Believe it or not, that Celebrity one was around $800 when I looked into this trip months ago. Amazing how the price has dropped. Celebrity is nice but I think it was an older ship than Navigator but who cares. Nice line.
I love cruising for the reasons you cite. Can't beat it.
Maybe we should start a "cruising" thread so we can post dates and see who is going when.:-)
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You have somebody to smoke YOUR cigars???

Can I apply for that job???

:-)
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:-):-):-)
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I usually wait til the last month before I buy a cruise anymore because they do what you said,,,they drop the price so they can sell out and I have scored some great cruises. Being retired and able to go at a moments notice is helpful as well.

I like the idea of a sub forum about cruises and such esp. when you factor those ships that have some great cigar areas.

ROFL,,,only after I read your comment did I go back and read what I typed. What a snobby sunova***** that would be, huh? This is what I read about when you hit 55 and start pulling together all of these "senior moments",,,,:-)

I'm still trying to figger out what a "moolit stroll" on a Carribean beach is all about.
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Cow on the beach that you are riding when you have your cigar lit. :-)
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HaHaHa,,,,not even going to ask you would know that or how much alcohol one has to consume to do that.
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A lot of good information on this post...well I hope so anyway! :-)

My wife and I are going on our first cruise (to belatedly celebrate our 10 yr anniversary) next weekend on the Norwegian Sky (3 day Bahamas). We didn't feel we could really go for a longer trip for just the two of us with a 6 and 3 yr old at home. Hopefully the kids don't drive the MIL too crazy (well...crazier :-)) I understand that NCL doesn't have the greatest ratings, but I am very much looking forward to the cruise and I am confident we will enjoy ourselves immensely.

I am fortunate that I am able to plan things like this last minute and I feel I got a great deal. The only thing I worry about is if I'll regret that I didn't upgrade to a room with a balcony, but it's a short cruise and I will learn for next time if I wish I got one. Helped keep me within my budget too. :-)

Everyone, and especially Gary and Carlos, thank you for all of the great information posted. This thread really gave me confidence in booking my trip.

Bon Voyage!!! Well, in a week anyway. :-)

If anyone has any last minute advice, it's much appreciated.
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Have fun on your cruise. Don't sweat not getting the balcony. You probably wouldn't have used it much in 3 days anyways!
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If a guy from Kansas wants to see the melted penny trick done with your blazer while smoking on the aft deck, tell him Charlie says hi! :-)
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One word of advice. If you board the ship around noon, NCL should have one of the main dining rooms open for lunch. A lot of people don't know this and head to the buffet. You might want to check out the dining room first - the menus are always posted outside.
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Just have a great time, Joel. This is going to be like a recon mission so you can get your head around what cruising is all about. If you like spending time in your room, balcony is a great choice. We've had every room type there is from inside to suite and it's all about what you plan to do on the cruise. I do an inside when I know I am going to do alot of sightseeing in ports. If I do a Transatlantic I book a suite. I do balcony if I want to relax and just see the islands. Food will probably be better in the main dining hall than the buffet for you on Norweigan and I always like my breakfast in the main dining area,,,it's cooked to order instead of buffet style.
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Thanks for the tip...will definitely check into this. :-)



And a slight change of plans. I checked NCL's website today and apparently they still hadn't filled their balcony rooms...for an extra $30 pp I was able to upgrade my room from the Oceanview to Balcony. I think a heck of a deal for $199 pp (before taxes/fees/etc.) :-)

Three days from now I will be on board! :-)
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Have fun Joel.

Living in Orlando is convenient for me to hop a quick 3 day cruise out of Canaveral and we do at least 2 a year, mostly on RCL. It winds up being a 3 day weekend and the drive to port is about 1 hour and the cruise costs under 300 bucks a person. We always get an inside cabin as we only are in the cabin to sleep and change.

