noelea626

Good Evening Everyone,

My disabled parents will be staying in room #6207 which is a fully accessible cabin. Both of them will have ECV ride-ons. Just curious if anyone has current pictures of the room? Is the shower accessible? Will both their ride-ons fit? 

Thank you for any information as this is my families first cruise. 

On 2/1/2023 at 9:49 AM, Jamericannn said:

Hope you will have an awesome first cruise and become a cruise addict like me.

Thank you I hope so also lol

On 5/16/2023 at 4:58 PM, Jan the City Fan said:

Hi, Myself & partner , & my 2 daughters , partners & children have booked for my 70th Birthday.  We are coming from the U.K., but enjoy our Carnival cruises, this will be our 6th on Carnival. There will be 11 of us. 6 adults & 3 children.  Girls aged 12 & 9. Boys aged 3, 4 & 10.

It will be nice if they meet other kids a similar age. 

I am sure you will love cruising, it us addictive. 

If anyone hears of any Faster to the Fun becoming available let us know.

Jan , Mark & family. 

100% will and it will be so nice if we can meet. Love meeting new people!

On 5/29/2023 at 7:47 PM, Host Kat said:

FYI to all,

 

This Roll Call title had to be edited. This is due to the following portion of How To: Create A New Roll Call:

 

•  In the Title Box, type the name of your ship, your sail date and year. 
  • When you create a new ROLL CALL topic, you MUST include the sail date in the subject line, and here's the suggested format:    Example: January 1, 2016
  • Please note the suggested date format with the month first and spelled out completely will ensure your new Roll Call topic appear in search results

 

Hope this will be helpful!

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

 

Thank you Kat. I had no idea about the title!

On 2/8/2023 at 7:16 AM, sparks1093 said:

Regular coffee and tea are available at no extra charge. You do have to pay for specialty coffee (cappuccino, lattes, etc.). Here's a link to the drink package calculator https://cruisespotlight.com/drink-package-calculator/. Input what you are likely to drink and it will show you whether it's economical or not. 

Thank you for this information. I am so glad that the coffee and tea are no extra charge. I think my family and I are going to stick to the bubbles package for soda etc. much more economical.

My family and I will be on the CARNIVAL VENEZIA 4/5/24-4/15/24. Just a question on drink packages. I really don't want to spend a ton of money on the packages that includes alcohol beverages. Would it be more economical just to order the soda package and then just pay for the coffee, tea, and whatever mixed drinks we want out of an onboard account with money that we add in there? Just want feedback since this will be our 1st ever cruise.

Thanks

Welcome Everyone,

My name is Noele and I am from upstate NY(Cairo, NY). Originally from Queens, NY. This will be my families 1st ever cruise. We were suppose to sail on the maiden voyage of the Norwegian Encore to Bermuda and then it got cancelled due to the pandemic. There will be 8 of us( 5 adults, 3 kids-7, 12, and 14). Looking forward to getting to meet some wonderful people on this cruise.

Hello All,

I want to host a meet and greet on the NCL Encore for the 4 day to Bermuda April 22-26 out of NYC. Are Meet and Greets only limited to 7 or more day cruises?

Thank you for any input!!!

Hi Tulok,

I have seen this on my app as well. I think it is because they do not update the costs until a certain amount of time out from the cruise. Your cruise is coming up in a couple of weeks. I would contact NCL directly and make them aware of this issue and see how they can help. Both of my cruises are a long ways out so I am not to concerned but your cruise is close so I would contact them. Hope this helps.

56 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Keep in mind they will be in different age groups.

I am glad they will be in a different age group. It would be better for both my daughters to mingle with kids in their respective age groups.

4 minutes ago, jlabs03 said:

I  completely understand, everyone is different.  We always have a balcony, my daughter does not go on the balcony when I am not there, even if she did she would just sit there on her iPad or be drawing.  If I say do not do this she will not do it, I am very lucky that she has a good understanding that adults and older kids have more freedoms and can do things that are not appropriate for kids her age, she has always accepted this. When my daughter was 9 I was much more restrictive but now she comes back after I am in bed since she loves the NCL kids club and stays there until close which on our last cruise was 10:30 or 11.  She asks me to sign her up for after hours but since that is an extra charge I refuse to pay fo it.  

