complawyer

with all due respects to your question, if you're looking for the nicest and cheapest cabin, i would try a club balcony. while sthrngary (whose opinions and posts i have always admired) discusses the owner's suite, while beautiful, spacious and luxurious) is one of the most expensive cabins on board the ship. if you are looking at an ncl ship that has both a haven and suite category, the cabins themselves are almost identical, the haven complex offers a few more perks, but the suites are abut $3,000 cheaper. you still get the butler/concierge, the steward cleans your cabin twice per day, and you still get breakfast in moderno and lunch in cagney's . in a haven complex, there is a private restaurant, pool area, and lounge. although those goodies are really nice, i can forgo them to save 3 k. what say you sthrngary? still, in answer to your question, i think a club balcony is the way to go

i will certainly apologize. i was in new york when cousin brucie, murry the k ruled the airwaves, and the east coast was a hotbed of great vocal, doo wopp groups., to this day, it's my favorite type of music (im 76) and we live on he west coast the only reason i even brought up the thought of you canceling your cruise, is because you stated your post with this will probably be my last ncl cruise, and ended with im really pissed. i have posted many times before, that (although there are many reasons for booking)the specific show on board should not be one of them. in theory, if you were that angry, why shell out all that money when you can book something that wouldnt piss you off. the prima is not a cheap ship. if you live in the ny/nj area, did you get a chance to see "donna" on broadway, im sure if you did, that production would be 100x's better than you could get on any cruise ship. so, elliein nj, i do sincerely apologize, i hope you have an amazing cruise, a great time (despite the absence of Donna). ok, are we friends again? final thought..... bon voyage!

hey, cruiseny4life while this has nothing to do with this post, it's the only way i seem t o be able to respond to your post, i dont know why or how, but for some reason when you respond to any of my posts (ie the most recent dealing with taylor swift) nothing ever comes on. this is for most of your responses to me. which i consider a massive problem, as i always enjoy reading your points of view

both mykonos and Corfu are amazing. the only real excursion i found in the past was taking a ferry from mykonos to delos.this is totally an archeological site (assuming youre into that stuff) if not, just get of the ship, either walk around the port the port itself, or they offer a brief shuttle to the other side where you can also walk around , shop and/or take pictures. we did both, sat in a nice cafe on the ordered a greek salad and some drinks. just be careful, although i do not remember the name of the restaurant in mykonos, it is noted for ripping of tourist by not giving you the actual prices on their menu. corfu is very picturesque ,a nd i feel the best excursion is to the top of the mountain where there is a 12th century monastery. a must see . based on whatever is available , you should have enough time to see the highlights of both islands and be able to get back to the ship for a comfortable sailing from one to the other. dont waste the extra c-note. by the way, in corfu, we hired a cab to take us to the monastery and around the island itself. cheaper by far than the ncl shore excursion

since the topic is "haven gratuities" tipping shouldnt be an issue. the butler does not get a share of the DSC, neither does the concierge, and the cabin steward cleans and sets up your cabin twice a day rather than just once. surely leaving tips for them (if for no one else) is a no-brainer

hey keith, any upgrade is most certainly better than a stick in the eye, but what would have been the actual cost if you just had booked a balcony cabin initially. you could have had your choice of cabins (depending on availability). and we've stayed in a privasea cabin, it even was a have 2 bedroom suite on the epic. while i hope you enjoy your cruise to the fullest, i would not ever booked a privasea cabin again. it's a little to enclosed onthe balcony for me.

no, ive gone through enough bs in my life (vietnam vet, infantry squad leader year in the jungles) to make any problems on board seem trivial. while i agree losing all propulsion and needing to be towed back to port, would make me take a 2nd look at booking the star once again. on the cruise to SE Asia, it was 14 days from hong kong to singapore. upon landing in hong kong my 1st thought was i cant believe im really in china the disappointment set in on the first day out. we were advised that due to mechanical problems, we could not dock in taipei, hanoi and cambodia. major disappointment was i really wanted (needed) to see hanoi. for obvious reasons. unlike what i have read previously about cancelled ports, ncl offered to make it good. a full refund of the cruise, which to my mind was a waste, since we were booked into a hotel in singapore for a few days post cruise. offer #2, 50% off this cruise, and 50% off on any next cruise we chose, and any cabin. so one the initial sailing, we had a forward facing penthouse suite, and for the next sailing we choose the epic, 2 bedroom haven round trip from hamburg, so we took our grandson and his buddy. option (imho) was a no brainer. we were also on the star last year, or 2022, im not sure which, but just before it was going into dry dock, and absolutely no problems. i am very much looking forward to my 17day trans-atlantic , unless we break down somewhere between brazil and cape verde. in that case, i'll be as,pissed as you were, or even more so. so, if you will, say a prayer, light a candle and keep your fingers crossed for us. by the way, i only booked this cruise since we got a 2bedroom suite 17 days for $6,000

