Cdtheque

Our best insight into the impact one-in-a-cabin has on on-board spending is how some cruise lines are beginning to charge more than 100% single supplement. If the impact on on-board spending was smaller than the cost of food (which is probably still less than $10 a day on Carnival, at least - does anyone have up-to-date numbers for how much each cruise line spends on food per passenger?) then why would cruise lines be further discouraging solo travelers but pushing the single supplement > 100%?

 

Regardless, I never understood the logic behind exempting babies from consideration of the cost of the services the baby consumes, such as on-board service. Maybe the typical behavior of babies has changed since the little ones in our family were little, but in both hotel rooms and restaurants, they would draw on the time and effort of the service workers as much if not more than the adults in our party.

How did your kids require more effort than the adults? I have always felt the opposite with our family and I believe my wife and I are low maintenance.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Actually this brings up another frequent complaint - Whether or not to pay tips for the baby.

I fully support paying tips and have no problem paying them for my four children ages 4-12. I would not pay them for a baby.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

If you are adventurous, rent a car an spend some time inland. We did this in January. My wife and I went to Harrison's Cave and Welchman Hall Gully, very close to each other. Just be careful with the return time. This wasn't an issue with us but may be for you given the late departure time.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

No open air bus tours that I know of but there is an open air train! 3 in fact. Unfortunately none tour the whole island. The Blue Train tours Hamilton. Another train tours the dockyard area. A third train tours St George. I haven't done these so I can't speak to the quality of the tours. Check out http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2_00009c.htm for more info.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I don't recall seeing bike racks at horseshoe bay but there is dedicated moped parking so you should be able to find a place to leave the bikes. There is a very steep hill to get to the beach parking lot so I wouldn't take a bike down there. And since you have mentioned the accursed bike/ moped on the Bermuda board. I have personally ridden a bike in Bermuda and recommend it as long as you are able to pay attention to your surroundings. Yes the roads are tight with no shoulders but pay attention and stay to the left and you should be fine. In June I was in Bermuda riding the bus. There were two guys riding bikes on a very busy winding road. Traffic simply slowed down until it was safe to pass. Enjoy your trip and your ride.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Bermuda is nothing like the Caribbean (seen one port/seen them all). The Dockyard is a manufactured area, specifically for cruise ships. You might see the "mall", from a distance, and parts of the museum, but not much in the way of local stuff.

I'm surprised you see Caribbean ports as as "seen one seen them all" Bermuda, I know it's not Caribbean, overlooks an old fort. Barbados overlooks an industrial dock and city. Dominica looks directly into the capital city. St Marteen, a beach and bay. San Juan a panoramic city view. I enjoyed the sights pulling into different Caribbean ports.

To the OP, as many have said it's luck of the draw as far as what side your balcony will face. Either way I think you will be happy with your view. If you are not facing the port, you can see other parts of the island across the bay.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Just on Anthem in June. I'd recommend booking the shows in advance, its less stress if you don't want to stand in line. With a family of six including 4 kids we made sure to book all of our shows beforehand.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I love threads like this one. They pop up occasionally and bring out the best of cruise critic. Hey OP, I have an idea, just eliminate all your tips. Then the RCI cruise will be affordable [emoji6]. In all seriousness thanks for coming back to give us the price comparison. I hope you and the family enjoy the cruise. And since many on cruise critic don't understand sarcasm, I was joking about the tips.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The name of that show is Spectra's Cabaret.

Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I was on Anthem, 5 days to Bermuda, in June. The shows were The Gift, Spectra (in Two70 probably what the OP is calling Cabaret), and We Will Rock You. Spectra was cancelled the last night due to rough seas so I didn't see that one. The others were just ok in my opinion.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

An exercise bike wouldn't come anywhere near the experience of cycling in Bermuda.

