Sailing12Away

Yes, they don't want to change their flight. They don't care if they miss the cruise, they care more about taking the late flight that none of us would ever consider doing. That's why their cruise is free, they're obviously a high roller willing to gamble big. There was only one cruise where we were the last passengers to board. Flying JFK to Miami the day of, and our flight was delayed. We got on the plane, then they kicked us all off because they needed that specific plane to go to Colorado and had to find us a different plane to use. Overwhelming majority of folks on the plane were catching a cruise with some line so everyone was freaking out. NCL booked flights and transfers and phone support was not helpful at all telling us that we better run and catch a taxi or the ship will leave without us. So when we landed it was mad dash with couples splitting up between baggage claim and the taxi line. But at baggage claim there was an NCL rep there saying that if she was there, we were fine and although we had to hurry the ship was waiting for us. Bus dropped off guests for the Breakaway first, then swung around to the other port for those of us hopping on the Jade last. There was a single person in security, single person handing out room cards (they gave us the wrong one), and it was a whirlwind to get onto the ship in <5 mins dragging our luggage with us (no porters). We were in a DOS in the Haven though, so not sure if that helped at all. But if we had booked flights on our own or transfers on our own, there is no way any of that would have happened. We landed in Miami around 2:10pm (2hrs later than scheduled arrival), didn't get off the plane with luggage in hand until 2:45, and finally boarded the ship around 4:15 for a 4pm sailaway. As we got on the ship the door closed behind us. By the time we got into an elevator up to our cabin we were already sailing. So my odds of OP making the cruise are 0% based on our experience and the extra bonus helpers we had which they will not. There was an NCL rep tracking our flight, waiting for us at baggage claim, talking to the ship about every step along the way, and the NCL bus talking to the ship as they drove, and several passengers involved here. Expecting them to extend the same courtesy for one person who booked things on their own - yeah, not going to happen.

If you book a Haven room on a ship with a private Haven bar, they have brandy soaked cherries there and will soak and create their own infusions for you if you ask nicely. One of the many reasons we sail in the Haven when we can afford it.

Maybe? Who knows.... GSC we're there until 4pm, San Juan till 6pm, St. Thomas till 2pm (earliest day, but off the ship at 6am), and Amber Cove till 4pm. We shall see. I'll poke and ask around.

Yeah, Celebrity isn't clear on what the hosts can or cannot do. For folks who are veterans that's fine, but new kids like us it was very confusing, especially with us getting one level of service and MIL getting something different and coming from another cruise line where things were vastly different. She was in a wheelchair, so could have really benefitted from getting to eat some meals in her cabin, but didn't know she could get that at all until the 2nd to last day of the trip. She didn't even see her host at all until we talked to the concierge.

You know I'm jealous. NCL took them off the menu completely, so there's zero chance of me getting any a week from now. Very envious of you overall today, just as the snow was melting we woke up to another inch or two dusting of snow over here. Nothing bad and this has been one of the mildest winters we've had so I'm not complaining, but I am so looking forward to my daily vitamin D doses next week.

Thanks for clarifying. It was this part that caught my eye: "I can also hear a couple asking about what they are entitled to as they booked a sky suite and didn’t know of the changes. I feel for the concierge it’s not their fault the passenger is being nice but yeah if you aren’t online you wouldn’t know and it would be a shock of the changes when boarding." Our trip during Thanksgiving hubby & I were in a Celebrity suite, and my MIL was in a Sky suite across the hall with her cousin. We did have very different experiences in terms of visibility of our 'retreat host', and what they were/were not willing to do for us until we spoke to the concierge. Wasn't sure if that was just due to the luck of who was assigned to our cabins, or because we had different categories of rooms.

I call horse bullocks on that. My upcoming 7 day trip next week only has 2 sea days, and the meditteranean one we did years ago had 1. So one extra day at sea when most passengers just plop by the pool is making them that bitter?

Not a fan of the shrooms or spinach, but I agree, that filet looks perfect. What temp did you order it?