We are in the same boat. If I tell them both that they have do something they do it. I am going to 100% sign them up for the kids club because they are both so outgoing that I think meeting other kids would be great. I may do the after hours if it is worth it. We will have a balcony also. That is my main concern only because we are on the 12th floor and they really have never experienced a balcony in their lives. I know they will both listen to not go out on it without us present but I still am a nervous mommy!! LOL

3 minutes ago, Defhermit said:

 

Huh? 19 year olds are adults.

I just cannot see my 9 and 11 year old at the time of the cruise being in the room by themselves, and especially with a balcony. No thank you!

8 minutes ago, jlabs03 said:

My daughter was 9 on her first cruise she is now 12 and I usually get the minifrig emptied because we like to use it to store milk or other things since room service is now a charge.   I just explained to her that the items provided in the room are not free and she should not eat or drink anything without asking first and they will know if she does eat/drink anything, by 9 kids should understand this, she also knows that it would come out of her spending money for the cruise if she did eat/drink something, but like I said she never has and would not expect her to.  They sometimes have bottles of water as well which are not free, which I guess you could ask to be removed as well.  My daughter is responsible (she is not a kid that makes trouble, annoys other, or is loud because these would be unacceptable behaviors and she would lose her freedoms if she behaved in this manner and her freedom matters to her), and even at 9 I would let her go to the pool by herself or with a friend (I would check on her periodically) and stay in the room by herself for a couple of hours or when she got back from the kids club before I got back from what I was doing.  If you use the kids club I believe it is by the time they are 10 or 11 you can give them permission to check themselves in/out.  So my daughter now goes to the kids club by herself and we have a rough schedule of when we will meet up and leave each other notes if we miss each other in the room.  I am a single parent and my daughter is responsible and well behaved, I also trust her not to get into trouble.  I always explain the rules, be careful around strangers, and such and she knows the consequences of misbehaving, which she has never done on a cruise.   By the way the cruise ship does not know who is in your room and when unless the room steward is cleaning you room.  So I am sure people leave much younger kids a lone in their rooms, it is a parents choice based on their kids.

Thank you for this information. My children, also, being 9 and 11 at the time of the cruise, and also well behaved, due to my old school upbringing of them will be on their best behavior. I am going to have the items removed. As far as them roaming the cruise ship on their own, I don't think so. This is my own personal preference and I don't think my husband will go for that either. I trust my kids, however, I do not trust human nature.

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Yes, she would pay for her drinks outright. Definitely don't give her drinks from your UBP. Even though they will serve you two at a time, if they catch you giving them to someone without the UBP, they can revoke your package AND make you pay for all of the drinks you've gotten up to that point.

Thanks Jamie. I will 100% tell her to pay for her drinks outright. I am not having my UBP revoked and neither is my mother. I do not like to go against anything or anyone's policies. That is just who I am. I cannot wait for this cruise to get here. April 2020 cannot come fast enough. We also booked an 11 Day on NCL Gem to the Southern Caribbean for January 2021. I already found a place to have dinner when in San Juan, PR. I like to research the places ahead of time. 

2 minutes ago, KarlChilders said:

No problem just wanted to make sure that you knew it may still be in the cabin.  If you had a concern that the kids might get access to the alcohol, just make sure they don't go digging around the cabin.

I think I will just make sure that they remove it completely. I think I am correct in saying my 9 and 11 year old will not be allowed in the cabin without an adult present. Is this correct? If so, then I guess myself and my husband are safe.

Just now, KarlChilders said:

yes you can  ask the steward to empty it. But be aware they will probably place the contents in a pillow case and stash them under the bed or under the sofa. We discovered this on our first cruise as we were checking to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything when packing for home.

