complawyer

we are doing exactly the same thing. getting to rio on the 8th. i vacillated between applying for the visa or not, since i figured i'd be in brazil before the deadline. since there are a great number of sea days, i didnt want to chance not being able to enter the other brazilian ports if a visa was in fact required. in the end, my wife and i bit the bullet, and sent in our applications this evening. i figured if we couldnt get off at the other ports, it would be a very, very long time before we reached cape verde, that and the fact my wife would probably kill me for making her stay onboard that long. now all i have to do is get her to get the yellow fever shot. any way, see you on board. im the one with the glass of champagne in one hand, and an ice cold heineken in the other BON VOYAGE

if you ask nicely, and they arent very busy, the grill guy will probably be able to make the burger the way you like it cooked. of course if he does this for you ,dont you think a tip (or a bribe ) is then appropriate?

ncl will advise you of time and date. i understand that you can arrange to go in a day or so early, and return a day or so late. i cant answer exactly, but i do know ncl makes the flight arrangements if you take the flight offer thru them. 2nd person flies free! some of the prior posts have indicated an unhappiness with the ncl picks, some are happy with the arrangements. as a personal preference, i can tell you that after taking over 25 ncl cruises, i would never (emphatically) never book my flights thru ncl. I believe in the adage "if you want something done right, do it yourself" i want to control, time, date seats etc, and i would never leave that to anyone else, much less ncl. also, if we are leaving from a foreign port and disembarking at a different port i will usually go in 2-3 days early, and arrange to stay in final port 2-3 days later. ncl booking doesnt allow you to do that. finally, as a self proclaimed newbie, make sure your flight lands at least one day prior to departure. if you try and fly in on the day of sailing and something goes wrong, you my friend are outta luck

you dont book the air, ncl does it for you. consequently, you pays yer money and you takes your chance

graphic guy, 1 final thought ( i hope) to me a bribe is an offer of money or anything of value asking someone to do a specific thing or things. i cant bribe a waiter to bring me food, that's what he's there for. a tip is a monetary acknowledgement thanking for the service provided

graphic guy. remember if you offer someone money, and consider it a bribe, they have the option not to accept. someone offering the maitre 'd at cagneys to get you a seat might be called a bribe, but he has the option of refusing and advising there is nothing he can do . id like to think that it's money offered for a special request. if there wasnt a vegas handshake, the entire underground economy of las vegas would crumble lol

dmwnc1959. i am offering the following (1) a white dove of peace (2) an olive branch (3) an apology. while personally, on a cruise we tip people that provide us with person to person service on a daily basis, i acknowledge and concede, if i were on a 25 day cruise, and being charged an additional $20 service fee that i'm told goes in the general kitty for workers no one either sees, or interacts with, i too would be hesitant to offer any more money out of pocket. so in the end, neither of our positions is right or wrong. enjoy your 25 days of sailing ( while i envy you the days), i think my wife and i would be ready to slit each other throats if we were confined together for that long LOL. Bon Voyage!

seemoreroyals, unless i have totally misunderstood your post, the issue under discussion is not the DSC, which everyone pays unless you elect to have it removed, but whether or not the DSC preludes people from tipping individually for service rendered. since the DSC is allegedly distributed to all the crew working behind the scenes, we never know who gets what amount. how much of my DSC goes to the baker. making the missing cookies. how much to the person who id laundering my shorts. i give tips to people that provide person to person service on a daily basis throughout my cruise

dmwnc1959. sorry buddy, im to old to get distressed over something as minor as exchanging of posts on this sight, with others who disagree. i kind of chuckle that you seem so self-righteous about your position i was just commenting, that it appeared to me that your posts seemed to be overly hostile, and unnecessarily so i also apologized if i misinterpreted. some people tip, others choose not to do so. you have made your position abundantly clear. OK, dont tip. I get your point! With a few 1000 of your closest friends on board with you, I'm positive not one of them will care that you dont tip.. one of my favorite quotes goes as follows " the likelihood of someone being right, increases in direct proportion to the intensity with which someone is trying to prove them wrong. if the shoe fits .. et al!

