OhJinkies

On 4/21/2024 at 2:47 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

You enter on deck 5 on Icon. 

Thank you!

3 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have cruised out of Miami four times in the last few months (Icon, Explorer, Freedom x 2). For every one of these cruises port employees never looked at or checked anyone’s check-in time. That has also been my experience when cruising out of Port Tampa, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades this year. The bottom line is you can show up at the port any time you want.  

Thanks - as long as I can make it to Giovanni's by 12:30, I'm good with that! What deck do you actually enter the ship? I know there's an escalator to Deck 5, just below Giovanni's.

On 2/14/2024 at 8:59 PM, cvasto said:

I have been looking at some YouTube videos of the Icon and I am not seeing Vintages anywhere. Is there a similar wine bar on the boat?

There is a wine bar called "Trellis Bar" in front of Chops Grille in Central Park. They also have a small "Bites" menu.

My boarding time isn't until noon, but I had made a lunch reservation at Giovanni's for 12:30. Concerned about getting hung up in a long line for security. So I'm going to plan to get there closer to 11 AM and hope that they'll at least let me get through security if I show them my lunch reservation.

I believe that the "Wizard of Oz" show includes a 16-piece show band, so it's possible that the band is going to be doing their own show. Maybe the show isn't ready, though? 

On 4/4/2024 at 10:40 AM, IslandFamilyTime said:

Is there a good amount of outdoor shaded seating on Icon deck 16?

Kids will likely spend most of their time on waterslides, mini golf, flowrider and rock climbing.  We have 3 generations going and my elderly parents will likely want shade while outside.  There are 10 of us traveling.  Trying to determine if renting a Casita for sea days is worth it or if I can find outdoor seating in the shade for at least 3 in our party.

Thanks for your help!

I have watched countless videos of the Icon and there does seem to be a pretty large area on Deck 16 (Chill Island) with covered seating. I'm also a fan of shade, so I pay attention to these things. I'm cruising on the Icon on May 18, so I'll be able to get a first-hand take on this, though!

On 4/8/2024 at 10:04 AM, PhillyFan33579 said:

I was referring to the recent shootings in Cozumel. 

I live in Orlando and nearly every day I get a news alert on my phone about a shooting somewhere in the vicinity. But most of these shootings are domestic-related, or late at night when there is probably some shady stuff going down anyways... but now you know in case you want to steer clear!

On 1/11/2023 at 3:59 PM, The Traveling Man said:

So what do they call the 528 now, if not the Bee Line?

The Expressway Authority changed the name to the Beach Line, to promote the proximity of Cocoa Beach, etc. I will always call it the Bee Line, though!!

1 minute ago, Sandyshore said:

I didn't know Stevia came in liquid form. I use powdered Stevia at home in smoothies, but the Splenda packets are very convenient to carry with me.

Yes, though I have had trouble finding it locally. That’s why I’m ordering it on auto-delivery through Amazon.

23 hours ago, itsnotjustme said:

There is also an airport in Melbourne Florida which is a little closer distance wise, but a very similar drive time.  It is a very direct shot from the Orlando Airport (which is southeast of Orlando) to Port Canaveral on the Bee Line.  Like others, I would never fly from out west same day for a cruise. eline 

You must be a local… I still call it the Beeline, as well!

1 minute ago, Sandyshore said:

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. I'm not partial to the Splenda brand, so I'll be fine with the generic version of sucralose on board. I'll bring some decaf tea bags "just in case" -- that's my motto for cruise packing and everyday life anyway! 🙃 I appreciate your input.

I enjoy Splenda‘s brand of Stevia, but I order it in liquid form. It dissolves so much faster!

I had hoped to book a Central Park view balcony, but my TA discovered that I would  have to pay the price for three passengers. I was already planning on paying double, but not that much! My TA ended up booking me in an ocean view balcony instead. I’ll be traveling on the eastern itinerary in May.

7 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

This question is asked all the time.  The Haven Beds do not separate.  Your choice for bid upgrade need to consider a two bedroom family villa but remember it's bed is, lets say, needs a mattress topper. The other alternative is a Penthouse with a couch that turns into a bed.  I don't know why it is this way be not the best for friends traveling together.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you, Sthrngary - I don't believe this would work for us, so you saved me from bidding on a suite!

