pampaul

Most specialty restaurants are not open for breakfast or lunch. I can only think of Teppanyaki and noodle bar open for lunch. But you would pay for that too. Short answer to your question is that no other restaurant is included in the suite perk. However, you can get hot food room service for all meals and have specialty restaurants deliver dinner to your cabin. But you would pay for that too ;)

Great thanks. I knew others were open but I just wanted to show my husband that it was just Cagney's that was included in the suite perks.

Thanks for your replies.

I guess I wasn't as clear as I should have been. I heard that one of the perks for suite guests were that they could eat breakfast and lunch in Cagney's (included in price). My husband said to me that he thought we could eat in other "pay" restaurants during breakfast and lunch as a suite perk also but I told him that I believe it's just Cagney's.

I realize we can eat at other restaurants that are open during that time (breakfast and lunch) or the buffet, but I'm looking for which restaurant is included as a suite perk.

Thanks again.

Did you book your suite during the promotion where you receive the ultimate dining & beverage package? If so, then you could go to any of them for free.

I don't believe he booked during that promo. When did they offer that?

August will be our first time in a suite. I hear that we can dine in Cagney's for breakfast and lunch. My husband said he read somewhere that we can dine in any of the "pay" restaurants. I don't think so. I believe (from what I've read anyway) that it's just Cagney's.

SO who's right?

Have any of you actually slept out on the balcony overnight? We'll have a couple lounge chairs on our balcony and with hubby as a LOUD snorer, I'm thinking of just catching my ZZZ's out on the balcony.

After the first 2-3 cruises I realized that a lot of places tend to look the same after a while. Blue waters, palm trees, colorful buildings.....Then when I get home and print out my photos, it got to the point that I couldn't recall exactly what the photos were of.

So now, before we leave, I print out the date and which island we're heading to that day (or if it's a sea day) on an index card and I take a photo of it first thing that morning. That way, once the photos are printed, I can organize them by day and know exactly which island they were from.

I also have to get in the habit of actually being IN the photos as well. So far, it looks like my husband and two boys have had a ball on several cruises. But I am in very few of them. :(

I think the search function here is under construction. Have you tried the website cruise deck plans dot com? That is really the best resource for pics of a specific stateroom.

 

 

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No I haven't heard of them before. I'll go check them out to see if I can find some. Thanks!

We're leaving this August on the Sky in cabin 9202. I'm just trying to get a feel of what the cabin will be like. And where the boys will be sleeping. It says it's a Penthouse w/Large Balcony. I've tried searching here but the search button is never available for some reason, tried searching on you tube and google and I find nothing. :confused: Even when I go to the NCL website, they show a stock photo of a suite along with a floor plan photo but even those don't "match". The photo shows two rooms where the floor plan photo shows one room. It's so confusing. LOL

I have read a couple small reviews but no photos. Can someone help me try to find real photos (not stock) or even videos of cabin 9202 on the Sky. Thanks!! It's much appreciated.

Just wondering if the Sky has any kind of "behind the scenes" tour? Whether it be the engine room, kitchen, wherever.

Ok great, thanks.

Now, if we bring our own soda, are we able to each bring a can to the MDR for dinner? Or would that be too weird?

Our next cruise will be a first in a suite. We have cabin 9202 (penthouse with large balcony). Just curious if there's soda in the fridge and if there's still a charge for them or if they're included?

I know when I take Bonine, I start taking it a day or two before I leave on the cruise and continue taking it every until I get home.

Is this also true with the Sea Bands? Do you have to start wearing it before getting on the ship? Can you wear it constantly throughout the week or only when you feel sick?

Back when I was on the Jewel, I had a Creme Brulee in the MDR. O.M.G.!!! I have been thinking about it ever since. We're back on NCL in August and I really hope they still have it.

I think it was called Honey Creme Brulee and it had a chocolate layer on the bottom. :D

Lists it as complimentary~ Under Pub

 

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/DiningGuide_01212014.pdf

Thanks. It's weird though, cause I looked again and it still doesn't say whether there's a charge or not. :confused:

Thanks again though.

I'm over on the NCL website and checking out the different restaurants. Out of all of them, Longboards was the only one that didn't mention if it was complimentary or has a charge.

So which is it?

This August we will be sailing on the Norwegian Sky. Our 8th cruise but first time in the aft-penthouse. I have been searching for photos of this cabin and am having a hard time. I did go on the NCL website and they have ONE general photo but the photo doesn't "match up" with the floor plan photo. In the photo it shows the dining area and a bedroom in the background. But when I look at the floor plan photo it shows all one room, not a second. We will have 4 people (me, my husband and two boys 17 & 18) I'm assuming the couch folds out to a bed? Is there a pull down bed? Just wondering where the boys will be sleeping.

I've also read somewhere that there are a couple lounge chairs out on the balcony. Has anyone ever slept out there over night or can the other balconies see you?

