cruisebie

I think the biggest difference is the freestyle dining. It's more like going to a restaurant on land and there is a larger variety of restaurants to choose from if you include the "for pay" ones. Also NCL has a dress up or not night instead of elegant night, so no need to dress up unless you want to. Entertainment is way better than Carnival, although thats not as much of a factor in Alaska. Both lines are pretty laid back so no worries there. If you've been happy on Carnival, I think you'll like NCL.

I would go for the 10 day on the Jewel. You get Sitka & Icy Strait in addition to the usual Alaskan port. Plus you get Glacier Bay which is fabulous. The Jewel is a great ship. We were on the Jewel a couple of years ago and loved it.

I think you made a great move! I've been lucky enough to sail in a Haven Spa Suite twice as a solo (on the Getaway) and it made so much difference to the experience. Loved having both the spa & Haven access. With all the perks, obc & keeping your discount, I'd say you did well. Enjoy your cruise!

The Gem may never be the same! Thanks for taking us all along for the ride.☺

I am sorry.....while I do believe the Mom should have been back on time...her fault.....BUT NCL should NOT have left children without BOTH of their parents.

As others have pointed out, this was a decision made by NCL and the father. The father could have taken the kids ashore with him to look for their mother if he had wanted too. It was his choice to leave them aboard with their uncle. Under the circumstances, I think both the Dad and NCL made the best possible choice, from the few choices available to them.

I do feel bad for this family. This was a hard lesson to learn. I've done a few stupid things in my life, but thank goodness none of them have been posted on YouTube or held up for public shaming on the internet.

If you are sailing with kids, the extra space might be nice. If you think you might want to upgrade, I wouldn't wait. In a couple of weeks those cabins may be gone.

That is priceless. Love the dolphins! I hope you get a picture of her expression when she sees this magnificent creation!

How frustrating! I don't blame you for being upset. The whole Miami office is closed on the weekends excuse doesn't wash--the concierge had received confirmation of your amenities from Miami earlier in the week. Did they need to confirm the confirmation? 🙄 I feel like the concierge left you dangling. He or she should have followed through for you after the cards were re-issued. You shouldn't have been standing in line & getting lectured by GS for NCL's mistakes. Hope NCL corporate clears this up for you, but as others have suggested, if you get further run around, just dispute the charge with your credit card company.

So sorry to hear that. Thanks for coming back to update us. Most times you never get to hear the final outcome. Will you be able to catch up with the cruise at the first port?

Since you don't like the larger ships, have you considered the Dawn sailing from NOLA? This is one of the ports you listed & certainly is definitely not one of the city sized ships?

Based on your 18.72 charge, it sounds like you have the number of meals you thought. Just for your own comfort level, you might want to call NCL and request an amenity confirmation. It always is better to have things in black & white.

The wine selection is the same regardless of whether or not one is a UBP holder. To say they slashed the selection for UBP holders sounds... odd. I know you didn't mean that, but the wording was kind of awkward, so I wanted to clarify. .

That may no longer be true based on the information posted by Karoo quoted below. Does seem like an odd way to do things and a lot more trouble for bar staff to keep up with what is or is not included.

I'm with you OP- the wine you could get by the glass was very limited. They try to push their own brand. The Matua Valley that I do drink on board I was told at all the bars wasn't available, however I observed someone not on the UBP was able to get it by the glass. When I questioned the barman, he then gave me a glass and said he had been instructed to try and get people to drink the NCL brand. Interesting fact - The Matua Valley that sells for $38+ onboard, sells here for around $8 Aus dollars. Around $10 in the US. I've decided to buy my own wine next cruise, pay the corkage and actually drink something I like.

I know there have been a lot of Haven questions posted lately but I haven't been able to find answers to the following:

 

1 - Can you use your own coffee in the coffee/espresso machine in your suite?

 

No. They take a specific type of pod. Your butler will keep you stocked.

 

 

2 - What is the Haven lounge? Is it just a bar? Is food served?

 

3 - If we order regular room service, are we still charged the 7.95 convenience fee?

 

No charge for Haven guests. Contact your butler to order.

 

 

4 - I have read a bunch on tipping the butler and concierge, but how does tipping in the Haven restaurant and lounge work? Do you tip at each meal or at the end of the cruise? Is there a slip you sign, like in the specialties or do you leave cash? Do you tip the person who escorts you to your room on embarkation day?

 

Just so you know, all Haven staff with the exception of the concierge and butlers are covered by service charge pools so there is no obligation to tip. However, service is beyond excellent and you may want to tip in addition to the service charges. Some prefer to tip at each meal and some at the end of the cruise. I usually tip in cash toward the end. Usually you will see the same staff in the Haven throughout the cruise, not like the main dining room where you see different waiters each day. I never had a slip to sign in the Haven, except for the 1st day when they had to charge local sales tax on drinks.

 

No need to tip the escort on embarkation day. I'm not sure what others experience has been, but I have never received an escort to my room. Usually, after checking in at the Haven area, there is a group escort to the Haven lounge where you meet the concierge. Rooms may not be ready, depending on what time you check in, but there is seating in the lounge area and they are usually bringing sliders, etc around.

