studygirl

I loved Teppanyaki on the Sun. I had the chicken and my DH had the steak & shrimp. Both meals were excellent. We book Teppanyaki on every NCL cruise. However, I do prefer the smaller restaurant venues like the one on the Sun. My second choice is always Cagney's.

We booked all of our entertainment for our cruise on the Breakaway in May as soon as online reservations opened up. When we entered our stateroom on day 1, we found notifications that the dates and times we chose had been cancelled. To re-book, we had to go the entertainment reservation desk and stand in a slow moving line. Re-booked the shows only to have them deliver another notification that the show times and dates had changed again.  We gave up on the other shows and only went to Rock of Ages, only to wish we would have skipped it. I wish you better luck.

Thank you! I have bookmarked this since I may forget to save and print the promotions when I book in the future.

We had the SDP on our May Breakaway cruise to the Baltics. The Ocean Blue upcharge was stated when we arrived for our dining reservation which was made online prior to sailing. We were given the option to decline our reservation at that time. We were aware of the upcharge when we made the reservation, but really wanted to try the OB based on previous CC reviews. I ordered the Delmonico Steak (seafood isn't my thing) and my DH had the Denver Sole. It was our least favorite meal in any SD venue. The service was subpar as well. I'm sure it varies in quality and service, but we will not give Ocean Blue another try.

On 2/18/2019 at 5:11 PM, RNCheryl said:

I have cruised many times with many lines.  On Princess and Celebrity, have had exceptional luck in Roll Calls.  On Princess Alaska, booked 2 excursions with fellow travelers. On Princess Baltic, a group of about 10 of us did EVERYTHING together and had a great time.  On Celebrity, our cruise group from the Summit was so successful, that we are still in touch, and sailing together, 10 years later.

 

Booked on the Bliss in July.  Our first NCL experience.  There are 4 people on the roll call, one an auto bot.  No posts for months.

 

Is there a rhyme or reason, or is it just Norwegian?

I have had very good experience with NCL Roll Calls and the Meet & Greet/Meet & Mingle group gatherings. However, our current May roll call seems to be a bit quieter than what I am accustomed to. It is picking up steam now that we are getting closer to the sail date. Hopefully yours will too.

NCL is usually my first choice for cruising. However, if the only ships NCL has sailing to Alaska are on the larger side, I would choose another cruise line. We sailed Alaska on the Sun and loved being able to get into ports that the larger ships could not. The  Sun was able to get closer to the glaciers and we had no need for binoculars to watch glaciers calving.

That being said, a larger ship may be better for you if you enjoy using lots of ship amenities. Consider the things that matter most to you and you will make the right choice. Enjoy your sailing! Alaska is beautiful!

Indeed, she's out of the dry dock now and headed to Copenhagen! We are set to sail this Friday, May 11, can't wait! I just spoke with one of the NCL agents and she did mention some refurbishments on:

- electronics, wifi, decor, carpets, USB ports in cabins by the headboard, updated seating areas in restaurants, to name a few.

 

She suggested to check Cruise Critic for the updated list.

Sorry to say that there were no USB ports by the headboard in our mini-suite cabin and I did not notice anything that would suggest updated seating areas in the restaurants. I didn't find the decor very appealing, either.

Fat Cats did change to Syd Norman's Pour House.

Our stateroom steward on our May 20 sailing said there were only minor changes done during refurbishment. He stated that new carpeting was put in, routine maintenance was done and new coats of paint were applied where needed. If you have further specific questions, I'll try to reply. But, honestly, I don't see any changes while comparing the deck plans I had saved prior to the refurbishment and the current deck plans.

This is the last itinerary info I have concerning the Breakaway.

October 2, 2018 - The Breakaway will end her Scandinavia, Russia and Baltic cruises

October 2 - 16, 2018 - The Breakaway will sail a 14-Day Transatlantic voyage from Copenhagen to New York

October 16 - 27, 2018 - The Breakaway will sail an 11-Day Eastern Caribbean voyage from New York (RT)

October 27 - November 11, 2018 - The Breakaway sails from New York to her new port in New Orleans

From November 11, 2018 - April, 2019 - The Breakaway will be sailing the Eastern & Western Caribbean from New Orleans

April 14, 2019 - November 2019 - The Breakaway cruises to the Eastern & Western Caribbean from Miami

November 23, 2019 - February 2020 - The Breakaway sails the Caribbean from Orlando (Port Canaveral)

Ok, here is my two cents... who knows I may even get change! IMO the star of the show is the Canal and to buttress your trip through the Canal I would look for an itinerary that includes a full day stop in Panama in addition to the cruise. You would be surprised at the number of Canal cruises that do not stop in Panama. You can use the Panama stop to either add on to your Canal experience go off on the history of the area and sightseeing type tours.