I never drink fruity or frozen drinks in my normal life but seem to spend 3 days wobbling around blitzed on Bahama Mamas every time I get on a cruise. There is always someone in front of you with a tray full of them.

On a couple occasions I have gotten sick on them and swore them off forever, but it never works.

For smoking, RCL has a cigar afficianado meeting once a night although it never seems to have more than a couple people there and I normally wind up smoking on the top port deck and always seem to find other herfers.

Not sure about your ship, but RCL allows smoking on the port side of the boat.

Between the shows and the food, it is a real value in my opinion although I always give the casino plenty of extra spending money.

Have a blast.
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Just got back from my RC Navigator of the Seas cruise.
What fun.
Got an invite from the captain himself to join him on the bridge to see Cuba as we were near it.
Sat on his chair.
Photos to come once I upload them to Photobucket.
My internet is down and I am tapping a neighbor's signal that is not secure.
Wonder how long that will last.

That bridge experience was AMAZING!!!
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What's it like up there Carlos?
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AMAZING!!!

What a view to a kill.
We got the full tour. They had us over the section that extends out from the ship that they use when docking, then took us around the bridge and told us of all the equipment, then got to sit at the captain's chair.
We were over the barrier islands that are on the northern part of Cuba, between Holguin and Camaguay.
What a breathtaking view and experience.
I will post pictures on a separate thread once I can upload them.
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My wife and I got back from our 3-day Bahamas cruise earlier this week and all I can say is I loved cruising! I am glad we went on a short trip to see what we thought of the concept, and boy were we pleased.

We only ate at the buffet one time during the cruise...I would say the buffet was below expectations by a lot, and probably below average. Breakfast in the dining rooms was definitely a great tip. Eggs Benedict in the AM really hit the spot. :-) We elected to pay extra and dine in the "special" restaurants each evening, and the food was outstanding. I was very pleased.

We spent the day Saturday in Nassau, taking in the sites at Atlantis, and hopping on a taxi to visit Greycliff. I wish I scheduled, or made someone aware of my visit, but still, it was cool to visit there. Unfortunately, due to rough seas, we did not have the day at their private island on Sunday, but we enjoyed the day at sea on the pool deck all the same.

I was glad we got the balcony, even though once we were out we didn't go back to the room. But it takes me only about 15 minutes to get ready, and my wife about 3 times that. The 30+ minutes on the deck during that time, along with the nightcap on the balcony made it well worth the upgrade we paid. On Sunday there was a meteor shower that, being on the balcony, we were able to enjoy. 15-20 "shooting stars" over a couple of 30 minute segments. :-)

I only had a couple of cigars while on board (one on the top aft deck, one on the balcony). The pool deck was quite full on Sunday since we missed the excursion and I didn't feel smoking a cigar would have been well received. Besides, there was some confusion with the staff as to where I could smoke one, so I just decided not to. If (who am I kidding? - WHEN) I go on my next cruise I will probably make a point to get clear definition for when and where it's cool.

Overall, a great experience which I hope to enjoy again. A couple days longer in duration would be sweet too. :-)

Oh yeah, kind of neat side story...We ate at the steakhouse on Friday night and I decided to order Oyster Rockefeller as an appetizer. Lo and behold, I found a small pearl in the first oyster I tried. We had the several people from the staff come to the table to verify the story. lol
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Too bad about the rough seas. I have been held back from the private island more times than I have been on it due to the seas.

Once a storm made the trip back on the tender so rough, they showed it on the videos all night and navigating the plank blitzed on rum was a real treat as it bobbed up and down.
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All cruise lines have it well defined on their website.
RC as an example allows cigar smoking either in cigar lounge or on the smoking side of the pool deck.

Sounds like you will now be a regular cruiser. Welcome to the club. You did well in trying out the 3 day as that is the best way to go for a first timer. Now for a 5 or more as you will enjoy it much more having a day at sea on the way out and a day at sea on the way in, at minimum depending on how many days beyond 5 your cruise is.
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