Enavigo

True, I should have said that they are credited after their first cruise after turning 18. So the first cruise after the age of 18 is with no status. Then they are credited and their second cruise after the age of 18 they have whatever status their accumulated points confer. Which could be different than parents who maybe sailed on all the same cruises but are grandfathered in to the old point system.

You make another important point. He will not be enrolled until the first cruise after his 18th birthday, which means he will enroll under now-current terms, not the terms/grandfathered that the parents may enjoy.

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No, children can be enrolled and have a Latitudes number, they just don't their status or get any benefits until their first cruise after the age of 18.

This is correct. I just looked it up in the terms and conditions. Technically, to be "eligible" for the program you must be at least eighteen years of age and have completed and eligible cruise. The terms specifically state that for minors who travel before their 18th birthday they will be credited with those points AFTER the completion of first cruise after turning 18.

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I have the same LATREW code on my reservation for my Escape trip next fall, which was not a Latitudes Reward offer.

I think I read in here somewhere that all that code means is that you are entitled to whatever perks are commensurate with your current Lat Rewards level (just a way of coding it into your reservation).

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And sometimes it's not just just the Haven staff you have to worry about, but also overzealous passengers!

On our last cruise we arrived one evening at the Haven door just after another couple. As we walked in behind them the woman swung around and immediately asked to see our Haven key card! I told her we could ask the bar tender in the lounge to verify our identity as she knew us quite well by that point [emoji6]

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If you just want to walk guests through the haven, try late at night. The concierge closes at 8 or 9PM and after that there's likely nobody around to stop you.

This works as I have seen it done a few times. I would say if you want to be extra sure, do it after the Haven bar closes (10 pm I think). The whole Haven complex gets pretty quiet after that.

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The concept of "equitable pricing" is diametrically opposed to the simultaneous running of a fleet-wide upgrade bid program.

I agree that this is simply about allowing NCL to keep rates as high as possible for as long as possible.

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Hangers are not necessary either. Ask your Room Steward for more if you need them.

 

Spare card for the light system---not ALLOWED to have things plugged in the electrical system if you are not in your room. Room stewards are REQUIRED to unplug anything they find. Your room key will keep your power on while you are in your room.

I have heard this quite and bit and have also read many confirmations about being denied the ability to use a dummy card for the light. My experience (all 3 times on the Breakaway) has been quite the opposite. Every time we arrived to our room there was already a spare key in there and it stayed in there 24/7 for the entire cruise. Not sure why my experience has been different.

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I've been in both DOS on the Breakaway, but I've never been in a aft suite. Regarding the wind, that has never been an issue when seated or reclining. The wind shield stops pretty much all the wind. It is certainly windy when standing, it I've always found the wind the be refreshing when sailing in the warmer months. And, again, it is gone when you use the lounger.

Regarding "bottle service," all you get is 3 bottles from a list of really terrible options. You get all the mixers you want and all the soda and water you want for the cruise (which is certainly nice), but the booze is not replaced. Not really a reason to pick the DOS in my opinion.

Also, if you have a choice, definitely pick the starboard suite. It is below the Haven sundeck and is very quiet. The port side is below a public sundeck and is very noisy, constant chair moving and pitter patter of kids running back and forth.

Finally, what I like most about the outdoor space in the DOS is that t wraps around the front of the ship, so you get both a forward facing view and a port/starboard facing view! Very nice.

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I certainly feel for all those who had this event impact their cruise ... I know I would be upset and at least a little annoyed. That said, count me in the group that thinks this is getting a bit out of hand.

Again, as had been said, the contract of carriage is very clear. At a high level, all you are really buying is the right to board A SHIP (not necessarily the one you think) at A PORT (my necessarily the one you think) and travel to one or more ports (not necessarily the locations or number you think) and return on a day (not necessarily the one scheduled). It is really ok an issue of risk allocation. NCL is simply offering a product on their terms. Their terms matter because it is their terms that set the price we all pay!

So all this talk about, "it's not much out of their pocket" or "they could be less cheap" misses the point, it won't effect them AT ALL. They will simply adjust prices to compensate and we will all pay!

Ignorance of this risk allocation is not a justification for compensation to me. Read the terms of the contract, understand your rights and decide if the cost/product is worth that risk. If not, can travel insurance help? If so, buy it.