I've also read that we have the butler/concierge services. Can someone explain what the butler does and what the concierge does?

Where would I find the menus for the room service, breakfast/lunch at Cagney's?

And lastly, we've been on the Dawn and the Jewel and they've both the The Blue Lagoon. Both my boys LOVED this place. Can you tell me if it's on the Sky?

Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks!!!

It's been almost 4yrs since sailing with Norwegian. We'll be back this coming August.

Food wise, the item that I have not been able to forget was the Cream Brulee in the MDR. It was sooooo good.

I think the description of it had the word "honey" in it. But I do remember there was a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom of the dish. It was actually the first time ever trying Cream Brulee and it was fantastic.

I have since tried it on other ships and even though it was still good, it just wasn't the same.

We'll be on the Sky and I'm hoping this cream brulee will still be there? For those who have recently sailed, do you remember seeing it?

***crossing fingers***

I found out on our first cruise that I am very prone to sea sickness. :(

After our first cruise I found out to use Bonine BEFORE even getting on the ship, so that it's in your system. Great advice!!! I have been using it ever since. I would say it cuts down on my nausea by about 75%. I still get queasy sometimes if the seas are a bit rough.

I've also heard really good things about the sea sickness band (I'm not sure what it's called or what brand). We're going on the Norwegian Sky in August and I'm debating whether I should try the band or not. And where do you buy them, a pharmacy?

Can you use BOTH the band and Bonine?

I've also heard about ginger pills. Can you use these along with Bonine/wrist band? I'm trying to stop the nausea as much as possible.

Thanks!!!

Hi there

I have stayed in 0064 and loved it. One of the best penthouse suites on the entire NCL fleet. Check youtube for various penthouse suites on Sky. They are large with a separate living room and bedroom. But the HUGE wrap around balcony that has doors to both the living room and bedroom. They have loungers and a large table and chairs to eat on too.

One of my fondest memories was waking up one night and looking out the glass doors to the horizon to see all kinds of stars and planets you dont normally see.

 

ENJOY

Don't mean to bring up an old post. But I have looked on the NCL website and saw a photo of the aft facing penthouse suite compared to the floor plan and it doesn't really match.

The photo shows what looks like more than one room (just like what the above poster mentioned) but the floor plan shows that it's one room.

So I'm also looking for someone who may have a review or photos of #9202.

And the items that are in the mini fridge...are those "included" or do they charge you extra for those?

Plus, the description for our room says it fits 4 people. I see one bed, so I'm assuming the couch pulls out to a bed?

Wow, I have just spent the last two days reading your entire trip report. Fabulous. Normally I just read trip reports on places that we plan on going to in the near future or one on a particular ship that we will be on.

Well, we never really had any desire to go to Europe (well my husband does) but I'm not a very good flyer. I hate it !!! The 2 1/2 hours it takes us to fly to Disney is more than enough for me.

BUT after reading all that you have done and have seen your photos, I just might have to suck it up and take a trip like this. Looked and sounded wonderful. I would also do like you and do a 3-4 week long vacation. I mean if I fly over there it would probably be a one time thing so I would try to pack in as much as I could in that amount of time. LOL

Thanks again for the great review.

I remember a lasagna bolognese in the MDR. I couldn't decided between that and something else. But since you could get the lasagna as a starter, I decided to try it out and then order my other choice for dinner. Should have totally ordered the lasagna for dinner (and maybe two) ;) It was so good.

And you can't go wrong with warm chocolate melting cake.

Thinking of booking a cruise next July with St. Maarten as one of the stops. If we do, I'd LOVE to book the private island tour with Bernards. It says on the website that we can pretty much design our own tour. Whether it be beaches, sightseeing, lunch, etc.

I think I'd rather leave the beach time for the private island and maybe Bermuda but anyhow, last year while in Bermuda we took a private tour where the driver took us all around the island with a stop at a beach for a couple hours. During the tour, he didn't really stop anywhere (we couldn't really suggest anywhere since we didn't know what to look for) so I was wondering if Bernards is more of a just drive around and look type of tour or do you stop at different places to check them out and take pictures? I'm a big picture taker and would love to take as many as possible.

What would you suggest to see/do on a private tour that doesn't include swimming time. I don't mind stopping at a beach to sightsee for a few minutes to get some great photos but just don't want swim time. We will be stopping at Maho Beach though to check out the planes. That looks cool. I'd also like to check out the Iquana Farm and the place where you're able to hold the sealife (can someone give me the name of that)

As of right now it'll be our family of 4 (Dh, me and two boys 17 & 18) It could also include another family or two (depending if they decide to book the cruise with us) In that case it would be 6 adults ages 38-43 and 6 kids ages 4-18.

