emilysmom97

I sailed the Breakaway in September. I had no problems getting into any of the specialty dining areas without reservations. My fiancé and I were often able to get right in because we were a small party. We did La Cucina, Moderno and Le Bistro without reservations. We had reservations with our larger party of 8 at Teppanyaki and Cagneys.

That's great to hear! Thanks!!! BTW, who was the cruise director? We loved Julie and DanDan. Archie, not so much.

Somehow when I go onto user cp this post is missing? Did I do something wrong or violate the conditions?

Ya, that woman with the stick up her arse got our posts deleted. lol

only a small percentage of available reservations are made available for pre booking, but anyway the concierge will have no problem getting you in. We are on the same cruise with you, see you in the Haven, we have a 2 bedroom

Hi pieshops. Hmm? I replied back to you but it's not there. Thanks. I didn't realize that NCL only make available a small percentage for advanced booking. That makes me feel better. As for the concierge, I would hope he/she could get us reservations as that's one of the perks of being a Haven guest. We're on deck 16. See you there and all your 35, rowdy, screaming, kids. It's going to be a tight squeeze in a two bedroom. ;):D

I have been on the Jewel Dawn and Breakaway, only on the breakaway did we need to make reservation. We are only 2 people, the amount of people does make a big difference. I only book in advance for a special event say birthday etc, But I would say make a reservation every night for dinner. For me it was one of a few negatives of the breakaway compared to the other ships. But it still is a awesome time enjoy.

Hi shout19661966. It will be two of us as well. Did you book the morning of or when you first got on the ship? Was there any problem with getting the time you wanted? I'd read reservations were a must on the Breakaway because of the amount of guests. I love the Jewel class ships! Thanks. I'm sure we'll have a great time.

Hi,

 

Was on the Breakaway in July. We thought that the Haven restaurant for dinner was as good as any of the specialties (except for one chicken dish). It was nice that you could just show up anytime between 5:30 and 9:00, has a nice view and you can dress as you wish. Service was better than the other restaurants.

Hi snorkelmom19. Good to know. Thank you!

Yes, the concierge can get you into the restaurants.

 

You can always just show up and wait; at included restaurants it isn't too long a wait usually.

Thanks. I was worried they would be fully booked because online it shows only two time slots left on a many days at Cagneys. Usually 9:00 PM and 9:30 PM.

Hi. Leaving on the Breakaway on Oct 11th. I've booked three restaurants in advance already but a lot of the good time slots are gone. Some questions...

1. As a Haven guest, can the concierge get you into a restaurant that seems booked? We cruised before on the Jewel class ships and reservations were never an issue because the ships were smaller.

2. If you don't have reservations, can you wait or do they turn you away?

I'm concerned about missing entertainment venues and may just cancel my current reservations and eat in the main dining rooms. I'd hate to not eat at Cagneys. On my last cruise I ate there 4 times! :D:D. Thanks for any advice.

Sure. We used her last year.

 

Her name is Ms. Deborah Brown. She is the owner. If you have been to Bermuda before she is the lady with a shuttle bus with funny bright socks. She is a wonderful person. She was recommended from another driver we used but he could not fit us all in his car the next time because my brother went as well.

 

She is a lot of fun, very knowledgeable and accommodating. I highly recommend her. I think she does tours and other things as well. We did not share the shuttle with anyone and we had 5 adults. She then picked us up at the time we told her. She responds pretty quickly via email. It was my brother's 40th bday trip and she made a sign with his name or it with birthday decorations---he was really surprised - was wonderful.

 

https://www.facebook.com/AmbassadorBrownsTransport

 

You can tell her Jennie B from Alexandria, VA recommended her to you.

 

We are using her again for our Sept trip. I already contacted her.

 

Good luck!

Thank you so much! I will definitely mention you. We have a woman in St. Thomas that we use and she's wonderful. Better than a taxi!

We have been 3xs each time price went up by $10 pp. We still love it there. Staff is fab. It is very quiet and laid back. The food is very clean eating fresh. They let us get ice tea instead of drinks but I dont think it is free refills. They give us as many towels as we want. We are going back again this September. We hire a driver it is $24pp roundtrip. There are umbrellas on the beach but it is first come first serve. My parents love it too.

Can you recommend the driver you used? Thanks.

IMHO -- it's still a good bargain, when you consider what's included in the day pass:

 

-- private beach, with umbrellas, lounge chairs, and towels included;

-- bathrooms, with shower/changing facilities;

-- use of Coco Reef's beautiful pool (if you don't like the beach);

-- a very nice lunch, with a glass of wine included.

 

Bermuda is a pricey place -- you can spend nearly that much $$ on lunch alone!

I agree! We booked for Oct. 15, 2015. I'm not into crowded beaches but I love the water. My sister is more of a pool person so it works for us. The view looks beautiful! :)

Sinan's daughter sadly passed on the gem, not dan dan's.

Oh. The person told me it was his son. Either way, how tragic!!! :(

Archie is the current CD. I was on the 10/18 - 10/27 sailing. He did a great job.