I came across this article and remembered this thread. http://mobile.royalgazette.com/news/article/20170512/two-killed-on-road-in-24-hours&template=mobileart

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

This was a sad article. It should be noted that these two deaths brought the total for the year in Bermuda to 4. Also these deaths did not include pedal bikes. Anyone who rides a pedal bike should keep primarily to the rail trail. Many sights are located close to the trail and the scenery is amazing in many sections. If you need to ride on the roads for any reason, you should remain vigilant as you should on any roadway.

It is best to do the caves 1st thing in the morning. Be off the ship quickly and grab a cab. 30-45 minutes to the caves depending on traffic. Being the first there the tour is about 45 minutes to one hour. The cab will wait for you.

 

Head back to The Boatyard and spend the rest of your time there. They give you a 'free' ride back to the ship, takes about ten minutes. Low stress, maximum enjoyment. :)

I agree with Ming, if you really want to see the caves do them first. I'd also strongly recommend doing the cave on a ship tour. When we were in Barbados in January, we rented a car and drove to Harrison's Cave and Welchman Hall Gully. While we were waiting to enter, another guest who was in the cave fell which caused a huge delay. The tour of the cave happens on Trams that have limited areas where they can pass each other or turn around. In this situation, some people were stuck in the cave until the injured person could be attended to. It was still early in the day so we were able to wait, enjoy our tour, and make it back to the ship. Harrison's Cave is definitely worth seeing. We have some amazing pictures from our tour.

I wonder how much "embellishment" there is in this story. In the first post the OP says they got back to the ship with minutes to spare but later imply they missed the ship. The OP also implied that they were too intimidated to ask for their money back when they found out the tour was not private. However in the first post they stated that they paid after James returned without the third couple. Why didn't they just leave when James left to get the third couple? At that point the OP was clearly not getting the "private tour" that he thought he was paying for. In my evaluation the OP is not telling the whole story or is exaggerating parts. It doesn't make sense that you would go to a foreign country and get into a stranger's vehicle when they are changing the terms that you feel you established when you communicated with them previously. If this scenario happened as the OP states, why would you let someone who has clearly deceived you drive you to the other side of the island? Clearly the OP was not satisfied with the tour but we are only allowed to judge the quality of the tour operator based on what the OP says. James is not permitted to come on and present his side of the story and the OP doesn't seem to be telling the whole story.

Nic - thanks for the comments. I suspect I will be spinning on the ship. Sigh - guess I need to put a good playlist together to keep me motivated.

Don’t allow yourself to be scared off of cycling in Bermuda so easily. Riding in Bermuda is less risky than riding in most US cities so if you have done that you should be fine. I have ridden a pedal bike and a moped in Bermuda and enjoyed both experiences and look forward to doing them again. Oleander at the dock can rent you a bike and helmet. When I rode the pedal bike on the island I used the railway trail and it was an experience not to be missed. If your ship is docking at Kings Wharf, there is a 5k trip on the roads before you pick up the trail on Beacon Hill Rd in Somerset. There are parts of the trail that cross the road and I recall two occasions where I had to dismount and carry the bike up and down several steps. When I made this trip, my fitness level was not the greatest but I was still able to make it from Kings Wharf to Hamilton,with stops at Ft Scaur and Gibbs Hill lighthouse, in about 5-6 hours. I caught the Ferry back to Kings Wharf due to time. This trip included time on major roads and several smaller roads. I never felt that my life was in danger. I stayed to the left, remained aware of my surroundings, and everything was fine. If you search the boards you will find lots of advice from people telling you not to drive this island or not to ride a bike on another island. People make it seem like islanders are a bunch of maniacal drivers looking to run down tourists in rental vehicles. Many times these are people who have not done these activities and are advising you out of their own fear. Whatever choice you make, it should be yours and not based on someone else’s fear.

Marijuana plant

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Wow, sry to hear this is how your cruise is starting. We are cruising in June with two connecting rooms so my wife and I can have one room and the children in the other. If we lost our connecting rooms, it would have huge effect on our vacation. I hope they can fix your situation.