Can't wait to hear more. :D

I was also on this cruise and have to agree with the OP. We were in an outside view room on deck 5. On the second day we had issues with our

AC. They said they fixed it but we could tell that there was no difference so they gave us a pedestal fan and also a bottle of wine. We don't drink though. Thankfully, we didn't have any of the water issues. But I also agree with the OP that in some areas of the ship, you could definately tell that there was AC issues. Some areas were very hot and some areas were actually very cold.

Can't remember what time we got to the port but I know that we also had quite a wait to get onboard. No big deal overall though. But I can say one thing though. This was our 4th or 5th time that we sailed out of NY. We normally drive down and park at the port sinced we only about 2-2 1/2 hours away. But this time, we decided to take a bus. The one thing that I HATED and yes, I said HATED was after the cruise, we had to wait for the bus to arrive (which was atleast 2 hours, if not more) and there is absolutely no where to sit. There are literally hundreds of people standing on the sidewalk with their luggage and no where to sit while you wait. I know some people might not have a problem with this, but for someone like me (who is recovering from a knee injury) this was such a pain (literally). I'm sure there's a reason, but I don't know why this port doesn't atleast built a bench along the length of the wall by the sidewalk. Atleast it would give a seating area for all those people waiting. Anyhow...

Our cabin stewards were great, as always.

The food overall was just okay. We did have dinner in the Pinnalce twice (once was on the Le Cirque night) Both of those dinners were great and we enjoyed the regular Pinnacle night over the Le Cirque though) If we decide to ever to do another HAL cruise, we will probably skip Le Cirque but will definately go to the Pinnacle again.

The service in the main dining room was slow at best. Except the last night, we were in and out in less than an hour. There just didn't seem to be enough staff. We had open seating and were usually within the first few families in the dining room each night. So it's not like it was really busy at all. So not sure what the wait would have been for. They would bring over the basket of bread and maybe 10mis later would bring the butter dish. Then maybe 10-15 mins later they would take your order. The did keep the water glasses pretty full on a regular basis though.

We always had breakfast in the Lido. I had the eggs benedict the first morning. They were okay. Not sure if I liked the hollandaise sauce or not. Was a little different than what I'm used to. Unfortunately, after a morning of some rough seas....let's just say I won't be having eggs benedict for quite some time, if you get my drift. :( So the rest of the week, I basically snacked on some fruit, yogurt or cereal. Hubby had the usual eggs, toast, potatoes, bacon etc. He said it was okay, nothing spectacular. But I do have to agree that it was sometimes a hunting game looking for spoons or glasses in the Lido. Actually, one side had water & ice but no glasses. And the other side had glasses but no ice. :confused: We never did lunch in the Lido. Nothing really ever looked appetizing. We did however, have burgers/fries from the grill. They were fine but boy was that place busy. I also made some chicken nachos from the taco bar too. Those were pretty good too.

Entertainment was okay. We've been on 4 other cruiselines and I'd have to say this entertainment was on the low end of the other lines. It wasn't all bad but we did walk out a couple times. Just wasn't our style, I guess. We did enjoy going up to the Ocean Bar and listening to the Neptunes (I'm pretty sure that was their name)

Bermuda was beautiful but HOT HOT HOT!!! My lord, I'm used to hot and humid but this was just ridiculous. LOL We did do quite a bit of sightseeing and really enjoyed the island. THE friendliest people you'd ever meet live on this island. They were also very helpful and just genuinely nice. We wanted to go to a beach one day so after taking a taxi tour of the island, we asked the driver to drop us off at a beach that wasn't so crowded. We had done Horseshoe Bay Beach six years ago when we last came to Bermuda so we wanted something less busy. Our taxi driver dropped us off at John Smith Bay Beach. Small and quiet!!! There was literally like 5 other people there when we arrived and there was maybe a total of 15 people by the time we left. Excellent spot. And there's a bus stop right at the top of the beach for easy access back to the ship.

Overall, we had a good time this past week. I know everyone has their favorite cruiseline and some are exclusive to their favorites. I'd truthfully have to say that this wasn't our favorite line but still had a great week. We're not sure if we'll come back to HAL, guess time will tell.

I recently discovered I am a scrapbook addict. I have only completed one (wedding scrapbook) but I have already purchased a scrapbook "box" and paper for the next project. :D:D:D

 

Looking for tips as we are also "new" to cruising and have no idea what really lies in store...

 

What do you keep and put in your books? What do I need to keep my eyes pealed for and any suggestions would be great!

 

Here's a link to the "box book" I have for my cruise ... I got the box b/c I figured it would hold more bulky items, but I really have no idea.

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-3-Ring-Frame-12x12-Scrapbook/dp/B003THWRVG/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1337077881&sr=8-16

I LOVE those albums. My favorite!!! Here are a couple websites that I like to get my scrapping stuff from.....

tropicalscrapbooking.com

scrapyourtrip.com