CrazyKoi

This is true. We were in Haven on Breakaway and our muster station was in O'Sheehan's. The Haven restaurant closed to new diners an hour and a half prior to the drill.

 

One more thing, the elevators are stopped and locked 15 mins (I think) before the drill so if you are mobility challenged you better start getting to the muster station early!

 

Thank you so much for this information! My grandma is in a wheelchair, now, and I was concerned about getting to the Muster drill because I typically don't take the elevator on the ship and have no idea how much time to anticipate for elevator service. We are on deck 4 (the very lowest deck for cabins) and I am starting to think that, in the event of an actual emergency, this might not be the best option for us. Lol. That will teach me to book a guaranteed room in the future.

Ahoy, Cruisers!

I am so sorry to be asking so many questions on this board, tonight!

I really appreciate all of your expertise!

 

 

My husband and I booked our cruise late. (As in, we leave in 22 days, late. :eek:)

We were hoping to book an excursion on GSC (Stingray Adventure), but saw no option to do so online.

A call to the Shore Excursion Department last week revealed that it was sold out and that the best that I could do was to call and check back later, or to get on board early to get on a waiting list at the Shore Excursion Desk.

 

 

I tried calling the Shore Excursion Department back to check today and the representative that I spoke to said that, to her knowledge, most excursions for ALL the ports we are stopping at were never even loaded onto the NCL website for our sailing.

She said that she didn't know why or what I should do, other than to get on board and hope for the best.

I'm now debating on what my next steps should be as these were two very different answers from the same department.

 

 

Has anyone else experienced shore excursions simply not showing up to be booked online before a sailing?

Has anyone been on a ship and noticed excursions that were not available to be pre-booked being offered?

In your experience, does NCL typically remove shore excursions altogether from the site when they are sold out?

Do you have any suggestions as to who else I should talk to?

(Anyone with a crystal ball who can help? Lol. Sorry, I know I'm asking nearly impossible questions, but you all are my best resource!)

My plan, for now, is to try to get on board early and to inquire at the shore excursion desk, but if it is truly just sold out, I was going to look for a similar excursion at a different port.

If you were trying to trouble shoot through this small predicament, what would you do?

 

 

Thanks, as always, for all of your insight!

We have some really savvy travelers on these boards!

I appreciate you all!

I am so excited about my 4-night Sky cruise at the end of this month!

Were you able to post the Sky Dailies from December, by any chance?

I'm trying to make dining reservations and to anticipate all of the fun, evening activities that I might want to attend!

Thank you so much for sharing with us! I really appreciate it!

We have arrived at a number of ports about 10.15am and there have been up to 100 people waiting before us.

 

Oh goodness! We will be sure to get there early, then! Thank you so much for lending your expertise! We are newbies to the world of cruising and just too excited for this trip! It sure is helpful to have so many experienced cruisers on this forum to gain insight from! I really appreciate you!

I think that this is the sweetest idea, ever! I think that trying to contact a group (a missions group, a shelter, an orphanage, etc) before going is a great idea! Maybe they can even arrange to have someone meet you in port or at your excursion destination to receive the donated items!

My cruise consultant at ncl told me, pay no attention to those times... Just get there when you get there.

 

Awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I really appreciate you!

It depends on the port but, in general, those time are just to try to stop everyone arriving very early; advisory not mandatory. The earlier you get there the lower the boarding number and the earlier you get to go through the processes.

 

Thank you so much for your speedy response! This is certainly exciting news! Just out of curiosity, in your experience how early do folks start arriving to check in?

From what I've read and experienced, it depends on the port you are sailing out of. Which port are you sailing out of?

 

Thank you for your response! We are sailing out of the Port of Miami! :D

Hello, Fellow Vacation Lovers!

I hope that everyone is having an excellent day!

I had a quick question regarding Port Arrival Time.

 

I did the Online Check-In and selected 10:30-11:00 AM as my "Port Arrival" time.

Come to find out, we have to return our rental car early, so I will be at the port around the 10:00-10:30 check in period, anyway.

I want to try to scurry on-board to see if I can get onto a waitlist for a sold-out shore excursion at the shore excursion counter, so it would be preferable for me to check-in earlier.