In January, we rented from Guy's Car Rental at the cruise terminal. Our cost was $180 total including gas. It would have been less but all they had left was a pickup. I thought the roads in St. Lucia were fairly good. They were better than what we had when we lived in Scranton, PA. Some were winding and when you got into the smaller towns the roads were very narrow. They were also poorly labeled, but it was easy enough to navigate. I enjoyed driving on the island so I'm surprised that some posters would recommend against it. We visited the Sulpher Springs (drive through volcano), a water fall, and a hot spring near Soufriere.

Since the OP has already visited Dominica, I'll put in my $0.02 in case anyone else is looking for the same information. During our visit to Dominica in January we decided to look into renting a car. We decided on Rainbow Car Rental because it was in walking distance to the port, about half a mile (guesstimate) from the terminal, and open on Sunday. Our car cost was $68 for the car, insurance, and temporary driver permit. The steering wheel in the car was on the right side, not the left. I remember this because I kept walking to the wrong side of the car. On our trip we went to Mero Beach and Trafalgar Falls. As many people have stated, driving Dominica is not for the faint of heart. While I wouldn't call driving in Dominica foolhardy, I would say the decision requires a lot of consideration. Driving this island is unlike anything in the US and was worse then driving on other Caribbean islands. The roads are in poor condition and one of the main roads was a dirt roadway that ran along the river. Initially I thought that we must have made a wrong turn but it was actually the road, a "highway" according to the map. On another road, we went through an active construction zone. Not a nicely barricaded section where the construction machines where separated from the motorists, but a section where you weaved through the workers and the equipment. Add oncoming traffic and no flagger and you had an interesting situation. The roads going into the hills were very narrow and winding. Almost all of the roads had very deep and sharp edged drainage ditches on both sides. If your tire went down into one of these ditches, it was not coming out without mechanical assistance. These ditches were on many of the islands we drove on in the Caribbean, not just Dominica. Signage was minimal which wasn't a problem because there weren't many roads outside of the capital. With that said, a copilot is required to read the map and navigate. Would I rent a car again in Dominica? Yes, but I would not suggest anyone do it. Driving in Dominica is technical and requires attention and skill. Finally, as I stated before I walked to the rental agency. I would not suggest this to everyone. I am a younger larger man who grew up in an inner city so I am very aware of my surroundings and my size generally keeps people from harassing me. An older gentleman on our cruise was not so lucky. He was robbed while walked walking through Roseau.

Hi all! Will be arriving to port in May. Does anyone know if any car rental agencies have a "port pick up" option or if any of the rental agencies deliver the cars to the port? Any past experience with a car rental agency in port is appreciated, too!

My wife and I rented a car on our trip to Barbados in January. We went to Welchman Hall Gully and Harrison's Cave. We used Courtesy which as a previous poster stated is right at the cruise terminal. We didn't have a reservation and decided to rent a car as we got off the boat. We paid $120 for the car, gas, insurance (does not include the tires), and temporary driving permit. We had no problems at all with the rental. The agent was super nice and gave us directions to the "highway". If you decide to rent a car, I'd recommend having a copilot who can read a map and give directions. Most of the roads in Barbados are the size of back roads in the US or smaller. They are poorly labeled and it is very easy to get lost. With that said I would definitely rent again if we returned to the island. I don't know that I'd feel comfortable renting from a location that required pick up and drop off at the terminal. I wouldn't be comfortable relying on someone else to bring me back to the terminal in time.

Hi All!

 

Myself and my SO will be traveling to Bermuda on NCL Breakaway, and are planning a beach day on the last day of our stay in Bermuda (May 26th). I understand that this is the start of the America's Cup, so since "All Aboard" will be at 2:30, we are planning on leaving Horseshoe Bay at around 1:00p, with an anticipated arrival time of 8:00a at the beach. Five hours should be plenty of time to enjoy this gorgeous area.

