Holy shit. I just did it. We booked a cabin on deck 9 (I think). I've never been on a cruise before, never been to the Caribbean... this is going to be ONE FINE VACATION!!!

Warning noted!  But I wasn't going off their description so much as my mother's. They were on this exact excursion about 2 yrs ago after having it recommended to them numerous times.  After the snorkel you go to a private beach which my mother says was also quite enjoyable.  If I decide to go the excursion (*pumps fist* HEY!) route, this is the one I will probably go with.  I've seen pics.  

TinaMack:

Kestrel:

My parents highly recommend the Drunk and Dunk... *ahem* the Fury Catamaran Snorkel and Beach Party...

This is what I am leaning toward (though OceanGirl's plans sound appealing, too).

Anyone care to join me?  I'd like to have plans with someone. :)

And does anyone know how you actually book the excursions?  I understand this one is popular and am not sure if I want to wait until boarding and risk missing out.

Kes - That excursion sounds a lot like the one I was on in Jamaica with the 65' catamaran, snorkeling on a dead reef and a steep & slippery climb (herd-like ) up Dunn's River Falls. Be forewarned that this excursion is probably not *exactly* as it sounds, but it's bound to be better than ours was in Jamaica.

Our bottomless cocktails didn't start until after all the other activities are over (safety first ). And, our catamaran was booked back-to-back with another excursion, so after we were finished the dismal snorkeling (well over an hour) and climbing Dunn's River Falls (well over an hour), we were hurried back to the catamaran where we were served cocktails on the way back to the dock.

The cocktails were fun mind you! I enjoyed the supersonic rum punch veeery much, 'ssspecially over HUGE rolling waves as we booted it back to the dock, and my attempts at the Jamaican boogie which landed half of one rum hoochie-koochie in some poor guy's lap. Thank god everyone was already soaked! The cocktail portion of the excursion lasted less than half an hour. After our slightly disappointing activities it was, well...d'oh!

As for booking excursions through Norwegian, that happens after you get your NCL registration info from Sixthman just before the cruise. Once you have that, you can print your boarding docs and boarding tags for your luggage, and register for excursions online. It'll be in January, so hang tough!

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~Kes

Desperate times call for desperate measures
Open your mind to all life's little pleasures
The hole in this world could be healed if by chance
everyone just stood up, took their pants off and danced

~Bruce Guthro

ChainedBear:

Holy shit. I just did it. We booked a cabin on deck 9 (I think). I've never been on a cruise before, never been to the Caribbean... this is going to be ONE FINE VACATION!!!

Congrats ChainedBear! Welcome to the excitement!

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~Kes

Desperate times call for desperate measures
Open your mind to all life's little pleasures
The hole in this world could be healed if by chance
everyone just stood up, took their pants off and danced

~Bruce Guthro

Nova - I'm very much with you regarding this "just walk on the beach" thing. Maybe extend it to a "and have a nice cold drink somewhere and just enjoy and relax" thing. We will be full of impressions from the cruise, all the music and party anyways, so I don't think that I personally need even more excitement ... Hope we find a nice spot to spend the day :o)

Cheers ... Christina

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... today is a gift - that's why we call it present ...
Carus

God, I'm glad that you're not into those planned tourists-trip excursions either.... :D

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"I can wiggle my bum and I can slide on my tummy..." - Bob, Horatio the Penguin

Hey everyone!! 

Can anyone who was on the cruise last year tell me what it's like there where the ship docks? Can you just walk off the ship and have the beautiful beach right there with shops all within walking distance? I don't want to pay for a snorkeling trip when I can just do it off the beach. *Mental note-bring snorkel*

 I'm on deck 10, cabin 10514 with balcony,anyone close by? My friend and I would love to meet more people to hang out with!!  We're so excited!! AAAHHHH!!!!

Katy
 

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GBS isn't only my favorite band of all time, they are my way of life

katy:

Hey everyone!! 

Can anyone who was on the cruise last year tell me what it's like there where the ship docks? Can you just walk off the ship and have the beautiful beach right there with shops all within walking distance? I don't want to pay for a snorkeling trip when I can just do it off the beach. *Mental note-bring snorkel*

 I'm on deck 10, cabin 10514 with balcony,anyone close by? My friend and I would love to meet more people to hang out with!!  We're so excited!! AAAHHHH!!!!

Katy
 

 

It's going to different places than last year, you might want to check a general cruise website like cruisecritic.com :D 

Why not bring your snorkel anyway?! The first port stop at Great Stirrup Cay, NCL's private island, is supposed to have good snorkeling according to conversations on the S&D msg board.

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"Know thyself and to thine own self be true." ~Will Shakespeare
Ships & Dip V referral ID: TinaMack
I'm here to help.

bouzouki:

Nova - I'm very much with you regarding this "just walk on the beach" thing. Maybe extend it to a "and have a nice cold drink somewhere and just enjoy and relax" thing. We will be full of impressions from the cruise, all the music and party anyways, so I don't think that I personally need even more excitement ... Hope we find a nice spot to spend the day :o)

Cheers ... Christina

I didn't even get off the boat in Grand Cayman last year ... loved my time aboard the ship just relaxing. 