I tried to change my port arrival time online and found that I can only select later port arrival times. :(

 

I called NCL Reservations to see about changing and I was told by a representative that "Port Arrival Times" aren't even a system that they have, and that if I want to check in earlier, I just need to get in line.

:confused:

Online it says "Please arrive at the time selected and/or appointed. Guests arriving early may be asked to wait until their scheduled time."

 

What have your experiences been? If you get there a little early, do you hop in line or wait until your designated arrival time to get in line?

Have you ever been turned down when trying to check-in early?

How much earlier than your "port arrival time" are you typically at the port?

 

Thank you so much for all of your help!

Hello, Fellow Adventure Seekers!

The only Shore Excursion that my husband and I had our hearts set on has sold out online :( (Stingray Adventure from Stingray City Bahamas through the cruiseline's private island)

Does anyone know of any other great stingray programs which allow guests to take their own pictures using a waterproof camera?

Our stops are Grand Bahamas Island, Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau.

Thank you so much for your help!

May all of your excursions be filled with smiles!

What gets me is the site that doesn't keep itself current.

I had been looking at an awesome $199 rate for 3 days and decided on the 4th day to book it.

I went to book and the price jumped to $319 for the cheapest cabin available, in spite of the fact that it said $199 when I clicked to book.

I called NCL and was told that their website only refreshes prices once every few days and that there was nothing that could be done about it.

Even after I booked at the $319 rate I continued to go back for the next 2 days to see the price STILL advertised at $199.

It was a bit of a tease.

I know now not to wait, though. Lesson learned.

Hey, Fellow Cruisers!

My husband and I had been looking at the 4 night Bahamas cruise on the Sky for a good long while, but because of health complications in members of his family, we didn't officially book it until yesterday (26 days until sail away).

Unfortunately, the Stingray Adventure shore excursion from GSC that we were hoping to take is sold out. :(

After calling NCL's Shore Excursion department, I was told to try to get on a waiting list once I am on the ship.

I've read in threads from quite a few years ago that sometimes cruise lines will hold back a few slots for people who don't like to book on the internet- does anyone know if NCL is one of those cruise lines?

I'm only traveling in an inside cabin (Not a fancy Haven member)- does Cabin Type influence your spot on the waiting list?

I would assume that cancelations on board, especially for bookings on the private island would be few and far between- has anyone experienced anything different?

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding alternative stingray experiences on Grand Bahamas Island or Nassau? I was particularly happy that the Stingray Adventure from GSC allowed the guest to bring their own waterproof camera. I've looked at the Balmoral Island and Atlantis options, but both do not allow guests to take their own pictures. Are there any secret hidden gems that you might be able to point me toward?

 

Thank you all so much for your advice and wisdom!

I know that I can always count on my Cruise Critic Family to point me in the right direction!

You guys are the best!

Ahoy!

Thanks so much for reading my post! There are so many seasoned cruise experts here and I am so thankful to be gleaning from your knowledge.

 

My husband and I are looking to sail in early February on the NCL Sky. We wanted to book the cheapest possible inside room because the whole ship is open bar and we really don't spend any time in our cabin. We have a particular date in mind and have to book our airfare in about a week to take advantage of a free flight voucher that we have.

 

When we booked our honeymoon a year ago, a particular travel agency promised us $200 off of the next cruise that we book through them. Unfortunately, getting them to communicate with me has been like pulling teeth from an unsedated saber tooth tiger. Its been so frustrating.

 

As I am watching cruise fares now for NCL, I see that the same ship and same itinerary is significantly cheaper for cruises leaving in the next two weeks (same ship, same itinerary, $200 per person lower for sailings next week). With this said, I am contemplating booking our airfare now and just waiting until closer to our sail date and booking our cruise cabin on my own. My rationale is that we are flying in to Fort Lauderdale, so really we can hop on a sailing from one of many ports and many cruise lines with a last minute cruise fare (we don't mind driving).

 

My questions are:

Do you think that this is a foolish approach? Typically I am a person who likes to plan way ahead, so this "wait and see" approach feels foreign to me. The articles that I have read regarding last minute fares have encouraged booking early rather than late, however, most of these have been written BY travel agencies. In your experience, do last minute fares still save money like I understand that they used to?