ukstages, im sorry to disagree with you, but anytime we're in the buffet, just call over one of the people and they will gladly bring you a drink, we do it all the time with no problem. have you ever tried it? they helped on at least the past 10 cruises

cruisenyforlife.. taylor who? i wouldnt know a taylor swift song if she were sitting on my lap (sorry mr kelce) and personally serenading me .and elliennj, im not criticizing any ones taste in music, i was merely saying you were pissed that donna show has been taken off. regardless of which side of the bench i'm on, is that really a reason to get pissed, as she has been dead (as well as disco) for more than 40 years, and i dont think any station is still playing her music. sorry if i ruffled your feathers. that was certainly not my intention

it probably all depends on your age. im way to old to consider even going into the arcade, to noisey, to busy, to many kids etc. definitely not for me at any price, and you probably cant even get a drink (although i dont know for sure about this)

we're on the april sailing from rio to lisbon, with 3 other ports in brazil, cape verde (the azores) tenerife (canary islands) funchal, and onto lisbon. 17 day cruise. we're also looking for the star 14 day cruise early sept from reykjavic to greenland, but there is a later sept cruise on the prima that we'll probably take instead. The star has always gotten a great deal of bad press, but we were on her dec 16th 2016 to dec 2017, on her 1st southeast Asian cruise, and recently a couple of years ago thru europe. Other than some missed ports, (deeply disappointed but got over this) i have nothing to complain about on the star, and we are looking forward to this 17 day adventure

we have the regular free at sea drink package. every time we've ever sat down in a restaurant, cagney's, moderno, le bistro, o'sheehans's and even the MDR's ,1st thing we are asked is would we like a drink. simple as that. if we're in the buffet, just call over one of the helpers and let him know you would like a drink (jncludes soft drinks, wine or hard liquor) never a problem either, and when he/she brings it, a buck or 2 wouldnt/couldnt hurt. at any of the outside bars, never more than a few minutes to get bartenders attention. a couple of bucks to him doesnt hurt either. Please dont bother to respond "well we're paying the dsc, or i've already been billed for the gratuities under the drink package) you are seeing these people face to face, and they are performing a personal service, especially the guys at the sugarcane. so a few extra bucks cant possible hurt you. if you're adamant about tipping extra to these people, i feel sorry for you

traveling 2some. in over 25 ncl cruises, i have never been denied onion soup and a lettuce wedge. either im just really lucky, or the maitre'd, and the wait staff for breakfast and lunch all recognize that i tip ,always. it also doesnt hurt to book a suite, where you eat breakfast in moderno, and lunch at cagneys. the wait staff doesnt change dramatically, and the people you have previously tipped may be serving you dinner. also forgot to mention, even if there is a shortage of beef, i would imagine moderno (since a brazillian steak house) would have to have the beef, or cease to function. Im sure ncl would never, ever let that happen, and lose the money from the dinners. that being said, however, if you never get to the meats, the salad bar and its many choices can fill you up for days

as an aside, i would have no problems and shed no tears if there was no entertainment in the atrium. probably make it 100% easier to navigate thru it, and easier to get a starbucks

bkrickles1 . terribly sorry old chap, the picture you post looks like a woman. i concede and confess i am getting OLD!

bkrickels1 you go girl, you RULE!

