barb in ga

Your Diamond drinks are available immediately upon boarding. The reset for a new day occurs at 5AM, so if you are a late night partier, you won't be using "next day" drinks if you are still drinking in the wee hours. If you haven't used your 4 vouchers for Diamond, you can get bottled water or canned drinks(both soda and canned beer and Truly) at any open bar except Bionic Bar on certain ships.

Drinks also include fresh squeezed orange juice and virgin cocktails.

Don't forget the free photo available for Diamond and up. Be sure to go online to read all the benefits of Crown and Anchor Society. 

Have a great trip,

Barb

We've looked at doing one of these Holy Land itineraries also . Celebrity has a few that include Israel, Alexandria, Egypt, and Athens, Greece. A couple of them also have a Kusadasi, Turkey stop to see Ephesus. Following to see additional comments.

Barb

I agree that as a general rule, Oasis class ships have great shows, with plenty of variety on offer. Our favorites are the aqua and ice shows.

  We cruised on Quantum in May for an Alaska cruise and did not like the shows. One of the two  production shows in 270 was even listed as not suggested for under 16. The costumes and pelvic thrusting were better for a Las Vegas review, not a family oriented show. The second production show was almost as bad, and neither of them "told a story". Just the opinion of me and my family of 10.

Barb

Checked luggage. Multiple times, no issues.

Thanks for the responses, we'll try to set up a meeting. DH has been celiac and gluten free for over 20 years, so is very good at food selection, but it helps to know what to expect.

Thanks, Barb

We're cruising a 9 day New England Canada cruise that starts next Monday. DH is Celiac, so needs some info on what gluten free options may be available.

MDR, Specialty, Pizza?

Thanks, Barb

Interesting thread. OP starts it then chooses not to reply to questions about which ship he refers to. 

We have frequently seen free scooped ice cream in Windjammer on several of our cruises, many of which have been on Oasis class ships. Some Oasis and Freedom class ships also sell ice cream, but it was more than $1.50/scoop.  OP sure got the complainers going...

Barb

OP--What ship is that? 

I have taken flowers on many cruises; it makes the cabin more festive. I purchased a pair of collapsible vases on Amazon, they are lightweight, sturdy, and take up no space in your luggage.

Barb

We sailed MSC Divina on a 10 day Southern in January. The ship was decorated nicely from Christmas/New Year. I did not like the layout of the public areas, there was no central promenade, so you had to walk through one activity to get to another.

Food in the main dining was ok, not great. Breakfast in the buffet was ok, but not great, The lunch buffet focused on pizza, burgers, hot dogs and tons of french fries. Usually 2 hot dishes were offered, but very litle that moved me. Announcements were in 5 languages as if this were the Mediterranean. Nothing was really a special event.

The shows were a disappointment, but we're used to the Oasis class entertainment. We will probably not cruise MSC again. The disembarkation in Miami including finding luggage and moving through immigration was an absolute nightmare!

Barb in GA

DH has successfully sailed on Royal as a Celiac  for over 15 years. MDR is the easiest, because you will consult with the headwaiter each night to plan your menu for the next night. That said, he loves breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer because of all the choices. Sometimes on some ships, GF items are well marked, but sometimes you may have to find someone wearing a white officer's uniform to assist you. Usually an officer will call for a chef to assist with safe choices, and sometimes the chef will suggest items than can be prepared to order. Pasta is one of his lunch favorites. I can't see the need to book a special celiac cruise, but some people may feel more secure doing that.

They make GF pizza in Sorrentos, there are GF cookies in the promenade cafe, some locations of Johnny Rockets and hot dog house have GF buns, and GF pancakes and toast are always available on request.

Happy sailing!

Barb

Don't be alarmed by the reviews, Allure is an awesome ship with some of the best shows in the fleet! It seems many more people feel the urge to post their negative opinions, go and have a great time, you won't be sorry.

