Cruise booked and paid for...........now what???

[canadianjovigirl]

Well we do have over a year still to wait until we embark on our very first cruise, but i am a planner and have no idea what cruising involves so am utterly confused. I have been reading and reading and reading, and gaining knowledge, but also getting confused.

 

We are booked on the Dawn in Feb 2014 in a family suite - i did finally pay it in full as i figured it would stop me from over analyzing everything and switching things up. It was booked on a whim, with no other cruise lines researched etc so of course i had lots of 2nd, 3rd, 4th guesses as to if i booked the right ship, the right itinerary etc etc. I did speak with our cruise guy and he did tell me we can change our room to a family balcony or family 2 bedroom at any time as long as one was still available and if it is within the 9 month time frame we wont loose our on board credit - so i am hoping this is correct as we are still tossing this around.

 

I am now starting to research stuff to do in each location and am becoming quickly confused. Do we have to book thru the NCL website? Are there benefits to doing so? I have found caribbean shore tours on line as well as some other sites that seem to offer different things to do then the NCL website does..........Can somebody lead me in the right direction as to how to figure all this out.

 

Is there anything else that i am needing to research and plan ahead of time that i am not thinking about? (i will book our flights on my own as well as a hotel in Tampa as we will fly in a day or two prior to the cruise)

 

Hoping i can get this all together in time to just enjoy the countdown, but being an upper planner is seeming to be a barrier on a cruise as maybe there is not as much planning needed as i am thinking..........

[weltek]

Hurray for spontenaity! You won't regret the suite decision.

 

The Dawn is a nice ship with great staff. Some of the layout nuances are odd, but you'll figure it out by day three. :-)

 

Check out the Ports of Departure board for tips on hotels in Tampa and transportation to and from the port.

 

If you are a nervous person and risk-avoidant, book your excursions with the ship. YOu can do this on the NCL website (you'll need to login) or wait until you get onboard. If there are excursions that tend to sell out, it's best to book ahead of time. NCL contracts with specific companies in the ports to offer specific excursions. You will always pay more than booking independently (explained below), but you do get peace of mind of knowing you won't be late for the ship upon return and that ship staff will help you get where you need to be, when you need to be to start your excursion.

 

Many cruisers, myself included, book excursions independently based on recommendations from other cruisers. The Ports of Call board is really, really helpful for reading about recommended companies, tours, etc. I've always had success using other cruiser suggestions. You'll often save a lot of money by booking independently, but you are responsible for making the arrangements yourself, checking ship arrival time/departure time, etc. You'll also often get a "better" (e.g., longer) tour by booking independently. Since you are a planner, I'm confident your family can do this and have a great time.

 

Have fun planning!

[scaaty]

Welcome to cruising, you'll love it!!!

 

This site is great to help you with planning. Be sure to join the roll call for your cruise, can get lots of ideas from fellow cruisers. Also check out the port of call section to get tips on what to do at the different ports and recommendations on excursions.

 

Main thing to remember if you book on your own, be sure to be back on the ship on time or they will leave without you!:eek:

[sdmike]

Here are some things you might want to do

 

Fill out your boarding documents on-line (the MyNCL site). You will provide the necessary information on passports, etc. and get your boarding pass that will get you into the terminal building. No hurry to do this, but something you'll do before your trip.

 

Also in advance of your trip you can book shore excursions and any reservations to specialty restaurants or shows that might require them (not sure if Dawn has any of these or not). You can book specialty restaurants 45 days in advance of sailing, but I think it's 60 days for suite passengers. You're still a ways out, but something to plan for.

 

Please note, and plan for, that you will be charged a $12 per day/person Daily Service Charge that replaces the old tipping methods of the past. This money is shared between your cabin steward and the other service staff on the ship (waiters, etc.). However, since you are in a suite, you need to know that your butler and concierge do not participate in this DSC pool. You would tip them separately. There are lots of threads on this topic that you can find using the search function. Putting in "butler" will give you lots of thread on tipping, services provided, etc.

