jcathers1

On 5/6/2024 at 12:42 PM, rockfsh said:

Do you remember which nights these were?

We are attending Icons on Sunday and Jersey Boys on Wednesday, but I don't recall which other options were available. 

15 hours ago, jcathers1 said:

Yes, thanks for mentioning this. We have a 3rd party excursion scheduled (snorkeling), so I'm keen to be very clear on the transportation details to get us to/from the ship. Our plan is to take advantage of the priority disembarkation to get off the ship quickly, so hoping we don't encounter lines for the shuttle busses. Interested to hear if anyone has experiences with this...

Apologies, the snorkeling tour is actually in Ketchikan, not Sitka. 

14 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Seriously?  Snorkeling in Alaska?  What’s the water temperature there?

"Cold". Ha. They provide you with a wet suit and the reviews are really good. We love snorkeling in the Caribbean, so we are willing to give it a shot!

34 minutes ago, rockfsh said:

What nights are these shows? I have to plan dinners

There were two options for both shows during our cruise, and each had an early and late seating.

On 5/3/2024 at 10:22 AM, dmwnc1959 said:

I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this, but the cruise ship pier for Sitka is several miles outside of the main town. In these screen grabs from Marine Traffic you can see Carnival Spirit pulling in…

 

 

Yes, thanks for mentioning this. We have a 3rd party excursion scheduled (snorkeling), so I'm keen to be very clear on the transportation details to get us to/from the ship. Our plan is to take advantage of the priority disembarkation to get off the ship quickly, so hoping we don't encounter lines for the shuttle busses. Interested to hear if anyone has experiences with this...

Both Jersey Boys and Icons show as being performed on our cruise, but you can't make reservations to either (but I'm not sure what that means).

My wife and I both have the two meal FAS. Can we bring our two daughters to a restaurant and use all four meals in one sitting? Do we need to let the restaurant know in advance that we plan to do that (other than making a normal reservation)?

Or, if we wanted to purchase additional specialty dining meals, is it cheaper to do that before the cruise or during? 

Just received our tags for our Haven room for the Bliss next month and they were purple and said "priority".

Thanks for the helpful responses everyone!

Hi, all. We have sailed NCL multiple times in the past, but have been on other lines for about 8 years. We've never been to Alaska, so I've got some general NCL questions as well as some specific Alaska questions. We are on the 5/25 Bliss sailing. Thanks in advance!

1. Where is the port located in Seattle? It appears to be the Smith Cove Cruise terminal, but looking to confirm.

2. Anything to pack (or not pack) for an Alaskan cruise (other than the obvious)? We've only ever done Caribbean cruises.

3. We are in the Haven. What time should we get to the cruise port to get on the ship ASAP? Is it still "arrive anytime" for Haven guests?

4. We've sailed in the Haven before, but not for quite a few years. Any new Haven tips/tricks that we should be aware of to help us enjoy our time?

5. Any particular Bliss tips/tricks that folks have learned that would help us?

6. We are set for excursions, but also open to any recommendations for things to do/see/eat/drink in the Alaskan cruise ports. We visit Juneau, Victoria, Dawes Glacier, Sitka, and Ketchikan.

Thanks! 

On 10/21/2023 at 1:43 PM, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

It’s a bit like the subway… there’s no prohibition about bringing big bags on the train, but it’s certainly an acquired skill if you’re not used to it, and you might be an annoyance to the regulars. 

 

That said, ferry use in NY is way lower than the subway, so you’re much more likely to have plenty of space near your seat to tuck your bags away. Wall St - Red Hook isn’t exactly a booming route. 

Thanks. Dumb question from someone who's never ridden the NYC ferry before: do we have assigned seats or do people just mill around out on the deck? Or is there just general seating for folks who want to sit?

Appreciate the copious review. You may have (likely have 🙂 ) covered these topics throughout the review, but a few questions from me:

1. This will be our first cruise from a cold weather port. At what point did the weather warm?

2. Does Hola Tacos have any "all you can eat" pricing? It did last summer on Seashore.

3. Were there plenty of college football and NFL games on in the sports bar? Or where would you recommend us trying to watch these on Saturday night and Sunday?

We leave on Sunday, so trying to get some last minute details squared away. Thanks in advance!

We plan on taking the ferry from Wall Street/Pier 11. My wife and I will each have a large checked bag. I don't see anything on the ferry website about bringing bags on the ferry, although I do see language about bringing folding bikes. Any help on whether bringing large bags/suitcases is an issue?

Bumping this in case anyone can share their experiences.

Also, generally looking for guidance on how to manage disembarkation day. We have an early evening flight 5:00ish. So there would be time for us to do something in the city if we wanted. Just not sure what makes most sense. I've seen recommendations to either get a car/driver for several hours or just to go to the airport early and buy a day pass to a VIP lounge. If we did that, is Uber the best way to get to the airport? I know how busy/congested POM can be on disembarkation day, so I can't imagine what it's like in Brooklyn. 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

We are sailing on the Meraviglia this November and are considering one of the NY site seeing excursions on our disembarkation day. We don't need to be at the airport until around 5:00pm, so we are looking for something to occupy our time. Anyone have experience with these excursions (there is another called "NY Highlight Drive"). 

We are also open to other ways of occupying our time before we head to the airport, but these seemed like a good idea because we will have a place to stow our luggage. Thoughts or recommendations?

We were just off the Seascape, so can't comment on the Mera. But on Seascape, they were 50+ pounds. They were listed in kgs, so I really didn't know. 🙂

10 hours ago, amygutman said:

@jcathers1 We were told that info on our April Meraviglia and July Seaside cruise, both by the spa staff (on day 1 when we toured the facilities) and the YC concierge during their introductory welcome. Raja (the chief concierge on the Seaside) was very direct in saying he and his staff were more than happy to make the reservations but they did need to be made to avoid overcrowding. 