 

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"Know thyself and to thine own self be true." ~Will Shakespeare
Ships & Dip V referral ID: TinaMack
I'm here to help.

I'm probably going to avoid the cattle calls for the excursions...seems like exactly what I hate about the cruising concept.  I'd rather find my own adventures than have some perky cruise director thinking for me. 

Tina - Glad to hear that you had a nice time on the boat and didn't feel compelled to join a pre-fabricated adventure.

 Gina - Hello!  Nice to see you around here again!  And no fair blaming me for your decision to join the cruise...I'm trying hard not to be a bad influence!  ;-)  I'll look forward to seeing you and the hubby on board!

Cheers!
Janeill
<cruise virgin>

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Life is not a journey to the grave to be arrived at in a beautiful and well preserved body, but rather to slide in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a ride!"

No one should feel uncomfortable about doing this cruise their own true way. It's a totally free-style environment. I may not get off the ship...ever.  I may be the first off at both ports. I may drag newt down to the beach for a sing-along 'cause she rocks.

If you're traveling with others, I suggest that you just make sure you understand each other ahead of time. On the last cruise, Adam and I did a pretty decent job of being together and being apart. We both wanted to do different things at times, so we did. And, we both wanted to do the same thing in different ways at times, so we did. We didn't begrudge each other the space, and we came together for meals or shows or drinks or a chat or...er..yeah, and the rest of the time was spent however we wanted. It was great. We plan to do the same thing this year but even more so because we really had a great time individually and as a couple.

SHIPS & DIP ROCKS! 

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"Know thyself and to thine own self be true." ~Will Shakespeare
Ships & Dip V referral ID: TinaMack
I'm here to help.

Yahooooo, we are officially in, or should I say on LOL. And looks like hubby got us in a good corner, over by Kim, Tina, and Corina and whoever else is all there. We are in cabin 11141. Looks like we will be having a blast meeting and getting to know everyone.

Eva 

Just skimmed through the last few pages of this thread so forgive me if I'm repeating anything...

The shore excursions can be fun.  We did one last year that gave us a tour of Grand Cayman that we never would have been able to manage on our own.  And I'm very much a "go off by myself and do my own thing" sort of person.  But I appreciated paying a flat fee to be taken all over the island to see things I never would have found on my own.  And swimming with stingrays.  That was an adventure. 

For S&D V, the only thing they seem to be offering at the moment on the private island is snorkeling with their instructors for the day.  And sitting on the beach drinking fruity drinks.  So essentially, drunken snorkeling.  Nice. 

If you do the t-shirts, I'd get one.  But beware.  We just went through the process of creating a shirt for the cruise on the S&D message board and it took us about three days to come up with a final product.  Everyone wants a different style/color/graphic, etc.  But it worked out and we got a really great design from one of the board members.  If you're going on the cruise, you'll want to check that thread out.  It's at www.shipsanddip.com/community in "The Jewel" forum.  I'm too lazy to go find the actual thread but the title is something obvious like "S&D V shirts".

And, oh yeah, my friend Alaina and I are all booked!! 

 

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I've had the time of my life and the life of my times in the Company of Fools!

Janeill:

Gina - Hello!  Nice to see you around here again!  And no fair blaming me for your decision to join the cruise...I'm trying hard not to be a bad influence!  ;-)  I'll look forward to seeing you and the hubby on board!

Cheers!
Janeill
<cruise virgin>

Dude! I'm a cruise virgin too. :)  Husband is really excited--he's wanted us to go on a cruise for a long time, but I have a tendency to read books like "A Night to Remember" and "Lusitania," plus we just spent a wad of dough to go to bagpipe band camp in June... we are such geeks...

I'm *insanely* excited! Now, since I haven't worn a swimsuit in probably eight years, I'm going to work on getting healthy before then, so I'll feel so good about myself I'll go swimming in public again.

Yay! Yay! We're going cruising!! I've never been to the Caribbean!! We're on Deck 9 and got a cabin toward amidships, since I'm afraid I'll be horribly seasick. Oh man, I can't WAIT. I will be SO READY to take a week off work by February!

TinaMack:

If you're traveling with others, I suggest that you just make sure you understand each other ahead of time. On the last cruise, Adam and I did a pretty decent job of being together and being apart. We both wanted to do different things at times, so we did. And, we both wanted to do the same thing in different ways at times, so we did. We didn't begrudge each other the space, and we came together for meals or shows or drinks or a chat or...er..yeah, and the rest of the time was spent however we wanted. It was great. We plan to do the same thing this year but even more so because we really had a great time individually and as a couple.

SHIPS & DIP ROCKS! 

That's really great advice. It's hard being with someone *all* the time on a trip because you experience all the same things and eventually have nothing left to talk about. Even a couple hours apart can make a big difference. Thanks for posting your experience--I'm clueless about cruising so it's reassuring to know!