complawyer

i use the following when booking a hotel (1) booking.com (2) hotels.com (3) bonvoy for marriott. we've booked hotels all over the world, without any problems. usually, once youve made your reservation, you will get an email confirmation, with a reservation number, showing arrival and departure dates. normally with this information in hand, you should have no problem if/when you need to contact the hotel this underscores my philosophy when booking airfare, hotels, cruises and tours : if you want something done right, do it yourself.

no, i was responding to the post by lounger on balcony, asking who would ever bring food on board

on a family suite, not only do you "NOT" get a bottle of booze, you dont even get a balcony

all the bags. candies, and goodies that i bring on board are sealed in bags. we buy them before leaving, pack them up and dont open them until we get to our cabin. i have a horrible craving for a snickers bar and a pepsi or coke in the morning, we also bring a bag of butterscotch hard candy, sees lollipops ( los angeles candy company if anyone doesnt recognize the name) actually anything that's edible, under those categories mentioned we have brought onto the ship with no problems. can you even imagine security confiscating an unopened bag of jelly beans, chewing gum or life savers?

not true. we bring pretzels, candy bars, hard candies, etc.

i didnt interpret your post as throwing shade, sorry ff you took t that way. and i certainly wasnt offended by it, your posts ae usually spot on, and most align with my thinking. consequently, i look forward to the day you and your husband, my wife and i are on the same cruise, to share a drink or a meal. peace be unto you! my vegas handshake still stands (lol)

hey,cruiseny4life. it works for me and the people traveling with me. to each his own. i find a little extra $$$ goes a long way to people who arent getting paid very much. that being said however, to each his own. it was just a suggestion to those people like me that are semi-prima donnas, and dont like to way. it reminds me of my days in the army. the catch phrase was always "hurry up and wait)!

come on barb, seriously? the part about the hamburger buns was strictly tongue in cheek. the original question was about whether or not to book a cruise on the dawn, my entire point was that buns falling apart was just a very,very minor inconvenience , and there should be no problem if the op books the dawn

tinalaska: i usually start with a $20. i find wherever one may travel, "si habla $20 bill" as the cruise progresses, i usually add another $20. in most restaurants (either on land or sea) slipping the maitre'd helps. sadly, in more upscale establishments, the maitre'd or seating hostess, usually expect this We were on the jewel (3 of us) and wanted to eat dinner one night at cagneys, only to be told "no more tables available until around 9" the maitre'd was around, and since i had previously introduced myself with the handshake, i slipped him another 10, and we got right in. i know it's tacky, and im certainly jaded, but unfortunately, that's the way the world works

the concierge perk is good, and only good if you're booked into a haven or a suite. club balcony suites do not count. usually, if youre booked into either of the above and are eating breakfast in moderno, the concierge is setup at the entrance. if you're sailing on a ship with an actual dedicated haven (it's own bar and restaurant) they concierge usually has a desk set up in the haven area. sometimes, again if youre booked into a haven or a suite, once youre past security and sent to the haven area awaiting boarding, the concierge will come down to escort you on board. at this time i give him part 1 of my vegas handshake

If it will put your mind at ease, we've been on over 20 ncl cruises in the past 13 years. on the dawn about 7-8 years back. we've been on almost every ship in the ncl fleet except, breakaway, encore, prima, sky, joy, and a few others whose names i cant recall at the moment. in any event, while i'm not trying to appear as an ncl cheerleader, i can say without a doubt, in all that time, i've never had a bad cruise on any of their ships. cruising is what you make it, sure, some things can go wrong with being on a vessel with 2-3 thousand of your closest friends, the kitchens are preparing 1000's of assorted dishes, multiple times a day, to try and please an assortment of tastes. sometimes, you may choose a shore excursion that isnt as exciting as described. you may miss a port (or more) due to weather or mechanical conditions. look at it this way, you're on a floating hotel, going to exotic ports of call, you have an unlimited amount of foods to choose from/eat. a variety of specialty restaurants, unlimited drinks, and no one will chastise you if you have one to many. By and large, the entire staff is there to make sure you have the most pleasurable experience possible, especially if youre booked into a haven or a suite. so my best advice to you, is ignore t he naysayers, and doomsday followers, get on the ship, relax, do what's offered, or do nothing at all. Just enjoy the experience. We've been on cruises where i didnt bother to see any of the shows, didnt use any of the extra offerings (except the specialty restaurants) and was very happy and contented to sit on my balcony, with a cold beer, or glass of champagne, reading my kindle, and watching the ocean go by. my criteria for booking a cruise is (1) price (2) itinerary. I find that ncl offers best bang for your buck, on both counts as a final note (and ive posted this before) the only thing that annoys me on any of the cruises we have taken, is that the hamburger buns always fall apart before im done with the burger. that being said, however, if thats the only thing i have to complain about, im batting 100%