i would think however, that with having a limited number of cabins, the haven restaurant should have enough seating space for the people that are haven booked. while ive never tried Q and only saw it on the Bliss a few years ago, i would be more than a little p+++sed off, if i expected to eat dinner at the haven, and they tried to stick me in what is essentially a somewhat "upper class" BBQ joint. i dont think i would ever eat at Q anyway, not a big fan of texas bbq and since haven cabins are limited, why would the haven restaurant be any more or less crowed on the 1st night? im sure that not everyone in a haven suite would be beating down the doors to eat there. i'd have headed for le bistro or cagney's or even the MDR

dmwnc1959. with all due respects, you have made your feelings re: tipping perfectly and abundantly clear. if you dont drink that much, take off the drink package and save your self a few $100. i have thought about this in the past, although i havent followed through. i do note with the drink package, on a daily basis, i usually drink more that i normally would. if you dont wish to tip any extra, that is entirely up to you. no one will chastise you, or condemn your decision. on the other had no will give you an "attaboy" if you do tip extra.at the end of the day, it really taint no bodys business but your own. what i do not understand, (and maybe it's just my interpretation of your posts) is why the undercurrent of hostility permeating your posts. again, bottom line if you dont want or feel the need to tip extra ,machs nix

if you are booked into a haven complex, all meals in the haven restaurant itself are free (breakfast lunch and dinner) without the haven complex ,(as stated before) breakfast in moderno, lunch at cagneys. This has been my personal experience throughout my last 5-6 cruises. i have not sailed on the newer ships, escape, encore, joy prima or viva, so i cannot speak as to their procedures. my post speaks only of most of the other ships we have been on. regardless, without the dinner package, or your latitude perks, none of the other specialty restaurants will offer you a free meal. sorry. finally, i dont believe you need to be booked into either a haven or a suite to gain access to the restaurants you have mentioned. by the way, the epic does have a designated haven complex with its own pool area, bar and restaurant, which was probably the reason you were directed there once onboard (rank does in fact have its privileges), but that's what you paid haven prices for.

hopefully this will adequately answer your question(s) 1 neither haven/ nor suite guests get comped dinners in specialty restaurants. Only those dinners included in your initial booking, those included in you specific latitudes award program, it has been our experience, that if you are a haven guest and the ship has a designated haven complex you will be taken to the exclusive haven restaurant. if there is no designated haven complex, or you have booked a suite category cabin (not club balcony suite) you will be taken to cagneys for lunch. haven and or suite guests on ncl ships without the designated haven complex, are offered breakfast every morning in moderno, and lunch in cagney's dinner for all sailing is "catch as catch can"

ive done that before. the consultant will either get the supervisor on the line if possible, or send you an email address where you can express your gratitude

in that case, mag, if we're ever on a cruise together, and youve forgotten, please feel free to to ask to borrow ours. also, the only things i might buy are the t-shirts when they go on sail at the end of the cruise. i usually dont bother to wear them when i get home, so they become dust rags, so i would be more than happy to give you one that i bought onboard. sort of a farewell parting gift, regardless, whenever or wherever you choose to cruise, have a marvelous time, and of course "bon voyage"