 

5 - Is there an email to use for pre-cruise requests? I would like to have the mini bars emptied.

 

6 - Is there a Haven gym? I have read conflicting info on this.

 

I have never seen a gym in the Haven. There is a sauna room.

 

7 - Are the king beds able to be split into 2 twins?

 

No. None of the beds can be split.

 

8 - For suites in the courtyard - do you prefer deck 15 or 16 and why?

 

Did you say this was the Getaway? If so, the actual courtyard is on 16, so you might prefer to be there for easy access. If you are on 15, you can just take the stairs (or elevator) up one flight to the Haven area.

 

Thanks for any responses! This board is so helpful!

Hope this helps.

Sure hope that Princess doesn't start using NCL as a model for drink packages. Their cruise prices have increased more than a nominal amt due to the current pricing scenario with all the so called "free" options. Plus they add an 18% service fee based on the cost of the drink package to your cruise fare. And they recently raised the cost of the package so they could recoup more from the 18% charge. There is no such thing as a free lunch (or free drink package-lol) as they say.

The Princess pkg has a lot more included which makes it a much better value, imo.

Very interesting comparison, Wallygator. Thanks for posting your thoughts.

Thanks. It was very interesting to note your observations, since we have cruised on the Gem and will be cruising on the Pride.

Question: Can you please tell me how many bottles and what brand of bottled water was in the $3.99 package?

I was on the Dream last October and got the water package. There were 12 bottles and I don't remember the specific brand, but it was spring water. I've seen reports of a couple of different brands so they may mix things up a bit depending on who gives the the better price.

I've been on the Getaway twice and used the provided hair dryer both times. It worked just as well as my dryer at home. The hair dryers I've encountered on Carnival & Princess have been pretty bad, but this one was good. It got hot enough to work well and the air had plenty of force.

I don't have any personal experience of this, but have read several times that it will blow a fuse if you try to use one from home.

I've used Go Airport Shuttle twice. You just walk outside the baggage claim to the transportation area and they have a kiosk there. You don't have to make reservations in advance. They have shared ride service and private cars also.

I don't think you could go wrong with any of the port side suites. I've been in both 14142 & 14136. Both were nice and quiet and no pole in front of the jacuzzi in either. There is a crew doorway into the spa area across from 14136 and I saw several staff members coming and going but no noise at all from this. Not even noise from opening and closing of the door. There is always the possibility of noise from people conversing in the hallway as they are passing, just like in a hotel, but I've never found this to be too bothersome. Maybe take along some earplugs or a white noise app on your phone, just in case.

For myself, there is no real advantage to either port or starboard. It's usually luck of the draw which way the ship docks when in port, so choosing one or the other doesn't guarantee a view of the port.

I think cabins that are forward or aft are generally quieter since there are less people passing by. Some people like the aft most cabins across the back of the ship for the view of the wake and the nice deep balconies. Also, some people will choose either forward or aft because it's near more of the activities they enjoy on the ship.

All of the Haven Spa Suites are the same size and all their balconies are the same size. If you want quiet, book one on the port side. Some of Haven Spa Suites on the starboard side are under the gym area. I've not read a lot of complaints about noise from those rooms, but personally I wouldn't take that chance.

If you want the perks, why don't you just choose the higher price with perks included? No frills is pretty descriptive. It shouldnt be a surprise that you are not getting the inclusions if you choose this. Can't have it both ways.

They are saying that you can only have 15 alcoholic drinks per day, even if you want to pay for them over and above your package. That is telling someone how much they can drink. Carnival's drink package certainly isn't exceptional, it's dictatorial.

A lot of people who sail on Carnival don't like the limit, but IMO they started limiting to prevent people from sharing drinks with others. I don't know why you can't purchase if you go beyond 15, but maybe this is attempt to prevent pax from being over-served.

Other than the limit, there is a lot to like about Carnival's package. All alcoholic beverages up to $50 are included, which allows pax to get some of the really top shelf stuff. Also included are soft drinks, bottled water, specialty coffees, hot tea, mocktails, energy drinks. I would never consider purchasing the beverage package on the basis of alcoholic drinks alone, but I would probably purchase this one as I could get my money's worth with all of the other options included.

I understand they are replacing the Elemis products with Bulgari. The Lavazza machines are being replaced with Nepresso. Also you can now watch movies on demand in your suites for no charge. This is in lieu of the DVD library.

Are they are offering you the Deluxe Haven Spa Balcony or just the Haven Spa Balcony? If you have more than 2 in your cabin, you would need the Deluxe to have an extra bed. The regular Haven Spa Balcony doesn't have one.

However, if it does work for you, in addition to the Haven perks, you get thermal spa access and there is a jacuzzi in your room. It's really nice, but maybe not double the price nice.

I suppose they can't all be gems, eh...

gems....Gem... I see what you did there. : )

In the added costs category would be the extra DSC for Haven suites. If I'm remembering correctly, it's $15.50 pp per day as opposed to 13.50 pp for other room categories.

You might also look for an upsell to a haven spa suite. It's a smaller suite, but you do get thermal spa access included and you have a jacuzzi in your room.