complawyer

im not sure about the guppies, but i think the next stage is 6-12, then teens get the entourage 13-17.

we 1st cruised with our grandson when he was 10. through 12 1st thing we did was sign him up for splash academy. he had a ball. continued until he was 13 to 17 in the entourage, and we hardly never saw him. he's now 24 and still is in contact with some of the kids (now adults) that he met on the entourage

thesnoopster2

my wife claims im anal retentive when ot comes to booking ncl cruises, and i've been booking them on my own for 14 years. so, if you dont mind my asking, which ship/dates were you looking at, and i'd be happy to do some research for you. this way i can better respond to your last post

rgruenhaus.

if you are checking the available cabins, the site will indicate if the cabin you choose comes with a butler.

bird travels is 100% correct. the so called "club balcony suites" are just cabins previously called mini suites, they offer no appreciable extras, except a few goodies tossed in.

some ships have both haven suites and suites. the rooms themselves via descriptions are virtually identical. some of the ncl ships that have the haven complex, offer their own pool area, bar and restaurant, as well as butler/concierge. some ships offer haven, but no designated bar/pool/ restaurant

those offer breakfast in moderno and lunch at cagneys.

those others that offer both haven suite and suites, similarly offer breakfast in  moderno/ lunch at cagneys.  those with a specially designated have complex, also offer dinner in their own restaurant.

while the haven experience is 2nd to none, i find for the savings of 2-3000, i can book a suite, and forgo the pool/bar/restaurant offered in the "haven complex" and get almost the exact same experience.

why the joy offers no butler for suite guests is beyond me.

while it may not resolve your issue, why not try calling ncl directly (like chicken soup, it couldnt hurt to ask). tell the rep exactly what you want, or ask for a personal consultant)

that was very clear, however i was referring to your last statement about blackmarks from elementary school. plus, read my posts #5/6. 

you think mickey d's will stay edible until you get to your cabin? it's still 2months away, but we're booked into a suite on the star from rio to lisbon. i'll try and remember to post whether or not anyone would make hashbrowns for us in any venue.   do not give up  the ship..LOL (a little nautical humor)

after 14 years, and 27 ncl cruises, i'm still  devastated that my burger bun falls apart before im finished.

is that as bad as no hashbrowns or cookies?

i knew that,  of course i under stood your sarcasm. thought for the day ! if you book a suite or a haven suite, can you see if the butler or concierge can sweet talk anyone in the kitchen to rustle  up some hash browns? 

hey lloyd. would your cruise be oh so unbearable if there were no cookies, hash browns or animal towels? a greater tragedy is the hamburger buns breaking down before you're finished with your burger. if it's really a massive problem for you, bring along a package of oreo's .

are those really reasons you use to book a cruise.

hey lloyd, if youre still having flashbacks over what happened in elementary school, you need to get over it, move on, and start a new life. regardless, ncl aint opening the dividers, so it's a non issue

btw, often times, the balconies get washed while the ship is in port. if youre  on an excursion, or merely sightseeing on your own, no problem. if youre in your cabin., best to keep the door shut, while your balcony is being washed from outside

you have two different responses. are you asking about the actual balcony doors, or the cabin partitions between the cabins. if youre asking about the cabin balcony door, you can keep it open 24/7 if you wish (certainly not advised) just remember it causes a whirlwind in the cabin if the balcony door is open and someone opens he cabin door.

if youre asking about the dividers, it is ncl policy throughout the entire fleet that they remain locked, unless there is a need by ship personnel to unlock them.

in either case. take your pick

grand cayman, curacao, bonaire (which i understand is one of the world's top diving area's)

many many to choose from

d9704011.

while i totally concede everyone has the right to tip or not, and yes, this issue has been discussed ad infinitum, (i have almost 3500 posts) and it has always been my impression that this forum was designed to assist people with questions they may have regarding ncl's cruises/prices/ and practices.

if i have had the experience to answer the question, i'll try and help. if not i proceed to the next question.