Same... I'm in a similar situation life-wise to you and your hubby, but we just have a single chunky 85lb pit mix. She's a couch potato so finding a sitter for her is easy and hubby gets to join me on our trips. Condolences on the loss of your furry loved one. I'll be tagging along in this review as we're booked for next years Mardi Gras trip. Right now we're booked in an aqua class cabin. Since this ship hasn't be retrofitted yet, we couldn't justify the cost to go into the Retreat, but will keep an eye on pricing in case that changes. We figured with aqua we would still get Blu for meals, so considering it a lite version of the Retreat. You mentioned earlier something about Sky suites not having access any longer to the lounge. Did I read that right? Do they not have access to Luminae either? We've only sailed once with Celebrity, so still getting used to the tips/tricks vs what we're used to with NCL, and it seems just when we think we understand things they go and change it again.

You can get any snacks you want in your cabin that are available on the ship. We had endless goodies in our room the whole trip. Pool at sea photos.... (ignore hubbys chunky belly, that's what happens when you drink a lot and eat gummy bears by the bowlful). Date was obviously wrong on the gopro too... We hung around on our knees to stay warm (water was warmer than the outside air). In the first photo, the hot sauna is the 2 large floor to ceiling windows on the left, the cold ice room are the 2 windows to the right. So you can go right from the pool to either of those, although I don't recommend the ice room when in Iceland in September. I didn't take photos of the concierge desk either, but always found it a bit annoying. Long waits and folks would cluster around the couches and chairs in the lounge waiting in line.

Thank you! Hoping our trip next week will be the same so we can just walk off and wander while we eat and drink with the locals.

We'll be hopping on board the 25th. Was curious about the Amber Cove vs Taino Bay - is everything there up and going (shops, pool, etc)? Has always thought that was a Carnival exclusive area. What about San Juan - did you stop at the Pan Am port, or Old San Juan? NCL is telling me we'll be docking at the Pan Am port, but that just doesn't make any sense. I'm hoping they're wrong and we actually come in at Old SJ. Yeah, as others have said as well our mini suite (club balcony) card was purple,. Haven is "gold" with a starfish. For the others, it all depends on your NCL status.

I'm eyeing those luchador masks.... If I was 20 years younger I would consider throwing another JellO wrestling party with those...

Yes, that is obvious and has been stated about 10x in this thread. Corkage fee only applies to folks who choose not to take a drink package. My point was that IF it was applicable and going to be enforced, it would be at the time it is discovered in someone's bag. Not at the time they chose to drink it.

Yeah, we all say it (myself included) and eventually we all cave in anyway for the right itinerary, right price, or right combo of friends sailing together and peer pressure to tag along. Our Prima cruise left a real sour taste in my mouth (4x what you paid for your cabin per day) and I said I was taking a break from NCL. I held out for about 2 months before being convinced to book a trip on Epic that leaves in about a week. Have a large group of friends from previous cruises all going, so we know it will be a fun trip regardless of the food, service, or ship. So long as they don't run out of liquor, we'll have a great time. Plus the fact that when we booked the price was much more favorable, we were able to swallow our pride, suck it up, and fork over the cash to return.

Not sure if it makes me happy or sad to hear that it wasn't just our trip last year which was a cluster. 😍🐀 That balcony is amazing! Not sure I would ever leave it so long as the sun is shining. Enjoy!

Northern Lights as you know is never a guarantee. We sailed Prima last September from Iceland to Southampton, so identical trip to what you were looking for. My sister's one request was to see the lights, and we got lucky that I took a potty break at 2am and looked out the window. Our trip was scheduled to stop in Isafjordur, which no one has stopped in yet. So instead we got an overnight in Akureyri. Did a night time Northern Lights tour to try and find them - saw nothing. Only time we saw them was in the middle of the night leaving one of the Norway ports of call. Only reason we even saw them at all was because we knew what to look for based on the first time we saw them on an Alaska cruise. It was a hazy overcast, that the night time exposure setting on my phone camera picked up as neon green. Over in Norway the longer you sit outside and stare the clearer it gets, and we were able to see the greens and purples with the naked eye around 3am. But to see the lights, you need a combo of good weather, good lucky, and patience to set an alarm for 2-3am and look at the sky. If Brugge is a big important port for you - just look at the time in port as well. We were not there for long, so by the time we got to city center and had a small bite to eat, we only had 1-2 hours for beer tasting before having to make our way back to the bus. We didn't feel Prima Haven was worth the price of admission, especially on a cold weather trip like we had. We were the only ones in the pool the one time we tried it out, and it was heated - but shallow. Easy entry (no ladder like in the courtyard Haven pools), with the warm sauna right outside of it was nice. But a cold weather cruise, nope, not spending money on Haven. Best rooms to us looked like the non-Haven aft suites on deck 9. Only downside is your just one deck up from the public outdoor spaces. But those balconies were huge, and the room would have cost us 1/3 of what we paid to be in Haven.