 

This is the type of information I am looking for. Thank you!

 

I am not going to include any Mexican ports because I am basically neutral on them and there is an off chance you may have already had experience in that part of the word. Also I think you start to find more of the sun sea and sand tours start to show up.

 

You are correct on that assumption.

 

On the Pacific coast Guatemala's Puerto Quetzal might appear to be a sleeper type of a stop as there really isn't anything in the port area. Look at a tour to Antigua, there you hook up with walking tours and such on your own if that is what you like. The ship's offer transportation to and from and you fill in your time as you wish in Antigua. It's in the mountains so the temps are a real treat.

 

Antigua, got it!

 

Staying on the Pacific, Puntarenas is pretty much a perennial stop, think just about everyone stops there it seems. This is more of a sightseeing stop with a number of different tours to different points of interest depending on what your looking for. You would have to take a tour here as there really isn't a whole to do in town... not all that large. Some ships call at Caldera, that is just a different facility in the same general area, just not in Puntarenas.

 

Hmm . . . still not sure about Puntarenas or Limon.

 

The last place is on the Atlantic coast and just about everyone stops there is Cartagena. The city offers a lot with the walled city, La Popa Monastery and the remnants of Spanish Colonial fortresses. Shouldn't be hard to find interesting tours either from the ship or private. Search for Mr. Emerald or Dora... seem to be well liked.

 

There are very few cruise lines that do not port in Cartagena, but I think we'll make it a port priority.

 

One last thought for the stop in Panama, presently a stop in Colon (docked) and a stop at Ft. Amador (tendered) are the options. Really makes no difference in regards to which tours are available from which facility, same tours are available from either facility. Now if your trip is far enough in the future then a pier may be ready for Ft. Amador eliminating tendering. If that is the case, Amador would be the better choice.

 

Thank you! I will investigate Ft. Amador.

Your response is much appreciated!

Our Panama Canal cruise is early January 2019 and while I cannot yet comment on ports from personal experience I can write on why we chose our itinerary. We have only cruised on Princess and are happy to continue to do so. We live in southern New Mexico so leaving from LA is easy for us --where do you want to depart from? The most important factors for us are that we be able to visit old Panama City; have a full transit of the old locks that have such a fascinating history; and visit long enough in Cartagena to do a walking tour of the old city with "Dora". The other ports are icing on the cake. We like cultural and natural history excursions and finding them in some ports is a challenge! So what will we do in them? Puerto Vallarta will probably be to take a taxi to the old town and wander around or to do a food tour --still researching! Huatulco is primarily a beach location so may do a boat tour with a swim. San Juan del Sur, a tender port, in Nicaragua offers multiple opportunities for colonial architecture, lakes, islands etc but we will probably go to a nature preserve on a coffee plantation. Puntarenas in Costa Rica is the most perplexing for me as I have lived there for two weeks on a biological research station and have experienced the country in a most authentic way -- our solution is to select to visit the Macaw Sanctuary. ( One thing I suggest you do is to look at the excursion opportunities from a Pacific port like Puntarenas and an Atlantic port like Limon, especially the time to get to a location). We typically do independent small group tours but on this cruise I feel more comfortable in some locations to do Princess tours. We will have a good time on whatever we select to do. While I do read reviews and opinions I feel it more important to research.

Thank you for responding with your plans for your Princess cruise. It appears we have a lot in common as your plans for Panama City and Cartagena are something we'd likely do in those ports.

Limon or Puntarenas has been a quandary for us, but now I will give the port times more consideration while during my research.

We spent a week in Puerto Vallarta many, many years ago so it isn't a priority port for us. I don't know how much time you have in port, but we found exploring the Malecon area didn't take all that much time. Our visit to the Old Town was only long enough to grab a few photos. For some reason, we felt uncomfortable there. We did find areas outside of the city center much more to our liking. We thoroughly enjoyed the day we had lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant located near a stream that was outside of the city. Many of the areas outside the city were lush and beautiful when we were there during the month of May.

We're trying to decide if Cabo San Lucas is a port we should consider since friends who have been there have recommended we make it a priority port.

Since we have no preference for where we begin or end our cruise, our options seem limitless. So, again, thank you for your insight. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your cruise.

Each of the ports you seek info have boards of their own. A little reading around will reveal tons of discussions about each port.

I absolutely understand that there are forums for the individual ports. However, there are numerous cruise lines and they do not necessarily offer the same port visits. My hope in posting a new thread was that several people would respond with opinions that would help me to narrow down which ports to definitely include on our cruise. With that information, I can then narrow down my search to find the cruise lines that offer those ports.