 

There has been mention on other forums about YC members being turned away without reservations whilst some never are questioned. Everyone's experience is different of course, but just passing on the information given to us on our last two cruises. 

 

Warmest Amy

Very interesting. As I said, that wasn't our experience, but we are on Meraviglia in November, so we will see what they say then. Thanks. 

3 hours ago, hawkeyetlse said:

I was talking about a PCC, not a third-party TA. Since the OP asked about both.

Apologies, I misread your original post.

1 hour ago, amygutman said:

@jcathers1 Agree that the Yacht Club amenities are in general broader than in the Haven. There are been very "vigorous" CC forum discussions re: pros and cons of the Haven vs the YC, including perks. We fall in the middle - love the NCL ships and Haven areas so much more than MSC, but agree that the YC perks in general can be more enticing for (often) a better price.  

 

Is the stateroom mini-fridge included?

In the Owner Suites or Garden Villas, Yes. Otherwise, No. As kiddo loves diet soft drinks and DH and I love vodka seltzers, we find that if we give our butler 100$ and say "can you make sure that we never run out of drinks", we generally have a never ending supply. Not presuming this will work for everyone (though as @Sthrngary has stated that it never hurts to ask politely) but it's never failed us when we book non-OS rooms. 

Is the thermal suite included (for non "spa" rooms)?

No, but on many of the ships there is a lovely sauna in the Haven pool area. On MSC you get 1 hour / day at the thermal spa (it's no longer unlimited) which has to be reserved in advance by the concierge. It's a nice perk, but it's always been so busy in the MSC thermal spa that it's neither relaxing nor quiet. Compared to NCL where it's rare to run into another cruiser in the Haven sauna. I prefer walking out of my door, having a lovely bake, then back onto my balcony without traversing the ship in a robe and bathing suit to go to the ship spa. 

Do Haven guests get the highest level beverage package?

I believe it's premium plus, so not the highest, but pretty darn good. I believe it depends on how you book your cruise. We use a TA and his agency and always have the premium plus as part of our package. Perhaps another CC forum member can give a definitive answer. 

Does the Haven restaurant menu change every night?

No, but there are specials every night plus a basic non-rotating menu. You can also ask for special meal "tweaks", and if you really love something not on the menu, speak to your waiter. It's amazing how hard the restaurant staff works to keep you happy and your requests (when within reason) met. That's how I ended up with curried Indian veggies and dal with pappadams on the 3rd night of a cruise - had mentioned at lunch that we were planning on going to the buffet for dinner as the Indian selections looked so enticing. Our waiter told us to come to her in the Haven instead for dinner and "she would make it worth my while". And yes....she absolutely did!

 

Warmest Amy

I'm not sure where you got that information about 1 hour/day on MSC, but that's not been our experience, and we just got off a cruise a few weeks ago. The thermal suite has always been unlimited and no need for reservations.

40 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I hope it's quiet.  If one wants entertainment, step down to the Observation Lounge.

I'm not suggesting karaoke. But on MSC, the Yacht Club lounge has a pianist/violinist/etc. every night. It is appropriate for the setting and adds greatly to the ambiance (in my opinion). I'm surprised there isn't something offered like this.

How do I purchase additional specialty dining meals? My wife and I have 2 meals each through FAS, but are considering adding 1 or 2 meals for our kids. It isn't clear online how I do this. I can see how to add more meals for us (1st and 2nd passengers), but nothing for 3rd and 4th. 

Is there even a cost benefit to buying these in advance? 

18 hours ago, hawkeyetlse said:

Yes, once a booking is finalized (initial deposit paid) it’s too late for a PCC to get “credit” for it, so they have no incentive to work on it for you. Unless maybe you let them cancel and rebook you, I don’t know.

 

This is how it has been explained to me, anyway, and it’s why I often get contacted by an eager new PCC when I create a courtesy hold (and why I never hear from them again after I finalize the payment by myself online).

 

I don’t see a lot of advantages in working with a PCC. I’m sure some are better than others, but the hotline agents seem to be able to do all the same things, and they are available all day, every day. 

This has not been our experience. In fact, just this week we booked with NCL and then moved it to a TA several days later. I believe you have XX number of days to do this after booking.

Seems very strange that there would be no nightly live entertainment in the Haven OL. Is there canned music playing, or is the entire place quiet?

We have not sailed in the Haven since 2017, but have another cruise booked next year. I've watched several YouTube videos on the ship (Bliss) and the Haven experience, but I've found some conflicting info. Can someone answer the following questions?

Is the stateroom mini-fridge included?

Is the thermal suite included (for non "spa" rooms)?

Do Haven guests get the highest level beverage package?

Does the Haven restaurant menu change every night?

I'm leaning toward "no" for each of these questions, which I am finding shocking. We've sailed in the MSC Yacht Club consistently since our last NCL experience. YC guests get access to virtually everything on the ship, have the highest beverage package, etc. It just seems strange that the most expensive class of staterooms on the ship  don't receive all the benefits. Admittedly, it's been quite some time since we've sailed in the Haven, so I don't recall how it was when we first sailed. 

Thanks in advance for the help. 

We are veteran cruises going on our first Alaskan cruise next year (Bliss). Any strong opinions/experiences on which side of the ship might be preferable, based on the itinerary? We are going Seattle > Sitka > Juneau > Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier > Icy Straight Point > Ketchikan > Victoria, BC > Seattle.

I appreciate that we can move to either side of the ship as necessary, so really just looking for experiences with things you missed/enjoyed from your stateroom balcony. We are booked in a Haven rear-facing balcony, if that affects the answers (since that will be a bit different from a traditional port/starboard side balcony). Thanks in advance.