Thanks!

I see the ncl option lasts 4.5 hrs so I gather you head over on the 8AM and return on a noon ferry which would get you back at 12:30. That's $72pp versus $38 for the round trip ferry and taxi on your own. Is that really the price for the ship excursion??? If so going on your own is the way to go. Can't remember if there is a small fee for the Baths but still no contest...

my thoughts exactly! Plus we have a 3.5 year old and NCL would charge $51 for her. Going on our own, she's free.