We are planning to take a full transit Panama Canal cruise sometime within the next 2 years. Please share your thoughts on the Panama Canal ports you have visited. Your opinions will help us to determine which cruise itinerary will be the best fit for us.

Which ports did you find to be the most interesting and enjoyable? Also, which ports had little to offer or required traveling long distances to reach a decent destination? We don't enjoy getting off of the ship and simply browsing the port shops at the pier. We tend to enjoy taking in historical sites; so, ports that offer them would merit our consideration. Ports that ONLY offer beaches, zip lining or water activities do not interest us very much. Mobility is not an issue and walking for extended periods of time is not a hindrance for us. TIA

I sail on Aug 18th from Copenhagen so looking for a trip report from you when you return :)

Please remind me to reply in mid-June by bumping this post by quoting it. I will, hopefully, receive a notification from CC.

FYI - I doubt any of this will affect your trip, but I'm including the info anyway because it may affect someone reading this thread.

So far, our cruise has had an itinerary change from docking in downtown Stockholm to docking in Nynashamn and some of the scheduled performances of Rock of Ages were cancelled.

Due to the last minute port change, NCL is offering free shuttles to Stockholm. Some who are concerned with the logistics have now booked NCL shore excursions. Others had to contact their private tour companies to ascertain if they would meet at the new location. The docking change also means we will not be cruising the Stockholm archipelago. As of today, NCL has not offered any compensation for the the port change other than the free shuttles.

The cancellation of Rock of Ages on the date of our reservation (night 4) left us with only a 9:30PM choice (night 7). I had to reschedule dining for those nights as well.

We are booked for the May 20 sailing from Copenhagen. That is to be the second sailing for the Breakaway following her dry dock. Moderno is still available for us to book for dining as are Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages for entertainment. It doesn't appear to me that there will be any changes in dining or entertainment offerings following her refurbishment, but I could be missing something since I'm basing that thought from what we're being offered for our cruise.

Thank you for this wonderful photo journey of your cruise on the Sun. I have gleaned some great information and wonderful ideas for our upcoming cruise. I have found that we are among others who will be cruising the 14-Day Alaska from San Francisco in May. Now, it's time for me to read your earlier cruise posts about some of the ports you visited on your previous Alaska cruise. Great job!

What are the pros and cons for dining in either of these venues? I have read the descriptions for both the Venetian and the Aqua, but would prefer comments from recent diners. Does it make a difference as to which theme night to choose a specific restaurant?

What entertainment do you recommended not missing? What time is the early entertainment? I read on one forum that it is 7ish. Another forum said 8:30.

TIA

I sailed the 12-Day Grand Mediterranean from Barcelona to Venice in May 2013. It was port intensive, but I loved every minute. The itinerary has changed a little since then. I'll try to answer any questions you may have.

I did see that the post I mentioned earlier was a little dated. I guess it would have been best for me to not have quoted a previous comment. I only wanted to share information for anyone doing a quick search about dining, especially any newbies. At the time I booked my cruise, dining in the specialty restaurants still had fixed pricing. As previously mentioned, some are now A' la carte.

Only the Escape has gone a la carte so far, here are their menus.

 

http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-escape-menus.html

I am sailing on the Dawn and it has also gone A' la carte for La Cucina, Cagney's and Le Bistro. Teppanyaki is $35.34 and Moderno is $29.44 and prices include the 18% gratuity and service charge.

I understand people had different experiences on this tour, but I am hoping someone can answer a few questions for me.

We are considering this tour for the sites visited. Are there stops at the lighthouse & church for picture ops? Also, we were told there are restaurants and shopping near Palm Beach that some in our party could walk to instead of going to the beach. Is this true?

Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

We booked our eligible Explore 4 cruise to Canada & New England today. We will now have to watch and see if there are any price adjustments.

If it works the same way as the last Explore 4, you were assigned a Pinnacle Grill reservation day and time in advance. The Pinnacle Grill is Holland America's steakhouse style specialty restaurant. You get 1 night in the Pinnacle per person at no charge, as part of the Explore 4 promo. It's normally a $29 per person supplement.

 

If you want to see some scans of the menu, head to:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=908

 

The site is maintained by CC user CrewNews who is nice enough to scan the menus when he travels.

Thank you for the explanation. Hopefully the 6 of us in our group can try to arrange through HAL to dine together.

:confused: I've been reading through this thread and would very much appreciate some advice. We have never sailed HAL and are unfamiliar with Explore4, Pinnacle and pretty much everything mentioned about HAL. We are considering a cruise to Canada & NE in August 2015 with two other couples. Our cruise appears to be eligible for Explore4. When would be the best time to book this cruise? And, how is Explore4 used for Pinnacle -- what would we need to do for Pinnacle?