cathi007

We were at Darkwood about 3 weeks ago and it was amazing. It is a quiet beach with the most beautiful water ever. There is a great restaurant and bar. It was perfect. My new favorite Caribbean Beach. We were on a 14 day cruise, visited 8 islands and Darkwood was number 1

2 hours ago, adonisr said:

 

That was the only one I saw, but it was great.

On 2/9/2019 at 8:14 AM, Red-Sol said:

Oh I wasn't aware of the circumstances for you and your family. I am very happy for you though that you were all able to make so many beautiful memories. All the best thoughts and prayers along with good Karma coming your way. 🙏

 

Thanksgiving time is often a good time to sail. Nice to leave all the dishes for NCL to take care of!  That plus the prices don't usually shoot through the roof like they do over Christmas or New Years.

 

Safe Travels and more good memories for all of you down the road Cathi  🦄

Thanks so much, it has been a difficult road for her and her family. She was pregnant and 27 years old when she was diagnosed. He prognosis is pretty good, but she is BRCA positive, so we know (others in family have not done so well with same mutation) how precious life is. We wanted to make memories for the family and give her and her hubby a break. We have done a few Thanksgiving cruises, we might have to go back to that. I wish I could do the Bliss sailing next year. Who knows maybe hubby will hit the lotto, lol. Good luck to you. I didn't get to meet you on the cruise, bc I was late to the M&G. I did get to meet Don and a few others. 🙂

The next day we went to the buffet for breakfast, which was a nightmare, lol. I realized that people on January cruises do not like children. I can't tell you how many people were downright rude, because we had children. It made me very angry. One day my S-I-L was waiting for an elevator. When the elevator came, a women pushed in front of him and tried to close the door before he could get in with the 14 month old in the stroller, this seriously would be a common occurrence. There were many people that were awesome too, but I was very disappointed in how many were rude. The buffet was a mad house and people were also being so rude to the crew. None of this was their fault, and they were all working double duty. We ate our breakfast and then went to explore the beautiful ship. The ship was awesome!!!. For lunch the 12 of us ate at O'sheehans,  which was a lot of fun and the food was good. We next hit the shops, just to see what was available. We all went to the show After Midnight at 10 pm. It was pretty good, but I started falling asleep towards the end, as it got boring to me. After the show we stopped by the casino to make our daily donation. I ended up not doing bad, but hubby....not so much, lol. The next morning it was pleasantly warm. We were so excited to sit out in the sun. We got a couple of lounges on deck 17 near the bar and enjoyed the sun....and some frozen concoctions. BTW we had the drink package and we purchased a 7 night dining package. We were a group so we enjoyed free gratuities. We spent the day out in the sun and my Daughter took the 3 y/o to the splash zone.  The 14 month old was in the stroller sleeping. She is an exceptionally amazing baby, who never never cries. She isn't walking yet, a she was a premie, so she is super easy. The 3 y/o is a typical 3 year old boy. He is potty trained, so he was able to enjoy the splash pad. On that day he met a little friend from the UK, so he enjoyed his time. Later on in the day we played Deal or no Deal in the Atrium. I won 50.00 and a free photo, so it was a good day for me. For dinner that night we went to Savor. We had a pretty good meal there, but I was too stuffed for the desert. After dinner we visited our friends at the casino, where we donated. We play either Let it Ride, or Three Card Poker. We do love to gamble.

