Reginald Wills
Itinerary: Bahamas
Sailing Date: July 13th, 2009
Age: 44
Occupation: New Car sales
Number of Cruises: 5
First things first.. left out of Miami and getting on
was 15-20 minutes of waiting, Not bad...Parking was not
as told that it would be, so ask anyway where to
park...Went straight to the buffet which was nice but
not as good (we thought) as RCL.
The rooms were nice very
clean. I had a few issues so I called and they were
fixed right away..
All the shows and the ship
and the meals in the Crossings were fabulous. Order two
of each if you want no problem. We never took advantage
of the surcharge restaurants but they were sold out each
night (just about) during peak times which seems to be
later than we like to eat.. We are a family with pre
teen girls.. Freestyle dining was great if you are early
to eat 5-6 PM. When everyone eats at the same time 7-9
pm freestyle means some waiting.
Freeport was nice the
straw market is hot, smelly and crowded, but the people
make it worth it. They are very friendly and will
negotiate. We went to Deadman's reef via a long taxi on
the West end where everyone said not to go for all types
of reasons, but it was great. The reef was nice but
1,000 yards offshore...Whew. The man who owns Paradise
cove is super nice and a $3 per person fee is not bad
for the facilities he offers. Food Restrooms / coaching
do's and dont's on the reef and some water sport stuff.
Taxi came back as stated
and we went back to the ship.
We asked for the same
server each night George and even though the Onboard
service fees of $12 per day (per head) were collected on
my sky card, I tipped him good once at the end, as well
as my cabin steward who did a great job!!!. I was unsure
where that $$ really goes.
Ironically, this cruise
was a great value, better than RCL until this (hidden
fee) came up. Thefine print on the website. Then the
cost was the exact same as RCL.
The day at Nassau always
perplexes me. Atlantis is off limits unless you pay them
$110 per day per head. You end up wandering in areas
that you can shop high end stuff. To access the Pools,
aquarium and all that, you must pay, A room for the
night would be cheaper and a room key card gets you
everywhere, but if tell them you are on a cruise ship
they will deny you the room. The Taxi guys never offer
to take you more than 5 miles away so they can get back
for the next bunch. We snorkel so after 5 times on the
Island I know what to do. Take a taxi to Cabbage beach
and let the banana boat guy take you to Rose Island and
bring you back, purportedly, the best reef on the
Island.
For the record I will say
Great Stirrup Cay beats Cococay (RCL) hands down. This
island has better sea life and a closer reef area w/
lifeguards and a great Day here was had. We did not want
to leave and got a 15-minute cool down RAIN which
cleared the beach and offered us diehards a freshwater
shower. Food was a better choice than RCL, but maybe not
as tasty...but who cares in paradise.
OVERALL
Well worth the money with
just the price included food choices. No chocolate
midnight buffets or suckling, roasted pig by the pool
after Nassau, but in these economic times Maybe RCL is
done with those services too. It is very hard to know to
wear all white one night. before you board.. and find
the one hidden buffet at the back of the ship open late
to eat.. a very limited, same ever night... night cap..
The website should be more
informative on these things on specific cruises but they
have so many ships and ports....Travel agents did not
tell us either they do not know where to get this info
either I guess.
The cruise was worth the
$$ and we will travel NCL again. I like the itineraries
better than most lines.
HOWEVER, as I posted in my
post cruise survey getting off the ship that day was a
nightmare. They called express disembarkation and nobody
left. Then started colors and than got to two and never
called any more. We played by the rules and waited 2.5
hours in common areas of the ship and our color was
never called. We were the Last 20 people off the vessel
and purple was our color and it was 3rd to be called!!!
Never called!!! NCL should have told express people that
if they have their bags, leave now or you will be put
behind ALL colors. The baggage claim with no color
structure becomes a nightmare that was blamed on
customs, as we left the ship..
Do not hesitate to cruise
NCL or others it is still the best vacation for the
$$$$ on the planet...