god bless them, but as ive often posted before, ncl doesnt give away ice cubes in winter. and if you watch very carefully, whenever they have one of their fantastic, remarkable sales (sarcasm intended) the cabin prices go UP and UP and UP! go figure

we're booked on the dawn 21 days from capetown to barcelona. basically tehe west coast of africa march 2024

coldferret, it's 100% better if they know who the tip came from. this way they get to know you, and might table a few extra steps in your favor. just give the money directly to them

on day 1,once youre on board go to the desk that has all the reservations, and tell them what you need. there's a good chance you'll get the time you want

if you want the can and are willing to pay for it, most of the bars/restaurants will give it to you. just tell them you want a can of soda.

as the saying goes, "god bless the vegas handshake"

havent seen this particular perk offered in quite a while. we took 4 cruises in 2022, and not one of them offered this. we have another b2b this jul/aug, and a 21 day cruise next march, and neither of these are offering waiver of dsc

mistertomatoe i usually order an appetizer, soup (french onion) lettuce wedge, fillet, mushrooms, fries and onion rings. usually pass on dessert in cagneys, almost the same in le bistro, i usually pass on la cucina.

rocketman, last july, i gave our breakfast waiter $5.00, and he thought he dies and went to heaven. whenever he saw me on the ship, he smiled, chatted for a few minutes, and since this was in the mdr of the bliss, whenever i went back there for a meal, i asked for him. tipping extra, really does help

dont worry about it, it's not very complicated. just wait until you get in your cabin, pick up the phone, dial reservations, and tell them you're cancelling. as far as i know there is no penalty for a no show even if you didnt give cancellation notice, and, i understand that if you dont show up within 15 minutes of your reservation time, it gets cancelled automatically. this is not something you need to worry about

depends on the attitude of the person waiting on you. i have never been limited by a waiter in any specialty restaurant on what i order. get an appetizer, salad, soup, main course, sides and a dessert, and never once been told "no can do" if you go to teppanyaki, or moderno, it's irrelevant, as in moderno you can eat until you drop. and in teppanyaki, all you have to decide is what you want for the main course. everything else is included (other than your drink) btw, the teppanyaki chef, usually make more than enough fried rice and vegatables for 2nd's

no, i'm sure that whatever amount you give as a tip above and beyond the dsc is greatly appreciated by the ones being tipped. i once asked our waitress in cagneys about this, and she advised most people DO NOT leave a extra tip. so ellipooh, dont worry or sweat about it. if we're in a suite or a haven, when we're having breakfast or lunch, you usually get to know the wait staff so i tip them daily. also advised it wouldnt hurt to give the maitre'd an extra $20 if possible. i try not to appear "entitled" but i do ask our butler for some extra goodies throughout the cruise, so the tip is worth it to me. ive always tipped our cabin steward at least $20 at the beginning/middle and end of the cruise for standard 7 day sailings, and obviously this is doubled on a 14 day cruise. what's nice (at least imho) is that the staff in general do not expect any extra tip money,. so it makes them feel good, and if/when they get to know you, they're a little happier and inclined to go thelittle extra mile for you. in the end, (and this has been covered many times, and almost beaten to death) tipping extra is entirely up to the cruiser. the staff doesnt expect it, so they are pleasantly surprised, and are not disappointed if they dont get one. i believe this is especially true in either the buffet or any of the mdr"s

no, the owners suite automatically comes with 3 bottles of booze. we usually have the 2 bedroom. i always feel that it doesnt hurt to ask. sometimes i ask him to switch it out for a bottle of prosceco my wife's favorite

dont forget the gummie bears, a delight not to be missed or taken for granted