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I also have always received all points associated with a suite even when comped by CAS including the early booking. Just off BA in August and the next day my latitudes showed platinum. I earned platinum during the BA cruise.

Enjoying your review. Sorry your experience in Le Bistro wasn't a good one. We have always loved the food and the service in Le Bistro. You must have had the misfortune of an 'off' night in there.

 

Glad your cruise was good, though.

I have to agree - it took my fourth cruise before I tried Le Bistro and now it is my favorite specialty restaurant. I hope you will give it va second chance! Love your pixs, your review, and everything!! :p Can't wait til I sail on GA next year!

That was the best balcony we've ever had.

WOW!!!!!!

We will be in 12304 in late Feb, 2015- I can't wait to see that balcony!!

FYI- we were in haven spa suite on BA last week. Didn't think we would use the thermal suites but it was fantastic! We went almost every afternoon just before our glass of wine and nap :D

I have that too. I also has PSC, which I assume is pre-paid service charge.

This is Why I love CC - I also prepaid service charge and have PSC- makes perfect sense now! :D

you are correct...just got off the phone with NCL and she said it was broken down per person. Mystery solved:)

Ahhhhh. Thanks. was going to ask same question I have 450 in on board spending and was wondering why I only have OB150 and OB75--- but times 2 = 450.00 I am happy!!

Thanks for the review. Excellent and very concise! Much appreciated.

Where can I find that? I have $550 onboard credit and can't find any record of it on MyNCL. Thanks.

Go to Vacation Summary and then on left hand side - Reservation at a Glance- mid way down it will show On Board Spending.

sorry pix is small - if you click on it it becomes readable :o

Great Review. Thanks for taking the time. I sail the BA in 4 more Sundays!!!! Did CAS have a cocktail party?

FootBall Parent- I see you sailed BA in March- was that thru a CAS offer and if so, do you remember what time they had the CAS Party ?

:confused: -Usually, I don't mind what time it is but for BA - I don't want to miss sailaway!

Did they have a party/get together on BA?

This past March on Epic- they had get together in Casino- no "real" drinks- they had servers walking around with mimosas. Not anywhere as nice as the cocktail hour they have had in past in Bliss. (Although they had servers walkin around with wine/champagne -I could get anything from the bar) I was told it was in casino because there were very few Cas guests on that sailing. I was very disappointed.

another question- are you GeriC as well? I see that in your signature countdown clock. GeriC has answered many CAS Questions from me and others :p

As much as I love those nice, detailed, picture filled trip reviews, I don't have the patience for that but I will report what I liked/disliked

That would be PERFECT!

Have A GREAT Trip!

9 days and counting until the cruise! So excited!!

 

Edit: I put it in all caps for emphasis at first (CC deleted it for some reason)but I think y'all get the idea lol

Have a great time and don't forget to stop back and tell us all about it. I have 24 more days to go!

they're ship-board phones.... Room-to-room; anywhere-to-butler/concierge; anywhere-to-room; anywhere-to-anywhere else on board.

 

.

thanks!

Ok- I Know - probably a silly question...:confused: But .. how do the phones work- I assume you can only call ship numbers- such as concierge, butler, other cabins? Do the phones work Off the ship?

I have been in the haven a few times But never needed to use the phones. This time around we are traveling with another couple so I can see where the phones may come in handy as stated in previous posts.

Thanks!

Can't wait to read more!

So here it is...

 

This is a mini review of the sailing I was on in November.

 

Breakaway is large...very large!

 

Not overwhelming at all, and even with a full ship we had plenty of moments we were alone somewhere. On my sailing I found Spice H2O to be under utilized during the day. The 2 hot tubs were never full, plenty of chairs to enjoy the sun, little water fall to cool your feet, a good bar and a great view on "the plank" from the ropes course. This is great to know and quite surprising. On the Epic- Spice was always over crowded!

 

This venue was great at night and plenty of themed parties there. Enjoyed the fireworks from there with the music...very good !

 

The restaurant I found to be almost deserted is Uptown Bar and Grill on deck 16 near the climbing wall. The had hot and freshly made panini, different burgers, different sandwiches, fries in a holder like at McDonald's, etc...Sounds delicious!! I heard positive things from other reviewers as well.

 

We enjoyed specialty restaurants, Bistro, La Cuccina and Moderno. They are all worth the extra $. We, too, always enjoyed Bistro..

