wil e coyote

We've sailed NCL several times, Princess a few times, and RCL a few times. We definitely prefer NCL. As others have said, everyone's tastes and preferences are different, but we have found we like the atmosphere of NCL best, along with the dining options and the Freestyle dining approach. In general, the shows have all been good to excellent. That said, we have also had the experience of talking to others on our sailings who didn't like their NCL cruise at all. Give NCL a shot - you'll never be able to compare YOUR likes and dislikes of NCL vs. other lines unless YOU actually cruise with them. Enjoy!

I think some people are going to be unhappy no matter what at this point. If the ship really does leave at 6 PM, my guess is a bunch of people won't know about the change and will get to Seward to find an empty pier. But if we actually leave at 9, people like you who spent money to change their plans will not be thrilled. @YVRteacher, sorry for hijacking your thread - now back to your excellent review of this week's cruise! 😀

Thank you! I am looking forward to meeting you on board next week!

@YVRteacher, loving your review! We're boarding the Jewel in Seward on Monday, and this is like a preview of our cruise in reverse! Could you check on the departure time of the 5/8 sailing from Seward from your end? Yesterday, the departure time online changed from 9 PM to 6 PM, and there is some chatter about that on the 5/8 roll call. Can't tell if it is for real or not. Maybe the shipboard staff knows?

I'm glad to hear you were able to make it to your cruise, and that you had a great time. I'm sorry you have to deal with the hassle of your flights. A few questions: -Did you end up using the NCL-arranged flight to get home? Did you use the NCL transfer to get to the airport after your cruise? If you used the NCL-arranged flight to go home, then NCL may be able to claim that they delivered on at least part of the deal, and you're probably out of luck. If you didn't use those flights or bus transfer to go home, it seems like you should have a case that you paid for flights via NCL that were never used, and so NCL might agree to refund the cost of the air package. But I have no personal experience with that. You might have to just write that cost off to a risk of traveling. The most important thing is that you got on the boat! Good luck!

I want to preface this post by stating that I am not an apologist for NCL (or anyone else). I don't like the price increases for the specialty dining either, but I am not surprised. The cost of dining (and food) is up everywhere. I just about fall over when I look at the price of a steak in the grocery store these days. (On a side note, I just realized that I sound like my grandparents now - that is scary!) At any rate, I don't think NCL has any good options here. Raise the price, which people don't like. Or cut the quality of the meals, which people don't like. Or do some of both, which upsets everyone. I think they are doing option 3, which is probably the worst option. All that said, everyone's break-even point is different - so I get it if folks decide $40 per meal is too much. But it seems in line with the increases I'm seeing in shoreside restaurants.

This is super-interesting, and a good thing to know. Thanks for sharing. We're also on the 5/8-15 Jewel sailing but we're now inside the 14-day window - but I will file this away for the next cruise! I do have a question - how do you determine the price has dropped? The only way I know to do this is a mock booking on the NCL website, but that's not possible if all the cabins in a particular type are sold. Is there a pro tip for this? Thanks!

I wonder if the is the same Omar who was our concierge on the Getaway in Jan 2022? He was fantastic!

No fee. But you will almost certainly have to stand in line. I think we were in line for about 30 minutes, but others have reported much longer waits. Keep in mind that the ropes course is only open on certain times/days, and can be closed during those times due to high winds or bad weather.

We were on the Escape Jan 28-Feb 4 and the ropes course was open. It was fun!

Oh! Interesting. You're the first person I've heard of whose discount extended past 4/15. I stand corrected!

Same here!

Please keep in mind, those offers expired on 4/15/2023 - so no one will see them anymore.

Welcome to the NCL boards! Others have given good answers, so here are just a few hints & tips: 1) While the Haven menu is the same all week, there is a LOT of flexibility if you give a little notice. For instance, my DW really likes the onion rings that are a side for one of the lunch menu items in the Haven dining room. We told the maitre d', and he arranged for her to be able to order onion rings at every dinner for the rest of the week. Want two filets instead of a filet and a lobster tail? Just ask. I have heard that if you ask the night before, you can get a menu item from the MDR served in the Haven DR, but haven't actually tried that. 4) The answer to this varies by person - of course - but my picks would be Cagney's and Moderno. Others would put these at the bottom of their lists - it is all about what you like. 5) The bars near the pools (and the servers on the pool deck in the Haven) typically serve drinks in plastic cups. So no issues with drinks in the pool area.

You need to contact NCL to cancel anything. Some people have reported success doing this via chat on the website, but others have been unable to get help by chat to cancel reservations. The best bet is to make a phone call to NCL.

Hi - I think you are referring to the promos that NCL is currently running (through tomorrow, 4/15) on 2023 Alaska sailings on select ships. The discount only shows once you get to the end of the booking sequence and apply it as a coupon. It does work - we used it for a May cruise. It cuts 50% or 20% off of the cruise fare - not taxes, fees, DSC, excursions, airfare, etc. Still quite a good deal.

