mickeysgal

33 minutes ago, flarad said:

We area probably similar demographics. I just need my husband to come to terms with this... 🙂 As we begin to plan our next cruises, I'm curious, what line do you prefer? We like Celebrity but we tend to get a little bored with their entertainment in the evening.  

We also aren't NCL's target demographics anymore.  No interest in the bells and whistles.  We've been cruising with Celebrity for about 7 years now and zero regrets.  That said, their entertainment can be lacking sometimes.  Ships are swanky and gorgeous without being pretentious.    NCL fit our needs for our upcoming cruise, but generally we agree with the OP...the lack of public space is noticeably apparent.  We felt that way also on the Gem and Pearl.  Our upcoming cruise we popped for the Haven to specifically get away from the overcrowding and chair savers.   Celebrity has the Solarium and it's my favorite place on the ship to relax - adults only.

23 minutes ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

You are correct - this does not make it right.

Just because the cruise lines pay lots of attorneys to draft an airtight contract, it’s called a contract of adhesion, meaning you have no say in the terms and cannot modify it in any way.

So they draft it entirely in their favor and you, the consumer, are SOL.

It puzzles me why so many on CC take the position that “The contract allows them to do it, so it’s OK.”

It’s not OK, and it’s not fair.

I get that they have to have a contract and terms such that they can modify ports in the event they absolutely HAVE to..  But the slight, subtle move of perhaps NCL using this verbiage a bit to their advantage is what seems to be annoying and raising suspicions.  If it's happening all too often, that too raises suspicions.  These cruises are planned so far in advance, you would think they'd know if there were too many other ships in port and now they can't dock (as in a case mentioned in this thread).

In the Haven, do they make up the room only once per day or is there turn down service as well?

1 hour ago, Stelkp said:

We did! And it was practically empty! We had the mozzarella sticks and crispy chicken sandwiches. It was good-we wanted to try it since it was included. I can’t say enough about the haven staff though. We did 3 specialty restaurants and the Haven was better than all of them. 
I asked about vegetarian options in the haven and the chef made me a special meal every time we ate there. I just loved them all! 

Which three specialty restaurants were they? We have an upcoming cruise in the Haven and I’m really debating cancelling my specialty dining reservations and not doing any specialties at all. I keep reading the Haven restaurant is better. 

We had a forward facing penthouse on Pearl.  The balcony was so very large and awesome and I loved the interior space - we had a small living room area with chairs, couch and coffee table.  Large picture windows.  Yes it can get windy on that balcony while in motion,  The balcony door in our case was more of a water tight /submarine door - not a slider.  We had this room for Alaska - it made Glacier Bay viewing such fun. That said, there was a lot of motion being so far forward.  First time ever that I got seasick and had to wear a patch.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely.

16 hours ago, justhappy said:

Once out the door of my courtyard penthouse on the same floor as the bar, yes, yes I could! That loudmouth boor was at the bar every moment the bar was open yapping on so loudly EVERYONE heard him. I don’t know when he peed or ate cause he was freaking attached to that barstool along with his cronies. Getting a drink was impossible, not to mention irritating.

Well, this could be construed as a definite Haven con.  No one wants to hear that kind of behavior stepping out of their Haven cabin.  

7 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Which deck? 17 or 18?

 

The balconies are deeper on deck 17. 

18.  I'm currently watching the prices on those cabins on 17.

Right now , for the same price we can get a cabin on 18. I’m watching closely for a price drop on those with the larger balcony on 17. 

4 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Which ship?

 

The Observation Lounge or lack thereof would sway my decision. 

Encore

33 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I don't say never, but a forward-facing suite is among the lowest on my list to book. I'd be worried the balcony would be unusable due to the wind coming in as the ship cruises along at 20'ish knots per hour. I value my balcony time too much to not want to use my balcony, so that's why I would consider one in the courtyard. I do prefer outside the Haven suites to get me away from that area sometimes. I don't want to be ensconced in luxury 24-7, just when I'm eating and when I want a mostly empty hot tub. 

For this type of cabin, the balcony is small but on the side of the ship. Completely useable. 

We currently have a forward facing Haven cabin down on deck 10. For the same price we have the ability to switch to a courtyard cabin with a regular balcony (not the large one). Haven experts- would you stay in the forward facing one or switch to inside the courtyard? 

What is the time for the next ferry?  This is cutting it a bit close.  You'd have to make sure you're first off, assuming the ship arrives on time and gets cleared on time.  Walk your own luggage out. Don't leave it outside the door...that will add more time than you need to spend finding and reclaiming it.  If I remember right, there was a long line getting out of the customs building in Seattle.  All this chips away at the time you have to get to that ferry.  It feels a bit nerve-wracking.  Probably can be done, but realistically, if there is a later ferry, I'd have a relaxing breakfast on board and then take the next ferry.  Victoria is beautiful.  Enjoy.

