amygutman

Green apples...grab some from the buffet. If they do not have any out, just ask at the fruit station. I am a physician (even spent time as a cruise ship doc) and can offer you no explanation as to why eating green apples banishes sea sickness but anecdotally, it works!

Did you love it? Oh Man...you just made me so happy by affiliation 🥰

Thank you, and agree 100%. We had been eyeballing a number of combination air and sea safari that includes Victoria Falls, trains and river cruises. There's definitely a time, travel and financial commitment. Ultimately we see ourselves in the next five years or so being able to block off three weeks for a true African experience. We are hoping though in the meantime to whet our appetite with this teaser. Everybody's advice has been greatly appreciated and thank you for offering your honest opinions. Warmest, Amy

Great advice, thank you. It's funny, as a veteran of many many days at sea on whale watches how many people demand their money back when they don't necessarily see any whales. They are wild animals that you can't just conjure, but still it's interesting how unrealistically upset people get. Granted you don't come to Africa with the hope of not seeing the big animals so we would be crossing our fingers but I appreciate you sharing your real life experiences. Warmest, Amy

Thank you so much! That's wonderful to hear. Kind of what we thought but it may be exactly the thing we need to get just a taste of Africa without spending $50,000! Warmest, Amy

I will be heading there right now! Thank you so much. Somehow this does not come up with my search of the boards. Very grateful, Amy

We've checked many different forums, and there is a dearth information online re: South African itineraries and most of it is specific to the Jade. From what I have read you either loved the experience or hated it with very little in between. It looks like the Dawn now has those routes from 2023 onward though no dates in 2025 have been published. We love the NCL product for our family and are looking to book A South African itinerary for 2025. Myself (50F), husband (51M) and son (13M) are very interested in safaris but river cruises would be prohibitively expensive as we'd have to book 2 rooms (most have 2 person occupancies). We would appreciate anyone with past experiences specific to NCL in Africa to give their opinion - good, bad or ugly. We have been on the Dawn before and really liked the ship. Thank you in advance. Warmest, Amy

@spenecer loving this review! If you haven't tried one yet, ask for a Dark N' Stormy...properly made with Gosling's ginger beer (but any ginger beer or (horrors) ginger ale can substitute, Gosling's Black Seal rum, and lime juice. It's amazing...nothing brings me back quicker to living in Bermuda than this >100 year old drink (although.. after 3 or 4, nothing makes me fuzzier about living in Bermuda than this concoction). Can't wait to follow your adventures! Warmest, Amy

Thank you for sharing a lovely post and perspective. Focusing on the positives, understanding (which doesn't mean blindly accepting) the negatives and appreciating how hard the crew works to give you an amazing time at sea. I love this...and am grateful for your eloquent words. Salamat po, Amy

We are looking at South Africa for 2025 and there is nothing on the website yet. Our TA is keeping his eye out, but tells us the winter / spring itineraries will not be released for a number of months. We have been on the Dawn before in the DOS and really loved it, but missed the Haven. Even if there was a hot-tub option in a suite we would hop right on. Can you just imagine looking out at Madagascar from a balcony hot-tub? We traversed the Panama Canal in the hot-tub in the DOS on the Pearl and that memory will last a lifetime. Warmest, Amy

(my daughter is a starfish. I do not want to share a bed with her). This made me laugh out loud. We refer to our soon-to-be 14 yo as the "yoga-loving octopus". Sharing a hotel room queen with him is both painful and bruise-inducing. Loving your journey so far and thank you for taking the time out of your vacation! If your trip ends up back in San Juan, do not leave without trying mufungo. I have an unhealthy love for this dish. Literally...mouth watering as I type. Warmest, Amy

Nice!

One thing we really love about NCL Havens are the free movies. I know it seems funny to watch a movie when you’re on a cruise, but it truly is a really fun way of spending a few hours as a family or if you can’t sleep at o’dark o’clock. NCL Butlers will bring you popcorn plus room service 24/7 - I am not sure about Overnight service in the yacht club. NCL movies are pricier at $12-$13 if you are not in the Haven, so there is a big price difference. Our YC butler never told us about the movie prices we just figured it out when we were watching the TV selection. We figured four dollars wasn’t a big expenditure especially when it came with pizza and cookies! Warmest, Amy

I agree the Haven menu is static, but there are different options. Once you get to know the waiter and maitre d’ they get to know your particular tastes, and will make other options available at your request. Up until recently I had been vegan (35 years!). After discussing this with our waiter on the first night on our first Haven on the Gem, magical vegetable preparation started appearing for all my meals. Now that I am a pescatarian, I have many more options, but the waitstaff still goes out of the way to make each meal special. They also have off menu options for our son. You can even tweak dishes that you like. For example, if you like shrimp cocktail, ask them for section instead of the standard three. We have found this to be true across all of the Havens on all of the NCL ships. Everyone’s experiences are different, but don’t let a fixed menu necessarily be a deciding factor, unless that is truly the most important thing and making your cruise decision. Warmest, Amy

Agree, the gift shops are pretty darn awesome. An added perk is on the bus ride back from the Apollo exhibit. There’s tons of wildlife to be seen. We got to see multiple alligators, a bald eagle and its nest which is enormous, two other eagles, and multiple turtles. What the OP chooses to do, I know he’s gonna have a great time. Warmest, Amy