traveling 2some. try the french onion soup or the lettuce wedge if you dont like the sea food appetizers, or, go tole bistro, you can get steak tartare, filet, cordon bleu, but unless you truly hate sea food, the lobster thermidor is amazing, and worth the $25 upcharge by the way, i am a did in the wool carnivore, but although i would be upset there are no beef dishes for a few days, with such a wide variety of choices on a cruise ship i guess i could suffer through 5 days, as long as they dont run out of chivas and heineken

by the way, bird travels, to quote barry manilow "this one's for you"

ellieinnj.. sorry dear, if youre getting pissed because they removed a show about a disco queen who has been dear for years, and a music genre that hit its prime over 40 years ago, maybe you should try and sell your cn, and cancel the dec cruise (that has truly disappointed you with a failure to show donna) and since you claim this will probably be your last ncl cruise, why not check into another cruise at another date. i have posted before, the show(s) offered on board is so low on my criteria list for booking, as to be almost non-existent and bkrickles1, you are 100% correct, beatles music is timeless, but having watched them on the ed sullivan show in 1964, you can only hear yeah!yeah!yeah! so many betimes before enough is enough. remember, i consider music by frank sinatra, tony bennet, dion and the belmonts, also timeless. if you're of a certain age, songs by the penquins, 5 satins, the flamingoes will also be timeless. last thought " it's got a good beat, easy to dance too, i'll give it a 75!" if you have no idea about any of these songs or vocal groups, you rightfully deserve Donna (lol)

ok thank you

when is your new york to reykjavic cruise and onwhat ship

while i think it's an ok promotion, if you have diamond latitude status, the best you can do is upgrade from a balcony to a club (and there isnt much difference), if you want a suite its a no, so for those of you who want to book a suite, diamond latitude, is of no value and it's a 1 time deal sorry guys. if you're anything like me and my wife, i prefer to look at ncl cabin offerings, and then book whatever cabin i want, on the deck i prefer, and at the price i wish to pay. when it comes to ncl cabins, and flight offers,( and i'm sure you have read the horror stories from people who let ncl choose and book their flight) i believe the old adage "if you want something done right, DO IT YOURSELF! caps for emphasis, not yelling

to put it bluntly, someone at ncl is either clueless, or is handing you a crock of bs. as long as you cancel prior to 120 days before sailing, you should get your money back, regardless of how much you've paid for the cruise upfront. sometimes ncl even publishes their cancelation policy. i have done it often enough thru the past 15 years with no problems unless, as others have posted, you booked thru a european site.

hey k_s. thanks for your vote of confidence. my post is nothing I haven't posted many times in the past. I may tip a little more as necessary, but never less that the stated amount. I might also add, to those that are interested, if I'm having breakfast in the buffet, and the cook is making me an omelet, he/she gets an additional $1.00 same as the evening if someone is making me a crepe. If I'm eating in Teppenyaki, after the meal, I always give the cook $10.00 regardless of how many other people were at my table. Again, as I've also stated many times before, on this issue, there is no right or wrong answer who, when and why someone will tip or not, is purely discretionary. no one else will know, and certainly, no one else will care. if someone notices I'm leaving a tip, and they ask me, I will more than gladly explain my reasoning Obviously, if you're not in the cabin category that gives you a butler and/or a concierge, there's no one to tip. For me, it's an absolute MUST to tip the cabin steward, more than a few $$$ and also depending on how long your cruise happens to be. So k_s if we find we're ever on the same cruise, let's get together, go to the nearest bar, and tip the bartender outrageously (LOL)

ok,here's my breakdown butler$100-150 concierge $50-100 room steward $20 first day, $20 2-3 days later, $20-50 on last day of cruise bartender $1-2 per drink maitre' d $20 on 1st day, additional 10-20 throughout the cruise ,depending on what i want done yes you can call it a bribe, but if i want dinner at a specialty restaurant at a certain time and it's not available, i have 0 qualms about giving him an additinal $10 to get us in. Called Vega Handshake, servers, $5-10 daily depending on the meal and time of day Usually $5 if im having breakfast in moderno and lunch in cagney's, $10 if dinner anywhere (to include mdr) finally, $1 per drink to any server that brings me a drink any where on board, by the pool, in the buffet, etc. my theory ( and strictly my theory) is if you tip the appropriate people on 1st day of cruise, they remember you, and take care of you accordingly. On the bliss we were in the MDR for breakfast on morning gave him a $5.00 tip and after that he couldnt do enough for us. whenever he saw us on the ship, he insisted we come to his table. on another cruise, when we were taken to cagney's for lunch, i gave the maitre'd a $20, and for the duration, he also couldnt do enough for us. of course during the rest of the cruise, i would give him another $10-20 as needed. before posters start yelling at me that there is no need to tip as it's included in the DSC, as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for" i personally am more than willing to spend some extra $$$ to up my degree of service. my wife and I even prior to sailing, work out how much money we anticipate we will need for the additional tips, and to who. if your're flying, dont you tip the skycap when he takes your dont you tip the porter on the pier when he takes your luggage,