jem1949

Nope...B/W are fine.

How are you getting from MCO to ?

Never seen them onboard....

I'm thinking about taking a cruise on the Epic in the next few years. Boarding soon after a refurb is always nice.

Is there a link for NCL's dry dock schedules? Particularly interested in the Epic.

Who was the concierge?

Equipment changes on Delta have scrambled seating assignments for my family on two different occasions. Our issue is when they do so without concern for the age of the travelers. We've had our 2 yr old and our 5 yr old reassigned to seats in totally different rows from their parents. Luckily, I caught the change early and was able to fix the problem. I now go into their website every week and check for changes....

$50 plus tip for a HC last July on the Pearl

Dining- 100 days out for suites; 90 days for mini-suites and below.

Excursions- Probably available for your Aug 2018 cruise on the NCL site now.

I don't believe so and even if you could, I would not rely upon them to actually do so. I think that their scope is limited to such things as pillow types, coffee requests and a few other items. Even those type of requests many times go unfulfilled until you actually get on board and ask about them.

Anyone seen concierge Naomi recently? Or butler Jennifer? They were both on the Pearl in July. Both were great and hope to see them on a future sailing.

I'm sure that vacation lengths vary by contract but does anyone have any knowledge as to the normal concierge vacation length?

You might also wish to stroll thru the arcade just to see what the costs of the games will be....from what I recall, they are not cheap.

On Pearl in July....the crew talent show was still in the theater at that time. Might be just a lack of crew volunteers or talent on the Gem?

I'd suggest that immediately after boarding that you go to each restaurant and ask to have your reservations changed to accommodate your group. You might need to take the responsible party for the other reservation(s) with you just in case.

I'd also make certain that I have copies of medical insurance coverage and parental approvals as applicable just in case....

From what I am seeing, the price of a water package is the same whether you pre-purchase or buy onboard. As OP wishes to use his OBC, I believe that buying a water package onboard is his only option.

Last July on the Pearl in Alaska, the water package pricing on Day 1 as shown in the Freestyle Daily was 6 1-liter bottles for $15; 12 for $28; 24 for $45. From what I recall, individual purchases of a 1 liter bottle was around $5+ per. They do charge the standard 18% gratuity on top of these prices. In looking at the NCL pricing on there website today, the pricing is identical as it was on board in July. Bottled water is not included as part of the UBP. Last year, I prepaid for our water package. This year, I plan on using OBC.

Does anyone have any knowledge as to which ship Concierge Naomi or Butler Jennifer are currently serving?

We were on The Pearl in 2014 and again in July 2017 which was after its refurb. Both times, bed configuration in the second bedroom was the same as you describe from before...with the fold down bed perpendicular to the pull down.

I book thru the same "big parking lot" agency as well. I always get my tags directly from NCL typically 50 days out. Is your online check in being shown as complete on the NCL website to include final payment made?

I equate it to parents flying in first class and having the kids back in coach. Assuming empty seats, airlines aren't going to let the kids come up to FC into empty seats.

Or having club level seats at a ball game with friends being up in nose bleed section then inviting them down to join them in empty seats. Ushers would/should ask to see their tickets and politely ask them to leave.

IMO, if your key card does not have an H on it, you should not be using Haven facilities other than a guest room visit or being a dinner guest in the Haven restaurant.

What if every couple in The Haven invited another couple to join them in the Courtyard as OP suggests they did? Can the sneak them in? Likely. Should they, much less brag about it, NO.