Questions Regarding Sea, Please

[CandWDiva]

Hello! We'll be sailing on 06/25, and I have some questions I haven't been able to find answers to yet. (Some of you may recall me telling you about the group of 19 that are going.)

 

1) Do the DD staterooms have irons/ironing boards? If not, can they be requested? Is there a charge?

 

2) I've seen from the Dailies (UTE Fan was gracious enough to send - thanks!) that the Disco is for teens only from 10-11. We'll be traveling with six teens, 14-17. Has anyone's kids done this? Did they enjoy it, or was it a sad attempt at a teen club?

 

3) Has anyone done the Rendezvous Key Beach Break excursion in Belize or the Playa Mia Grand Beach Break excursion in Cozumel? Ratings? Comments?

 

4) Has anyone done the Gumbalimba Park excursion in Roatan? I know this is one that HAS to be booked through NCL. Can anyone give me the starting/stopping time for this? Everything I read just says 'TBD'.

 

5) Admittedly a couple of very obscure questions, but... On the talent show, it reads that you are accompanied by their orchestra. Does this mean they have a select group of songs to pick from, or can you bring your own sheet music? How about the karaoke - do they have a fairly good selection, or can you bring your own CD's? Just curious on both counts.:D

 

Thanks very much!!!

[crazy4cruisin]

Hi, I don't know about most of your questions, but the last cruise we took on the Sea, my daughter was 15. She went to the disco every night and had a great time. She met tons of kids her age and they got together at the pool and even ate together alot. She also did karaoke and said that the song selection wasn't very good. I don't know about bringing your own cd's but it wouldn't hurt to bring them and ask. Hope you have a great cruise.

[ute_fan]

Here's an attempt at a few of them.

 

1) We stayed in a "KK", and then an "H", so I can't answer for sure, but my guess is no. We didn't ever try to request an iron -- I'm on vacation, who cares if I'm a little wrinkly :D . We did take some Downy wrinkle release and it worked fairly well. My answer is based partly on the fact that there's been some discussion about travel irons, and that they have not been allowed recently. I do think you could send stuff to the laundry to be pressed, but I don't think you will have access to an iron.

 

2) No idea -- our kids were older than that by the time we went.

 

3) and 4) -- never tried those excursions. Have you looked on the "ports of call" board for reviews?

 

5) I don't know about the talent show, but I do know there was someone on our cruise who had brought along their own karaoke music. One of our roll-call group participated quite a bit, and I know she wasn't particularly impressed with their choices either.

[niya305]

Well the only ? of yours I can answer is about the iron/ironing boards. The NCL Sea does not have irons or ironing boards & they cannot be requested... The irons are also not allowed to be brought onboard b/c they are considered a fire hazard. However, the ship does have pressing service, although it could be a little pricy. Some other posters on CC have recommended a Downy product that is real helpful, BUT I forget the name...:confused:

[niya305]

1) We did take some Downy wrinkle release and it worked fairly well. .

 

Ah Ha, we were posting at the same time... I knew it was something like that

[CandWDiva]

OK, I'll probably look like a "karaoke nerd", but I'll go ahead and take my own CD's. If I'm going to be stuck singing 80's songs, might as well be ones I know!

 

I will definitely get some of the Downy Wrinkle stuff. Just one more reason to iron everything before packing, I guess... :o

 

If you happen to think of anything else that might be helpful, I would be very appreciative of you passing it along.

 

Take care!:)

[Trigger69]

I stayed in a cat DD stateroom in May. As previously stated, regular irons are not allowed in the staterooms. However, we took a small Black & Decker travel iron. I had called NCL and they said travel irons were ok due to their smaller power requirements. You can verifiy with them if you like.

[CandWDiva]

Trigger69, were you happy with the cabin? Were you on the Promenade deck? If so, was it as convenient as it sounds?

 

 

Thanks for the info on the travel iron. I'll call and find out from NCL.

[Trigger69]

Trigger69, were you happy with the cabin? Were you on the Promenade deck? If so, was it as convenient as it sounds?

 

Thanks for the info on the travel iron. I'll call and find out from NCL.

