Nisky18

By the way, those of you on the September's 7 Breakaway should join us others on the ROLL CALL for EXTEND SUMMER.

My two friends and I are on the Sept 7 Breakaway, too. We booked an OX ocean view guarantee but a few weeks later decided to splurge on a BX balcony guarantee at $120 more per person. Several weeks after that we were assigned balcony cabin #8174 which looked like a good location on deck 8. Then on August 9th I called NCL to ask about going to a higher deck. I don't know what I was thinking. The rep kept me on hold about 30 minutes, then came on to offer us a balcony mini suite on deck 9 in cabin #9230. I was at that time parking my car in a hospital garage enroute to seeing my 90 yr old mother so I said yes without hesitation. On arriving home late that evening I checked out the room I gave up and the room I accepted, to read a review of #9228, next door to ours, which was awful. It seems our new cabin has a king size bed that cannot be split so two of us older women will have to share a bed. I'm also not sure we three will have enough drawer space. I probably should have left well enough alone. I'm a silver Latitudes member.

I cruised on the Carnival Splendor in January, my third Carnival cruise. I'm vegetarian and every meal in the main dining room was delicious. The dinner choices generally were terrific, our table's waiter was fabulous and I thoroughly enjoyed the dining room staff's entertainment. Although it rained every day of our cruise, my 18 year old daughter, her friend and I had a most enjoyable cruise. The cabin was, a good size, my bed was comfy but my daughter complained about hers and her friend was on a twin cot type bed. The pizza and veggie burgers on the Lido deck were great as was the ice cream and yogurt. Also, the buffet food stations were terrific. Fun night life too.

I cruised on the Carnival Splendor in January and the bed was great and very comfy!

I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian who's taken eleven cruises on several cruise lines. My last cruise in January on the Carnival Splendor was a gastronomic delight! The first night I told my waiter my cuisine preference and he was great each night, alerting me to vegetarian options and even surprising me with dishes I had mentioned I liked. I've never taken a Princess cruise but I choose to believe they would not ignore a guest's food preferences. I would definitely approach the maitr'd with a smile to explain your daughter is a vegetarian who eats dairy and eggs (many people don't understand the term ovo-lacto). I would also tell the waiter (again with a smile and politeness). I know your child won't starve.

I did a crossing on the QE2 from Southampton England to Manhattan many years ago. It had been billed as a family cruise so my then - husband and I brought our two young daughters. There was, however, no programming for the children on the ship and most often they were sitting around on the floor in a hallway. This was before hand held electronic games and smart phones. The service and food were good though vegetarian offerings sorely lacking. And no real entertainment other than some lectures. A few years later we took the Queen Mary2, which was a better experience.

Has anyone had stateroom 9280 on the Breakaway? We were upgraded to this stateroom.

I was wondering if you can see the firework from the balcony.

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We were upgraded to cabin #9230 on the Breakaway for the Sept 7, 2014 sailing. What date are you cruising? Have you been on the Roll Call?

When I booked our cruise for April 2015 I did take the Travel insurance offered. But now I have 2nd thoughts about it. The cost is approx. $230.00 for 3 of us. I can't remember if I took it for my other cruise or not :eek:

The one thing that is stopping me is that when we were on our last cruise someone had to be helicoptered off and taken to the hospital :( The ship even changed course to get closer to land. (I believe he suffered a heart attack but was ok - Thank GOD!) But I remembered someone saying that he hoped he took out the travel insurance otherwise this was gonna be an awful expensive trip .

Was wondering what your thoughts are on Travel Insurance.

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I've always taken the travel insurance, especially after hearing about issues some people have had while traveling, like with health or other unexpected accidents that have occurred. I'd rather be pound wise and penny foolish than the other way around. Since my mother is now 90 years old, I want to feel protected if I can't make the trip. I looked over the NCL policy and it looks pretty good.

Are you talking about flying or just cruising?

I booked an OX ocean view guarantee than my two cabin mates and I decided to pay the extra $120 each to go to a BX balcony guarantee. We were assigned a balcony on deck 8. When I called to ask for a higher deck, I was put on hold nearly 30 minutes and was offered a balcony mini suite on deck 9.

If it a company out of Long Island that starts with D and ends with C, good luck trying to collect on the insurance. I paid extra for the upgraded version and was denied my copays when I broke my foot on the Breakaway. I am still fighting them. Not worth it in my opinion go with the TA that gives better OBC, at least you will get that.

I've booked both ways - TA and cruiseline direct. The issue with the TA is they're not available 24/7 and they go on vacation too. If you learn of a fare drop or a promo and your TA isn't available to discuss it, the cruise line won't even discuss your reservation. I booked this upcoming cruise directly with NCL and depending on which rep you get, they'll work hard to find you a great deal, even getting approval to give OBC that you request yourself. I take a proactive approach to booking for myself but I still have my doubts. I booked an OX oceanview guarantee for me and my two travel companions, then after several weeks we decided to go for the extra $120 per person to change to BX balcony guarantee. NCL assigned us to a deck 8 balcony and I called to ask if we could get above deck 8. The rep said she had an idea and went to check on my question, returning 20 minutes later to offer us a mid ship balcony mini suite which I accepted on the spot, while driving to see my 90 yr old mom in the hospital . After arriving home late in the evening I got online to research the mini suite and saw a horrid review of the one right next to ours. I recommend you be sweet but a bit brazen in asking for what you want BUT do your homework and be prepared.