Thanks Karl. I do not care where they store it, I just want to make sure that my kids don't get curious and say oh look what mischief we can get into. My oldest is a STEM student(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and I can just see her and the 9 year old trying to experiment something at mine and my husbands expense. Lol

4 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

There is a VERY high likelihood we will be on that sailing with you or on the week after. We were scheduled to be on the Encore Transatlantic in November, but the itinerary changed didn't appeal to us, so we re-booked the Encore for December out of Miami, but then we ended up switching that to the Bliss 12-day sailing out of NYC on the same day. So now we are looking for future Encore sailings and the first few cruises out of NYC, since that's an easier port for us to sail out of.

That would be so cool if you were on the same cruise as us. We are not a shy group for sure, after all we are from NY lol. We wanted to start our first cruise off small so this 4 day to Bermuda is perfect. Sometimes the UBP can be confusing but thanks for the info. My mom and dad have the UBP for their room but my sister who is 29 and her son who is 2 are the 3rd and 4th guest so my sister does not have the UBP. Should she just pay for her drinks outright? I do not want to do anything illegal like getting her a drink on my UBP? I do not like doing anything that may cause problems.

Good Morning fellow cruisers,

This will be my family's first cruise on NCL Encore out of NYC 2020. Just a quick question: Is it possible to have the minibar emptied before getting into our cabin? My children will be 9 and 11 when we sail and I would much rather them not have access to anything in the minibar fridge, alcohol or soda. I am securing them each a soda package so I do not think they will need anything from the fridge and I don"t see myself or my husband indulging in any of the alcohol in the cabin.

TIA for any information that will be helpful

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Mr Worldwide is fully covered under the UBP. Only drinks over $15 aren't covered and even then, you only pay the difference plus 20% gratuity on the difference. So, if you ordered a $16 drink, you would pay $1.20.

 

PS: Mr Worldwide is my favorite drink on NCL!!!

Thank you Jamie for the information. Myself, my husband, my two kids, my mom, dad, sister, her son, my aunt and uncle are all taking the NCL Encore cruise in April of 2020 out of NYC to Bermuda and it will be our first. I am so excited I cannot wait. We also booked an 11 day on the Gem for January of 2021. Just trying to get as much info as possible as this will be our first.

On 5/2/2019 at 11:13 PM, BirdTravels said:

From last month on the Escape. All things Escape can be found on our live post from last month. 

 

 

My husband and I have the UBP for the NCL Encore cruise to Bermuda April 2020. With the drinks menu listed above, does this mean, for example, i choose to drink Mr. Worldwide, am I paying for that outright or is that covered under the UBP? We also handled all gratuities ahead of time when we booked and payed for cruise in full. Just asking since it will be our first cruise. TIA for any info.

I have had this same experience with negative reviews. My first cruise will be on the Encore and this is a new ship, so, the review of it will be my own. The second cruise we are taking will be on the Gem. I have heard so many negative reviews, however, my Aunt has been on the Gem twice and she said she has never encountered a problem. I will go with that review from a family member who has an eyewitness account of the daily day on the Gem. My mom set up this cruise and the next one as an impulse also. I cannot wait and your family will have fun too. 

On 3/31/2019 at 6:28 PM, CardFanDubG said:

I always begin my cruise with a variation of a Moscow Mule that I call Kentucky Mule - Bourbon, Ginger Ale, Orange slice. I created a NCL Beverage list for a Meet & Greet. Here is the Link to the List.

http://grantmkt.net/ncl/NCL_Beverage_List.pdf 

Thank you for the list. I have already downloaded it to my computer and will be taking it with me on my cruise in 2020. I think I am going to attempt to make a couple before the cruise to see how I like them. Thanks again. 

37 minutes ago, zencruisers said:

 I start of with one of many Painkillers!

That looks so good. I cannot wait. If I may ask, what is in a Painkiller?

Thanks

I agree with MJ Sailors. As a first time cruiser I am not aware of the time constraints that you may run into. I can say NYC can get congested and I would not want you to miss the ship for any reason. I would try to stay as close to the ship as possible.