Barb

Another vote for Freedom or Voyager classes; we love the Royal Promenade! We've cruised Anthem and Quantum, but not a fan even though they are pretty ships. I may try Odyssey before saying I don't like Quantum class.

Barb

Some comments from someone with 30+ years of experience in jewelry:

Glad you love your rings and wear them all the time--please remember to go to a jeweler every 6 months for a free cleaning and inspection. Prongs holding your diamonds are very small and can get bent, broken or just worn down. It's not too expensive to repair or rebuild prongs if needed.

If you leave your rings at home, but take a fake set, please realize that crooks watching you  may assume that they are real and target you not necessarily for the ring, but for your purse or wallet because you look like a wealthy tourist.

If you wear your rings on port excursions, use the suggestion to turn them around.

I use the idea  of wearing a less conspicuous "everyday" ring for travel.

Most importantly be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Barb in GA

Pre book! I did, but another family member waited until on the ship and was declined as they had reached their limit. It was very nice to put the luggage out the night before debarkation and not worry about it again until we arrive at our home airport.

Barb

Thanks everyone!

Barb in GA

We're on a NYC to Quebec City cruise next month. We will want to have a little cash on hand for small purchases as needed. Halifax is our first Canadian port; will I be able to find a cash point pretty close? We were in Vancouver in May before our  Alaska cruise and found we were able to use credit cards for everything, but we may be looking to make some small purchases, water, snacks, post cards etc on this itinerary.

Barb

On other cruises, including Europe, we have always been charged USD; I figure this is true on Joy, but wanted to check.

Thanks,

Barb in GA

Thanks for such a positive review!  So often posters feel the need to critique everything in a negative way, overlooking the positive aspects of the cruise. This our first time on NCL; we chose Joy for the itinerary and for the age and condition of the ship. We most frequently cruise Royal on the Oasis class ships. We're fans of the opportunities for a variety of food and entertainment venues.

We are looking forward to this cruise; only 4 weeks from today we sail from New York to Quebec City, long a location on our bucket list. When we debark QC after an overnight on the ship, we are going to spend another day and night before taking the train to Montreal, where we'll stay 3 nights, then fly home to Atlanta. I booked our airfare and hotels last week, just need to reserve train tickets and make a list of highlights for the cruise ports and Quebec stays. All ideas welcome. I'm looking today at ship tours as well, but we frequently prefer to make our way around on our own.

If you have a schedule that shows the main entertainments, I would love for you to post it.

Thanks,

Barb in GA

t

Can shows be booked on the app prior to sailing?

Barb

Our cruise departs September 4th Labor Day. I think I read that Joy departs from Pier 88 or 90. We'll fly in the day before(maybe 2). I haven't been to NYC for a few years, so hotel ideas are welcome. We usually choose Marriott as they have a variety of properties, but will look at others. Is the Times Square area a good place to focus my search?

Thanks, Barb

MKING8288--thanks for the caution, I jumped on the net and figured out our ground/air plans.

We have one overnight on the ship for Quebec City and will probably book 2 additional nights in a hotel. When we're through in QC, we'll take the VIA train to Montreal and stay there for 3 nights.

We live in Atlanta, so mostly use Delta. They have a flight pair that will take us non stop from Atlanta to NYC a couple of days before the cruise, then home from Montreal also nonstop. This makes our total trip 16 days, so it's nice to be retired and have the time!

Wow! I enjoyed this thread! We have just booked our first NCL cruise and this made my mouth water!

We will be on Joy for the 9 day NY to Quebec itinerary. Looking forward to some of those yummy things mentioned.

Barb

Gordonchick--Are you on the NYC to Quebec City itinerary? Do you see any difference between port or starboard for view? I'm sure it may vary, but just looking for an idea.

Barb

We're looking at the  Sept 4-13 9 day NY to Quebec in either a Club balcony suite (only GTY's avail)

or the  Family Club Balcony Suite if it's a little bigger.  

Barb