 

Yes, it was on the promenade deck. It was small as we expected, but it was nice to be able to walk out the door, around the corner and be out on the deck. We had beautiful views of sunset/sunrise depending on our direction of course. We plan on taking a return cruise next year on the Dream which is the Seas replacement. Hope you have as great a time as we did... let me know if you have any other questions.:)

[nurseapple]

Hi,

My daughter is 15, almost 16 and I MADE her go to the teen thing the first night. She met up with a friend the next night (we met the family on cruise critic) so never went back to the disco. She had a great time the first night but didn't go back. We saw alot teens together, probably from meeting at the teen things. My daughter (at the end) regretted not doing more to make more friends.

[vette]

Hi CandWDiva,

 

We have cruised on the Sea twice and have been on the Promenade Deck both times. The last time we were in a DD cabin (6009) We love it there. My husband likes it because he pretends that the jogging deck is his own great big balcony and sits out there till he falls asleep every evening. The joggers never bothered us in the morning, but I am an early riser. Just remember to close the curtains in the evening when you are getting ready for dinner.

 

Trigger69, we are scheduled for a cruise on the Dream in November. I will write a review upon our return and let you know how it was.

 

Vette

[CandWDiva]

Very good information to know about the teens and the deck. I just can't wait!! :p

[thunder_lin]

Did the Sea in March with kids aged 11 - 15. The girls (age 15) did the Disco every night. Some nights were better than others but they still went anyway and did meet lots of other teens by the end of the cruise. They are still in contact with some of them through e-mails. The younger boys were not as interested and only 2 of the 4 boys were old enough anyway. I think you have to be 13 for the teen club.

I think I brought a travel iron with me. Obviously, didn't use it!

Our friends stayed on the Promenade Deck and liked it. We were one deck above and looked down at the jogging track.

The tours you asked about - I have no idea on any of them.

In Belize we did cave tubing that was booked through a private company. All 15 of us went and enjoyed it.

Some of us did our own thing in Cozumel - went to a snorkel beach and then a beach club to veg. The others booked the dolphin swim and hung out at the public park.

In Roatan, again some of us did our own thing - we hired a cab and beached it and toured the town. The others had a dive set up.

Everyone enjoyed the cruise and the islands. It's hard to decide what to do for excursions. Just remember, you're on vacation, enjoy!!!

[Michuck]

We've been to Cozumel many times, and if you're looking for a "beach bum" day, I recommend Paradise Beach. They have a website - I just don't remember the name. It's clean, the chairs are 'regular' beach loungers (not the curved hard chairs that one of the other beaches has), beach food/bar service, and it's free (the beach, not the food/drinks!), and not far from the port. The guacomole is awesome!! If you want to use the water toys, there's a $5 wrist band charge (water trampoline, floats, 'iceberg', etc.).

 

Michele

[CandWDiva]

We've been to Cozumel many times, and if you're looking for a "beach bum" day, I recommend Paradise Beach. They have a website - I just don't remember the name. It's clean, the chairs are 'regular' beach loungers (not the curved hard chairs that one of the other beaches has), beach food/bar service, and it's free (the beach, not the food/drinks!), and not far from the port. The guacomole is awesome!! If you want to use the water toys, there's a $5 wrist band charge (water trampoline, floats, 'iceberg', etc.).

 

Michele

 

Michele - this sounds an awful lot like the Playa Mia Beach Break Excursion. They have an iceberg, water trampoline, etc. The 'deluxe' package is around $46, I think ($30 w/o food and r/t transportation). It also has lots of other water sports (hobies, kayaks, pedal boats, etc.). If it's the same thing, I need to know, so I can cancel the other excursion I just booked yesterday.

 

Thanks for ALL of the information!

[Trigger69]

Michele - this sounds an awful lot like the Playa Mia Beach Break Excursion. They have an iceberg, water trampoline, etc. The 'deluxe' package is around $46, I think ($30 w/o food and r/t transportation). It also has lots of other water sports (hobies, kayaks, pedal boats, etc.). If it's the same thing, I need to know, so I can cancel the other excursion I just booked yesterday.

 

Thanks for ALL of the information!

