Two Wheels Only

It's 8% for either while on the ship and in Port Miami. The customer pays both. It just a matter of how NCL passes that cost onto the customer. For example, MSC doesn't add a tax to drinks ordered while in Port Miami. NCL does add a tax while in Port Miami. In both cases, the cruise line is using money from the customers to pay the tax. NCL is taking a few nickels and dimes (couldn't resist) from people who order drinks while in Port to cover the tax. MSC isn't being nice and paying the tax for the customers. It may not seem like it but MSC customers paid that tax (whether the customer drinks or doesn't) months before boarding the ship. NCL handles the tax (even if nobody orders a drink) by using money collected months earlier, too. From the guests' perspective, one way might feel better than the other but it's still being paid by the guests.

Yes, you can pay a la carte. I don't know how accurate this is but..... https://profcruise.com/ncl-menus-2023/#food

"....Food Republic, Pincho Tapas Bar and Sushi, where a meal includes any 4 menu items...." - T&C

Miami does have a food and beverage tax so technically, you should have been charged. NCL pays a certain amount in tax based on occupancy. The guests pay that tax in one way or another. While in port, you might see a charge to your account for drinks and might even see a charge for other things such as food. Either way, NCL uses money from guests to pay whatever NCL needs to pay....and keeps whatever is left over. 😉

For Escape, the **700 staterooms (9700, 10700, etc.) are the best Oceanview options. On Getaway, the **700 are wheelchair accessible but not on Escape. On Getaway (and Escape) some of the Oceanview staterooms sleep up to 5 so those are an option. I can't help with Sun, sorry.

I had no problem at all with odor when I was on Meraviglia. Chengkp75 knows all about this stuff (and many other things) so I'll just quote him..... "The most common cause of sewer smells in cabins is the bathroom floor drain (not the shower), that typically hides under the toilet, or is a trough drain at the door. These drains see little water into them, so the dry air from the AC tends to dry out the water in the trap, and odors back up. A glass of water down these drains will normally do more than pouring it down the sink or shower." There was an issue a few years ago when Seaside first went into service. There was an incorrectly installed pipe that was causing a sewage smell problem throughout various parts of the ship. It took a few months but it was fixed before I sailed Seaside in 2018. The more likely scenario as far as what people sometimes smell in the stateroom is probably what Chengkp75 described.

I get the "off by one day" scenario at times but it has never been a problem.

My most recent old eDocs have.... DATE OF ISSUE (DD/MM/YY) 07/22/2021 ...which is obviously month/day/year. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about GG/MM/AA, either.

Where are those "jumping on the furniture" kids when you actually need them? 🤬

Yes, depending on stateroom type. The pattern isn't exactly set in stone. Sometimes, two similar stateroom bed configurations are back-to-back and the pattern starts from there in both directions. Also, a wheelchair accessible stateroom can break up the pattern and start again with either configuration. I don't have a visual confirmation on 13144. 13140 is bed near closet. 13152 is bed near closet. If the pattern is consistent, I would guess that 13144 is also bed near closet. Again, without a photo/video, it would be a guess that it is near closet. One thing that is true for the standard balcony and Club Balcony staterooms on the side of the ship is that if it sleeps 4, the bed is near the balcony. If it sleeps 3, the bed can be either near the balcony or near the closet. The vast majority of "sleeps 3" are bed near the closet. When the deck plan has a symbol and it is a standard balcony or Club Balcony, the bed is near the balcony. Unfortunately, when there is no symbol for a group of staterooms, it is difficult to know what is where. Also, if there is a group with a symbol, they all sleep 3 but it isn't possible to know which are bed near balcony or bed near closet without confirmation. I don't like guessing. What many people do during the booking phase is they enter 4 passengers when looking to see which balcony/Club Balcony staterooms are available. Once some numbers are available as options, the person can call and request a specific stateroom. The booking engine will sometimes not show a "sleeps 4" unless the person is trying to book a "sleeps 4" with 4 passengers. A phone rep can put you there when the booking engine won't let you. Some people get lucky when booking 2 or 3 passengers and get the configuration that you want if they get a sleeps 3 that is bed near balcony. The above doesn't apply to actual suites nor does it apply to aft-facing balcony/Club Balcony staterooms. There are different sets of rules for those.

Not all **700 staterooms on the BA + class have the separate small room w/TV. Some examples of the Joy **700 staterooms which do not have the separate room/tv.... (9700) (12700) The location of the pole and the position of the bed (port vs starboard) can vary.

No. "Does not include Wine and Spirit Experiences, tastings or flights, Starbucks, Ice Bars, room service, package sales, bottled water, ship specific promotions, Connoisseur Collection beverages, bottled wine, mini bar purchases, fresh squeezed juices, wine dispenser, energy drinks or vending machines." https://www.ncl.com/terms/unlimited-open-bar-package

It varies by ship. Check the dailies for the correct requirements. Some Manhattan Rooms allow shorts. Some don't.

Knowing which elevators to commandeer is helpful. Some are more receptive than others (the butlers know which are the best ones). Meraviglia's aren't great but they work.

Shorts are allowed in both. Exactly. Other than what is stated in the dailies, people can dress however they want on any night in any NCL restaurant on any NCL ship. There's no reason to overthink it. Even when stated in the dailies, Smart Casual isn't difficult to meet. A tie is never required. A jacket is never required. Sneakers can be worn anytime. It's easy.

I make fun of Epic (a lot) but I'd take Epic over even the newest Carnival ships.

No difference in what should be expected. Butlers rotate so a great butler might be working in the Haven complex one week then might be working for the aft-facing suites the next week. That butler should provide excellent service in both cases. How needy guests are is a factor that can't be predicted. If your butler has to also serve needy guests, you might see a decline in service. It happens but isn't something that I would worry about. Another factor that many people don't wish to discuss is that butlers who serve the higher suites (Deluxe Owner's Suites, for example) might go the extra mile because guests in those suites MIGHT tip higher than someone in a less expensive suite. On the flip side, some guests in the more expensive suites tip less because they spent more for the suite and the butler might work extra hard for nothing. Anyway, being clear with your expectations will generally lead to better service. If you want more, ask for more. If you want less, ask for less.

I guess Rocky Mountain Oysters aren't even up for discussion, huh? 🤢

Even now, it has " Gratuities will be added to your booking. " next to the check box but some people don't see it. If the box is unchecked by default, some people will not see the notification that the box must be checked for the drink/dining package. If the box is checked by default, some people will not see that a service charge/gratuity is added to the total for a "free" thing. Either way, the service charge/gratuity is seen in the price breakdown long before any personal information or payment information is entered.

A Club Balcony Suite on Escape isn't an actual suite. NCL changed the mini-suite name to Club Balcony Suite and added a few (minor) amenities. Some other ships have suites that are higher amenity level than standard and some ships have those levels plus Haven level. NCL made the name change sometime in early 2020.

Sometimes (not always), amenities differ from one suite category to the next. Mentioning DOS can have a different answer when it comes to mini-bar/soda cans, for example. Mentioning "3BR Garden Villa..." can have a different answer if the question relates to balcony smoking, for example. It isn't always humble bragging but it does happen, sometimes.

Knowing what NCL charges for a can of soda,....go for the package.

People who don't check the box will be in for a big surprise when they see their onboard account is charged for every drink. I guarantee that those people will post on the forum that "....NCL said that drinks were included but they lied...". No matter which way that NCL does it, there will be people who post that it should be the other way.

Before you kiss him, say something like "Excuse me, sir. You have very pretty eyes" then kiss him and keep walking. The passengers who witness it will be dumbfounded.