 

We had the UBP and enjoyed plenty of drinks at the bar from O'Sheehan's and also a few dishes from there. Wings and hot artichoke dip was very good, burgers were burgers like at the buffet...some food is really good...some not...

 

We tried to enjoy a huge sundae one night but they stop serving ice cream at a certain time...

 

We enjoy the buffet for breakfast, we always make our own sandwiches to give us a boost and not have a craving when we leave the ship to explore Bermuda. ( toasted bagel, mayo, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, sliced boiled egg and bacon ) What a Great Idea

 

We always found a least a couple of things to be very good every day at the buffet, either for lunch or when we didn't go to the specialty. We also enjoyed the late night buffet as well.

 

We had a great steak at Taste on deck 6 also one night. Service was very good and efficient.

 

We went to Cirque on the first night ( 25% off ) and it was excellent, for me it is a "must see" on the ship. We saw Rock of ages ( saw it on Broadway a couple of years ago ), like other reviews have said..NOT for kids...it was a little above Ok..maybe because we saw the Broadway production ??. Burn the Floor was just Ok...my girlfriend asked me 2 times what time it was during the show, that should tell you everything...

Sounds like I should plan for the shows -- I was worried about burn the floor. My husband makes sure we are seated in an area where we could easily "escape" if needed :) We also saw Rock of Ages on Broadway last year.

 

We did the Ice Bar...drinks not so good, small freezer and really nothing in there to justify the 25$ per person...will not do it again. Every year we say we will try it but something else comes along and we don't :)

 

We often went to Mixx bar on deck 6 because after ONE visit there, the bartender remembered our names and waved at us whenever we came across him on the ship. My Kind of Bar!

 

One of my 2 negative point is the layout of the shops on deck 8...HORRIBLE...who designed that ?? he should get his a** fired !. When they have their crazy sales it is a madhouse!! You exit the elevator and are stuck in a crowd of people...they have 2 kiosk in the middle of the place, you just cant pass on either side with the sea of people...once you manage your way pass this one, there is a second one in even a tighter squeeze ...crazy !

Agree! very similar on the Epic as well

The second thing is...well I don't know how to describe it but it's the vibe...I don't know...I sailed only "smaller" ship of about 2200 pax and both the Gem and the Star offered me a better feeling. I will sail the Dawn in a few months...I'll see if it's just me or is 4000 pax just to many ?

We sailed the Dawn in 08 - did enjoy her. Sailed the Pearl more recently- Loved the Pearl!!

If you have any specific questions, just ask !

I had booked with Heidi Cowen. I confirmed the day before at 9am, but she met us at the dock the next morning and told us that she had to cancel as her mother had become seriously ill. She recommended another tour operator. We went since we had not had time to make any other preparations.

 

He was very nice and tried very hard but I was ready to be done about half way through. There was a lot of repetition, a lot of sightings of palm trees, avocados, and a certain type of fish. I think some people just have a talent for being a tour guide and some do not. And it's not for lack of trying.

Sorry it did not go as well as it should. Do you remember what was the name of this guide?

In less than 2 weeks we will be traveling all around Bermuda with Dennis Hollis. Even though it was last minute - he had availability to take us on a 6-7 hour tour. I have teenagers so I don't mind skipping some of the things my DH and I have seen before so that we can do some unique things with the DS and DD. I have asked him to take us to Blue Hole Park and Tom Moore's jungle so we can go cave swimming and swing from the vines. I will write a review when we return, but thanks so much for all the great posts on these boards - it has made my planning so much easier!

We just booked with Dennis for a tour on July 3. Thanks for recommendation. He was quick to respond and setup tour.

We will let you how he does after cruise in two weeks.

Hello - Can you let us know what you thought of Dennis Hollis as a tour guide? I have just read a couple of recent reviews which were very negative. both said he was difficult to understand and repeated himself..:eek:

I have him booked next month and naturally am nervous with the recent reviews. Thanks for any insights!

Sounds like you had a great time and got as much as possible out of your time in Bermuda. My DH and his friend have their hearts set on port royal - Since it is the Big 60 for both of them - I will happily give up a day (as you know full round of golf will be 5+ hours) for them to enjoy their time at the course. We will catch up after for drinks and then back to the ship for a nice enjoyable dinner- maybe le bistro. Off subject- did you do a cruise review when you were on the BA? I am going to check out your posts- seems you are very similar to us....Thanks again for all your help and insights!! 5 more weeks!