said this many times before. 1st off, the DSC covers almost the entire working staff on board. since my 1st cruise on the pearl in 2010 i have done as follows. (also contingent on length of cruise, with 7 days being minimal)_ $20 day one when he 1sts comes to the cabin. all i really need is extra bath towels on a daily basis. middle of cruise, another $20. 7 day cruise an additional $20 at the end any thing longer, $20 more about every 3-4 days. butler usually 100-150 at the end, concierge 50 at the end, assorted waiters waitresses that i have contact with throughout the cruise 5-10 depending onthe meal (breakfast is usually at least $5. bartenders $1-2 per drink, any other bus person that may bring me a drink (coke, beer or a margarita) while i'm in the buffet or out at the pool, an additional $1-2 per drink. this probably will sound laughable, and very anal, but prior to leaving for the cruise, we think of all the potential workers we will actually have contact with, and determine how much money we will need for tips throughout the length of the trip dont forget to bring extra for the maitre'd . this is just us. i could be completely delusional, but i feel when i tip these people,they get to know my wife and i, they seem to be more attentive to our needs. after a few days, they even bring items they know we usually order. in past posts, some people have referred this practice as a "bribe" that my well be (a rose is a rose is a rose) but try and slip in a $10 to the maitre d at a specialty restaurant that has on openings for when you want dinner. you'll think you're harry potter as seating will magically appear bottom line!!!! ncl requires NO EXTRA TIPPING!! consequently you are under no obligation to do so. my wife and I will continue as business as usual. By the way, we have been on over 25 ncl cruises, and my tipping practice has remained the same throughout

thank you rocketman275, you are a true life saver! to quote george m, cohan. "i thank you, my sister thanks you, my mother thanks you, and my father thanks you"

i have advised this many times. if you take ncl up on their flight offers, you give up control of your flight times and seating. regardless of the price savings, i always book my own air reservations, and especially if you're are flying into a foreign port, we go in a few days early, to explore the city.

you can also buy the cans (coke products only! boo hoo,im a pepsi addict) i believe its just a little over 3.00 per can, unless you get the upgraded drink package, where ever you are eating, you can ask the waiter/waitress to bring you a can, but they need your key card. otherwise the soda comes in a plastic cup. sometimes a ask for 2 cups at a time (get thirsty very quickly)

do any of you nice people still have access to or website for the letter from ncl's counsel to the brazilian embassy dealing with the bank statement. my wife (and I as well) feel really uncomfortable disclosing our bank statement to perfect strangers. any assistance would be greatly and thoroughly appreciated. thank you in advance your friendly neighborhood complawyer

do any of you nice people still have access to or website for the letter from ncl's counsel to the brazilian embassy dealing with the bank statement. my wife (and I as well) feel really uncomfortable disclosing our bank statement to perfect strangers. any assistance would be greatly and thoroughly appreciated. thank you in advance your friendly neighborhood complawyer

on the past 5 cruises we have taken, when i unpacked my cpap , seeing tis the cabin steward immediately offered to bring me the distilled water, and every one of them brought an extension cord, when i asked for one. however, i bring my own, and the only thing ncl requires me to do is keep it unplugged when not in the cabin. most of the time they dont even enforce this

club suites are just renamed mini suites, so unfortunately dont get your hopes up due to the new names. they arent really "suites" in the true sense, they are a little nicer, and the bathrooms are bigger if you read the response from n4w, the only true 'PERK" that differs from the ordinary cabins, is the free bag of laundry, and the possible treats delivered to your cabin a couple of times a week, while that's better than a poke in the eye, the treats are really nothing to write home about, and almost any one else sailing gets the same as on the list, unless a purple key card overwhelms you with joy and rapture

you are correct, it's 8 seats to a table. i think (if im not mistaken) there are only 3 tables in the restaurant, and only 3 seating times per day. if everyone has a ding package you can use them at teppanyaki. that being said, however, as far as the 4 kids are concerned, youre probably better off going to la cucina and letting them order pizza

the lobster thermidor in le bistro is to die for. worth the extra $25.00 upcharge. french onion soup and escargo are both great. teppanyaki has downgraded from filet mignon to new york. used to be my favorite but now so-so. salad bar in moderno more than compensates for the meat choices. cagney's is and always will be cagney's. in over 25 ncl cruises, i can safely say ive never really had a bad meal there, contrary to other posters comments not really crazy about cucina. ive had better meals in olive garden restaurants. more choices also