 

Feel free to ask questions. You seem a bit panicked, and you really shouldn't be. If you booked through NCL your personal cruise consultant can help with any and all of this.

[canadianjovigirl]

I have been checking the port threads and gotten ideas from there, which is what had me researching the different excursions on line as some i didn't see offered by NCL.

 

When we were in Cayman over the xmas/new years holidays we did see lots of cruise passengers rushing to/from the port area and beaches. I am sure we will be able to find our way to the tour operators and get back to the port on time being over planners and all, but the thought of being left behind and missing the boat is a scary one. I do like the idea of having more time with a privately booked excursion as most of the ncl ones seem quite short dispite being in port for 7-8 hours, but maybe i am missing something??

 

I have prepaid our service charges and plan on getting soda packages ahead of time - wanting as much of it as possible booked and paid for before we only leave as i tend to have a couple of vacations on the go, thus how this was booked late fall 2012 but i couldn't get into it to much at that time as i had to finish up our Grand Cayman vacation first ;)

 

We have planned on tips for the butler and concierge (haven't yet figured out what they will do for us and how much we will use them) but have figures allotted for them anyway and we can adjust that based on our experience on board.

 

And yes i feel kinda panicky as this is all new to us so i feel completely out of my comfort zone planning it. Also unsure if we will even like the cruise experience, but have heard so many who have so hoping we may be one of them as i am tired of the all inclusive s and wanting something different. We do other vacations that are not all inclusive and yes i over plan them and have notebooks full of information. The good thing is that even the best laid out plans go astray (as we found out in Grand Cayman), but we just went with it and had a great time and just used the other information i had on hand for our back up plans. Thankfully i have lots of time to get this in order and who knows i may have our second cruise booked before we even embark on our first...........

[ttnc4me]

Continue to monitor your cruise pricing and call to get any adjustments offered prior to the 90 day final payment date.

[canadianjovigirl]

Continue to monitor your cruise pricing and call to get any adjustments offered prior to the 90 day final payment date.

 

Can you do this even if the cruise is paid in full this early?

[spacepotatoes]

Can you do this even if the cruise is paid in full this early?

 

Yes. It's the date that final payment is due on that counts, not the day that you actually make the payment. I think it's typically 90-75 days out that final payment is due so anytime up until then, you can call for price drops. Be aware, though, that the new price may require that you forfeit whatever OBC or other perks came with your current booking rate.

[biker@sea]

Find your Roll-Call listing to " chat " with folks that will be sailing with you .

[bonvoyagie]

Can we presume from your handle that you hail from Canada?

 

If so then remember you passport :rolleyes:

 

It sounds like you have things very well under control - you have a year to plan - pleanty of time.

 

The Dawn is one of the first ships to have the Garden Villa which kinda started the whole Haven concept that was incorporated into the Jewel class ships and beyond as well being retrofitted into older ships.

 

I would not change a thing with your cabin. You will spent your first and last days at sea - perfect for getting to know the ship and then to go from relaxed to fully reclined on the way home.

 

As for your ports here is a website that offers background and tour information on various port cities - go under the Caribbean ports section and you will find three of your four ports listed. http://cruiseportinsider.com/index.html also check tripadvisor.

 

While I would start planning your sightseeing, I would wait awhile before booking. As for using the ship vs independent tours - I know that in Alaska you usually get better tours from the independents than the ship tours and usually pay less for them. I do not know about these ports and countries - so I would probably stick to the ships excursions - but a quick trip to the ports of call section here on CC will probably be a great idea.

 

Again relax and enjoy - set up a countdown clock :D

[shelly11]

I'd leave the cabin alone. You've got it, no more planning!

 

For the excursions, I'd wait until closer to time to book since you do have a year. You have plenty of time to research each option and see what is right for you.

 

No you don't have to book with NCL, but if your excursion is late NCL will wait for you. If it's a private company the shop will not wait and you will have to find your own way to catch up with the boat. Yes it's rare but happens. I like the peace of mind.

