Camlott

I don't know if it has changed, but here is the CL lunch menu from 2011:

We sailed Allure in March 2014... This looks like the same menu we had then.

I will say that we weren't always offered a menu especially at breakfast. I knew pretty much what we wanted off the menu anyway and we just asked for the items we wanted.

If you have a Royal Caribbean credit card through Bank of America and used it to pay for your flights on Choice Air... You should get double points on the card.

The breakfast was one of our favorite perks of being in a suite. Although not the full menu of the MDR, it had everything we cared to eat and we didn't have the crowds of the windjammer (we actually never even saw the windjammer on Allure).

Yes.

Awesome! Thanks Bob!

Their prices seem to be almost identical as booking on my own and I want to fly business class next year to Europe. That will make the price sting a little less!

Can't seem to find the answer... Does purchasing Choice Air give you double points like a purchase from Royal Caribbean?

We will be in one of the aft suites on pearl in a few days. Certainly not the report I was hoping to hear!

You have just learned why it is better to keep control over your own reservation.

I used to book exclusively on my own for the same reason you mention. I have learned though that since I usually know the exact room I want etc. Why not let a TA give me 10% of my fare back as an OBC plus other perks like free specialty dining, spa treatments etc.

Either way, I have done the work and found what I want... but the TA essentially pays me for my work.

In this case, the lesson learned was that I don't care for this company so I won't use them again even though they offered the highest perks at the time I wanted to book. We are happy with the room we have, but it would have been nice to have an upgrade. No big deal.

Let us know how it goes!!!

I found another online TA and was able to see the cabins available. So I contacted my TA and asked them to check on upgrade possibilities (willing to pay extra) and they told me when they contacted NCL that NO suites were available for a complimentary upgrade. I was very clear and concise that I wasn't looking for a free upgrade. I was just hoping to upgrade from a regular suite to a Haven suite.

Oh well, we are happy with the room we have and the perks this TA provided to us. I just won't be using them again in the future.

I would call NCL and ask about booking one of those categories (no need to tell them you are already booked) and then depending on what they say, you can call your TA.

Not sure why I didn't think to do that. Good idea! I just knew they wouldn't talk to me if they knew I was booked with a TA, but what they don't know won't hurt them!

I'm definitely not new to cruising but I am new to NCL. I have a sailing coming up in two weeks and looking at upgrade opportunities for my sailing.

The prices on suites have had some pretty significant price drops the last week or two. There are currently four categories of suites that show available and have prices listed. When I try to select the category I get a message that there are no cabins for that particular category. It does this for three of the four suite categories that seem to be showing available.

Is this a known glitch with the NCL website? This has been happening to me for that last week or so, I don't think it's an isolated problem for today only.

Booked with a large cruise critic supported TA who is a pain to deal with (won't be using them after this sailing), so I don't really want to call them unless I can see there is an actual cabin I want to book. I'd like to see the location before I make the call.

I have friends not in a suite traveling with us....are there any perks they can enjoy with us? Like...can they sit with us during shows, can I reserve dining times with them included and finally, can they come to our room and I order dinner for all if us?

 

Thanks for any help!

We have traveled on both Oasis and Allure with a mixture of suite and non-suite guests traveling as a single party. On both ships the non-suite guests were allowed to sit with us in almost every case. There were a couple of times they were not allowed and usually that was in the Aqua Theater. It mostly depends on the person checking gold cards and the popularity of the show/showtime that you choose. Shows that were busier, had a lower chance of them sitting with us.

You can order room service for them but I would suspect if your friends number in the double digits, you may not get it (no personal experience there, just a reasonable guess).

If you book a cabana on Labadee, you are allowed six people total per cabana. You can get six wrist bands to use, and the non-suite guests will be allowed to use the cabana and Barefoot Beach without an issue. That's an added perk of paying for a Barefoot Beach cabana. Just be sure to tell the concierge how many wrist bands you need (up to six) for your cabana.

Not every sailing I have looked at is the best I've ever seen, but most are pretty good. I would book it and then cancel later if needed.

We were on the Independence in 7708 (opposite of 7388) and love the huge balcony. Would it be the same size for the balcony on the Navigator?

 

We like the shade.

 

Which would you choose and why?