 

My question is, what is the best means of transportation from the cruise terminal to Horseshoe Bay? The last time I was there, we took a taxi, which was awesome, but a bit pricey. If we decide to do the One Day Transportation Pass, will that take us directly to Horseshoe Bay, or would we need to do a couple of transfers? Does anybody know if Bermuda will be running on a holiday schedule on the 26th? I know they will be running on a holiday schedule on May 24th since it's Bermuda Day (and also my birthday!). Also, if transfers are necessary, is the average arrival time still 30 minutes, like it would be for a taxi?

 

Also, I'm assuming traffic will be a bit of an issue due to the world cup, so do you think over an hour of travel time is adequate?

 

Thanks so much in advance!

If you decide to take the bus and are only planning to go to Horseshoe Bay and back to the dock, you wouldn't need a day pass. Paying cash on the bus cost $5 per person each way. The route 7 bus will take you from the dock to Horseshoe Bay without the need to transfer. A day pass costs $19 pp. Another option, while not public transportation, would be to rent a scooter at the dockyard. I have ridden both scooters and pedal bikes in Bermuda without any issues. The scooter would give you more control over when you leave and would make it easier to go to another beach if you are not happy with Horseshoe Bay.

These two websites have a lot of good info if you choose the bus.

https://www.gov.bm/bus-fares

https://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_00002e.htm

We are cruising to Bermuda this June and looking forward tothe additional activities. Getting around shouldn’t be that much different fromnormal. Buses and ferries will probablybe more crowded in some areas but the roads should be about the same since you can’trent a car in Bermuda. The areas aroundthe race events will probably be more crowded then normal but not the rest ofthe island. Bermuda hotels are veryexpensive and they do not have a large stock of hotel rooms, so there probably won’tbe a huge influx of people. An America’sCup World Series event in 2015 only brought an additional 1500 people,including the teams and media, to the island. That’s less than half of a smaller cruise ship.

My wife and I cruised Breakaway this January but have neverbeen on Summit so I can’t compare the two ships. I can however compare the experience at thetwo ports. I would not sail out of NewYork again unless the cruise price was substantially cheaper than the comparablecruise out of Bayonne. This past Januaryon Breakaway, our debarkation process was as follows. After our group was called, we waited 5-10minutes to scan off of the boat. We thenmoved to another line where we waited 40 minutes outside in 30 degree weather toget into the port building. There was a bypassline for disabled passengers and those accompanying them. A couple with a toddler was denied the use ofthis line so the toddler had to wait in cold. Once we got in to the building we waited 20 minutes in another line togo down the steps. At the bottom of thesteps, we waited 10 minutes in yet another line to be allowed to enter the partof the massive room where our luggage was spread throughout the room. We had six bags and none of them were neareach other in this room. After we foundall of our bags (some were damaged by either the crew or the stevedores), therewas one final line to pass through customs. Fortunately this line could be bypassed bypaying a porter to cart your luggage. The two times we debarked in Bayonne, we had to wait in line to scan offthe boat, passed directly to the area where our luggage was stored intact andgrouped together, then proceeded to the customs where we waited in a short linebefore being cleared and on our way. Inmy experience, the process in Bayonne is much more considerate of thepassengers than New York. We had awonderful 14 days on Breakaway to relieve our stress only to have it returnedby the Manhattan Cruise Terminal or Norwegian, whichever is responsible for thedebarkation process. I would not recommendsailing out of Manhattan, even though the sail away was amazing with theskyline, the view of Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. From Bayonne the Statue of Liberty is visiblebut at a distance. Binoculars or areasonable camera can make up for the distance.

(n) :evilsmile:

 

.....but if you sail on one of the Asia itineraries...we had trouble finding yellow mustard...they found packets for me and delivered them to my cabin so I could take them to the WJ...On that Mariner cruise I was known as the mustard lady :D

See DaveKathy, even Royal agrees only ketchup should be on hotdogs ;)

:')

And of course never put on your Hot Dogs!

Hot dogs were made for ketchup