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Exactly 21 days prior to cruise (based on the countdown clock on your app or MyNCL account), log on and see if you can book the show online. Keep checking if it doesn't pop up on Day 21. 

 

Exactly 21 days prior to cruise at 12 midnight eastern time you also need to complete your online checkin to secure a preferred check-in time at the terminal. 

 

If the system does not allow you to book your shows prior to cruise, as soon as you embark, head to The Social (Deck 6 mid-ship) to make all show reservations. Choir of Man, other theater shows, comedy shows (early shows are family oriented, late shows 18+). You can also make go kart, laser tag, and Canvas by U painting reservations. 

 

Then you head across the hall to Teppanyaki (Deck 6 mid-ship) to fix any dinner reservations. 

48 minutes ago, Beachedgirl said:

We were on the Encore last week.   If you can’t book prior, go to deck 6 and book at the Social.  We usually book on the kiosks but they aren’t always showing or allowing you to reserve.  If you don’t get a booking the stand by option has had some success.   Everyone waiting in that line found a seat in the theater.   It was an amazing show!   Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you both so very much. 

Hi - we have an upcoming cruise on Encore - a very short 4 day pacific coastal.  How exactly do you book entertainment like Choir of Man?  I'm reading on other ships that performances get sold out and that there are standby lines.  Not exactly a stress free vacation environment.  Please tell me where, when, and how we need to go to book shows.  Do they run performances every night?  What nights do they perform?   Besides Choir of Man, what else do we need to book?  We just booked some specialty restaurants, so I'm sure that these shows will conflict with the dining times I chose....

I assumed there would be a time limit for the heated loungers.  I had no idea someone could literally  camp out there all day. 

We are considering two options to get from Vancouver to Seattle after our cruise.  How do I find out the average wait time on a Friday at the border to the US going from Vancouver to Seattle?  And - second question - has anyone ever taken the Amtrak cascades train from Vancouver?  Is it scenic?  Are you able to book actual seats and if so, what side of the train do you sit on to see the scenery? 

9 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Encore aft-facing deck 9 balcony (not including wheelchair accessible 9924)

 

Bed near balcony

9320, 9322, 9920

 

Bed near closet

9324, 9922

Thank you!! 

 We are debating on which restaurants to book.  We have Onda booked and want at least one more...its between Cagney's, Le Bistro, and Ocean Blue.    Has anyone tried Ocean Blue?  I see plenty of comments about Cagney's and LeBistro, but not that many about Ocean Blue.  We will be on Encore.  Which do you recommend? 

On 11/4/2022 at 10:11 AM, Two Wheels Only said:

For the Breakaway Plus Class of ships (Escape/Joy/Bliss/Encore),  the size order for depth is 9, 12, 15, 14, 11, 10, 13 from deepest to least deep.

 

The sizes and configurations of the staterooms are the same throughout the class but the stateroom numbers can be slightly different.

 

The bed location can be near the balcony or near the closet. There are also slight differences in balcony width within each deck even if the configurations are the same. For example, Bliss 9324 and 9922 are both the same configuration (bed near closet) and both balconies are the same depth but the balcony for 9922 is slightly wider than the balcony for 9324. 

Two Wheels Only - can you tell me which staterooms on Encore Deck 9 have the bed near the balcony and which have the bed by the closet?  Is there a list somewhere? 

Anyone have any insight on this ?

Nope.  Big design mistake if you ask me.  It didn't have to be a grand space, but it would have been nice to have something.  

Does anyone have a list of the specific cabins blocked by the window washing equipment for this cabin category?  

On 9/25/2022 at 9:12 AM, stefanny28 said:

Just a quick question regarding Ramses Tours deposit and payment ppolicies:

I have just booked 2 tours with Ramses for next July 2023. Mohamed was very quick to reply and I used the link provided in his booking email to make the deposit ($100US for each tour).

Now Rokaia ( who is she?) is asking me to pay 40% of the tour price by credit card now!!!

I am confused and sent them an email to ask them to clarify: I thought that the $100 US deposit is all that is required and the rest we can pay by cash or credit card.

I really don't want to pay the 40% now, there's still 10 monthsd before my tours and with the uncertainty that we are experiencing now, that's not what I want to do.

 

Can anyone tell me what was their experience with the deposit and full payment with Ramses tours?

 

Thanks

We have Ramses Tours booked as well.  What was the resolution for this?  Did you have to pay out the 40% prior?  I thought this company only wanted payment upon completion.  

Does anyone have any recent information to share about Ramses?

On 1/15/2023 at 9:55 AM, dbirds said:

After looking at both websites for these companies, I realize they are the same company.  Does anyone know why?  Is there an advantage to book with one versus the other?

 

Thank you in advance!

Thank you for asking this.  I've been wondering myself.  We have booked with Ramses, but having issues getting them to communicate back to us.  Making me very nervous about using them....

What tour company are you using for Egypt?