It's the best investment of time you can do...honestly you see so much in just 4 hours :)

 

Taxi tour :if you want to ensure you get a top of the line service, yes booking in advance is recommended. But NO you do not have to book in advance. There is a taxi line a the Dockyard, just look for a Blue flag on the car.

 

So my suggestions are :

 

Day 1: Taxi tour from Dockyard at 9am ending at 1pm at the Swizzle Inn ( mention to the driver/tour guide you do not want to go to St-George )

 

Have a quick bite at the Swizzle Inn and maybe a quick drink ;) . Walk 5 minutes to the Caves entry. If there is no waiting line, both caves will take 75 minutes to complete.

 

Walk back to the street corner of the Swizzle Inn and either grab a taxi back to Hamilton (about 30$) or a bus ( 30 minutes ).

 

Now it should be around 4pm or 4:30. You could use the ferry to go back to the ship and freshen up a little and grab a quick bite before the 6:30 ferry back to Hamilton ... OR ... you could walk in Hamilton a little, grab a bite somewhere and participate in the Harbor Nights festival starting at 7pm.

 

Harbor nights is a street fare. Food kiosk, souvenir, handmade crafts, etc... it is not huge but it's fun to do it 1 time.

 

 

Day 2 :

 

Early ferry to St-George (9:30) have a quick look around , LiLi PERFUMERY is right there, walk 10 or 15 minutes ( or grab a taxi )to Tobacco Bay Beach. The beach is now ( since only a couple of weeks ) more oriented towards beach fun and beach toys and less towards calm and relaxation...so spending time at the beach there is your call... beach or no beach, there is a sea glass beach there with a cave you can go in to collect glass.

 

Get back to St-George and take ferry to Dockyard. I would suggest the 1pm ferry IF you do not spend time at Tobacco Bay Beach. Once at the Dockyard get on the ship, eat a bite and change and head to Horseshoe bay Beach for the remainder of the day if you feel you have enough time left.

 

If you feel you will not get enough time at Horseshoe, then after your quick bite on the ship you can go to the glasswork factory, rum cake factory ( same building ), the clocktower shopping mall, maritime museum ( the Fort ) visit, etc....

 

If you spend your beach time at Tobacco Bay, then the latest ferry back to Dockyard is 5:30....DO NOT miss it ...

 

Day 3 :

 

If you didn't go to Horseshoe Bay on day 2, get to the beach early like 8am or 8:30 Enjoy the beach and head back around 1pm. Do a little last minute shopping at the Dockyard and DO NOT miss the ship... :D

 

I may change my mind later and suggest an other route for the 3 days...So many possibilities !

 

 

Talk to you later !

Thanks So Much for the suggested itinerary.. My DH and I and another couple will be on the 8/17 BA to celebrate birthdays (big one for him :eek:)

I loved your itinerary and will be following day 1.

Day 2 - the 2 DHs will be golfing so I will probably hit the beach and then maybe a little shopping or vice versa--(I prefer beach and I believe she prefers shopping) - so compromise in order.

Day 3 - maybe a ferry to st georges and back early-then to dockyard and back on ship well before she sails away :D

Thanks, be so glad to see it in person next summer. :)

Ditto- Now I have to plan an Alaska cruise... what a shame:D

Thanks for the video- it was beautiful!!

What a great feeling! In two more weeks it'll be us! :D

I still Have 6 weeks of waiting! :(

Congrats on your nuptials. I, too, had that never again commitment but my DH had never been married and he was able to talk me into it. Smart man, smart woman! Having the time of our lives. Wishing you the best and hoping you also continue to have the time of your lives!

Question? did you take any pixs of the suite. There have been rumors that many of the port side spa haven suites have a pole in front of the tub. I had seen only one picture of one cabin with the pole. Would like to get confirmation if any other suites have the pole.

Just received my E-Docs for my August cruise and nowhere on the ticket does it say Haven and the downloadable luggage tags don't either. They're "Lime". Is this normal?

 

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I am booked on the Breakaway Aug 17- staying in the Haven Spa Suites- my paper luggage tags just arrived from NCL- They are Lime and do not have Priority printed on them.

I assume since they are "real" tags they are considered Priority. I never have luck with priority anyways- My luggage always seems to be one of the last to arrive at my cabin. :eek: - DH's luggage is always one of the first!

Maybe- this year, i will pack my clothes in his luggage.:D

Thank you. I am Loving your review and pictures. My DH and I (along with another couple) sail this august to celebrate his 60th and our 5th anniversary. We are staying in the haven spa suites as well.

As Usual Great Video. Thanks so much for sharing!