 

I'm trying to follow the advice that I read on another thread about avoiding peak period sailings. I am guessing that part of the reason that the last minute cruise fare that I am seeing for the next two weeks (August 29, etc) may be low, in part, is because people are heading back to school and back to work. Can the same be said of early February sailings (No longer winter break for colleges, holidays are over, etc).

 

Knowing that I am going to purchase airfare no matter what, if you were me, what would you do? Book now or wait for a last minute fare?

 

Thank you so much for reading my post and for any recommendations that you might be able to offer!

 

P.S.- Are there any cruise fare predictors out there based on data from past years? Every time that I look, I pull up a broken link. :eek:

Happy November, Everyone!

My husband (gee, it is going to take practice to get used to calling him that) and I are celebrating our honeymoon on the STAR in 2 weeks! We are really excited! We are new to cruising and have never really traveled together, so we are especially excited about this trip!

 

I've been reading the reviews of recent cruisers and I won't lie. I'm getting a little nervous! Would anybody who recently sailed on the Star like to share their experiences (good and bad)?

 

Does anyone have any tips or tricks for "Must-Do" or "Must-Avoid" things to do or see on the ship? For instance- any advice on a less crowded bar on board? Out off all of the specialty dining restaurants, are there any that you would recommend? We booked Cagneys twice, but I'm not sure which other restaurant I should book twice. We are staying in an ocean view cabin, so we won't have the access to suite amenities, so are there recommendations for breakfast or lunch that us non-suite-life people to visit?

 

Also, as this is our first cruise, do you have any advice for smooth sailings?

 

Thank you so much!

I don't know if you already made a decision, but if it were me and I had my heart set on going to Dolphinatis and if the price is indeed similar to the one offered as an official NCL excursion, I would go with the NCL excursion. When I was comparing and contrasting Dolphinatis with Chankanaab Park and trying to decide which dolphin experience to book, I did a live chat with someone from both places. Dolphinatis told me that I would have to take a taxi and then a ferry to get to their location, and that if I booked outside of the cruiseline, the soonest they open their park for non-cruise ship people was in the afternoon. Because of this, I would not have been able to get me back to the ship on time. If you were to think about booking Dolphiatis independently, I would be sure to contact someone via chat to ensure that you don't miss your boat! :D

Hi there! I am vicariously traveling with you from my dark, cold desk in the hospital basement where I work. Thank you for being my magic mirror to the beautiful world beyond!

I'm planning to honeymoon on the Star in November, and I was wondering if there is any way for you to check to see if our first dance song (Someone to Watch Over Me) is available for karaoke? :) I know that digging through the karaoke books is nobody's cup-o-tea (unless you are holding out on us and not posting any videos of your marvelous singing voice), so if not, can you just tell me if it looks like a sizable karaoke book, or a skinny one with a small selection?

Thank you so much!

Wow!

Cruising newbie here, but I thought that I read that NCL doesn't adjust prices unless a lower price was found with 48 hours of booking.

I can keep looking until our cruise date?

That's amazing!

Thank you so much for pointing out the importance of looking at the deck plans. I would have never thought of that! I'm such a cruising newbie! You are right, Deck 6 has the dining room, casino, 2 specialty restaurants, a few bars and a theater! Good catch! Gosh, what would I do without all of your advice? I feel so well supported by my CC family! Thank you! How noisy would it get?

Haha. Oh my goodness, I've never blushed so hard in my life. Lol.

Hi, everyone! I'm so thankful for all of the amazing expert advice that I have already received on this forum! I am finally looking to book my cruise! (Eeeeep!) I think that we will sail on NCL Star out of Tampa on a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon. I'm pretty stinkin' excited!

Here is where I am hoping to get some expert advice.

Cruise Website A can get us into an oceanview cabin with a picture window for $1459.35 (cumulative total for both of us). This would be Midship, Deck 5.

Cruise Website B can get us into a Guarantee Oceanview(OX category... whatever that means) cabin for $1449.50 (but we get $50 more OBC with this deal).