I'm cruising with a friend in February in a large balcony room on the Epic. The bed is described as "two lower beds that convert to a queen," which is great since we'd prefer to have separate beds (and I use a CPAP machine). I was considering bidding on an upgrade to a suite, if the minimums aren't too bad. But all of the Haven Suites information I can find describes the main bed as simply a "queen bed." Does anyone have any experience/knowledge with the beds in the Haven rooms? Will they separate?

Thanks!

12 hours ago, OhJinkies said:

Thanks - I hope you're right. My planner shows 126 days to go!

UPDATE: I got my reservations in this morning. I also reviewed my Platinum benefits, and I found out I have two additional specialty dining options, so YAY!! I now have four speciality dining reservations. Thanks for the heads-up, BirdTravels!!

16 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

As a platinum guest, your bookings will open at 125 days. Use that time to get the best days (sea days) and times for your dinners. 

 

As a platinum member, you should be booking your two platinum dinners (valid at any restaurant) and your FAS dinner(s)

 

https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program

Thanks - I hope you're right. My planner shows 126 days to go!

9 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

You can reserve exactly 120 days before embarkation. 12 midnight NCL Time (Miami time - Eastern Time, USA). And you need to make your reservations exactly 120 days in advance for the best times since Haven and priority guests start booking 10 days and 5 days prior to that. The online system only takes reservations. It does not ask you how you intend to pay for dinner (FAS dinner, platinum vouchers, room charge) - that decision is made at time of dining. 

Hmmmm.... I'm Platinum, so I'm going to check that out!
If not... looks like that's the same as my final payment due date, which is this Saturday! So I'll get up early to book. Thanks!

If you're looking for modern, cutting-edge entertainment, NCL is probably not going to meet your expectations. I've read some interesting things about the entertainment offered by Virgin Voyages. Not really my thing, but if you're looking for modern and edgy, you may want to check them out.

Can I reserve dining in advance for my FAS Specialty restaurants? I thought I had to wait until boarding before reserving. I'm about 120 days out from my Epic cruise.

On 5/17/2022 at 7:12 PM, Bgcruising said:

They have getaway island, 80s pop to the max, and 88 keys. I believe sometimes they have a 4th one, but I don't remember. 

Thanks! I think I've seen 88 Keys before, but it was a few years ago.

If you've recently returned from a five-day itinerary from Port Canaveral on the Freedom, I'd love to hear about what shows (Playlist Productions or other shows) are taking place in the Main Show Lounge, and what nights/times are they presenting shows. It's tough when there are no printed "Fun Times" to share, and the app tells me nothing. Just trying to plan out my cruise (not until September) a bit!!

TIA!!

Just now, mz-s said:

 

Generally you can use the water available from the tap for the length of a cruise with no issues, but if you want distilled you can call room service. You can bring on your own distilled water if you want, just make sure it's carried on with the cpap.

Thanks - I know some of the cruise lines are really strict about carrying on bottles of water.

I just booked a balcony stateroom on the Freedom for a September cruise. It's been years since I cruised with Carnival. Who do I contact to request distilled water?

Thanks!!

6 minutes ago, Marie51 said:

 Well that reminds me of what happened to me when I was trying to book the odyssey for next year. I got the single rate only if I would book a nonrefundable deposit. However if I try to book with a refundable deposit the fair doubled in price. 

It seems that if you book the nonrefundable and then cancel, you'll only get cruise credit, and have to pay a $100 fee to reschedule. I think I'd prefer to risk that than pay so much more for a refundable cruise - I think my fare was going to be about $300 more if I took the refundable option. I read on Matt Hochberg's blog that you can book with the refundable deposit, then change to non-refundable as you get closer in (though I don't know if that's a simple change or a major rebooking effort) but you can't suddenly decide to change from non-refundable to refundable.

I was going to book one of the studio (single occupancy) balconies on the Anthem for a 2023 cruise, but the pricing was weird. The initial room rate didn’t look so bad, until I realized that they were only charging half of double occupancy... but that room is not available for double occupancy. So when I tried to calculate the rate, it doubled, then they applied the current discount. The discounted price still seemed a little higher than I expected, so I checked with my TA and she confirmed the rate. It wasn’t horrible, but it was more than I had expected. Out of curiosity, I compared the pricing to a regular balcony room. The fare for the regular balcony room actually came out slightly lower than the studio balcony… so I booked the larger room, instead.