Jacobs Ema

Thank you! That is exactly what I needed!

I have looked everywhere, and cannot find this bit of information. With Free at Sea Plus, it says you get selected bottles of wine with dinner. How can I find out what bottles we can choose from? Or do they get to select them? 

On 12/29/2023 at 11:22 AM, DaisyGoldberg said:

I loved my Pride of America cruise, but as others have said, it is so port intensive that I'd weigh whether I needed the Haven. (Clearly if you love it and it's not oppressively expensive to you, go for it!) As I recall everybody came back exhausted and went to bed and the evening activities were much less attended than any other cruise I'd been on.  I assume the daytime activities were similar as everybody wants to maximize every port hour. 

It IS expensive. And that is why we only cruise every 3 years or so. It takes a while to build up the cruise fund😁. But hubby loves the pampering, and I love the hubby.

21 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

You can ask your butler for the same sorts of things. You’re in port every day and have two overnight stops where you really want to try and get off for a luau or two. You will spend a lot less time in your room. 
 

The POA is a US flagged ship. It has to have a predominately US crew. All crew are trained to be passenger focused. 

Oh, believe me! I have no plans to spend much time in our room!! This will be my only chance to see Hawaii, and I intend to make the most of it. I just picture coming back exhausted and needing a pick me up before enjoying the ship for the evening😁 Thanks for the reply

Lots of good info here. Can you purchase and use cruise next for Haven category cabins? I had heard somewhere you can’t, and I’m planning 2 cruises for next year.

I have never sailed in anything but the Haven. We are headed to Hawaii on the PoA, and I was wondering about the butler for the suites. Is it ok to ask them for the same things we asked for in the Haven? Or are there more of the suites so they would be busier? I also have read a lot of comments in various groups about the crew…that being mostly American, they are less service oriented than other crews. Any insights? 

Hello everyone!

  My question…

   We always cruise the Haven, and I’ve gotten pretty good about not feeling self conscious when I request something from the butler. One of our favorites is asking them to pick up our dessert from the specialty restaurant and bring it to our cabin for us.

  We are cruising the PoA, and from what I am reading, the suite butlers apparently don’t do that kind of thing. So many people are so negative about the ship, the service and the staff that I am beginning to worry a bit. We love NCL but I am beginning to wonder if I erred booking this trip.

I would happily pay more as to never fly into or out of canada again. Will NEVER  fly air canada again, and if Vancouver or Toronto are on the itinerary in any form…port, fly in, fly out then that’s an automatic no.

I to am a planner. Actually, I enjoy the planning just as much (or more) than the actual trip😁

At least in my experience, NCL seems to be…shall we say… less forthcoming with information. Excursions were slow to come out, and then when we got on board there were MANY more options than were available before embarkation.  Air reservations were not released to us until 21 days before our trip. We had no issues with the speciality restaurants, but in my opinion the MDR’s have gone way down in quality. The taste of the food was bland, and there was a huge issue with food temps.  It may have just been our itinerary, but port times were very short. 

Just got off the Jewel 6/27. Ship was sailing at 47% total, but Haven was fully booked. Even pre Covid Haven was usually full. It doesn’t matter booked or upgrade…full is full. Our service in the Haven was excellent, and it was really nice to wander the decks without bumping into people the whole time. 

I was the same. 100% not doing the zip line. We booked the ATV excursion, and while fun, was too slow and plodding for my tastes. Every time the guide tried to speed it up, the elderly participants complained. (Granted, I’m no spring chicken but I like to have adventures!) If I was ever there again, No, I still wouldn’t do the zip line, but maybe the tram…or I would give the wildest kitchen a try. Look at it this way…even if it’s not totally what you expect it will probably still be fun…and you’re cooking IN ALASKA!!! Do whatever you feel like doing and enjoy every moment!!!

There are electrical outlets to accommodate a charging brick. However, I agree that there are MANY ways to keep a child engaged instead of plopping her in front of a screen.

21 hours ago, bruzin_for_a_cruizin said:

I'm a regular cruiser with Royal/Celebrity, and we are booked for our first cruise with NCL on the Prima in April 2023. 

 

This trip is all a bunch of "new" stuff for us, aside from a new cruiseline: cruising out of NYC, staying overnight in port for multiple days, using the cruiseline's air program... 

 

We are coming from Toronto, so I figured it would be hard to screw up a route with something like 20 direct flights available every day and 1.5 hours gate-to-gate. But then I've been reading how so many people have been routed on crazy connecting flights and have missed connections or lost luggage. It's an insanely cheap add-on -- with the promo, it was only CAD$225 for two people return -- so I'm reluctant to cancel that feature and book direct. I'd be looking at flights around CAD$1000 booked separately.