I've booked both ways - TA and cruiseline direct. The issue with the TA is they're not available 24/7 and they go on vacation too. If you learn of a fare drop or a promo and your TA isn't available the cruise line won't even discuss your reservation. I booked this upcoming cruise directly with NCL and depwnding on which rep you get, they'll work hard to find youva great deal, even getting approval to give OBC that you request yourself. I take a proactive approach to booking for myself but I still have my doubts. I booked an OX oceanview guarantee for me and my two travel mates, then after several weeks we decided to go for the extra $120 per person to change to BX balcony guarantee. NCL assigned us to a deck 8 balcony and I called to ask if we could get above deck 8. The rep said she had an idea and wentvto check on my question, returning 20 minutes later to offer us a mid ship balcony mini suite which I accepted on the spot, while drivingbto see my 90 yr old mom in the hospital . After arriving home late in the evening I got online to research the mini suite and saw a horrid review of the one right next to ours. I recommend you be sweet but a bit brazen in asking for what you want BUT do your homework and be prepared.

Thanks! I'm happy I'll be on the Breakaway in three weeks!

What is Vibe?

I've heard that only certain categories of cabin get a discount. Don't assume that you'll automatically get a first night discount. None of the NCL reps I spoke with you even knew of it.

I think it's the D train. Coney Island is now very different but still iconic.

Rockefeller Center (yep, this is the correct spelling) is a must, as is seeing a Broadway show, taking the subway OR an express bus to the aquarium at Coney Island in Brooklyn. Also, the culinary choices in the New York City area (and that includes the five boroughs) is not to be missed!

My friends and I booked an OX ocean view guarantee on the Breskaway and several weeks later decided to pay an extra $120 each ($360 total) to switch to a BX guarantee for a balcony. We were eventually assigned a midship port side balcony cabin on deck 8. I called a few days later to ask whether prices may have dropped, hoping we may be able to get above deck 8. After waiting for the NCL rep to get back to me, she returned to the phone to tell me they'd like to offer us a mid ship balcony mini suite and because I was in a hospital garage preparing to visit my 90 year old mother, I too quickly said "yes!" Late in the evening I went online to see the reviews of our mini suite on deck 9 and they stunk. The deck 8 balcony would probsbly have been better. I think if you like surprises a guarantee cabin is good because you don't know what you'll get. Some people are happy but some ar not.

Many non smokers are of the opinion that smokers choose to smoke. It simply is not true they are compelled to they are addicted to it and have to have that cigarette. They need sympathy and emotional support. Hopefully, some have families who love them enough and worry about them enough to convince them to end their addiction. But make no mistake about it, it is very difficult.

I just found this thread and see it was a busy one in 2005! Here it is August 2014 and hardly breathing. How can we revive it? I'm 66 but always told I look at least ten years younger, which worries me for two reasons. First, what do people expect me to look like? Second, I worry that some morning I will wake up, look in the mirror and discover that I suddenly look like people expect me to, whatever that is. Age does not define me. I retired in october 2010 because my elderly and disabled mother lives 200 miles away and I spend too much time on the road between our homes to make up the time working. I was also embroiled in litigation with my ex. My first cruise as a single senior was in January on the Carnival Splendor with my 18 year old daughter and her friend. Although it rained every day, we had fun. I will be cruising in September onboard the Norwegian Breakaway, with two friends. Again, my main question is how can we revive this thread? I confess that it has been fun reading through the past postings.

Thanks for posting the pics. Nice!

I enjoyed reading this thread and feel compelled to add my own two cents. First of all I happen to like the font called Comic Sans because it is whimsical. I would not use it in a professional letter or document but find it perfectly acceptable anywhere else I feel like using it. Regarding the restaurant called La Cucina, which I am not familiar with, this is strictly a subjective issue. I happen to like Olive Garden and as a vegetarian who enjoys a good eggplant parmesan, I think this dish at the Olive Garden is pretty good because it's thinly sliced and crispy and I like the marinara sauce. I don't go to the Olive Garden expecting an authentic Italian meal, just a decent good tasting one. And what we like to eat is subjective, what our taste buds enjoy is subjective. I will be on the Breakaway in September and don't yet know whether I will try any of the specialty restaurants, because there aren't many vegetarian choices. I'm ovo-lacto rather than vegan so I do eat dairy, though very little. I love most ethnic cuisines, including Italian, and have an open mind. Your good and bad reviews intrigue me so I might use my small on board credit to sample La Cucina. I will say this, if I go to La Cucina I will inform the maitre d of the mixed reviews on the Cruise Critic website. I figure in that way I will be sure to have an extraordinary experience there.

I love Roulette and have spent many hours playing with just $100. Make sure you find a table where the minimum is $5 which means you can play 5 numbers at $1 each. I always ALWAYS play zero and double zero if I see it hasn't come up in awhile. Review the odds and have fun. Just choose a few numbers you want to play, be consistent and enjoy what may end up as beginner's luck for you.

I pre pay for the samevreaspns as others wrote in this thread. It's one less charge to worry about on the bill. Also, when I find teally specisl service by cruise staff I throw a few dollars their way and reveal I've pre paid the gratuities but want to thank them for being amazing. It ensures they remember me the next time they serve me.