complawyer

mr jenner, thank you for the response. your answer is what i thought. you are 100% correct. access to the pool area is definitely "NOT" worth the extra 3k. most times when i cruise, i dont even remember to pack a bathing suit

chiefmatejrk. we may sometimes disagree, but i always enjoy reading your take on these posts. your logic is impeccable, and so spot on.

other than the price difference of course, on the NCL jewel, there are haven suites and regular suites (not club balcony). I want to book the 2 bedroom, and there is about a $3000 price difference. i know that some havens have their own bar, restaurant and pool area. others both eat at either cagney's or moderno. so my dear friends, what do you get in the haven jewel 2 bedroom, that you dont get in the regular 2 bedroom suite? im sure bird travels or traveling man has the answer

cruisenyforlife: sorry, but for you, i'll try to re-establish my aura of grumpiness here goes: never liked mozzarella sticks, and i'm not crazy about milkshakes. i only enjoy them between valentines day and st patricks day when mcdonald's offers shamrock shakes. fyi: you're 30 something, i'm almost 75. we've been cruising with ncl since 2010, almost at least once a year except for the 2 years covid locked down the industry. never departed from new york, but the many we have departed from, we never had to stand (wait) in line anywhere that amount of time. on our recent bliss cruise ( it was a casino comp and we didnt have a haven suite) the entire boarding process, from security check in to actually getting on the ship and having a drink by the pool was less than 1 hr. the longest it ever took was last april in athens. even though we followed ncl guidelines for pre-cruise covid testing, greece has its own requirements and we needed to be re-tested at the pier, if the test came back positive, you were out of luck, and they wouldnt let you board. even with this procedure, the entire process took about 2 hrs, and most of the time was taken up by waiting for the results. so, i am really sorry you had to put up with that s**t at the new york pier. from our experience i dont believe that's the norm. in any event, i'll still pass on the american diner ( i think it's really no different than any diner on main street, u.s.a.) and the menu doesnt seem to be anything to wave the flag over, but if we ever find ourselves on the same cruise, your next banana milkshake is on me. we're contemplating a trans-canal cruise from panama next january. come and join us and collect on your milkshake. you'll see im not anywhere near as grumpy as you think! grumpy enough for you? LOL!

rough seas, high waves, cold weather, sea sprays, regardless of the circumstances, i would never want or book a privasea cabin again!

envision being trapped in a box with one window. i booked one of these cabins by mistake (my bad, i didnt understand what privasea really meant). big mistake, huge. never again!

as a final note, we were just on the bliss to alaska. disembarked last saturday. i checked the american diner menu. dont take this wrong, in no way am i knocking this restaurant(or anyone who chooses to eat there), but it strikes me as an upscale denny's. no comparison to the haven restaurant, and remember, (if im not mistaken) any passenger boarding can be directed to the diner while waiting for the cabin to be prepared. that's a whole lot of folks if they choose. you can also go to the buffet or the pool area and chill out with a drink. much ,much less crowded in the haven restaurant. i believe that even if something is free, if it's not what you want, it isn't a deal. i dont necessarily want a hamburger or lobster slider. so please dont start a bunch of posts da**ing me for this opinion. if you prefer the american diner, or think its worth it to eat there for free on the 1st day. more power to you. "ENJOY"!! cant wait to read what chiefmate jrk has to say (if anything)

sorry, guys, im sticking with the haven restaurant. no desire whatsover, to eat in american diner

if i have the choice between the american diner or the haven restaurant, what a no brainer. haven restaurant wins by a mile, no contest. it will also be much less crowded once the other people start boarding and going to the diner.

there is either signage indicating haven guest area, or merely ask one of the many ncl people there. they will gladly direct you to the appropriate area. no worries, no problems!