so, that being said, why the hostility in your answer, if you dont want to help, or you dont know the answer,  please dont clog up these pages with your non-answer

zvqol, sometimes its not time efficient to go through all the previous posts.  you came across as sounding childish. (i know, but i'm not going to tell you! neener neener)

and my good friend cruiseny4life... thank you for the back up!

croozenoob: you go down to guest services, tell them you wish to either cancel or decrease the dsc. they will give you a form to fill out and sign, and voila! it's done. just dont wait until the last minute

and here i though dsc was "daily" service charge, since they tack it onto your final bill, i hardly consider that to be discretionary, although ncl gives you the option to have it removed.

this will be our 1st trans-atlantic cruise  in april. other  than a potential reduced capacity and no need to open all the mdr's, i cant imagine ncl missing a chance to get more money by closing other cash cow services, especially since this is a 17 day cruise

ok, club balcony suites are just cabins previously called mid-ship mini suites. maybe a couple of edible goodies a couple of times throughout the cruise, other wise nuthin' special except it's a nice cabin.

perks in the haven suite category, and just the suite category are almost identical but for the price. with ships that only offer suites, breakfast and lunch are held in moderno and cagney's respectively

the ships that offer a haven complex, offer (1) it's own designated restaurant, (2) own bar area (3) it's own pool area/ jacuzzi/ sundeck  and waiter/waitress available throughout the day by the pool. you can also have your meals by the pool area. 

the cabins, are almost identical, at least prior to prima/viva. only difference is the price for a haven as opposed to the suite is the cost.. haven tops out about a few $1,000 more. i'm not sure that for the extra money, i need the pool area that badly

we've been fortunate enough to have stayed in both (2 bedroom suites) and personally i'd rather forgo

the pool and save $3000

dcguy. the solution is actually very simple. after a few sailings, you will realize that the price doesnt really change. pick a cruise, ship, and look at the price. wait until that particular "sale" is over and check the  cruise, ship and price once more. repeat as necessary, but you probably wont need to do  this more than  2 or 3 times. since these alleged sales only last for a few days, it's unlikely that the cruise and cabin category you 1st checked on has changed in the short time. 

once you are savvy to this, quote the who "wont get fooled again"

i brought this up many moons ago. since you know ncl is doing this (all you had to do was follow a cruise you wanted) you would see that there are no massive sales. armed with this knowledge, simply take a deep breath, shrug your shoulders, and book or not.

it's nothing to get rattled about, since you know it's happening, or going to happen.

sometimes, not often, but sometimes a good deal is to be found.  we're on a 17day trans atlantic from rio  to lisbon, in a 2 bedroom suite.  the cost of the cabin with the additional perks, taxes, port charges was just under $6,000. i thought it  was a  steal

they do however offer a 10% military discount if you apply with id me. depending on the type of cabin, this could be a significant savings

never had a problem with le bistro removing the upcharge from the fillet.im not a big (in fact not at all)

of foie gras

price would be my sole criteria.

if this is the cruise you want, from the departure point you want as well as the price at which you are comfortable paying, put down the deposit and dont give it a 2nd thought.

also, if you end up with buyers remorse, you can cancel and get a full refund up to 120 days before sailing. the only advantage i have ever found using one of ncl agents, is they can put the entire package together for you. ie, if  youre entitled to any discounts, ordering transportation to-from the airport to ship and back, etc. when i decide what ship, dates, prices and cabin, i then call the agent and give him/her the info.

fyi, i also give the cabin steward (depending on the length of the cruise) $20, on the 1st day, $20 mid cruise) $20 at the end if it's a 7 day cruise and an additional $20 every 3-4 days again, depending on the length.

this has been debated previously, but if  you're going to be in a haven suite, and additional $20-40 to the maitre'd  couldnt hurt.

wrong, wrong and WRONG! $25 per person per day is even more than the dsc. depending on the length of your cruise and the extent of your interactions with your butler a couple of benjamins should be sufficient. and maybe 50-100 to the concierge depending how much of his/her services you utilize