I think we can all agree that a line like Regent would have handled this better, but that is baked into their cost structure, I'm sure.

Again, not saying I do not sympathize with people effected by this ... I know I would be less than pleased, but I hope NCL sticks to their guns here and does not provide some compensation. Otherwise we'll get threads like this every time something doesn't go as planned, regardless of passenger ignorance.

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There is no way 2 adults would be comfortable on a sofa bed.....at least, I wouldn't be sleeping on it, and I'm fairly "light"...they aren't comfortable unless you're a kid/teen that can sleep anywhere.

Totally agree. Even in the H2 on the Breakaway. I had to sleep on that pull out one night as my nephew was sick and fell asleep in the master bed and I didn't want to wake him. The padding is very thin (even with the egg crate). Needless to say it was not a good night's sleep! Ha

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I have to agree that the ship is beginning to show its age, but in all fairness that is to be expected and she is going into dry dock soonish.

On my last trip aboard last month I really noticed it more than ever, but still had a fantastic time. I also agree that, for some reason, Cagney's on the Breakaway just never measures up for us. Last time was 90 mins to get our dinner and we didn't order any appetizers!

As for the NY/NJ clientele, it does take some adjusting! I'm from Boston (and one of it's more reserved neighborhoods) so it is always a little shock for me at the terminal to adjust to the attitude (and the pushing and cutting), but once I do I'm fine.

I will say, however, I completely agree with the prior poster, that the folks I have met on the Breakaway are some of the nicest, honest, friendly and most open people I have ever met. In all my cruises it is he folks that I met on the Breakaway that are front of mind.

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Wow, this would be a personal nightmare. I have a bad back and am unable to sit all that long. For any flight over an hour I need to be sure I book lie flat seats.

There is no way I could handle a charter flight back from Barbados! So sorry to all those who had their vacation cut short and safe travels home.

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First, congrats on your upgrade! Something similar happened to us on our first cruise and, ever since, we have only traveled in the Haven -- we enjoy it that much!

My biggest piece of advice is to just relax and enjoy it! So often I see people right from embarkation running all around tracking down the Conceirge, Asst Conceirge and every butler they can find out of some fear that they are missing something. We always just board, grab a drink at the bar and relax and get familiar with our surroundings. After about an hour or so we wander to our cabin and set down our things. At that point, our butler always finds us about that time and introduces himself/herself. The butler will walk you though everything in the room at that point and will ask you a bunch of questions about your likes/dislikes and your daily schedule.

As a frequent CC poster told me before our first trip, a good rule of them is that your butler will handle everything you need inside the room and the Conceirge will handle everything else. And whatever you need in either case, just ask! If they can make it happen they will.

Another piece of advice is to be aware that your butler will be responsible for about 10-12 cabins so keep that in mind when making any requests. We always try to tell or butler in the am if we would like anything done for that evening to give him/her time.

We have been blessed with, I think, some of the best butlers and I'm sure yours will be top notch as well! I do miss our first Butler Ramona and we still talk of her often.

Have a great time in the Haven!

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This topic came up at the Haven officer cocktail party last month. It was addressed to the captain, but was answered by the hotel director (for some reason).

In short, they said "who knows." They said that the hurricanes certainly delayed the project, not just from the storm itself, but from a lack of ability to get supplies to the island (which were diverted elsewhere) and a lack of workers (who were home dealing with their own storm issues). They said it is a dynamic situation that they are closely monitoring.

When pressed with a follow up question he said he had been hearing, informally, that June/July 2018 was more realistic for a partial opening, but said that could all change of things get back on track.

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I agree- it is Platinum Plus (and maybe the highest suite people) that are offered this. EVERYONE with the "advice" above, sailed before the new levels and Latitude perks. I've sailed 8 times on NCL 3 different ships, since the change in February. and a general dining option or lottery, was not available.

All three times we have been in the DOS on the Breakaway we found a handwritten note from the captain inviting us to dinner. We went 2 times and really enjoyed the dinner far more that I thought we would. It was interesting to hear the captain talk about how he got were he is and what he sees as the future of cruising.