 

That being said, I have a review in my signature. I did book the private beach Maya Chan (not ncl) and it is fabulous. They work with all the cruise lines to be sure you are back in plenty of time.

[canadianjovigirl]

So if the ncl website shows we are in port from 8-5, why are most of the excursions 4 hours unless you are going to see ruins? Are you really only allowed off the boat and on the beach for that short of time? I do know it will take longer getting of the boat when they tender, but that just seems so short since they do offer tours that are almost 7 hours long to the ruins.......

 

We are liking the looks and reviews of Nohach Kay in Costa Maya, but dont see that on NCL site............

 

We dont plan on booking anything right now, but would like to have a few decent options to share with the family and then when its time to book we have our decision made. Besides then i can move on to planning a different vacation ;)

[shelly11]

excursions are different lengths depending on the activity. You are docked from 8-5 but I think we had to be back on the boat 30 minutes before? Your excursion doesn't make you get back on the boat, you're free to shop at the port, they just make sure they have you back to the pier on time.

 

search for maya chan beach on google or facebook. I found it in a review on here and was pleased.

[dwjoe]

For ports, I like to borrow a couple guidebooks from the library and browse and see what catches my eye and what I'd like to do. So I might decide:

 

Puerto Rico - Walk around Old San Juan and see the forts

St Maarten - go to a beach

St Thomas - go snorkeling

 

Then I'd research the specific port forums here on CC and determine the best way to accomplish each one. Then after research I might come up with:

 

Puerto Rico - grad a local taxi tour and tour the forts on my own since they're operated by the national park service

St Maarten - Dawn beach sounds nice, take a taxi to Mr Busby's and spend the day

St Thomas - go with a ship excursion for the convenience, I'd choose one with good reviews on MyNCL.

[sdmike]

So if the ncl website shows we are in port from 8-5, why are most of the excursions 4 hours unless you are going to see ruins? Are you really only allowed off the boat and on the beach for that short of time?

 

You can get off the ship once local authorities clear it, and you need to be back on the ship 30 minutes before it leaves. Typically if it says 8-5 it will arrive at 8am or earlier, and you can get off within 30 minutes of it arriving. Then just be back on board by 4:30.

 

If you want to go somewhere longer than an NCL excursion allows you can just make plans on your own. There are taxi's readily available when a ship comes in, and local tour/travel companies cater to the schedules of these ships. Just be careful to get back on time or the ship will leave without you.

[canadianjovigirl]

You can get off the ship once local authorities clear it, and you need to be back on the ship 30 minutes before it leaves. Typically if it says 8-5 it will arrive at 8am or earlier, and you can get off within 30 minutes of it arriving. Then just be back on board by 4:30.

 

If you want to go somewhere longer than an NCL excursion allows you can just make plans on your own. There are taxi's readily available when a ship comes in, and local tour/travel companies cater to the schedules of these ships. Just be careful to get back on time or the ship will leave without you.

 

So if i book a beach excursion thru NCL it gives me the time so say that is 9:30, then would the transportation pick us up at 2:30 as it says its a 5 hour excursion? Just wanting to make sure i understand this properly while planning what we want to do. I guess maybe they bring you back to the port area to shop in the places set up there??

[bonvoyagie]

Just a quick side note the OP did not mention the ports: they are on the Western Caribbean which runs RT out of Tampa FL and visits Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya, and Cozumal.

 

Also I see where the Dawn will run the same trip out of New Orleans in 2015

[canadianjovigirl]

Just a quick side note the OP did not mention the ports: they are on the Western Caribbean which runs RT out of Tampa FL and visits Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya, and Cozumal.

 

Also I see where the Dawn will run the same trip out of New Orleans in 2015

 

We are out of Tampa.........figured it was a easier port to navigate for our first go around as well as flights are cheaper from Western Canada We choice the Dawn due to size as I didnt want to be overwhelmed with a mega ship for our first cruise.