Corkage fee would be charged at the time you bring it on. Where you choose to drink it is up to you. For us, we like to save our brought on wine for in the room since we can get drinks outside of it with no problem. It's inside the room on our balcony that we can't get it - so we have it ready in the cabin for when we want a late night top off.

That's a cheap cruise for 2 cabins! Not to diminish your valid concerns, but NCL isn't going to be hurting from losing your folks as a loyal customer when there are folks sailing in the Haven paying double that for one cabin.

Ok, for someone that's never sailed on Princess, what exactly are those medallion thingies used for? Are they your room cards? How do you even carry that - is it like a marble thingy, or does it fit onto a watch band/bracelet thing? Peeked at the deck plan for your ship, and those corner suites look amazing. So much room to spread out and just soak in the relaxing sun. Enjoy! More noobie questions - what's OceanNow? Casual dining... is that like specialty dining that you don't need to be dressed fancy for, or places that are normally for a fee but open at lunch time? And premium desserts.... limited to only 2 per day? Or are these fancy mega crazy milkshake things which normally cost extra but you now get for free? I'm with you on the skipping of the fitness classes, but I'll be eagerly waiting for photos of those premium desserts that I'mma gonna try an' fit this into my mouth. 🤤

We'll have to try getting you guys naked wings along with a bunch of other munchies and have the wings as the 2nd course rather than a starter. So long as the pretzel rolls are still good I'm sure we'll be ok. Looking forward to the Shanghai noodle bar thing again too. That will help break up the week with options if O'Sheehans is a miss. 12 days to go.......

I'll be hopping on Epic in ~2 weeks, so we shall see if this is a perception issue, just bad luck of the draw, the new norm, an exaggeration of reality, or somewhere in between. Already know the wings at O'sheehan suck these days. It used to be one of our favorite spots to go for a simple quick bar type meal. Will probably give them one more try and ask for the wings to be crispy and see what we get.

Yup, just let them know your intentions so they don't hold the rest of the group up waiting for you. They may also have some hints/tips about the best way to get back on your own safely. In Lisbon hubby left the tour early to go look for booze because that tour was really bad. The navigation on the streets was so convoluted that I hopped back on the bus, he walked a block into town and then was walking back to the terminal. He got there before our bus, and we were literally just across the street. Had to go up and down and all around multiple bridges just to cross the street on the bus....

You can disagree all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that it happened to me. This was in Seattle and LA when we had issues. Since then unless we're flying in the day of, we don't even try to go to the port until closer to noon. Ok, that wasn't clear. Didn't know if everyone was coming in on a different flight and arriving in Miami at different times. You can certainly try, and if all goes well it should be fine. And as someone else said, if you're already in Miami and just headed over there when you're ready, the later in the morning you go the better it will be. Not sure what times you all got for your check in, but usually after 11am it's quieter anyway and you shouldn't have a problem. If you all wanted to show up at 9am with the 3000+ other people, less likely they can accomodate you. But if the main crowds have already been processed it shouldn't be as big an issue.

I'll be the negative Nelly to dispute what everyone else is saying. It depends. Depends on the embarkation port. Depends on what time you are trying to gather and go together. Depends on the weather that day. Depends on what the other 3000+ fellow passengers decide to do that morning. Depends on what happens with the debarkation on the sailing before yours. We've been at ports where we weren't even allowed inside the terminal building until we were within 15 mins of our printed check in time. We've been at ports where we've stood in the rain for hours before being allowed inside the terminal building because everyone showed up early and there was literally no where to put people. I think the bigger question is why are you trying to all check in together? If you each have your own reservation, just check in when you get there and decide on a meet up place either inside the terminal after folks have gotten their key card, or even better somewhere on the ship. The first folks in can be the scouts to secure a table or couch nook for the rest to join you when they get on board. Will be much faster if the early arrivals already have gone through the process and are just waiting on say 1-2 other couples, rather than waiting for all 8+ of you to go through the process.