We were on the same cruise. Archie was just ok compared to DanDan. Very low key.

So when is Dan Dan back

I am sailing 1/2 and hope he is back

A good CD is a make or break factor with a cruise

OK not really but a good CD makes for a better cruise

Hence Sinan who was the best

Sailed once with an "older"female CD and she was Boring with a capital B

Forgot her name though

DanDan will be back after Thanksgiving....I'm his FB friend. Sinan, I heard on this recent cruise, Oct 18th, that his son passed away suddenly on the Gem so he will never sail again on the Gem. So tragic! People say he is the best!

The Cruise Director reports to the Hotel Director.

Jenny should be way above Archie in my opinion.

My sister and I cruised on the Gem last year at this time. Julie was the cruise director and DanDan was the assistant. Nacho was part of the entertainment staff and he was great! We just got off the Gem on the Oct. 26, 2014. DanDan was on vacation until Thanksgiving so we had Archie as our cruise director. Archie was very low key and not very funny. Nacho was also on vacation and it part of the Gem entertainment staff. He's hilarious! DanDan is great and if you have him and you won't be disappointed. Ash, who was on this recent cruise, was hilarious but I don't know his rank on the entertainment staff. This was the second year in a row with Jenny as the hotel director. She actually remembered us! What a great person! Hardest working crew member and yet finds time to talk to everyone. She gave us a free dinner with a bottle of wine at Cagney's. One night it was pouring rain for a deck party and Jenny was out there, using a squeegee along with others to help get the water up once the rain ended. Awesome person! :D

Do you enjoy rough seas? I'd love to hear your stories.

 

My sister and I are leaving NYC Oct.18th on the Gem. I was so hoping we would get some rough seas from Hurricane Gonzalo. Seems like we won't. :( For me, feeling the waves and rocking of the ship is exhilarating. Last year on the same cruise, we experienced 60mph winds and high waves. Loved it. :o

Looks like Hurricane Gonzalo is slowing down a bit so I'm hoping to get some swells when we leave NYC on Sat. on the NCL Gem.

Reminded me of the "Deadliest Catch" television series. I love the show, but I'm not sure that I'd be ready for that much 'real life' excitement. Kudos to those who went thru it.

I LOVE Deadliest Catch! Sometimes I dream that I would be on a crab boat....mostly cooking! :)

I just posted this yesterday in another thread.

 

You might enjoy it.

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2114573#post44428629

Thanks!:cool:

On our Alaska Inside Passage cruise on the Sky in 2000, we were held in port at Skagway due to high winds. When the ship was cleared to leave it was pulled out by tugboats (that was fun to watch!). The winds were still really high and I think the captain was trying to make up time overnight going back out the inlet.

 

The ship felt as though it was bucking up and over massive rollers all night long. It was our first cruise and we'd done it on the cheap so we had an inside cabin. The motion was enough to roll us off the bed! Husband was sick all night and I was just about at the limit of my ability to tolerate it when we finally hit calmer water in the morning.

 

It wasn't so much the roughness, but more how long it goes on for that makes it change from exhilarating to "I'm gonna be sick now!" We hit some rough seas for just a couple of hours in Hawaii and it was fun and exciting but it was over before we had time to get uncomfortable.

I think being tossed out of bed is considered some rough seas! Maybe these newer ships with the stabilizers help.

Was tossed right out of the pool onto the deck along with the pool water .. It was AWESOME :eek:

 

Of course I was in my 20's ... Ive got pictures somewhere ..

I'm older and still love being tossed out of the pool!

I dont know about "enjoy", but Ive been on 2 cruises where it was a little rough.

In the Mediterranean, on our first cruise on the Jade, there was a windstorm overnight. The ship was moving pretty good in all directions. I could feel my stomach moving up and down. The next day it was still pretty rough and a lot of people were not up and around. My wife took a nap and I went to the buffet! Im not one to get seasick, but food keeps my stomach juices from slopping around.:p I think there were maybe 6 other people there. It was pretty awesome.

 

The other cruise was just a little lumpy one day and people were walking like they were drunk. I always find that entertaining. Id barely consider that rough though. Just some heavy wind blowing the ship around and making waves.

I'm not one to ever get seasick and love the movement of the ship. Laying in bed is like being rocked to sleep!

If you insist: you're crazy. You're welcome.

(actually, I agree with you) :) When the USS Des Moines ( a WW II attack cruiser ) was returning to the States from a year over in the Med, we hit a hurricane in the Atlantic. The bow of the ship would actually go under water coming up throwing off huge amounts of water. I was up in the conning tower snapping away with my camera. Loved it.

Ahhh, and you're safe and sound. I would have loved it. :D

Do you enjoy rough seas? I'd love to hear your stories.

My sister and I are leaving NYC Oct.18th on the Gem. I was so hoping we would get some rough seas from Hurricane Gonzalo. Seems like we won't. :( For me, feeling the waves and rocking of the ship is exhilarating. Last year on the same cruise, we experienced 60mph winds and high waves. Loved it. :o

BTW....trading in our Marriott time share really helps in getting a suite. :D