I will start out telling you a little bit about our group. There were 12 of us sailing together, all from New Milford CT. We are a group of 6 50 something year old friends, all married couples. My daughter, her husband and their two children ages 3 and 14 months. We stayed at the Watson Hotel in NYC the Saturday night before, as bad weather was headed our way. I highly recommend the Watson, excellent hotel. Embarkation was the worse ever I have seen. I even talked to people who had 72 cruises under their belt and they said the same. Ship was supposed to sail at 3:00, hubby and I didn't get to board until 5:30!. This was supposedly all due to the fact that the cruise before had a few hundred people sick with the Norovirus. While I appreciate the cleaning that was taking place, better communication would have been nice. We were told to report to the port at 10:30, it was a disaster. Once we got on board it was even worse, and I am not one to complain. Our cabins were not going to be ready until after 10 pm, so 4200 people were stuffed into the buffet and a few other areas. It was just crazy. Finally an announcement was made that we could drop our carry on's into the rooms, but they were not ready for us to stay in. We dropped our bags off and headed to La Bistro, where we had dinner reservations. Dinner was good, but service was very slow. This would be a theme for the fist half of the cruise, because in the buffet the crew had to serve you, so any extra crew were either in the buffet or cleaning the ship. I didn't mind, as I knew our rooms weren't going to be ready yet anyway. Finally at 8:30 we started sailing, only 51/2 hours late, not bad for all that was going on. We went to our rooms at about 10 pm. There was no coffee makers, no robes, no ice, no soaps, no books/magazines. It was bare minimum, as everything had to be sterilized. We met Anthony our cabin steward and he was amazing from day 1!!!! These crew members work so hard, they were all awesome the entire cruise :). BTW we had 5 mini suites and mine and my daughter's were connecting. I loved the extra large bathrooms, and the rooms were a bit larger than the regular balcony rooms. Also the balcony was a bit larger. Perfect for us. We went to bed, as we were all wiped.

Just now, GeezerCouple said:

 

Again, we didn't use Nationwide, but yes, I put in the TA's name/contact info for that first claim, and just "me" for all of the others.

 

Cheers!

 

GC

thanks 🙂

2 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Yup, I had to call Steve about that one with our second claim.  The first one, we had used a travel agent.

I take it you made all the plans yourself, and did not use a travel agent?

 

Then AFAIK, *you* are the equivalent.  I just put my name/contact info in, and the claim was paid.

If you aren't sure, you can call Nationwide.

The only other possibility in a case like this would be the cruise company itself.  But we had a non-cruise situation, so I had booked all the flights and hotels, so there wasn't even a cruiseline for a "provider".

 

If they don't like that, they'll tell you what to put in that space (or maybe to leave it blank)?

I've ended up putting my name in that spot each time (we've had several claims, unfortunately), although not with Nationwide.

 

Good luck.

 

GC

I did use a TA, so should I put her? Thanks 🙂

Hi I just got back from a 14 night cruise. I purchased the Nationwide Luxury Cruise plan way before I left for my cruise. This plan, for me (live in CT), has an itinerary change part, where if the itinerary changes BEFORE you sail, each person on the policy gets a payment of 1250.00. A few months before we set sail the itinerary changed. I knew I was going to be able to make the claim. So I am filling out the claim form and it is asking who the Travel Supplier/Provider information is. I know some of you have collected on this exact benefit (that is why I purchased this particular plan), so does anyone have an answer? They make these forms tricky. Thanks for any and all help,

Cathy

19 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

A fair number of folks that were on our cruise are booking the Bliss 14 days  for January 19th 2020 (same itinerary and the ship looks to be even better than Escape) hint hint see you there?!!??! 

I know, believe me I wish I could, but I am a teacher and I got special permission for this vacation because my daughter has cancer and we wanted to treat her and her family for a celebration of life trip. I will never be able to sail in January again 😞

I have to sail during my time off, which is Thanksgiving, Christmas, March, or the summer 😞 Otherwise I would already have that trip booked. 

2 hours ago, letsgocruisin said:

Going on the Escape for the first time in a few  weeks.   I thought I read The coffee Cafe had Starbucks coffee last year.   Do they still sell Starbucks? 

 

Can’t wait to read your review!

They do have Starbucks, but I don't drink coffee, so I can't give details

10 hours ago, seaox said:

We are a group of 8 4 adults 4 teenages. Darkwood beach looks like a good day for everyone?

What is the best way to get there from the cruise port?

If anyone has any other suggestions we are open to all.

Thanks.

We were just at Darkwood beach last week. It was amazing!!!! The most beautiful beach. It would be perfect for adults and teens. We took a cab (van) from the port. I think it was 8.00/person, each way. Tell the driver what time to pick you up and he will be there. Great bar/restaurant, chairs and like I said an amazing beach. Enjoy

Here are some photos of Bikini Beach. I wish I took one of the bar/restaurant 

OK, came off of the Escape this Sunday and I have not had a chance to do a review yet. I will come back this weekend and try my hardest to write one. I am a teacher, so being gone for 2 weeks has put me way behind. We had an amazing time on the Escape and I wish I was back on her now

On 1/18/2019 at 3:50 PM, Cruising Divers said:

 

Awesome, thank you!

