ireashmott

I don't think I am automatically entitled to compensation or expect to be compensated. I was just wondering if NCL has a policy of providing an OBC or otherwise when a change occurs so I would know to ask for it. I get that it would be entirely discretionary.

 

Thank you for confirming what I figured - no comp. Just didn't want to miss out on an easy claim to an OBC if there was one.

My sail's itinerary has changed one of its ports during the middle of the cruise and has changed the other of some of the others. Should I expect or be able to demand any compensation? It doesn't really negatively impact me, but I'll take any money I can get.

Thanks!

Thanks for doing this!

 

What the best side of the ship to sail on?

 

And where abouts was your cabin and how was the noise?

Thanks everyone! We are paying a third of what we pay on NCL, so lack of perks isn't an issue or surprise.

 

Definitely going to get the FTTF. We don't sail until March 2018, so it is not available yet. Any idea when it will be?

We've been sailing on NCL for a few years and have decided to give Carnival a try again. We are booking a connecting suite and ocean view room on the Fascination.

 

I was wondering what the perks are of the suite, beyond a larger cabin and faster embarking and disembarking?

 

Also, anyone been able to do the faster embarking and disembarking as a passenger of a connecting non-suite?

Thanks everyone for the help and guidance!

 

And yes, I agree, our kids our very much too young to be across the hall. I figure, if they are not old enough to be home alone, then they cannot cabin alone.

 

I think we are going to do the connecting rooms. There is not a ton of them on each ship, but we are booking early enough that we still have options. The suites are either too small for us or too expensive.

 

It will be interesting to be back on Carnival after such a long break.

What?!? I am booked on a Jade summer 2017 itinerary and have received no notice. I checked the PDF you helpfully posted and two of the ports have been changed. My NCL account is no longer showing the itinerary for the booking.

 

I guess I should call NCL today to see what is going on.

We last sailed on Carnival before we were married and had kids. Since then, we have always sailed on NCL and sail in their 2 bedroom family suite.

 

We are considering sailing on Carnival again and in particular are looking for a 2018 sailing in the Caribbean.

 

What ships and suites are best for a family of 5 (kids will be 6, 4, and 2)? I believe Carnival has no 2 bedrooms (feel free to correct me), so we are looking for a cost effective adjoining suites option or a large suite with a separate bedroom area option.

 

Thanks in advance!

We are going to be doing a cruise to Norway with our young 3 children (they will be 5.5, 3.5, and 15m). We did an Alaskan cruise when they were 3 and 18m and loved it. In Alaska excursions one of us would do on our own (ice climbing) and some as a family (eg. Helicopter to a glacier and dog sleding).

 

Looking for excursion recommendations for: Skyjolden, Bergen, and Hellesylt.

The May promo is now up on the NCL site:

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-deals/choice

 

Despite my hopes, the friends and family sail free doesn't apply to all sails (like it did way back when). Instead it still only applies to the same select sails as it did last month. Boo. I guess I will have to keep waiting.

Depending on the final terms and the math, we will likely be canceling and rebooking a cruise. We're in an H4 and it's all sold out on this sailing.

Has anyone done this? And if so, any tips or concerns? I keep fearing that we will lose the booking some how.

When the new promo hits, we plan on booking a 2 bedroom haven suite on the Escape. We are a family with 3 kids (all under 6), who are big on excursions, easy meals, pool time, and early bed times for the kids.

 

Which 2 bdr suite is your fav. on the Escape? Any with noise, obstruction, or location issues?

I am super excited about this. We have 3 kids, so this is what we've been waiting for. Already got my picks lined up!

 

I am also curious about the sail free asterisk and the ambiguous offers for the suits and haven.

I believe in book early any cruise excursion for places with limited options (eg Alaska) and for ports where you tender (due to the priority given). For the Caribbean, we tend to book directly with local operations. It is cheaper and less crowded. For example for scuba diving in the Grand Caymens, we paid 1/3 of the cruise price and there was a 3-1 instructor ratio.

So NCL has revised its USD-CAD exchange rate for certain cruises and the new rate for our cruise in 2017 is 0.79. As such, we rebooked our 2w old booking and saved 10%. For those Canadians out there, you may want to price check your booking.

 

Now if only there was a price alert or a kids-sail-free alert!

I upgraded for our next cruise and it went down from 4 meals to 3 meals. Otherwise, if we had gotten an upsell, I understand we would have kept it. I couldn't wait though as the room we wanted was almost sold out.

Thank you everyone! I'm so excited for the Haven. Wished we booked it in Alaska.

Is there a preferable 2bdr haven suite on the Jade? We will have 3 little ones, so we prefer a quieter location.

Thanks for the insights. I think, if the price is right, we will upgrade to the Haven.

Following this review. We will be cruising on the Jade next summer with 3 kids (they will be 5 1/2 yo, 3 1/2 yo, and 18 months). We are leaning towards upgrading to a Haven 2 Bdr from the regular 2 Bdr, but are curious about whether the Jade Haven is kid friendly.

The pools more detailed rules are posted on the ships, as opposed to on their site. Super helpful, I know. I would think personal flotation devices (eg life jacket, arm floaties, etc) would be okay, but items that could be considered a toy (eg a noodle, raft, etc) would not. The more space the item takes up would likely make it cause for complaint.

My understanding is that the Escape is the only ship with a guppies drop-off option. Some other ships have a guppies room, but the parents must stay with their child and organized activities are few and far between.

 

The guppies room on the Jewel is a small windowless room behind a splash pad area. It has mats on the floor, toys which are unlocked from the cupboard on rotation, and two ride ons.

 

I believe some of the ships have a guppies room with a window.

When we cruised with a 2 1/2 year old and 10 months old we did the 2 bedroom suite (which isn't an option on all ships). It is amazing. Not cramped at all and has a lovely tub with a view.

 

Our friends with a 2 1/2 year old did a balcony. The main downside is that once kiddo is sleeping, you are either stuck on the balcony or inside a dark and quiet room.

 

To make the most of it, bring stuff to do on the balcony and/or consider having a romantic dinner or desert on the balcony each night after the toddler has the buffet dinner.

 

Check out your money and see what your options are within your budget. You can make any room work, but balcony is preferable to inside, and a suite with a separate living room is preferable to a balcony.

 

For the Breakaway, I think the Aft Facing Penthouse with Master Bedroom or Fwd Facing Penthouse would be great options due the separate living room. However, I haven't been on the ship.

We had the same issue on our Med cruise. The company even took exclusive use of the Sphinx light show in Egypt. People were literally booing at them.