complawyer

i'm with bird travels on this one! any haven waiting area beats sitting in the regular waiting area with a few thousand of your closest friends. at most it's taken us 15-20 minutes to be escorted onto the ship and taken to cagney's for a nice leisurely lunch and drinks. there are always pastries ,finger sandwiches, coffee ,tea juices etc. additionally, the haven experience is an entire different animal!

so what is hal offering you that ncl isn't? we've been on 24 ncl cruises over the past 13 years. hardly ever hear "washy washy" any more. if this annoy's you, skip the buffet. we have never bothered to go to the park west auctions. if you did research, you'd see that is one of the biggest rip-offs imaginable, and most cruise sights specifically indicate to skip it. im sure that (1) there are other movies available other than top gun (2) there are certainly other option available on an ncl cruise other than staying holed up in your cabin watching movies. ive researched also, to the extent my wife and frequent traveling companion accuse me of being anal (an accusation with which i wholeheartedly concur) most ncl cabins i find are larger. check msc suites, some so called suited are the same size or smaller than ncl's club clubs suites, the itineraries (in general) are amazing, and the prices, are in line with other cruise lines. so be careful when you jump, i wouldnt want you to misstep and fall into the water by accident. let us know what you liked about hal when you get back. ive looked at celebrity offerings, rcl, msc, and i have determined that you still get the best "bang for your buck" with ncl. the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own

anywhere you turn in rome will be amazing. there is culture and history on almost every corner. we were at the marriott last nov, and we were able to arrange a shuttle to take us to all the important sights. you definitely need to go to the vatican(although the lines are outrageous) sistine chapel,almost anywhere. you really need a week or so to explore rome, and even that's probably not enough. im certain you will love it

just remember that the op was complaining/threatening "NEVER" to cruise ncl again if they didnt up the level of entertainment to his/her standards. i was being a little facetious when i suggested they attend plays on broadway, but again if the only reason they sails with norwegian is for the entertainment, they need to look elsewhere.

jana60. im sorry, but if your main criteria is the on board entertainment, save yourself a few $1000, get an inexpensive hotel in new york, and book a few broadway shows. my only criteria is getting on a cruise ship and sailing to different ports. i dont give a rats tushie about the entertainment. my last 2 cruises, i didnt even bother with the shows, i can forgive the food, as they are cooking for a variety of tastes for over 2000 people, and if you dont like the upcharge, dont order that item. my #1 choice is cagneys, the same steak in le bistro comes with a $10 upcharge, lobster is always more expensive, regardless of the restaurant (land or sea). cant you just enjoy being on the ship? by the way,(if im not mistaken) most of the major cruise lines have increased the dsc. fyi, we're sapphire, will be diamond after b2b july cruise, and have been on 24 ncl cruises since 2010. ive stated before, my only real complaint is the hamburger buns always fall apart before i'm finished with my burger/ my only advice( should you choose to accept it) is enjoy the cruise for what it is (a cruise)

set up for u.s. currency only

you left out an other choice. i hate o'sheehans, and only in a dire (and i mean extremely dire ) emergency will i even go there, plus im not a great fan of wingless chicken bones (oops!)

its billed to your account, so if you start handing out tips on the last sailing day, you;re effectively double tipping. if you're in a haven or a suite, you may want to tip the butler/concierge/ cabin steward, as i believe they are not included in the daily service charges. of course during your entire cruise, it doesnt hurt to tip a little here and there for anyone providing a little extra service, especially your bartender.

vacation44! while i agree in principal, why do you think it's ridiculous? it's all you can eat of assorted meats, and a humongous salad bar. unless something has changed, the end of of january when we were on the jewel, it's also one of the restaurants offered on the dining package. i think the quality has gone down in both the food and the service, you have the alternative not to spend your money and not eat there, for my money, cagney's is still numero UNO!

i have nothing personal against foie gras, just the way it's cultivated, and it's not something i want to eat. there was a dollop of it on my steak in le bistro, but i just left it on the plate. traveling man, you are 100% correct.. to each his own

if you're in a haven ,chances are on embarkation day, you will get priority boarding and be escorted directly to cagneys for lunch. at that time, it would be a great idea to introduce yourself to the maitre'd. (this is also where the proverbial "vegas handshake" will come in handy). after that he is usually most accomodating. we were on the ncl gem and had the same waiter whenever he was working, by the way, we have never had a problem getting a table for breakfast or lunch in the haven restaurants

we were on one of the 1st southeast asia cruises offered by ncl. there was an overnight in bancock. my friend was sailing with her daughter, granddaughter and son. they booked a hotel for the night and got back onboard the next morningwith no problems

guest services can change your currency, but they have a limited amount. so if a number of passengers want to exchange $$$ for euros, they wont all be able to satisfy them all best advice is to exchange prior to departure

travelingman... so agreed!

loveandcruises. i dont care either, but i was responding to styles27 question. he wanted to know if he could do the older traditional way of cruising, same time, table and server. by the way, styles 27, if you do end up talking to the maitre'd, a $20 handsake couldnt hurt either!

after the 1st couple of nights, when you've settled in and found the right time, table etc,talk to the maitre'd . if anyone can arrange what you want, it's probably him. question, i can understand the time and table location, but how will youy know if you want the same waiter on a nightly basis after only the 1st 1 or two nights?

are you aware of the process to obtain foie gras? they force feed geese and/or ducks continually to engorge and enlarge their livers and voila! you have foie gras . it's inhumane and i believe most u.s. restaurants dont even offer it anymore (although i could be wrong). how could you possibly enjoy this dish under the circumstances? chief matejrk, i'm with you 100% they can keep the liver in any size shape or form

chengkp75. i believe you are mistaken! if you are on an ncl booked shore excursion, the ship will not depart (regardless of itinerary times) unless and until all the excursions are back. can you imagine the uproar if the ship left the port and an entire busload of people on an ncl booked excursion hadnt made it back in time. if you book on your own, the ship wont wait if you dont get back in time. if you book with shore excursions, they will wait. and believe me, they aint gonna pay for nothin' they dont have to!

last time we ate there, a few months ago, the meal was the entire meal with no extra charges. same as moderno

i had it on the jewel 9 day trans-canal panama -panama., this past jan. it was just ok, and doesnt look anything worth photographing. the lobster thermidor (although there is an upchcarge), however, was amazing. on the nickel and dime side, they added a $10 upcharge to the fillet, although a fillet in cagney's has no upcharge added.

also remember if it's an ncl sponsored shore excursion, you dont have to worry, the ship doesnt sail until all their excursions are back

cant tell you about san juan, but we did use the ncl transfer option on jan 27 in panama it takes about an hour from the airport to the port of colon. it was $150 for 3 of us. since we were staying over for one night at the crowne plaza airport hotel, we had the concierge book us a shuttle from the port to our hotel, and it was only $85. you may wish to google shuttle service from the airport to the ship. last july, we landed in venice, hired a taxi to take us to the hotel, and 2 days later we booked a private shuttle from venice to trieste. the hotel had a desk set up for ncl passengers, and the next morning the bus showed up to take us all to the pier

hey, geriatricnurse: i imagine my digestive system will be equally grateful!

for the past 4 cruises, we've booked a 2 bedroom suite, and traveled with a very close friend. she has always gotten the drink package as part of the booking. the dining package is an entirely different story. this perk only applies to the 1st 2 people in the cabin. any others need to purchase separately

while most of the time i'm a firm believer in the adage "don't knock it until you've tried it", i googled poutine, and after careful deliberation, i think i'll pass!