Yes, the balcony will be the same size as 7708. Deck 10 will have less shade than 7.

I would pick 7388 for the balcony! If you want a larger room than I'd pick 1688.

We are just two people in the cabin. I have not been in a D1 yet. Can loungers and chairs fit in 1690?

Friends will be enjoying the balcony with us.

Yes, two of each will fit. That's what we had on the Voyager a couple of years ago when we boarded. If they aren't there when you board you can ask for them. It seems like lately people have reported the loungers are missing and/or the stewards won't bring them.

We have had loungers in every aft cabin we have ever been in without asking.

Question for all those aft junkies!

 

I have Explorer 7388 booked and have stayed in that cabin before. I can have D1, 1690, as it is open. I love the balcony on 7388.

 

Which did you like better?

For two people, 7388 without a doubt would be my choice. If more than two I'd consider 1690, but knowing me I would still probably go with 7388. Probably my favorite cabin of all time (even compared to the suites we have been in).

As others have already said, your only real option is to upgrade your room. If your travel agent isn't willing to help you upgrade your room, then they aren't really doing their job.

See if there is a higher category available for 4 that you would be willing to pay the difference on, then call your TA and tell them you want an upgrade. No further explanation is needed to get this. We have done this often.

Not sure when you are sailing... I will be in 8630 in late June, i'll report back. Here is an old thread I found that might be helpful.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1044112&highlight=8130

Not my picture, but maybe this helps.

....because I am hours away from picking between the Sun and the Rhapsody of the Seas on Royal for a early 2016 cruise and I want to have as much info for decision making as is available. Rumors have been circulating about NCL's intention to turn the observation area into Suites, and I'm trying to find out if anyone has what they would consider reliable info.

When I have had these kinds of problems deciding between cruises... I just book them both and then cancel one at a later time after my questions are definitively answered.

For US residents, this isn't a problem as long as you cancel before each lines respective penalties begin. Just an option to consider. You may also get a large price drop down the road on one of these sailings which might make the decision even easier!

I am also interested in what others experienced in this situation. We booked a GS with connecting balcony cabin for the kids on the Allure. My kids are only going to be 1 and 8yrs old so I need to know where we can and cannot go. :confused: I linked our reservations together already and assummed that would mean they came with us....

We had this exact setup on the Allure in March. Our girls are 4 and 8, they were allowed full suite privileges (including concierge lounge). We took them very often to eat breakfast in the lounge away from the crowds. We never used the lounge in the evenings, and definitely would not have taken them in there during cocktail hours (just our personal preference).

They can go with you wherever you want them to, nobody is checking for gold cards for children and it wouldn't matter even if they did in your case because of their ages.

Adult children or older teenagers in a connecting cabin to a suite would likely get hassled but I don't have any first hand experiences with that.

We did a table for 14 several nights on the Allure a few weeks ago. Two of them were four year olds, but it worked well. We had MTD, that might make a difference.

I would just ask yourself if this cruise is for the destination or the ship/room. Sometimes we cruise for the ports, other times for the ship.

I know this doesn't answer your question, but it is often how we make a decision between two cruises. I have gone on several cruises solely because we were able to get a coveted room and had no real interest in the ports.

Better hope that Boston doesn't get cancelled as a port of call for some reason!

Not really sure why this thread was started other than to stir things up. Clearly OP was going to do what they planned no matter what the answers were here. :rolleyes:

Thanks everyone. We have a backup sailing that will hopefully work if our first choice doesn't work out.

I didn't see anywhere that shows when my points expire, but I know when I first earned them, so the expiration should be five years later.

We have some points that are about to expire that I need to use. If I use them for either OBC or dollars off our cruise fare, what happens if we have to cancel that cruise? Do we just lose those points or will they be re-deposited back to our account? We have about 20,000 points set to expire in May.

I am looking at a sailing that is a long way out (18+ months). There is no way for us to be certain we have child care for our kids. It is possible that we might have to book a different cruise depending on grandparents schedule. The kids will NOT be joining us on our 15th anniversary Greek Isles cruise! :)

I have been trying to find a way to cruise RCI before then, but we have an NCL Alaska cruise and Disney trip planned before then, so not much time or money for a vacation between them!