OK I went to Orient Bay (Bikini Beach) during our cruise. The beach was just as beautiful as ever. The lounge chairs were awesome. 2 chairs, umbrella, and a nice table that has 4 built in cup holders for 30.00. I didn't think that was bad, considering the chairs had very thick cushions, very comfortable. I will post pics this weekend. The hurricane damage is evident all over the island. The bar/restaurant at Bikini beach was awesome

Just go back from our amazing 14 night cruise. We went to Orient Bay (Bikini Beach). It was a great day! The water was a little rough that day, but they are open and ready for your visit. Driving to the beach the hurricane damage was very evident. But at the beach it was beautiful as usual. I will add some of my pics. Notice how the mountains are now brown. I will add the photos over the weekend, as I can't seem to find them all, lol

Just got off Sunday and I miss it so much I’m ready to book next cruise

I was in a connecting mini suite that connected to my daughter’s family which included a 3 y/o and 14 m/o and I didn’t hear anything with both doors closed. And trust me, I’m a light sleeper

Thanks for all of the updates. Bundle up it’s going to be chilly the next few days. See you on board Sunday 😎

On 1/8/2019 at 2:03 PM, SnorkelAway said:

 

Incorrect. 

 

Club Orient is no more - at least not now and the near future.  The beach in front of the Club Orient property is still there and is still clothing optional.  I.e., you can be nude on the beach in front of the Club Orient Property (and a little bit north toward the rocks).

 

There are no "nude" beaches on the island as that term is commonly used to imply that you must be nude.  There are clothing optional beaches on the island - at least two commonly recognized as such - the southern part of Orient Beach and Cupecoy Beach.

 

Bikini is about 500 yards north of the Club Orient beach, so if at Bikini, you can walk a little and see what is what on the Club Orient beach.

Oh thanks, that makes me happy

4 hours ago, esm54687 said:

Great place to start is always the NCL website:

 

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/family-cruises/cruise-dining-and-entertainment

 

"So many cuisines to choose from! Make dinner on every night of your cruise a delicious adventure at one of our Specialty Restaurants. Kids 12 and under eat free from the complimentary kids' menu at all specialty restaurants. Excludes dinner and a show dining events."

 

This is NOT the Specialty menu

that did not help, but....thanks

22 hours ago, Cruising Divers said:

 

Thank you! Would you consider it the “best beach” to spend our one and only day in SM at? Thanks again!

I will be at Orient Beach next week I will be posting back after I get back from my 14 night cruise

32 minutes ago, wingnut2005 said:

Does the boatyard put the loungers real close together When we went to Harbour Lights 2 yrs ago the loungers were very close to each other hardly any room to walk between them wasn't very nice other than that we did enjoy Harbour Lights

I will be there next week, I will report back 🙂

20 hours ago, boblerm said:

We are going to be cruising with our 2 year old grandson, and am only now coming to the realization that transporting a little one around safely is an issue.

We can bring a car seat, but I am not sure that I can assume that taxis on the islands will necessarily have seat belts to attach them to.  So I am looking into walkable beach options.

My recollection of Antigua is that there are not any beaches that one can walk to from pier, is that correct?

What about water taxi?

I will be there next week with a 14 m/o and 3 y/o, I will let you know when we get back 🙂

Yeah I just got the e-mail last night, ughhh now I have to try and get reservations along with the 4000 other passengers, oh well maybe more time in the casino 🙄

5 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Just a clarification, but every cruise has to report to the CDC before it returns to the US, whether it had any GI illness or not.  The report that mking mentions is the additional report required when the number of cases reaches 2% of pax or crew.  And, again, you will not see this listed on the CDC website until a further additional report is made if the level reaches 3%.

 

And, Cathi, again, use what you feel comfortable with, but know that while the EPA certifies disinfectant ingredients for surfaces, hand sanitizers fall under the FDA, and to date no hand sanitizer ingredient has been classified by the FDA as "Generally Regarded as Safe and Effective"  (GRASE I) against noro.  To date, to the best of my knowledge, all sanitizer ingredients are listed as being GRASE II, meaning the FDA requires more data to prove the ingredient's safety and effectiveness.

Thanks, we will be washing our hands all the time.