ive often noticed that sometimes they dont even wait until the room fills up. there is usually a 10-15 minute wait in the specialty designated area, and then someone comes and gets you (usually your concierge) and escorts you to the private haven area. at that point, you can so any of the following (1) relax in the haven lounge and order a drink, (2) relax by the haven pool, grab a burger and a drink, as there is usually someone available to wait on you (3), go to the haven restaurant (we usually do this) order lunch and wait for your room to be ready. it's nice to sit down to a special menu just for haven guests, and start your cruise with a glass of champagne. as youre booked into a haven suite usually (but not always) you have priority and your cabin might be available earlier than most

log on to ncl website, click where it tells you to log in. you will then see your reservations listed. click shore excursions, when they come up, if they are available to be booked, it will allow you to do so. you will however need to pay for them at that time. since ncl has a habit (good or bad) of sometimes changing, ports, itineraries, and sometimes even cancelling cruises, i personally wouldnt be that anxious to book that far out. just mho

well, when/if i get to that point my bucket list is as follows (and my grandson is now 23 and has cruised with us a number of times. i think he's platinum right now). any way i still want to take him to mt rushmore, the grand canyon, washington, d.c. and niagra falls. we took ncl's 1st, and to date i think only southeast asia cruise. dec 2016-jan 2017. took him to cu chi (a shore excursion ) in viet-nam to show him where i was stationed with the 25th infantry division 50+ years ago, but sorry i digress. after looking at the additional perks, i dont see much advantage for us to become diamond. you already know i'm an opinionated diva, and there is really nothing about diamond status that interests me.

seemoreroyals: still pepsi, thank god!

hey! shrike, how many ambassador -level people have you found? im 74 and if i take 2 14 day cruises per year, in a suite or haven, i may live long enough to each that level (currently sapphire)

remember the old adage "SIZE MATTERS"! read into that what you will

6 was amazing, the girls just jammed non stop for the entire the show. by the way, when i have carry-on, i just drag it with me up to the pool area, or buffet, andhld on to it until my room is ready. it's never been a problem. also, happily, the observation deck (by the way it's beautiful and i over drank) is like a a mini buffet. certainly not the variety, but if you like to nosh, you'll be very happy.

been on 19 ncl cruises, and a number of their different ships. getaway by far is our favorite.

cozgurl: just got off the bliss last sat. when you get to the pier, there are porters that will take your luggage (a tip doesnt hurt either) they take it directly onto the ship and it will be delivered directly to your cabin within a few hrs. if you go to the guest services desk, there are stations set up for the restaurant resrtvations. if your're in a suite or a haven, ask your concierge. finally, go to the ncl website, log on and you can make your reservations on line (i believe its 120 days prior to the actual sail date. we had dinner a couple of times in the manhattan room and didnt hear any music, or see any musicians observation deck has a bar that is open during the day, until the deck closes, there is a great choice of food available, meats, cheeses, fruits, breads, crackers, etc, not just measly peanuts. as for the mojito tasting, if you have the drink package(even the limited one that comes with the standard booking) go to sugarcane and the mojitos, like most drinks are free. you can enjoy any of the varied flavors, sorry, i didnt utilize theother services, or games, so i cant comment on those. by the way, if you get a chance to see the show "Six" , go for it, it's amazing. we walked out of jersey boys, it drags until bob gaudio is introduced, i though the acoustics were bad, and they tried to emulate the movie, not the original play. plus ive seen jersey boys, both the play and movie, a number of times "BON YOYAGE"

if the splash academy is open and available, dont worry, they'll have a blast and you may not even see them the entre trip

ok, sorry

that's exactly how i feel about coke :"0" it's well named and appropriate! lol

even if we werent in a haven, i would have no interest in buying a vibe pass. guess im back to a minority of 1.by the way, i rarely use the ship's pool, and most cruises, i totally forget to pack a bathing suit

cruisebear 55: tennies (tennis shoes) ! sorry if this confused you

whenever im on a cruise ship, i live in tennies. there is no problem wearing them in any restaurant. the only huffy establishment (imho) is le bistro, they insist on collared shirts for men. as a consequence, i avoid this one like the plague. by the way, dolls123, arent we both on the sept 16th saiing from southampton?