 

We went to Paradise last month while in Cozumel. I don't believe it is the same place the ship goes. It was a $13 dollar cab ride each way. They did have kayaks, but I don't remember seeing paddle boats. My wife and I really enjoyed it as it was not crowded at all. Good margaritas and nachos.:) Saw some pretty cool fish while snorkeling under the pier. Maybe someone will respond who has been to both places to let you know if the ship excursion is worth it.... :confused:

[Trigger69]

The website link is: http://paradise-beach-cozumel.net/

[toddfromkcmo]

Concerning question number 4, my wife and I did the Gumbalimba Park with the lobster meal (better than the ships lobster and twice as much). We left the pier around 11:30 am, it was a 25-30 minute ride to the park. We were allowed to interact with the birds and the monkeys (they like to steal things from you:)), which was nice. The total time in the park was about 2 hours and then we had lunch. There is a small beach by the area where you eat the lunch, so you can hang out there for awhile. There is a zip line tour that goes through the same area (@ $30) that a number of people did after Gumbalimba Park. We got back to the pier around 4:30 pm and did some shopping but you can leave earlier than what we did. They have buses leaving whenever there are 20 people that want to leave. Since there are 2 excursions that are in the same area, it does not take long for the buses to fill.

 

It was an enjoyable excursion.

 

Todd

[newmexicoNita]

I certainly can't answer all your questions but irons are not allowed on any cruise ships. A few ships do have laundry rooms for your use. This is a safety feature. Yes, many do bring small irons on board, we do not. I have found one thing that reallly helps: we always get to our embarkation port a day early and I press all our clothes in my hotel room the morning we are boarding. It really only takes a few minutes. As for tours, we have found the best are ones we set up ourselves, either on the net before we leave or when we get to the port.

 

The disco is open to the teens only til, I beleive 11pm. it's a great way for them to socialize and make friends. The idea of going to the teen meeting the first night is great.

 

We have been on the prom deck twice and never been bothered by the joggers.

 

Have a great time on an old but wonderful ship with a great crew. Be sure to eat in both Le Bistro and the Pasta Cafe.

 

NMNita

[CandWDiva]

Every time I go through and read the posts on this site, I am amazed at the amount of information you all are able to provide. Thank you all again so much!

 

After we get back (07/02), I hope to be able to be a source of some of that information, too!!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~:D ~~~~~

Happy Sailing, Everybody!

[Another ship trip]

All staterooms on this ship are tiny except for C (176 sq.ft) and the mini suites and full suites. By all standards of NCL, the rooms are smaller than most all of their other ships. No irons. No safes except in C or better. I did the Playa Mia beach break and it is okay. The beach is nice, the free drinks are fine, the help is nice. I have been there many many times and for a public beach it is a good one with lots of amenities. My son did the disco thing for that hour on some nights. It was okay. This is really driven by what the teens decide to do as a group as they are all over the ship. It becomes as much a hang out and talk place as anything else. Karaoke has hundreds of selections. No CD's needed. If you tell the orchestra what you want them to play and they know it, they can play it. Hope this helps.

[CandWDiva]

Another Ship Trip - yes, this helps a bunch. Thanks!

 

I still can't tell if the Paradise Beach is the same thing as Playa Mia! They have all the same ammenities, but different names!? The websites are different, too. Can someone clear-up the mystery for me, please?

:confused:

[Beckster]

For $5 you get snorkling equipment?? and use of all the amenties?? at paradise park? How do you get to this beach? Cost to and from?? A package deal?? Booked through ???? I dont book thru the ship, always seems more then you can find elsewhere. Gumbalimba park sounds nice too. Just the sound of LOBSTER makes me wanna choose this place. lol Book thru ??? I like to know where and what and when before I am to the port. Many thanks for anyone who clarifies these questions. Going on the NCL Sea 6/25. :)

[Trigger69]

For $5 you get snorkling equipment?? and use of all the amenties?? at paradise park? How do you get to this beach? Cost to and from?? A package deal?? Booked through ???? I dont book thru the ship, always seems more then you can find elsewhere. Gumbalimba park sounds nice too. Just the sound of LOBSTER makes me wanna choose this place. lol Book thru ??? I like to know where and what and when before I am to the port. Many thanks for anyone who clarifies these questions. Going on the NCL Sea 6/25. :)

 

The $5 does not include snorkel equipment at Paradise Beach. That only covers the kayaks, water trampoline, etc.