2 hours ago, slugg said:

I grew up with screwdrivers. It was my dad’s go-to, standard drink. In general, in non-vacation mode, I stick to conservative drinks that are relatively unsweet. A beer, whiskey/scotch on the rocks, stuff like that. The sweetest “normal” drink for me is whiskey and Coke Zero. Try it some time - it’s better than whiskey with Coke Classic! But on vacation, I immediately go for everything out of the ordinary. Bring on the fruity drinks, crazy concoctions, or even something totally absurd that might lead to a good story!

 

I’ll share some fun advice that I give most people that ask about venturing out of their comfort zone with alcohol. I’ll qualify this by first sharing my alcohol credentials. My family is from countries without the concept of a drinking age, so I’ve been drinking literally my entire life. Additionally, my late father worked in the liquor industry for a majority of my lifetime. Through him, I’ve been exposed to virtually every variation of an alcoholic beverage you could possibly imagine. 

 

The reason why I’m sharing this is because I’m not the only one who changes drink preferences while on vacation. It depends on your overall tastes and personality, but lots of people enjoy a different variety of drinks (and food) while on vacation.

 

Perhaps you may want to consider the “adventure factor” of the drinks you’ll have on board. It’s easier to justify when they’re covered by your drink package, anyway. 

 

A frozen, adventurous drink for a beginner that’s a good place to start is simply layering two frozen drinks together. Order a piña colada and strawberry daiquiri and ask them to pour them in two glasses, half in each. That’s a fun way to get started without going too overboard! Don’t mix it; drink it in layers so you can taste each one and give yourself a good baseline for your next drink idea. 

 

Want to do a frozen drink that’s a bit out of the ordinary? Get ready for a potential upcharge and/or good tip for this one, but it’ll DEFINITELY be worth it if you want something adventurous and interesting. Ask for a margarita, but have them add half an avocado and half a jalapeño (or a whole one, if you’re daring like me). To take it to the next level (bar permitting), have them swap out the orange liqueur with melon liquer (usuallly Midori). The texture and flavor is unreal! I will say that the taste of the alcohol is masked more than usual with this combination, which could be a pro or con, depending on your preferences. As for my wife and myself, we always order this drink with a “double” of the tequila and the balance is just right. Trust me, this is an amazing frozen drink, even if you don’t like frozen drinks!

 

For a non-frozen, beginner friendly adventurous drink, it’s next to impossible to recommend one drink. My best recommendation is to think of unique pairs of liquor and mixers (vodka + orange juice, whiskey + cola, gin + tonic, rum + 7up, etc) and just try one at a time. You will find one or two that you like, then you can branch out from there with variations of it. But this will give you a good baseline. Don’t like something? Who cares! Get the next drink - you’re on vacation! If you find something you like, start to experiment with different additives (lime, olive, sour, etc) and go from there. Generally, I’d recommend trying lime with pretty much anything at least once. 

 

For the out-of-the-ordinary non-frozen drink, this is also hard to recommend because of wildly varying tastes. So here’s a list of cocktails I’d recommend trying based on generalized tastes:

 

Fruity and sweet: Hurricane. 

 

Hint of fruit and hint of sweet: Old Fashioned. 

 

Hint of fruit and hint of sweet with some grunt to it: Smokey Old Fashioned.

 

Salty, not at all sweet: Dirty martini. 

Bitter and astringent: Dirty gin and tonic (gin and tonic with a splash of green olive juice).

 

Refreshing: Moscow Mule (optionally add mint). 

 

Refreshing with some grunt: Dark and Stormy. 

 

Something completely absurd but fun with friends: Irish Car Bomb.

 

 

And I think that covers the general staples. If you try all of those, you’ll have a better idea of what you like, then just keep trying stuff in those categories. 

 

Hope this helps - enjoy! 🙂

 

Thank you for all of this information. All of this is most helpful in deciding what to try and what to avoid. This will be our first cruise and I will have my 8 and 10 year old daughters with me so while I will indulge in some beverages I will not being going off the deep end.