I've heard that if the cruise oversells oceanview cabins, we could get a free upgrade. Does this happen, often?

What would YOU do? :)

 

I'm hoping to book this trip this week and really appreciate all of your expert advice!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart! :)

Hi there! I'm a newbie! I'm trying to decide which cruise line to book my honeymoon through. I was really leaning a lot toward NCL because of the Ultimate Beverage Package deal that they are running and because it is going where I want to go. I was also thinking about adding the Ultimate Dining Package because I've heard mixed reviews about the food in the MDR and buffet.

 

I've read on some of these boards that there is some unrest about the ways in which the UBP and UDP are influencing the experience on NCL ships. With this said, for those of you who have experienced these changes, would you sail NCL again? Wedding planning is a bit stressful and I was really looking forward to a stress free and affordable honeymoon, and I appreciate all of your advice and honesty as I navigate the choppy waters of honeymoon planning!

 

(Just some background info. My fiance and I are thinking about sailing to the Caribbean in November, although our travel window is wide (October through December). We would sail in the least expensive oceanview room possible. Because weddings are super expensive, we were only looking at inside staterooms until we realized the benefit of taking advantage of the UBP in an oceanview room. I don't think that we will have access to a concierge without being in a fancy suite, right? So far we are leaning toward the Star and the Dawn. Does anyone have experience with those particular ships? We have only sailed Carnival once (a few years ago) and my fiance loved the food in the MDR and insisted on trying to recreate some of his favorite recipes, like the chocolate melting cake. I just don't want him to be disappointed. :cool: Thanks for your help and advice!)

Oh my! I'm feeling a bit on the nervous side. I'm planning my honeymoon for November and am trying to decide between the Star or the Dawn (or Celebrity Summit). We have only sailed Carnival in the past and loved that, but we are being lured to NCL with the UBP deal. I've been REALLY on the fence about whether to pay the $150 for the UDP for us. I've heard rumor that the food in the dining rooms was not so great (I think one travel agent used the term "blah"). Is it worth it to upgrade? We would stay in the cheapest oceanview that we could get into, just to take advantage of the UBP. Has anyone recently sailed the Dawn? Are there less concerns about that ship? Thank you so so much!

Ahoy! :) (I'm sorry if that is offensive to any of you well seasoned cruisers).

I am trying to book my honeymoon, and I am so overwhelmed its ridiculous! Of course, because of the wedding costs (which we are paying for ourselves), we are on a pretty tight budget. My fiance has little opinions about where we go, but he is not a traveler, so I'm feeling this overwhelming pressure to either a) Make this the trip that will turn him into a travel fanatic or b) Make this the trip to fulfill some of my bucket list just in case I never travel again.

 

With this said, I really want to make this a great trip. My questions can be broken down into 3 categories: Deals, Experience and Cruiselines.

 

1) Deals: I've been told that January through March are my best bet for booking a good deal. We are already marching into March and now I'm nervous. If I don't book NOW, am I likely going to miss out on the best deals? I'm really loving these deals that I am finding (Upgraded Ultimate Dining or Ultimate Beverage Package on NCL, for instance), but is it worth it to upgrade to higher cabins in order to get these special deals from a $ perspective.

 

2) Experience: Am I missing a lot if I book an inside stateroom? I figure that my fiance and I are probably not going to spend a ton of time in our room, and so it is so tempting to just book the cheapest stateroom that I can find. Then again, this is my honeymoon, so I don't know if the difference is so great that it is worth the splurge. Also, we aren't huge drinkers, but is an ultimate dining package or drink package worth it? Is it typically better to do onboard credit or money back after the cruise, if either of those are options?

 

3) Cruiselines: At this point in time, I'm really debating (I think) between RC and NCL. Is there really a huge difference between these two? I think I like RC's ports a little bit better (I'm looking at the RC Rhapsody of the Seas: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/RH09M035) or Norwegian Epic (http://www.************/sc.do?tab=media&i=891737&c=34&v=709&Month=ALL&shoppingZipCode=&IncludeSeniorRates=false&IncludeAlumniRates=false).

 

I hear that RC is a little nicer, but the Ultimate Dining package with NCL is making me question whether this is a better choice. What would you do?