Math is fundamental, right? Here's our happy tale. This Wednesday one 2 bed / 2 bath (H4) Haven become available on the Getaway for an April 5 night cruise of of Canaveral. The H4s have been sold out for months and unbelievably, the price was 1900$ less (2 adults, 1 teen) than listed when we initially booked the Haven Courtyard Penthouse (HF). I know the original listing price as I had been weighing H4 vs HF; ultimately, we chose the H4 as I set a max daily "price" for cruises. Our formula is: "Bucket-List Cruises" = 1-1.5K / day; "It's A Fun Day At Sea And Not At Work" = 500-800$/day. These costs include flights, discretionary charges, car rental / shuttle / parking, extra tips, dining, excursions, travel insurance and is the same for cruises or other types of vacations. When I got the upgrade email 4 weeks ago, I put in "poor bids" on the H4, H3 (OS) and H2 (DOS) - 500$ / person (1K total) for each category. Math: no flight or car rental (we live in Orlando), my TA booking bonus for repeat customer pre-paid 300$ tips + OBC, specialty dining is a Platinum perk, hotel + shuttle + parking was 80% paid for with Bonvoy points, and travel insurance was cheap because I bought it the day we made the initial cruise payment. This meant 1,225$ to play with. All Haven rooms are pretty great because, hey...it's the Haven. But the cruise is for my soon-to-be 14 yo's birthday and he loves having his own room with the H4 or OS floorplan so I threw out low bids knowing they would most likely not get taken. Trolling my booking site on 3/22 I saw one H4 had become available for 180$ more than what I paid initially for the HF. Crazy, right? I was on the phone with my TA and had the reservation re-booked within 45 minutes whilst I cancelled my other upgrade bids. Because my TA did all of the work, we lost none of of perks or reservations which may happen if you upgrade. I have NO idea why the price dropped so much, especially with a fully booked Haven. Would I have paid 1900$ more for the H4 - no. 1K, yes. 180$? Hell yes! Keep watching those booking sites (plus have an amazingly responsive TA) and you may get lucky. Set your budget and make sure your math includes adding additional costs (including discretionary charges increasing substantially going up in categories, especially in the Haven). Best of all - I am not telling my son. He's just happy to be cruising, and can't wait to surprise him! Happy Hunting! Amy

Bananas aside - We plan at least 1 "bucket list" trip annually...and it takes about 3 months of research (and a wonderfully patient TA) to make it happen. Then a few smaller cruises throughout the year. We love long cruises and short cruises, but working around school vacations, work schedules, extended family obligations - all trips take ton of planning including budgeting for each trip (extra shifts, OT and bonuses). So yup...we are those crazy planners already eyeballing 2025 (and we freeze our bananas so they last longer). Warmest, Amy

Very much looking forward to this review as I have all the Getaway reviews. As an Orlando resident, let me offer a warning about Disney Springs - it is an incredibly crowded, overpriced glorified upscale outdoor mall. Plus, it's about an hour drive which is a lot of time to spend on a bus when you should be enjoying your vacation. There are many other great ways to spend a day in Port Canaveral unless you have something very specific you are looking for at the Springs. Honestly, you will never beat the fun of Kennedy Space Center and it's literally 15 minutes from the port. I think a day pass is $85 online and includes a fantastic bus tour of the facilities. Port Canaveral also has a row of fantastic seafood restaurants at the port itself including Fish Lips which has one of the best porches in Canaveral. If you are looking for a theme park SeaWorld is always less expensive than Universal or Disney and offers a terrific experience. You may also want to consider Universal's City Walk which is free and has a ton of fun stores and pretty decent restaurants (including voodoo Donuts where our son routinely purchases and eats a doughnut bigger than his head). We are big fans of Universal and annual passholders so admittedly are biased. Whatever you choose to do have a wonderful time and look forward to hearing all about it. Warmest, Amy

😁 Thanks for the giggle. You may want to consider these brilliant South Korean bananas...can't take them on a cruise but will give you a reason to greet each day with a smile (AND a ripe banana). Warmest, Amy

Yes - We ordered from the TV and that's how it was charged. TV gives lots of options for movies in a number of languages (and, if I remember correctly from the YC on Seashore, subtitles are an offering on some features) and charges. An impromptu movie night with pizza and cookie delivery was a great family experience. Warmest, Amy

Awesome (for the DoReMi Club and your 18th floor "exit strategy"). That ship looks amazing - curious if they continue the "Oh Lord The Color Is Really That Orange" theme on the stairs. 😆 Have a wonderful time! Amy

In the YC, there were a few free selections, a few 4$ selections (Ghostbusters...Highly recommend), and I believe some 10-11$ selections. Great selection, but not free, at least on the Meraviglia. Others may have a different experience. Warmest, Amy

I am not sure how to "tag" it, but if you are in the MSC Boards, type in "YC Duplex Suite Meraviglia" or go to my postings for the description - our family just got off last weekend and had a duplex suite. There are pros and cons, and if you have specific questions you can email me at prehospitalmd@gmail.com. The balcony is super safe for kids as long as you keep the door to the balcony locked (i.e. don't let kiddos near the hot tub unattended as they could absolutely climb in). It's the actual stairs to the upper loft bedroom that are scary. The frustrating thing about not being in the YC "proper" is not having and easy elevator access to the YC - you have to go down hallways to get to a very busy bank of elevators. Easy enough for us (we are in our 50s and kiddo is 13), but may be a PIA for a family with 2 kids under 3. Happy to help with any specific questions! Warmest, Amy

Have a wonderful trip!

Super easy, but if you happen to be older (we are in our 50s) or differently abled it would potentially be very difficult.