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I'll add that for us one of the biggest benefits is escorted disembarkation. I can't put a dollar value on it per se, but on all our cruises I've gone from Haven lounge to curb side taxi in less than 10 mins. This allows us to catch a 9am flight home. I'm usually back in my condo by 11-11:30 am with a whole day to recover before going back to work.

I look at those lines getting off the ship and say to myself "no way, never."

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Book a real luxury line instead.

Eventually we'll probably end up on a luxury line, but not until we're in our 60s and want something more slow paced with limited options. Until then, the Haven gives us the best of both worlds -- large ship optionality and energy with the peace, quiet and service of a small ship.

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Not really trying to hijack the thread but it is related. I know from other threads, several people staying in suites suggest having the butler clear out the mini-fridge on arrival to eliminate the chances of accidental charges, etc. If I am staying in an OS that includes soft drinks, is there a reason the clean out the mini-fridge and is the mini-fridge separate from a mini-bar? I know we get a limited choice of three bottles of liquor but is there also a mini-bar available (for a fee)?

 

Thanks.

My experience is limited to the DOS on the Breakaway, but on all of our cruises the mini-fridge was all we had. It was kept stocked with water, soda, mixers, half and half, etc.

There was no separate mini bar, but we did have the full 3 bottles of liquor that we ordered. Of all my trips I think we opened one bottle and made one drink. We just left the rest in the cabin.

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We very much enjoyed our meal at Ocean Blue. The Dover sole was quite tasty. [emoji3]

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this is what the concierge is for. the last three cruises we were in a suite and the concierge contacted is the day before disembarkation and told us where to meet her. She escorted us to be off the boat and we bypassed everyone in line. If you are platinum you should be able to use a concierge even if you're not in a suite/Haven.

Logistically, this does not work for ships with a sectioned off Haven. For Haven disembarkation you are told to meet in the Haven Lounge when you are ready I leave. From there you do not leave the Haven but go directly into an internal elevator that take you right down to a separate area to key out of the ship. There is no way for a non-Haven passenger to meet up with the Conceirge.

Now, on other ships without a separate Haven I don't see why they can't make it work somehow given you would be meeting in a public place.

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There is no Posh on the Breakaway, but the Haven lounge (connected to the courtyard) has a full bar.

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Perhaps a bad choice of words, apologies! Up here, we only have one option for NCL and it has been the same option for years.

I have heard good and bad things about all the ships, and at the end of the day I'm sure you'll have a great time whichever one you pick!

For us, we do not like small ships in general. We find the options to be more limited and the space more confining. On the bigger ships there is just so much more to do! Also, now that we have been in the Haven we avoid any ship that doesn't have a separate Haven area .. so that leaves the Dawn out.

The Dawn did go through a dry dock recently I understand, so I'm sure all the old comments about how it looks tired and old are no longer true. In fact, on my last trip on the Breakaway this fall it is the Breakaway that is in need of a refresh!

Regarding the Dawn specifically, we also avoid because we have had many family members take the BOS-BDA cruise and, although they all had a good time, they said the Dawn would not be their first choice. They felt the crew/service was sub-par to other NCL ships.

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We have loved all of our trips on the Breakaway. To each their own I guess!

I'm in the opposite situation as you, I live a 20 min walk from Black Falcon in Boston and we fly to NY to avoid the Dawn and will do the same next year to try the Escape.

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Had the thermal pass for the first time this fall on the Breakaway. We paid $199, but bought prior to boarding (I think you get a slight discount if you purchase before the cruise?).

I realize the spa access will mean different things to different people, but I would not cruise without it again! I loved it. It certainly got crowded at popular times, but I never found it hard to find a lounger or space in that massive hot tub/spa.

We usually eat dinner later than usual (occupational hazard), so my favorite was to hop down around 6. Had the whole place basically to myself.

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For all my Breakaway cruises (3), our visits to the aft section for dinners have been met with significant vibrations and like a shimmy side-to-side motion. It was worst and Cagney's, but noticeable throughout the entire aft.

On one trip the waiter overheard us talking about how we would be annoyed if our cabin was in the aft section and he mentioned that sometime in rough seas or if traveling fast that can happen. It must be ship speed more than anything because on all those trips our cabin was as forward and as high up as possible and we never felt a thing so it could not be weather related.

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