We will be on the May 8-15 leg of your journey as well! Looking forward to it - lots! We have also booked the Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer, so if you are doing that on your second half of your cruise we will see you on the little boat!

I was going to say the same thing. We did rent a clamshell - interestingly, we were able to book in advance for our Jan 2023 sailing on Escape, and we were able to use our $50 excursion credit, so it was free (well, actually it was included in the cost of our cruise - nothing is free!) But back to my initial point - the area on the right side of the beach where the clamshells are located is very flat, so unless you are in the first couple of rows, all you see is the clamshell in front of you. On the day we were there, only about half of the clamshells were in use, so we moved to one near the back, which gave us several rows of empty clamshells ahead of us. Since the staff only sets up the clamshells when they are assigned to someone, all the empty ones are down, so we actually had a view and didn't feel like we were surrounded by other people. Also, some of the clamshells have a mesh panel, and others don't. We liked the mesh panel as it helped with air movement. Others prefer no mesh to avoid the sun. That is your call but just be ware of the options. Finally, there are also clamshells on the left side of the beach, near the zipline tower. That area seemed to have fewer clamshells, but (as I flew over them on the zipline) appeared to be on a sloped part of the beach, so the views might be better from the back rows. Perhaps someone else can comment. Enjoy!

When you are dropping off your rental car in Port Canaveral, bear in mind that many (all?) of the rental locations are a few miles south of the port. So you'll need to drop off the car, and then have the rental company shuttle you up to the ship. We did this in January, and it was a zoo - there were multiple ships in port, and so there were lots of people at the rental office waiting for a van to take them to their ship. You'll want to plan plenty of time between dropping off the car and actually getting to the pier.

I suspect (but don't know) that this is intentional. Our local cable/internet company does the same thing - I can add products or upgrade on their website, but I cannot remove or downgrade anything without a phone call. @SeaShark, @cruiseny4life have both offered plausible explanations for why NCL may be doing this - I don't know which is correct, or if there is yet another reason.

I have friends who are on the Joy this week, and Costa Maya hasn't been on the itinerary for some time for this sailing. Not sure when/why it changed, but it was some time ago. For anyone who does go to Costa Maya, I agree with @kitkat343 - that is a great tour!

Welcome to the NCL boards - hope you find useful info here for your upcoming cruise! For what it's worth, here are our thoughts on your questions: 1. We haven't stayed in a Club Balcony Suite, so can't comment on that directly. I agree with others who have recommended watching the prices - as you get closer you may be able to rebook for not much more cost. We have stayed in regular balcony cabins and think they are fine. 2. This question is very individual-specific. We never go to Le Bistro or Ocean Blue, and had a disappointing experience at La Cucina, so we end up at Cagney's, Moderno, or Teppanyaki, in that order of preference. 3. See others' answers. 4. We have used NCL Air quite successfully. Others have had different experiences. I completely agree with others who recommend flying in early - especially for an overseas flight. Enjoy!

@Sthrngary, thanks for this. Our first cruise was in 1992, and I remember many of the same things that you list. One other thing was that the ships were much, much smaller. Our first cruise was on the Starward, which held about 800 passengers, I believe. I still remember the day we visited St. Thomas. We tied up behind a new RCL ship (perhaps Majesty of the Seas? It's been 31 years so I won't swear to that). It was massive - at 2,500 passengers! Today, a 2,500 passenger ship is small on most cruise lines. Another thing that many don't think about is cost. I don't have our receipt from that first cruise, but like you, it was an inside stateroom - basically the least expensive cabin available. No drink package, no free airfare, no internet, no specialty dining. I wish I could remember the exact amount, but my DW and I think it was close to $2,000 for a week for the two of us. Today, if I Look enough, I can get into a balcony stateroom with a drink package, specialty dining, and internet for...about $2,000 for the two of us. Now, as you have noted, the "luxury level" has definitely gone down over the last 31 years, but considering that everything else has gotten more expensive, that shouldn't be a big surprise. This is part of the reason why I don't mind paying for the Haven. Yes, it is more expensive. But compared to the adjusted-for-inflation pricing from 30 years ago, it is actually not all that expensive. I DO miss the flaming baked Alaska parades. But on second thought, flaming food on a ship probably isn't a great idea!

Hi @trevorwh. We haven't yet sailed on a ship with no Haven area, but we are booked on the Jewel in May in a Deluxe Owner's Suite, so I can comment on what we have seen so far. After booking, we received an email from NCL with a link to a survey form. On this form we could select three bottles of liquor and as much soda as we wanted for our cabin. We have been told that breakfast and lunch will be served to Haven guests in Cagney's or Moderno. Hope that helps.

Syd's doesn't have a Haven section - but on some ships, the concierge will whisk Haven guests down and get them in just before the doors open. On other ships, the concierge won't do that. Given the small size of the venue, I'm OK with the latter situation. YMMV!