 

How does NCL offer this service and seemingly execute so poorly? Should I cancel and rebook? Am I just being neurotic and giving too much credence to the horror stories on CruiseCritic? Airports will have to be better by April, won't they?

We had a direct Toronto-DC flight. Simple, right. Nope. Our Vancouver-Toronto flight was over an hour late getting started…due to no gate personnel. Connecting flight (Toronto-DCA) obviously missed. Flights all so overbooked that there were no flights. Ended up going Toronto to Boston to DC. Our luggage decided to do a little touring on it’s own. Some decided to stay in Vancouver, some decided to stay in Toronto, two bags did the Boston to DC route…4 days later…and two chose to visit NYC on their way home. All bags finally reached our destination airport after almost a week, and three separate drives to the airport to pick them up. Hopefully things will be MUCH better by the time you travel.all that being said…I don’t see where it was NCL’s fault. They only book the flights, just like anyone would. They do not control the  airline’s inability to service the flights they book, or accommodate the passengers with tickets.

3 hours ago, quack2 said:

Came back from my Alaska cruise last week with COVID.  Maybe 10% of the passengers were wearing masks on the ship.  (I was one of them).  4 vaccinations and near-constant mask-wearing wasn't enough to prevent getting COVID.

 

People just don't give a damn about keeping themselves and others away from the virus if it means taking reasonable precautions like wearing a mask.  Sad reflection on humanity.  But probably not surprising since cruise passengers as a whole, are the most whiny, first-world problem, travelers in the world.

Do you include yourself in the whiny traveler group? Inquiring minds want to know.😂😂

Land portion was go, go, go and meals on your own was very expensive. Trip TO was fine, no delays, no problems. Cruise was everything I had hoped it would be!!!  I wish I was 30 years younger, because I would be packing to move to Alaska right now. Trip home through Vancouver/Toronto was a nightmare!! Will NEVER travel to or through Canada again. Will NEVER travel Air Canada again, even if they are the only airline on earth. All that being said, that cruise/tour to Alaska was worth every penny and every hassle! I learned so much, saw so much…I would go back tomorrow if I could.

NCL- test before land recommended but not madatory. But if you test positive when they test you during land tour,  you are pretty much screwed without that first negative relative to $$

For the money I paid, and the hoops we have to jump through, they damn well better leave me in my Haven cabin. It’s not like they could put anyone else in there. Why contaminate another room?

I didn’t want to start a new topic, but I have searched and searched and cannot find the information I am looking for.

we are doing a 14 day cruisetour, with land first. Can anyone tell me if they do a “one suitcase to the ship and one stays with you” 

kind of thing? The customer service lady knew absolutely nothing about the land portion, and I can’t seem to find it anywhere. 

Help me please. I have been researching, and reaching out but I cannot for the life of me find anything about luggage on a cruise tour.(NCL)

We are doing 7 day land then 7 day sea. 1 suitcase or two? If two, do I have to schlep both of them around to all the land stops? We are about 40 days out, and NCL has been able to provide NO information.

Sorry, there’s not a whole lot of “fun” activities or interesting trivia to be found in the Ghetto. Facts are pretty much what you get. It’s actually a very gripping subject. Don’t underestimate your teens. It’s something they should be exposed to.

20 hours ago, dumbth said:

 

As a new user this complication is likely not essential. Can't you just pop an evening antihistamine to clear airways a bit for this one week? I bet the rest of the world thrives without burdensome crutches like this, and I would try putting it aside at least one week a year anyway to see if no longer needed.

Are you seriously telling someone they do not need their medical device? Who TF are you to decide it is a “crutch”? Antihistamine does nothing to mitigate sleep apnea. You need to find something more productive to do with your time.

On 10/22/2021 at 8:15 PM, Northern Aurora said:

 I love earrings so a visit to the Sealaska Heritage Institute gift store is on order, and the cultural displays are well worth the price of admission.

 

.

I collect earrings! I will definitely make a stop while we are there!!

My son is at college in Norfolk, so we have been there a lot. Dpepper64 is correct, don’t even attempt Williamsburg. If the Wisconsin interests you, by all means go…but other than that, I would stay on board and enjoy the ship’s amenities.

Filing a dispute with your cc company isn’t supposed to be used because you are impatient. It’s supposed to be used when a wrong has been committed. Be aware if NCL can prove they did no wrong, your cc can be charged back.

I am booked for Alaska in June 2021. Not convinced it will actually go, so I just booked the same cruise for 2022.  the only way I will give up on 2021 is if NCL cancels, but I'm hedging my bets.